I was a CLMer last year and thus attended the workshop at the Botanic Garden in Chicago. This year presented a different opportunity, the Oregon Vegetation Management Association (OVMA) annual conference, and the Oregon Plant Conservation meeting.

Let me begin by saying, the two events couldn’t be more different! OVMA is geared toward invasive plant control and attracted land managers, weed warriors, and chemical company representatives. Many talks were about regulations, safety, and the newest materials available for the weed killers’ toolbox. A “nozzlehead” dream come true. I did learn quite a bit on these topics, and I appreciate the role that herbicide use plays in land management, but I’m not super enthusiastic about the whole thing. My favorite talk was from a company that uses goats as an approach to controlling weeds. It was a nice break from the chemical focus of the day. Goats can be advantageous in certain situations and a part of the Integrated Vegetation Management (IVM) approach. While they are not going to completely solve your problem, they can drastically reduce the amount of herbicide or mechanical treatments needed. Goats can easily get into difficult to access areas and love what they do (eating weeds). They can really put a dent in English ivy, poison sumac, himalayan blackberry and a host of other weeds. They are agile and light, therefore ideal for delicate riparian areas. I was excited to learn about how the business was run, and I would definitely consider this as a retirement! My mentor even said that if I can think of an appropriate project area on our BLM district that she would hire a goat crew there. Overall it was an informative meeting.  I just wish there was more focus on IVM methods other than herbicide, like goats!

Next it was off to the college town of Corvallis, OR for A Meeting of the Botanical Minds! This is a big event where all the BLM Botanists and guest partners share ideas and their work with each other. A big part of the meeting is deciding which plants need to be the focus of conservation efforts – rare, threatened, and endangered – on all levels, BLM, state, and federal recommendations. Peggy Olwell, the BLM Plant Conservation lead from Washington D.C. was even there! Peggy introduced the National Seed Strategy, which SOS relates directly to, and really made a point to recognize the hard work that botanists (and CLM interns) are doing for native plant conservation. She encouraged everyone to keep up the good work and to be assertive in situations where the importance of native plants is being overlooked. I really enjoyed meeting everyone! It felt like I was with my people and everyone was welcoming and down to earth. I learned so much hearing the perspectives of botanists throughout the state, and it was very inspiring. I’m so glad that I had the opportunity to attend, and the experience reaffirmed that I want to continue a career that works to protect native plant resources!