From a CLMIP intern in Klamath Falls, Oregon

Klamath Falls Resource Area

Since June I have been working at the Klamath Falls Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management. My main role has been to manage the native plant seed collection program. This is the first year Klamath Falls has been part of the Seeds of Success Program, so I’ve been scouting for plant populations that will be suitable for seed collection. As timing has allowed, I have also been able to collect seeds of target species from 20+ locations.

One of the things I’ve most appreciated about this internship experience is the opportunity to be involved with multiple aspects of on-the-ground land management. Klamath Falls is a ranching community, and much of the public lands are grazing allotments. I was able to spend a lot of time this summer with the Range Conservationist, monitoring the allotments for impact of cattle on local vegetation. This work involved doing nested frequency vegetation plots and surveying riparian areas that are important for the spawning of endangered sucker fish. Other land management field work I’ve gotten to do include: noxious weed treatment monitoring, weed assessment on juniper units, wetland monitoring and shoreline vegetation aquatic measurements, and rare plant inventories.

This past Saturday was our National Public Lands Day event, and ~40 people from the BLM and community came out to work on projects at a local wetland. Projects included bird box repair and installation, mile post marker installation, weeding, and re-vegetation. All aspects of this event were great, from the planning to the advertising to the working at the event.