Almost 6 months have past since the beginning of my internship here in Carson City, Nevada. It feels more like 6 weeks, but I knew this would happen. Four day work weeks packed with seed collections, traveling and anything else that may pop up on our schedule, paired with adventure-filled weekends at Lake Tahoe, create an atmosphere where days seem like hours and minutes seem like seconds. My crew and I are here until the middle of November, and we intend to make the most of what little time we have left.

I am used to a gradual shift in climate as the seasons change in eastern half of the United States. Brisk autumn days slowly morph into chilly winter nights while the mesophytic hardwood forests undergo their annual transformations as their leaves senesce. The seasons are more static here; one can expect identical conditions day after day for a given time frame. However, it seems that the transition from winter to spring or summer to fall is more sudden. I am going to miss the myriad of colors the deciduous forests boast in mid fall, but I cannot wait to experience my favorite time of the year in the Sierras.

Our team has, aside from a few species, hit a wall making SOS collections. These late summer months have been equal parts scouting as much as collecting. However, most asters seed late, so the bulk of our collecting has yet to come.

In other news, my team and I were just enlisted in a Rapid Vegetation Assessment course at UC Davis’s Bodega Marine Laboratory. It is a three day course but we are going to turn it into a week long vacation. I am so excited to finally see the redwoods, explore San Francisco and discover the diversity of Point Reyes National Seashore (not to mention the ocean breakers colliding with the rocky cliffsides).

Pedicularis groendlandica

A view atop Mt. Rose

Until next time,

Jason Fibel, Carson City District Office – BLM