This past week my crew along with some others went to the Forest Service Nursery in Couer D’Alene Idaho to help out with some data collection. The nursery was incredible and full of so many different cool projects. We were given a tour and got to see into all their giant greenhouses full of plants that were mainly used for restoration work.

Before this job, I knew very little about how the actual process of restoration worked. I had never thought about the actual way plants were grown and prepared to be planted. I had a lot of fun learning all about what they do at the nursery. They are constantly doing so many experiments to learn more about our native species and how to breed more resilient plants.

During our time at the nursery, we were helping with a common garden study. The nursery grows a bunch of the same plant from different locations to learn more about the genetics of the species from different areas. It was our job to count and measure the plants, which I will admit got a little bit tedious. Luckily, one of the nursery cats came to hang out with us while we did our data collection.

The silliest thing about our trip to Couer D’Alene was that we camped in tents at the nursery. The camping was generally uneventful except for our last night when it started pouring. There were also some flies who would not get out of my rain fly, but a praying mantis came to the rescue and ate them for me.

I am so glad that I was able to go to the nursery and learn so much about how they operate. I graduated from college in the spring, and I have been trying to figure out what exactly I want to do with my career. While I was at the nursery, I kept thinking “Wow, I could really see myself working here.” I love growing plants, and I am passionate about restoration work. For a long time now, I have been telling people that I am interested in the practical application of science and that is exactly what they do at the nursery.