{"id":2363,"date":"2010-07-10T20:35:30","date_gmt":"2010-07-11T03:35:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev-clm-blog.pantheonsite.io\/?p=2363"},"modified":"2010-07-10T20:35:30","modified_gmt":"2010-07-11T03:35:30","slug":"working-in-the-dalton-management-area-and-making-new-friends-in-alaska","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.clminternship.org\/?p=2363","title":{"rendered":"Working in the Dalton Management Area and Making New Friends in Alaska"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Here is a picture I took while going a wonderful hike around the Marion Creek camping grounds with new friends. This picture was taken at around 10:00 PM; it doesn't get dark at night out here in Alaska during the summer!! <\/p><\/div>\n

I just started my new internship in Fairbanks, Alaska about a week and a half ago.\u00a0 So far it has been an eye-opening and wonderful experience.\u00a0 I’m originally from North Eastern Illinois, so this is such a huge change in scenery and a huge change in my life.\u00a0 I’m working with the BLM\u00a0along with\u00a0my mentor and wildlife Biologist\u00a0Ruth Gronquist\u00a0to help monitor and control invasive non-native plant species\u00a0inside the Dalton Management Area.\u00a0 After collecting\u00a0enough data and analyzing it,\u00a0I will then help to devise a strategic plan\u00a0to\u00a0control or eradicate\u00a0those pesky alien plant invaders.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Its been a whirlwind of adventure and learning so far.\u00a0 I’ve already learned\u00a0a lot\u00a0\u00a0about Alaska,\u00a0\u00a0non-native invasive plant (NIP)\u00a0species, and how to monitor specific areas of infestation.\u00a0 We are mainly concentrating on river and stream crossings right now\u00a0as these are pathways for\u00a0non-native invasive plant\u00a0(NIP)\u00a0species to spread and travel.\u00a0 Many have seeds that can float, like the main NIP species we\u00a0have been\u00a0working on so far:\u00a0 Melilotus alba, or White Sweet Clover.\u00a0 I’ve already learned how to use the GPS Trimble equipment pretty well\u00a0and we’ve collected a good amount of monitoring\u00a0data on the spread and infestations\u00a0of\u00a0Melilotus alba\u00a0near stream and river crossings\u00a0this past week.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

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This is just one of the many river\/stream crossings we monitored and worked on. Now how beautiful is that?!<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n

This past week was my\u00a0first full week in Alaska and I was already\u00a0out in the field doing field work.\u00a0 We stayed at Coldfoot Creek, its about a 6-7 hour drive up\u00a0the Dalton highway (the “haul” road).\u00a0It is a beautiful and\u00a0slightly challenging trip, but its very rewarding when you get to see these places most people will never get to see in their lifetime. \u00a0 Most of our work is done along the “haul”\u00a0road\u00a0because that is the main pathway for\u00a0the (NIP) species to travel.\u00a0 The haul road was initially\u00a0created\u00a0to transport much needed materials for the construction of the Alaska pipeline and is now also used for recreation.\u00a0 Now NIP species are hitching a ride down the Dalton and they’re quickly\u00a0causing\u00a0very serious negative\u00a0effects on Alaska’s pristine\u00a0native ecosystem.\u00a0 Something needs to be done immediately, so\u00a0we are working hard to prevent the pesky alien\u00a0plant invaders from spreading more northward and devising a strategic plan to control or eradicate\u00a0them.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

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This is the bridge that crosses the Yukon River. It's part of the very long and slightly challenging Dalton Highway. What a fun bridge to cross!<\/p><\/div>\n

My\u00a0leadership skills have\u00a0been put to the\u00a0test and they\u00a0have\u00a0improved\u00a0since\u00a0I had\u00a0the opportunity\u00a0to help coordinate volunteer weed pulls at certain\u00a0locations along the Dalton Highway.\u00a0 We had excellent\u00a0help\u00a0from the Friends of Alaska\u00a0National\u00a0Wildlife Refuges.\u00a0 They were all\u00a0really nice and wonderful people and they\u00a0lended a very helping hand to our cause.\u00a0 It was my first time coordinating and leading anything since I’ve come out\u00a0to this strange new place.\u00a0 They made it very easy for me and they were wonderful to work with.\u00a0 We need more people like them in this world!\u00a0 I feel that we got a lot done this last week and I’m very proud of them and myself for\u00a0the accomplishments we made.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

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What good friends!!<\/p><\/div>\n

\u00a0I’m writing this blog while\u00a0sitting in the Phoenix Skyharbor Airport, awaiting my shuttle to our CLM workshop.\u00a0 I’m super excited to see the Grand Canyon for my first time and to\u00a0meet new people that are also learning a whole lot and going through major changes in their lives.\u00a0 It should be awesome!\u00a0 Well friends, that’s all I’ve got for now.\u00a0Until next time…\u00a0 \u00a0Enjoy all \u00a0the\u00a0pictures I took and you all will hear from\u00a0me again\u00a0soon!\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I just started my new internship in Fairbanks, Alaska about a week and a half ago.\u00a0 So far it has been an eye-opening and wonderful experience.\u00a0 I’m originally from North Eastern Illinois, so this is such a huge change in … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":251,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.clminternship.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2363"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.clminternship.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.clminternship.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.clminternship.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/251"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.clminternship.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2363"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/blog.clminternship.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2363\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2393,"href":"https:\/\/blog.clminternship.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2363\/revisions\/2393"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.clminternship.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2363"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.clminternship.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2363"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.clminternship.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2363"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}