It is hard to believe that I am halfway through! I have seen and experienced so much since my last post\u2026where to begin?\u00a0 Stephen and I are up to over thirty collections and will have a busy week ahead of us.\u00a0 As my collecting area is the Colorado Plateau, I have been fortunate to see beautiful parts of Arizona, Utah, and Colorado!<\/p>\n
We just returned from Montrose, Colorado where we spent a week camping and collecting on BLM land located on the Uncompahgre Plateau.\u00a0 The Uncompahgre Plateau covers around 2,300 miles on the western slope of the Rockies and is a high domed upland peaking at 10,300\u2019.\u00a0 Due to the elevation gradient, the UP supports a wide range of plant and wildlife communities and is BEAUTIFUL! The plateau’s varying landscape ranges from shrubby desert plants in a pinyon-juniper woodland to lush green forests comprised of Ponderosa pine, aspen and blue spruce.\u00a0 It is so interesting how drastically different the life zones are given the close proximity.<\/p>\n
We met with folks from the Uncompahgre Partnership, comprising of Sate and Federal agencies including: Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, Colorado Division of Wildlife, Public Lands Partnership, Western Area Power Administration and Tri-State Generation. The Uncompahgre Partnership strives to improve the ecosystem health and natural functions of the Uncompahgre Plateau. We\u2019ve had the privilege to play a role in the partnership\u2019s goal of improving habitat quality for threatened and endangered wildlife species- specifically, the Gunnison sage grouse. We collected seeds from plant species that are of special concern for reestablishing a healthy habitat for the sage grouse. It is very rewarding to play even the smallest role in working towards conserving the habitat of a declining species. Hopefully with time, sufficient habitat for the sage-grouse can be restored and enhanced. Well, until next time.\u00a0 Hope all is well!<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/dev-clm-blog.pantheonsite.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/P72508933.jpg\")
<\/a>One of our collecting sites<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Lupinus argenteus-my favorite forb!<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>enjoying the desert <\/p><\/div>\n
Rebecca<\/p>\n
Flagstaff, AZ<\/p>\n
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It is hard to believe that I am halfway through! I have seen and experienced so much since my last post\u2026where to begin?\u00a0 Stephen and I are up to over thirty collections and will have a busy week ahead of … Continue reading