![\"DSCN5494\"](\"https:\/\/dev-clm-blog.pantheonsite.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/DSCN5494.jpg\")
<\/a>Dalton Highway leading north into the Brooks Range<\/p><\/div>\n
The rare plant front is progressing a little more slowly.\u00a0 We learned that the GIS rare plant data that we have is fuzzed and thus not very useful for navigating to sites to monitor rare plants.\u00a0 Now it seems we have resolved the problem so I will soon be able to get out to the field, hopefully tracking down some of these populations to monitor them and scouting areas where new populations might be hiding.<\/p>\n
For the month of August I will also be working with another wildlife biologist in the office to re-visit some plots that were monitored pre-2004 fire to see what they look like post-fire.\u00a0 Said biologist had been noticing that spruce forests are not regenerating post-fire as they used to and instead earlier succession environments are persisting.\u00a0 Hopefully the data we collect here will help shed some light on this situation.<\/p>\n
The latest adventure I\u2019ve taken part in was a 38 mile float\/raft trip down the Fortymile River, southwest of Fairbanks.\u00a0 I tagged along with the office realty specialist and his intern and learned how to conduct mining compliance inspections at long term mining campsites along the river.\u00a0 I also used this time to do invasive species inventories at these campsites.\u00a0 I was surprised (but encouraged!) to find no invasive species at any of the 14 sites that we visited.\u00a0 Despite some rain and cold, the raft trip was one of my favorite thus far\u2014floating down the river was obviously lovely, I was able to learn how to raft from some experienced mentors and our three person team took part in several adventures such as rescuing a sunken hovercraft and helping guide a suction dredge down a series of rapids.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Beautiful view down the Fortymile<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Doing mining compliance inspections<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Suction dredge floating in the river<\/p><\/div>\n
No invasives but plenty of gorgeous native plants…<\/p>\n
<\/a>Labrador Tea, Ledum palstre ssp groenlandieum<\/em> (among many other taxonomic synonyms)<\/p><\/div>\n Cloudberry\/Salmonberry, Rubus chamaemorus<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n Bog Blueberry, Vaccinium vliginosum<\/em> Bluebells, Mertensia paniculata<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hello my lovely fellow interns, Since we last virtually spoke (as in I post and you maybe read), I have been doing a lot more work with invasive and rare plants.\u00a0 I\u2019ve familiarized myself with NISIMS and conning ArcMap\/ArcPad into … Continue reading <\/a><\/a>
And most delicious!<\/p><\/div>\n<\/a>