Land management agencies and plant biologists have been monitoring changes in plant communities in select areas of the Intermountain West. On the Colorado Plateau, large-scale die-off has occurred in certain species.
We were asked by one of our land and wildlife management agencies to participate in a monitoring program that might give them insight into the die-off, and how them might respond as a governing agency. Our extensive history in custom seed collection of native plants were exactly what they needed to acquire the seed for the study.
Our task was to collect seed samples from three desert shrub species, namely Wyoming Big Sagebrush, Fourwing Saltbrush, and Winterfat. We made seed selections from plants at a variety of elevations and soil types over a 1200 square miles area in the four corners area of Utah. When a suitable specimen was located, we harvested the seed and logged a detailed field report of that selection. The information we gathered included a lot number for each selection, GPS coordinates of the collection site, the elevation, soil type, and general observations about the surroundings. Several photos of each collection site were taken with all of the collection information embedded in the photo.
The goal of our portion of the project was to obtain seed that can be grow out in a study setting. The plants can be studied at all stages of life or transplanted to observe how they behave in a variety of settings. The observations might give clues as to why the die-offs are happening, and how land managers can appropriately respond.
In the three days we worked we saw endless miles of beautiful desert southwest. We made over 50 seed selections and drove five hundred and twenty miles of dirt road. We were glad to be a part of the effort, and hope that the information we gathered will be useful to land managers. It was a great opportunity to share our skills, one one more way Great Basin Seed is striving to be a wise steward of the earth.