Cory and Ecolog:
Look at ecotones and all kinds of edges, for small stuff, and for plants
ignored by most "floras." Enquire of entomologists, especially; they often
know more about plants and ecosystems than most botanists.
If you happen to return via I-70, go camp at the "crystal geyser" south of
Green River, UT. Stay off the Interstates as much as possible, dirt roads
preferred.
For one of the most important, endangered, widespread, varied, and ignored
ecosystems in the world, have a look at http://www.soilcrust.org/ See if you
can arrange to meet up with Jayne Belnap and/or her colleagues, such as at
the BLM in Moab.
Look for places where grazing by cattle has been excluded, and try to sample
areas where the exclusion has been in force for different periods of time,
especially in areas where cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) is present outside of
the exclusion plots/areas, such as old graveyards that are fenced in but not
maintained. Then bring me up to date on cheatgrass densities and the
recruitment of indigenous species, including grasses, forbs, and crust
species in the various exclusion areas of different ages.
Contrarily, look for places that have been cow-burnt (that should be easy)
and look for little refugia within such areas.
I look forward to your reports and links to your articles.
Good luck!
WT
PS: I'll be moseying around somewhere in October, probably up the coast from
San Diego CA, across the northern Sierra Nevada through the Feather River
through Bucks Lake, Quincy, Susanville, the Black Rock Desert NV, thence
NEly to OR, ID, MT, WY, CO, UT, AZ, (NM?), mostly on back roads. Any similar
suggestions along that general route, including big detours, will be
welcome.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Cory Teshera-Sterne" <c...@teshera.net>
To: <ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU>
Sent: Monday, June 27, 2011 1:05 PM
Subject: [ECOLOG-L] Know any great plant places for our
botanical/ecology-focused roadtrip?
My friend and I, a couple of post-undergrad ecologists, are heading out
this
summer on the Great American Roadtrip. We've gotten some great suggestions
of campsites, hikes, etc - but have realized something important is
missing:
neat plants. We're both fascinated by interesting/endangered ecosystems,
plant/animal mutualisms, and just plain strange plant species; I'm also
interested in broadly "useful" plants (wild species used as food/medicine,
feral crop species, etc).
So, we thought we'd send an inquiry out to ecolog, and would be incredibly
grateful if any of ecologists/botanists along our route might be willing
to
share your favorite places/species!
Especially looking for: remnant grasslands/prairies/pre-agricultural
pockets, endangered ecosystems, unusual agricultural areas, unusual/rare
plant species. Examples are the Lost 40 pines in Chippewa Nat'l Forest
(MN),
and the "pocket deserts" of the Okanogan Valley (WA/BC).
Our route: I-90/94 from Boston to Seattle, through MA, NY, northern Great
Lakes region, North Dakota, Montana/Idaho/WA.
We're also doing the requisite travel blog, and I do some freelance
science
writing, so we're also interested in places that don't get as much
protection/conservation-focused attention as they might deserve (or that,
contrarily, shouldn't be visited in order to protect them).
Thanks so much!
-Cory Teshera-Sterne
--
Cory Teshera-Sterne
Programmer, Web Developer,
Natural Sciences Research Assistant
www.linkedin.com/in/corytesherasterne
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