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| Long Tom River |
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| BLM Long Tom Site |
In the spirit of WREN’s Wetland Wanders held the second
Tuesday of every month, I recently embarked on a West Eugene Wetlands adventure
with two of my BLM colleagues, Forestry Technician, Colin Sayre, and Plants
Biological Technician, Christine Calhoun as well as BLM’s GIS Specialist and
Acting Assistant Field Manager, Bernie Hoffman. Our journey took us to a
spacious, 5-acre, mixed oak savannah and wet prairie nestled along the Long Tom
River between the towns of Cheshire and Veneta where we settled in to monitor
the recently down-listed species, Bradshaw’s lamatium.
Brandshaw’s lomatium, or Bradshaw’s desert parsley, is a low
lying, perennial species that grows from a slender tap root. Its pinnate leaves
are reminiscent of delicate carrot fronds and its small, yellow flowers are
arranged radially in clusters called umbels. Bradshaw’s lomatium is generally
found in wet habitats where the soil is clay-rich, near creeks or small rivers.
Threats include habitat loss due to agriculture, commercial and residential
development, encroachment by shrubs and trees, and competition from weedy
invasives.
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(Above) Christine and Colin mark the 'x' axis of the plot
(Below) Colin records the number of leafing and flowering plants |
The best time to survey and monitor this species is from
mid-April to May when the plant is in flower. I learned from experience that
this is due to the fact that the short, delicate carroty leaves can easily be
overlooked or confused with any number of plants that make up the green,
vegetative expanse of the wet prairie. We began by finding one of the four, 30+
square meter plots on site with a GPS. Then, Colin and Christine attached a
large tape to one end of the transect point and unrolled it to the other end of
the transect line to mark an ‘x’ axis. Two additional measuring tapes were used
on the ‘y’ axis to create a system of monitoring the plots one square meter at
a time. Searching for the Bradshaw’s lomatium brought to mind memories from
childhood spending hours meticulously looking through a field of clover for the
one with 4-leaves. The process was slow and meditative, allowing the observer
ample time to appreciate the other Spring wildlife that inevitably appears when
one is patient and looking closely, such as young Northwest garter snakes,
small orb weavers and crab spiders, voles, eagles, and Pileated and Acorn
woodpeckers. One can’t help but appreciate in these moments all that Spring has
to offer! After the data has been collected, it is recorded on a series of
sheets used by Technicians to input into Long-term data files and will provide
evidence for restoration measures.
It wasn’t very long ago that Bradshaw’s lomatium, or Desert Parsley, was listed as an Endangered species. A number of
factors are required in order to reclassify a species from Endangered to Threatened.
Most importantly is evidence to support that the species population is growing
and that it has high quality habitat to support its growth. Yearly
monitoring is the best way to document how well a plant species is
doing so that a plan for protection and management can be put into place. This
requires the dedication of restoration ecologists who have an interest in
protecting these important resources and a supportive community. Plant
monitoring programs, such as the one I experienced this Tuesday with my BLM
colleagues, help us allocate land management resources and plan restoration
efforts. Monitoring efforts also give us an understanding of the occurrence,
distribution and status of plant populations in vital wetland units. The data
collected through plant monitoring helps make sure that threatened and
endangered species receive continued protection and assistance and ensure
species biodiversity.
Thanks to monitoring programs and the efforts of my
colleagues and other Wildlife Technicians, the West Eugene Wetlands is now down to three threatened and endangered species; the Fender’s Blue
butterfly, Kinkaid’s lupine (the nectar plant for the Fender’s blue butterfly),
and the Willamette daisy. After participating in monitoring efforts, I see the
value in the work and have renewed hope that, with continued efforts and
support, all of our West Eugene Wetlands species will be considered
common, once again.
Article by WREN Program Coordinator, Laura Maloney
