Seed Collection Stories 2023:

BLM New Mexico State Office Seed Crew 

by Keegan Sturdevant

The 2023 Seeds of Success (SOS) Crew at the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) New Mexico State Office (NMSO) in Santa Fe, New Mexico, consisted of three people: Keegan Sturdevant (lead), Jacob Eader (member), and Andrei von Tsurikov (member). We completed 49 total collections, 36 of which are a part of the national Seeds of Success (SOS) program. 13 of the collections are housed by the Southwest Seed Partnership (SWSP). Our crew collected seeds from 30 different species, 25 different genera, and 11 families. We also created 171 new scouting points. Additionally, our crew collected 90 total tissue samples from 6 different locations to be used for genetic research for the USGS Southwestern Biological Science Center.

The majority of our collections were made in the north, west, and central areas of the state of New Mexico within the Arizona-New Mexico Plateau. We made 8 collections in other ecoregions, most of which were straddling the boundaries of the AZ-NM Plateau. As a BLM based crew, almost all of our collections occurred on land managed by the BLM. Other collections were made in locations that had healthy, flourishing populations, where we were permitted to collect seed and plant materials.

We primarily collected from plants in the Asteraceae family. As is well known in the botany community, asters come in many shapes and sizes, leading them to be very hardy and successful. Given the climatic conditions this year, we found the largest populations and the strongest seed fill in the asters we collected from. Most of the asters we collected from this year are fantastic pollinator plants, create habitat for small rodents and insects, and they hold historic ethnobotanical significance in this region. We found that many asters were continuously flowering throughout the summer and fall; in other words there was a long collection window. 

Our crew also collected from many species in the Poaceae family. Though we had expected to collect from many warm season grasses such as Bouteloua spp. and Muhlenbergia torreyi, by fortuity we collected more cool season grasses. These cool season grasses, like Aristida purpurea and Achnatherum hymenoides typically grow on roadsides and rocky slopes. One can see in wild populations that these plants thrive in disturbed environments and specialize in holding onto the soil, leading to soil stabilization. 

In addition to collecting seeds, our crew also collected tissue samples from Juniperus monosperma around northern New Mexico for the USGS Southwestern Biological Science Center with support from the Colorado Plateau Plant Conservation and Restoration Program and BLM. We collected 15 samples from 6 populations, totaling 90 tissue samples. These samples will be used to inform seed transfer zones for the development of native plant materials in piñon-juniper woodlands. 

This season was particularly challenging due to the extreme temperatures during the summer. There were record breaking temperatures across the world this summer. We experienced the warmest June (according to the NOAA 174 year record) and warmest July (in the contiguous USA according to the NOAA 129 year record) (NOAA). There was a “heat dome” over much of the southern and central US. During a week long hitch in the Farmington BLM Field Office, the forecasted high temperatures were over 100℉, with some daily “feels-like” temperatures reaching 108℉.

At the beginning of our season, in early June, there was an unexpected spell of rainfall. However, during the typical monsoon season between July and August there was unexpectedly little rain. The total monthly precipitation in May (1.5 in) and June (1.1 in) was greater than that in July (0.8 in) and August (1.7 in) in the whole state. Despite early season rains, April was the driest season of the year with 0.1 inches of precipitation (The Water Desk). This was noticeable in the success of the early season forb collection, as we saw fruitful populations of Lesquerella fendleri, Phacelia integrifolia, and Plantago patagonica in early July. Conversely, the lack of monsoon rains was obvious as our crew observed many promising August-flowering populations produce little to no seeds in September and October. After 6-9 weeks of monitoring the phenology of fall-fruiting populations, such as Dalea candida, we watched seeds turn to dust in between our fingers.

Despite these statistics and summaries, the three members of our crew made so many memories together this season. We started each day by waking up on the ground, in our tents. We balanced full mugs of coffee while driving down the bumpiest of roads to collection locations. There were many days of looking out for each other under the hot high-desert sun. There have been countless hours of music and audiobooks which entertained us during long drives. There were many nights of playing chess with headlamps on. We cooked our favorite meals at camp, sometimes improvising recipes and sometimes totally failing. We ate undercooked enchiladas in the truck during a major storm. We listened to the coyotes howl when there were breaks in between the parades of hail on our tents. These memories lead us to gratitude for the work we do.

It’s quite poetic, being so tuned into and aware of all the plants on a particular hillside or in a remote canyon. We are witnesses to the otherwise unnoticed processes plants go through. We look at the unique beauty of each individual, the variations of expression in every single plant, to which we bend down and collect seed from. We are visitors to the insects, the jackrabbits, the bears, the wild horses, the elk, and the cattle that live in these lands. We are grateful for the privilege and the ability we have been granted to live and work in this way. All of this culminates to a sense of appreciation and reward.