Another very exciting hitch with many different types of flowers seen along the way. With all of the sun, the flowers seemed even more vibrant than before. Right away, on the first day, Leslie (top middle) was proud to be pulling up houndstongue (Cynoglossum officinale), found along Black Mountain #396. This is an invasive plant in the area that is toxic to livestock. The most abundant flower by far was seen on #396 trail, lining the hike. This starflower (Trientalis borealis; top right) is rather short, but very showy. The Down River #297 trail was just beginning to enjoy the blooms of the Clarkia (Clarkia pulchella; bottom left). This is a native to the area, and will often cover hillsides in its vibrant pink color. At Goat Ridge, on the Smith Ridge #240 trail, spreading phlox (Phlox diffusa) was covering the ridge in all shades of purple and white (top left). And finally, the most exciting sighting of the hitch was the phantom orchid (Cephalanthera austiniae; bottom right), originally spotted on the #396 trail, but an individual was also later found on #297. This orchid is completely white and native to the area, although only growing in specific areas.
Flora from the Field: Mallard Larkins
There were many fun sightings on the trails during this hitch, even despite the rain. This Garden tiger moth caterpillar (Arctia caja; bottom middle) was found near camp on Wednesday. There were many of these blister beetles (Meloe spp.; top middle) found along the trail #95. Common flowers included Western spring beauties (Claytonia lanceolata; top left), Foamflower (Tiarella Cordifolia; middle left), Bunchberries (Cornus canadensis; middle right), and Black elderberry (Sambucus nigra; bottom right). There were several Pacific yew trees (Taxus brevifolia; top right) along the Isabella Creek #95 trail before the #96 junction. A rare for the area sighting was the deer fern (Blechnum spicant; bottom left) which was found on the #96 trail.
Season wrap up from Rory O'Connor, Great Burn Conservation Alliance Backcountry Ranger
By Rory O’Connor
This was my first year working as a full-time seasonal employee for the GBCA. I started in May, and I am now getting things wrapped up in the third week of November. Working for the GBCA in a part time capacity over the last 13 years, my capabilities were limited by time. This year I moved to a full time seasonal position with GBCA, which gave me the opportunity to expand my ability to get more involved with our organization and members, Forest Service partners and other partner groups.
Two major duties I added this season were facilitating volunteer projects and serving as a liaison for the Forest Service and the Idaho Conservation Corps (ICC). Myself, along with staff member Jory Biddick, organized two fairly involved volunteer projects including a pit-toilet install at Heart Lake and a weed pull in the West Fork of Indian Creek. This was a great learning experience for both of us. Both trips presented unexpected logistical challenges giving us the opportunity to fix things on the fly, and we ended up with two successful trips with satisfied volunteers.
My time serving as a liaison for the ICC crew was cut short this season due to the fires. I completed one nine-day hitch with two ICC crews on Black Mountain trail 396 in the Mallard Larkins roadless area. It is planned that I will work with the ICC crews next field year doing similar work. The liaison aspect will be something I will be getting more experience with next season. The one hitch with the ICC crews this year was a good trial for me working with younger folks who did not have much trail work experience.
In addition to my liaison role with the ICC this year, I had the opportunity to shadow the USFS Pierce trail crew for 12 days, and complete a four-day-training hitch with our Kelly Creek weed crew. Having the time and ability to train and work with the field crews this year was a new aspect of my position, and I felt it was very beneficial.
My time serving as a liaison for the ICC crew was cut short this season due to the fires. I completed one nine-day hitch with two ICC crews on Black Mountain trail 396 in Mallard Larkins. It is planned that I will work with the ICC crews next field year doing similar work. The liaison aspect will be something I will be getting more experience with next season. The one hitch with the ICC crews this year was a good trial for me working with younger folks who did not have much trail work experience. In addition to my liaison role with the ICC this year, I had the opportunity to shadow the Pierce trail crew for 12 days, and complete as a four-day-training hitch with our weed crew. Having the time and ability to train and work with the field crews this year was a new aspect of my position, and I felt it was very beneficial.
Half of my time on the Clearwater was spent in the Great Burn. The other half was spent in three other roadless areas including Meadow Creek, Bighorn-Weitas and the Mallard Larkins. Overall, the 2021 field year was a good preliminary run in an effort to gain insight on how we can operate a more full-time roving ranger position. Given my greater capacity this season I had the ability to work on GBCA goals of strengthening our relationship with our Forest Service partners and to use the backcountry ranger position as an outreach tool with other conservation organizations and youth corps. The ground work I was able to accomplish this year served as an effective means to achieve these goals.
