2016 Bitterroot Wildlife Internship

2016 Bitterroot Wildlife Internship

September 12, 2016

Joshua Lisbon, Rachel Garwin, & Erik Nelson share a recap of the 2016 Bitterroot Wildlife Internship collaboration between Ecology Project International and the MPG Ranch.

Bitterroot Wildlife Internship 2016 Field Note Joshua Lisbon (MPG), Rachel Garwin (EPI), & Erik Nelson (EPI)

In a joint venture between Ecology Project International (EPI) and MPG Ranch, 11 interns participated in the Bitterroot Wildlife Internship (BWI), living and learning on the MPG Ranch for four weeks.

Weeding 70.75 Hours Houndstongue Removal 148.75 Hours Service: Other 130.25 Hours Curriculum 247.75 Hours Fence Removal & Retrofit 178.25 Hours Research

Interns contributed 148.75 hours to houndstongue removal to improve wildlife habitat.

Interns removed 3.69 acres of invasive houndstongue in three locations across MPG Ranch.

Interns removed 1.24 miles of fence posts, barbed wire tangles, and top and bottom wire strands over 92.25 hours, resulting

Interns completed 86 hours to retrofit 0.64 miles of fence on the Sapphire Ranch to ease wildlife passage across the Bitterroot River floodplain.

Replacing top and bottom barbed wire strands with smooth wire keeps cattle in Releasable clips allow four strands to become two, helping wildlife pass above and pastures while allowing elk and deer to cross. below the fence.

Interns worked on many other conservation service projects to improve MPG’s landscape. They removed baling twine from 10.25 acres, collected native seed, banded hummingbirds, and more.

Interns pressed 20 gallons of cider and removed 10 gallons of plastic debris and clay pigeons from an old shooting range on the floodplain.

Living next to MPG Ranch’s Education Garden encouraged interns to become stewards. They contributed 70.75 hours of weeding and other service to the garden.

Interns partnered with MPG researchers to contribute 357.9 hours to ongoing research. Interns studied native plants, soil microbes, hummingbirds, deer parasites, plant defense, grasshoppers, bats, native pollinators, and native seed germination.

One intern partnered with Ylva Lekberg to study changes in plant productivity caused by soil microbe communities.

One intern helped Marirose Kuhlman study differences in pollinator activity between native hairy goldenaster (Heterotheca villosa) and non-native spotted knapweed (Centaurea stoebe).

One intern worked with Prairie Wolfe to collect native seeds and study mold growth during seed germination.

One intern collaborated with Philip Ramsey and Nate Schwab, TetraTech, to study silver- haired bats on MPG Ranch. The intern searched for bat roosts using radio telemetry and assessed roost tree characteristics.

One intern worked with Philip Ramsey to study parasite diversity and abundance in MPG Ranch white-tailed and mule deer populations.

Interns participated in 247.75 hours of curriculum learning about the scientific method, natural history, and the cultural history of the Bitterroot Valley.

885.9 Hours Contributed to Ranch Projects Houndstongue Removal 148.75 Hours Barbed Wire Fence Removal 51.5 Hours Fence Retrofit 126.75 Hours Apple Picking and Pressing 42 Hours Research 357.9 Hours Ed Garden Weeding 70.75 Hours

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2016 Bitterroot Wildlife Internship

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2016 Bitterroot Wildlife Internship

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