Invasive Species Plant Guide

Transcription

1 Invasive Species Plant Guide Zarela Guerrero California State University San Marcos Summer 2014 Advisor: Bjorn Fredrickson Recreation and Lands Officer Forest Service Cleveland National Forest Palomar Ranger District April 2015

2 Table of Contents Acknowledgements...1 Executive Summary 2 Project Objectives 2 Project Approach. 3 Project Outcome.. 3 Conclusions.3 Appendix I....5

3 Acknowledgements This project was supported by Hispanic-Serving Institution s Education Program Grant no from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. This project came to fruition thanks to the generosity of Joan Friedlander who accepted me as an intern in her district and Bjorn Fredrickson who believed in my skills and gave me the opportunity to intern in his office. I would also want to acknowledge Julie Lappin and Nicole Barnhart at the Water Resources Institute for their unconditional support. 1 P a g e

4 Executive Summary This project was conceived to use as a tool for the Forest Service Recreation Office at the Cleveland National Forest, Palomar Ranger District in the identification of invasive plant species present in the forest lands. The outcome was a user-friendly pocket plant guide that can be easily use by Forest Service employees and volunteers to identify invasive plant species and report them to the pertinent authority so that they can be eradicated properly. Project Objectives This project took place at the Forest Service Recreation Office at the Cleveland National Forest in Ramona, California where I was an intern during the summer of The project was created to alleviate the office s need for a plant guide that the Recreation Officer could hand to its employees and volunteers in order for them to be able to identify the invasive plants that have claimed the Cleveland national Forest as their home. The plant guide needed to be written at a level that was accessible and understandable for the audience that was intended, the general public. It also needed to have a practical design so that the employees and volunteers could easily access it and use it during their field visits. Having a background in biology and having worked with native plants for my thesis, made me realize how damaging invasive species can be to biodiversity and to the native species which in most occasions have to compete with the invasive for nutrients and water. Sadly, this battle is not always won by our native species. So I decided to take the challenge and create this guide in an effort to contribute a grain of salt in the eradication of these plants. I also appreciated the opportunity to actually be working at my local Forest Service office because it is my dream job to work permanently for them. Their mission statement: Caring for the Land and Serving People really inspires me to apply the skills and knowledge that I have acquired through my academic preparation. I want to be able to make a difference in the health and condition of our national forests so that our generation can continue to enjoy their beauty and tranquility as well as to allow the future generation to enjoy them too. 2 P a g e

5 With this objective in mind, I started on the tasks to create the plant guide. My tasks were to obtain information about the invasive species present in the Cleveland, compile the information in a document, and make the document user friendly. Project Approach In order to accomplish my goal of creating a user-friendly invasive species plant guide, I took the following steps. First, I had to obtain a list of the invasive plants known to be present at the Cleveland National Forest. Then, I had to obtain the pertinent information and photographs that allowed me to describe the plants in detail so that people would recognize them in the field based on the description and photos provided in the guide. Lastly, I had to compile the information and photographs in a pocket-friendly document that was easy to carry and access when employees and volunteers were hiking in the forest. Project Outcome The outcome of this project was a 5.5 inch by 8.5 inch pocket-friendly plant guide that will allow for the recognition to start eradication efforts of invasive plant species in the Cleveland National Forest. I have attached the actual plant guide in appendix one for a better understanding of the outcome of this project. Another outcome of this project was that it reassured in me the desire to make the Forest Service the agency were I would like to start my career. Conclusions I was able to accomplish my goal of creating an invasive species plant guide targeted to people with limited to no knowledge of botanical vocabulary and technical terms. The accessibility of this guide was crucial to me because I believe that it is by educating the general public that we can make a difference in the way we are relating to our planet. If we continue to keep all the knowledge in the academic spheres, we are not doing anybody a favor. We need the effort of 3 P a g e

6 the majority of people in order to find new ways to preserve our precious resources and manage them in a sustainable way. I really enjoyed working on this project because it allowed me to contribute my time and skill to the education of people in order to start some efforts in the eradication of invasive plants that threaten the health of our native ecosystems. Working on this project opened the door of the Forest Service to me. I was able to experience the agency, and realize that it is the perfect match for me. The Forest Service not only makes our national forests available to us for exploring and recreating ourselves, but also manages the natural resources in a sustainable way so that the negative impact to the plants and animals living in the forest is minimal or not existent at all. This inspires me and makes me realize that my passion about helping manage the forest in a sustainable way is possible if I work for this agency. After working on this project, I realize that my skills, talents and aspirations fit the job description of a wildlife biologist, so I will pursue this position at the Forest Service. 4 P a g e

7 Apendix I. Plant Guide 5 P a g e

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