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GBI Photo Contest March 2020 Submissions

GBI Photo Contest March 2020 Submissions

Although GBI field operations are currently suspended, our personnel were able to get a good number of spectacular photos in for the March media contest, and we’re delighted to present some of these submissions here. Among these is the above photo by Research Associate Joey Danielson, who tell us that the picture “was taken while driving home from a field day doing winter bat surveys. A group of 9 elk were resting in the sagebrush low on the mountain. The elk are starting to lose their antlers now but these guys are still hanging on. Fieldwork provides many opportunities to see Nevada’s amazing wildlife!” Thanks to Joey and all those who submitted these reminders of why we are so committed to our wild places.

Mariah Waltzer, Research Associate: ” Archaeological survey: practicing social distancing before it was cool. Surveying the salt flats around Badwater Road for an OHV track restoration project at Death Valley National Park. Both Dorian Miller (in the photo) and I are Research Associates at Death Valley.”

Kristen Richardson, Research Associate: “Desert tortoise in poppies… A photo from when field work was still in progress earlier this month that remind me of the hope spring brings.”

Kyle Smith, Research Associate: ” High on a windy ridge line in the Cottonwood Cove area of Lake Mead National Recreation Area in Southern Nevada, Katie Fitzgerald (GBI RA at the Mojave Desert Network; right), Dan Goldstein (Conservation Legacy Intern at the Mojave Desert Network), and I scout locations for a vegetation monitoring protocol called Integrated Uplands (IU). IU is a protocol used to collect data related to plant species, spatial distribution of those species, as well as the presence and abundance of invasive species in order to inform management decisions for the National Park Service.”

Patti Littell, AmeriCorps member, Naturalist and Environmental Educator: “I and my co-workers Sam Orahood (Camp Coordinator), Jake Weinberger (Naturalist and Environmental Educator), and Zac Hummel (Camp Coordinator) work at Galena Creek Regional park and are all Americorps members. We all live and work together. With COVID-19 we have all been working at home. We enjoy hangout together, and that is what inspired these pictures. While having to isolate ourselves from the rest of the world, we are still having fun. Our snow angles and snow people are socializing at a safe 6 feet apart (we measured). We have been working on lesson plans for our summer camps and various activities to strengthen our programs. We are excited to be working for GBI at Galena Creek.”

Katherine Collins, Research Associate: “Our last day of field work before operations shut down due to COVID-19, GBI research associates performed cultural surveys in areas of Death Valley that had been affected by off-roaring vehicles. The tracks wind across the salt flats, which are a popular place for drivers to (illegally) go off-road, and the areas must be surveyed for cultural resources before work to rehabilitate the area begins.”

Joey Danielson, Research Associate: “Taken while doing a survey of an abandoned mine that we monitor near Great Basin National Park (GRBA). We were conducting a hibernacula count survey, swabbing for early white-nose syndrome detection, and scanning hibernating bats for PIT tags that have been placed in the past 5 years. These efforts help combat white nose syndrome by increasing the understanding of bat populations and movements in our study area. Pictured are Kelsey Ekholm (GBI, RA program), Bryan Hamilton (GRBA, project coordinator), Jason Williams (NDOW).”

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