When we finally reached our campsite in Alaska Basin the sun had nearly dipped below the horizon, casting a blaze orange hue across the befittingly named Sunset Lake. As I sat on a rock outcropping overlooking the mirror-like water, I felt an intense flood of emotions- the bittersweet of a finished field season, the astonishment that I was backpacking the Teton Crest Trail as a farewell adventure, and a deep sense of belonging to the wilderness that surrounded me. Left to commune fully with nature in the breathtaking scenery of Grand Teton National Park, I realized that the most important thing my summer fellowship had taught me is that National Parks are not just important for keeping landscapes wild, but also for rewilding humanity.

“Every morning I awake torn between a desire to save the world and an inclination to savor it. This makes it hard to plan the day. But if we forget to savor the world, what possible reason do we have for saving it? In a way, the savoring must come first.” – E.B. White

We are nature

As a budding botanist and ecologist, I tend to spend a lot of time with my “head in the weeds” both figuratively and literally. My interests and training lead me to think often about what threatens plant biodiversity, a list that always includes a slew of human actions and activities. I must admit that my mind has come to associate human impacts on the land as overwhelmingly negative from an ecological standpoint. I, like early preservationists, once idealized this idea of an “untouched wilderness” where humans are excluded from the landscape. “Better off without us!” I might have said back then. But the reality is that we are nature and to build such a false wall between humanity and ecology is not only scientifically and culturally detrimental, but also a major impediment to the conservation movement.

Connection is the key to conservation

In the past, conservationists have worked to inspire change by communicating problems and losses to the public- hoping to push the panic button and watch a flood of help arrive. But modern research shows that people are much more likely to support conservation when there is a focus on solutions and when connections between humans and landscapes are fostered in healthy ways. After all, not all human impacts on nature are negative. It is important to recognize that indigenous peoples have long interacted with the landscape in formative and sustainable ways, finding a harmonic balance between subsistence and stewardship. Restoration projects like the one I worked on this summer in Grand Teton are further examples of how human hands can shape the land for the better and repair past damages. When I set my eyes upon the conservation horizon, I now see a future with a flipped script- where humans are inspired to feel responsibility for wild places rather than estrangement and guilt.

A dual-purpose mission

This summer, Grand Teton experienced a record year for visitation. Simultaneously, I embarked on a journey to communicate with visitors and the local community about sagebrush steppe biodiversity and restoration in the park. As I developed and shared community outreach programming, social media posts, and a Story Map with the hope of inspiring interest in stewardship of the steppe, I witnessed mixed responses- some of which were indifference or even opposition to its preservation. More than once, I felt deflated watching visitors trample thoughtlessly over fragile steppe wildflowers as they tried to get a better photo of the mountains. But the wise words of a colleague soon set me straight. “For some of our visitors, this is their first experience in a wild place, outside of the hustle and bustle of an urban center. They don’t always know how to connect or be land stewards but this is a place they can learn.” This comment struck a chord with me. After all, if one has not felt the stinging kiss of mountain air, or smelled the perfume of sagebrush after rain, or heard the haunting bugle of the elk, how can one feel compelled to protect and heal this land? Perhaps by encouraging humans to traverse wild places (responsibly) we are actually ensuring their preservation.

Soft rain falls upon the sagebrush steppe at the Taggart Lake trailhead. Because of camphor and other volatile oils, sagebrush is very aromatic and can leave a thick, spicy aroma in the air after rainfall. Multi-sensory experiences like this can be powerful for visitors and provide the opportunity to create a real connection with the landscape that can lead to a stewardship mindset. Video: Sienna Wessel

Our National Parks offer unique opportunities for humans from many walks of life to connect to wild places through recreational experiences, acting as “America’s greatest university without walls.” Established in 1916 by the Organic Act, the National Park Service was tasked with fulfilling a dual mission with two halves that are necessarily at odds: “to conserve park resources and to provide for their use and enjoyment in such a manner and by such means, as will leave them unimpaired for future generations.” Over the summer, by publicly sharing my own personal connections to the sagebrush steppe in Grand Teton, I was able to inspire thousands of people to think about biodiversity and to generate deep discussions about land stewardship in the park. It was there, in those moments, that I realized the potential role of National Parks and recreation in inspiring conservation action. As I set sail towards the horizon of what I hope will be a productive career in the conservation of plant biodiversity, I carry with me the understanding and appreciation of the dual mission and an optimistic perspective of human interactions with wild spaces. Thank you to Grand Teton National Park and the Scientists in Parks program for this lesson of a lifetime. You can continue to follow my journey to preserve plant diversity and to get others interested in “taking a walk on the plant side” by following me on Twitter @CuttingVegBotny, Insta @cutting_veg_botany, or TikTok @cuttingvegbotany.

Tracking Biodiversity

Much of my past and ongoing work involves collecting field data to add to long-term datasets and to provide brand-new information as well. Monitoring is one of the crucial first stages in the ecologist’s life cycle because, without monitoring data, plant ecologists do not have any way to confidently know how a plant community is changing over time. By routinely visiting the same areas year after year and meticulously recording things like abundances of species, we can learn a lot of different things about a plant community and the recovery of biodiversity. As a SIP intern, I have added to this special knowledge base by monitoring new community attributes, such as the presence of early spring-blooming species, flowering times, and plant traits like seed mass. Together, each set of data provides new perspectives on what is happening to hundreds of plants species year to year and during the restoration of communities that have been ecologically degraded.

Gettin’ Down with Data

As you might have guessed, the next stage in the life cycle is data analysis! This is where we can really start to piece together the “ecological puzzle” of plant community processes and restoration. There are lots of methods and ways to look at monitoring data and we can answer a wide variety of useful questions with these data, from “Are sensitive early spring-bloomers establishing soon after restoration?” to “How does weather after restoration seeding affect community structure 10 years later?”

But what I am really working on this summer is how we can apply this analyzed data to restoration design and management action on the ground. To do this, I am looking at lots of different graphs to determine things like key times to monitor restored communities with the goal of producing a “white paper” that translates science into management ideas.

Spreading the Word

Finally, I have begun to “spread my branches towards the sun” to bring this science into the light and the public eye. A large component of my internship is focused on communicating all this valuable information to diverse audiences and inspiring others to care about the sagebrush steppe ecosystem. I have engaged future restoration volunteers by teaching a plant ID field course, started a social media campaign about the #secretsofthesage, and am currently developing a StoryMap to tell the interesting tale of the sagebrush steppe and the long-term, large-scale restoration project ongoing in Grand Teton National Park.

This final stage in the ecologist’s life cycle is arguably one of the most important because science communication truly is the fruit of many years of data collection, analysis, and contemplation. Science cannot go far without public (and internal) support. Furthermore, without people to care about ecological restoration and other management projects, funding and interest dwindle quickly. Hopefully, with some effort, my contributions will help to sow the seeds of interest and inspiration which will result in helping hands and collaborations to preserve the imperiled sagebrush steppe for many generations to come.

I can’t believe that it has been over a month since I started as a Scientists in Parks intern at Grand Teton National Park! In addition to my internship position, I am currently a graduate student in the Department of Botany at the University of Wyoming where I research the dynamics and environmental drivers of restored sagebrush steppe communities and how physical traits like seed mass can inform restoration and management in the face of climate change. I am so thrilled that I get to continue working with these complex and interesting plant communities during my internship with added focus on communications and management. Allow me to orient you to life among the sagebrush!

Life is Truly Grand in the Grand Teton Steppe

When you first arrive at Grand Teton National Park your eyes will immediately be drawn to the rugged peaks which shoot out suddenly from the surrounding flats at seemingly impossible angles.  It is hard to settle your gaze at the feet of this majestic mountain range which creates a true postcard-perfect paradise right in the heart of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. But for me, it is the Monet-esque palette of the sagebrush steppe plant communities at the base that truly draws the eye. The Tetons are a relatively young mountain range at less than 9 million years old and along with their orogeny (formation), they have spilled glacial outwash into an area now known as Antelope Flats.

The outwash soils of the flats support unique sagebrush steppe communities which at first glance may look like a homogenous sea of dusty-green sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata ssp. vaseyana) shrubbery, but upon closer inspection reveal a surprising diversity of native wildflowers Balsamorhiza sagittata), and honey-scented flowers of antelope bitterbrush (Purshia tridentata) all add to the ecological complexity and beauty of these communities. Among this diverse landscape roam pronghorn (Antilocapra americana), red fox (Vulpes vulpes), bison (Bison bison), long-billed curlews (Numenius americanus), pocket gophers (Thomomys talpoides), grizzly bears (Ursus arctos horribilis), moose (Alces alces), elk (Cervus canadensis), and the threatened Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus)- to name just a few key species that depend on the steppe for their livelihoods. During my first week in the park alone, I stood solitary among the sagebrush and witnessed the migration of dozens of elk from the adjacent National Elk refuge, a fox “mousing” for its dinner, and pronghorn which would nearly walk to my feet out of sheer curiosity, if I had let them. Few places feel this essentially and deeply free, and I can easily argue that we must thank the sagebrush for this abundance of life.

Sagebrush Steppe: A Undervalued and Threatened Ecosystem

Sadly, it can be hard for some to see the beauty and buzz of life that flows like an undercurrent through the steppe. Many see a drab, monotonous landscape that is erroneously recognized as nothing more than a wasteland. Today, over 50% of sagebrush steppe has already been converted or degraded and the rest is threatened by encroaching invasive species and the growing impacts of climate change. In response to these threats and large-scale conversion of sagebrush steppe to hayfields which took place in the 1800s, Grand Teton has worked tirelessly for a decade to restore healthy and diverse sagebrush steppe communities- a complex and difficult task that requires the knowhow to essentially “piece back together” an ecological system. Combined, these challenges underscore the need for the communication of ecological knowledge, scientific discovery, and land management within National Parks. My job and desire as a Scientists in Parks Fellow at Grand Teton is to share the story of these incredible plant communities (aka “Secrets of the Sage”) and the immense work that the park has done to fight for their persistence. I am here to work on several aspects of sagebrush steppe science, communication, and management with these challenges and efforts in mind.

Uncovering the Secrets of The Sage

During my first month, I have designed and implemented monitoring of ephemeral (short-lived spring blooming) plants in the steppe which are key food sources for wildlife, assisted with phenological (bloom-time) surveys to aid seed collection plans, measured plant “traits” like leaf area for ecological research, worked on updating steppe species lists for monitoring, and initiated several science communication projects. Currently, I am focused on the development of an ArcGIS StoryMap for the Grand Teton website which interactively connects visitors to the sagebrush landscape and its value within the park and beyond. I have also worked with my mentor to establish plans for the development of new management and monitoring strategies based on the application of recent scientific analyses of restoration outcomes.

Should you ever have the chance to sit quietly among the sagebrush at the base of some of the world’s oldest rocks and youngest mountain formations, I hope you lift a branch and peer deeper into the complex and mysterious world of the sagebrush steppe that has captured my being so completely. Thank you to the Ecological Society of America and the National Park Service for this opportunity to work as a plant ecologist in such a truly “Grand” place! 

You can follow my journey to discover and share the “Secrets of the Sage” by visiting my webpage and by following me on social media: Twitter @CuttingVegBotny or Instagram @cutting_veg_botany