[SOS-PCA] Seeds of Success National Collector Call Notes August 2024

[Hill, Sarah E]

Hi all,

Below are the notes from yesterday's SOS collector call. If you were unable to attend the meeting, please read them thoroughly and reach out if you have any questions!

Stay safe out there and keep up the amazing work!
-Sarah Hill

Seeds of Success National Collector Call Notes August 2024

National Office Announcements
Onboarding new people or if you were forwarded this meeting notification
Sign up for the collector call and mailing list – this is how we communicate with everyone throughout the season, so it is critical you have signed up through the right channels

     *
If you are new or are onboarding new people make sure they visit the Getting Started page on the SOS website and sign up for the mailing list, collector calls, training, and geoplatform access: https://www.blm.gov/programs/native-plant-communities/native-plant-and-seed-material-development/collection/sos-getting-started
     *
If you thought you did sign up for the collector call but did not get an invite, you might have had a typo in your email. Please register again!


Trainings!

     *
Next SOS Virtual Training:
        *
August 14/15
        *
Sign up for trainings on the getting started page:
           *
https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=urWTBhhLe02TQfMvQApUlO5xs5-TlYlFs7RN2H4GSnZUNVNMOFlPOU1GUzBEVllMSEVQWVFXUzJXWi4u



     *
If there are other training needs in Aug please let Sarah know ASAP and we will figure something out
     *
If you are coordinating with new folks who will be doing their training next week, make sure they sign up for a geoplatform account ASAP to get access in time for your training.
        *
Follow ALL directions to get signed up for an account quickly. Omissions or missed steps could result in a delay.


Center for Plant Conservation Seed longevity Study Webinar

  *
https://saveplants.org/forums/topic/register-today-for-cpcs-seed-longevity-study-webinar/


A call for new photos!
National Office is looking to update training materials and are looking for some quality photos from the field. If you would like to contribute, please send with end of the year report – just label with crew number. Contributing these photos are optional, but would help collectors in the future!

  *
Cut tests, comparing mature/immature seed
  *
Keying out species/using a flora in the field
  *
Novel collection methods
  *
Collecting voucher specimens, bagging/tagging, keeping in coolers, pressing
  *
Keeping seeds cool and aerated in the field
  *
Drying back at the office
  *
Packing and shipping seeds
  *
Any cool seed collecting hacks you have!


National Office collecting seed collection techniques

  *
We are beginning to compile information on tools/techniques that are useful for certain species, genera, or seed types. If you have a document with this information, or are interested in documenting your efforts this season, please send the information out on the SOS listerv so that others can benefit from it. Additionally, please send it to Sarah Hill, so she can compile the information and make it available for collectors.


Update on 2023 results and inventories

  *
Sarah will be sending them out this week to BLM state and ecoregional botanists and agency leads.


Seed Tracking Form

  *
Make sure you are filling out the seed tracking form – I know collections have gone to facilities, but I don’t see them in the form


Exporting datasheets for seed shipments in Survey123

     *
You must export a data sheet (report) to send with your seeds
     *
“End of season creating a report” in geoplatform help documents – this will export a data sheet exactly like the paper SOS form, but with all the fields filled in. Make sure to do a quick scan to make sure all the information populated correctly.


Cleaning Facility Update
August - Same as July, but could change so keep an eye/ear out for updates

Palmer Plant Materials Center

  *
All Alaska collections


Dorena Genetics Resource Center

     *
All NPS Crews (Crews with collector codes starting with 'NP') Except NPSD00 and NPNM00
     *
FWS0300
     *
FWS0202
     *
FWS0400
     *
FWS0401
     *
FWS0402
     *
FWS0403
     *
FWS0404


Bend Seed Extractory

     *
NPSD00 and NPNM00
     *
All DOI crews (collector codes starting with 'D')
     *
All BLM agency funded teams
     *
All other USFWS teams


Digital Data Collection updates

  *
Reminder about Location Calculations, you do not need to run location calculations anymore. Kristy will be running them for you every Friday night.
     *
If you are exporting a data sheet to send with your seeds to a cleaning facility, make sure location information is correct/filled in.
  *
Land Managing Agency: The original land managing agency layer generalized features when I publish from ArcPro to GPLAT. This means that small polygons were combined, and some edges were taken out of the polygons, making the layer inaccurate. There is now a new vector tile package (VTPK) with a corrected land managing agency and roads!
     *
[cid:d3b99562-4447-4d2a-a684-78444dba0943]
  *
Associated Species: “String or binary data would be truncated. The statement has been terminated”. Please save the USDA PLANTS codes and enter them into your Data Management Site in the “Associated Species List - NRCS Code”. BG BASE stores these fields and not the full species name
  *
Do not worry about making corrections on the DMS Latitude and Longitude, Kristy will auto-calculate that at the end of the season based on your decimal degrees coordinates
  *
Office hour August 15 after the training
     *
Join the meeting now<https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_ODBmYzAyNDYtNDZmOC00NGU5LWJkZjQtZDEyNTQ5NDczMjhi%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%220693b5ba-4b18-4d7b-9341-f32f400a5494%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%229fb371ee-9593-4589-b3b4-4dd87e064a76%22%7d>
     *
Meeting ID: 280 653 282 995
     *
Passcode: VVFsC6
     *
Dial in by phone
     *
+1 202-640-1187,,5961339# United States, Washington DC
     *
Find a local number<https://dialin.teams.microsoft.com/4c997179-2249-4e53-b877-e71d83c10c7a?id=5961339>
     *
Phone conference ID: 596 133 9#


Open discussion about collection techniques
A collector posed the question of how to handle collecting seed in wet conditions. Other folks responded in the chat:

  *
This is my first season with SOS, we are heavy into our rainy season. Any tips in collecting in rain? I worry about being late to collection and potentially only having rain to collect in. Focus on drying after collection?
  *
We had to collect in a thunderstorm recently. We used fabric bags in the field and then brought them back to our seed room. We emptied the fabric bag into a paper bag and then put them in front of a fan.
  *
We have good luck at BSE with wet material spread thin (<2") and open to the air.  Mix daily.  Even better is if you can put that material in a closed room with a dehumidifier running.


Partner Announcements
Dorena GRC

  *
Use UPS or FedEx to ship if possible – UPS has a hard time finding the right place to leave packages
  *
Make sure to email Bracken Bing to let them know to expect a package, bracken.bing at usda.gov<mailto:bracken.bing at usda.gov>

Bend Seed Extractory, Sarah Garvin

  *
Some immature seed coming in, so please make sure what you are collecting is mature. Most of the collections look really good!


Smithsonian

  *
Follow the instructions on the document “Guide to Herbarium Specimens for SOS<https://www.blm.gov/sites/default/files/docs/2021-10/Guide%20to%20Herbarium%20Specimens%20for%20SOS.pdf>”<https://www.blm.gov/sites/default/files/docs/2021-10/Guide%20to%20Herbarium%20Specimens%20for%20SOS.pdf> on the SOS website.


BLM Breakout Session Notes

  *
Let Sarah Hill know if you anticipate going over your estimated number of collections this season!

USFWS Notes

  *
Does it look like your team will be making more collections than originally estimated and communicated? Let Kelly know.
  *
Dorena prefers UPS or Fed Ex for seed delivery, having issues with USPS. Dorena team assignments for July:
     *
FWS0300
     *
FWS0202
     *
FWS0400
     *
FWS0401
     *
FWS0402
     *
FWS0403
     *
FWS0404



  *
Email Dorena before sending seed, and email Bend if fleshy fruit or 50 lbs.
  *
Please CC Kelly on emails relating to SOS materials/workflow aspects.
  *
Connecting with refuges: if your team and Kelly met with a National Wildlife Refuge, please follow up with POCs about plans for the season if you haven’t already.
  *
Southeast teams contracting with SGI: With Phoebe's departure ( [??]  ), now reach out to Layla at SGI for questions regarding invoicing, payments, and general contract questions. For questions regarding SOS protocols and general collecting questions reach out to Kelly.
  *
If any team is interested in 2023 seed test results from Bend let Kelly know.

 NPS Notes

  *
None submitted



For the seeds,

Sarah


Sarah Hill

she/her

Seeds of Success National Curator
Bureau of Land Management - contractor

Currently working from home - contact me for my cell #


Seeds of Success<https://www.blm.gov/programs/natural-resources/native-plant-communities/native-plant-and-seed-material-development/collection>

National Seed Strategy<https://www.blm.gov/programs/natural-resources/native-plant-communities/national-seed-strategy>

Plant Conservation Alliance<https://www.blm.gov/programs/natural-resources/native-plant-communities/national-seed-strategy/pca>

Subscribe to the PCA and SOS listservs<http://lists.plantconservation.org/mailman/listinfo>

Why I list my pronouns<https://pronouns.org/what-and-why>

I respectfully acknowledge that I live and work on the unceded ancestral, traditional and contemporary lands of the Nuwe/Nume (Paiute, Shoshone, Bannock) people, as well as other indigenous tribes who traveled through the area known as Idaho who have stewarded this land throughout the generations.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.plantconservation.org/pipermail/sos_lists.plantconservation.org/attachments/20240807/4e194b04/attachment.html>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image.png
Type: image/png
Size: 6690 bytes
Desc: image.png
URL: <http://lists.plantconservation.org/pipermail/sos_lists.plantconservation.org/attachments/20240807/4e194b04/attachment.png>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image.png
Type: image/png
Size: 2200 bytes
Desc: image.png
URL: <http://lists.plantconservation.org/pipermail/sos_lists.plantconservation.org/attachments/20240807/4e194b04/attachment-0001.png>