[SOS-PCA] SOS April Call updates

[Prescott, Leah J]

Hi everyone,

Thank you to those who called in to this month's SOS call. I apologize to those who were unable to call in due to phone line capacity. We are looking into expanding phone lines, or other ways to hold larger calls.

This is definitely a difficult time and year. We so appreciate everyone's continued efforts and hard work. Our top priority is, and always has been, safety of our teams. We want to help you all in any way possible. It was so clear from the call that your enthusiasm and support of SOS and plant conservation is as strong as ever and we are figuring out how to best work in this difficult time. This is really a case by case basis for many teams and regions. Communication is especially critical right now so please feel free to reach out to me, Peggy, your state or program lead at any time. For contract crews, working with your COR is essential.

A few housekeeping things:

Smithsonian is NOT ACCEPTING herbarium vouchers at this time. PLEASE DO NOT send in your voucher specimens. We will let everyone know when they can accept mail again. In the mean time, please keep vouchers in cool, dry, dark, and sealed storage. As Charlotte Darling (Buffalo, WY) mentioned this is a great time to digitize your field office's herbarium specimens if possible/safe.

Bend is still open and operating, you may still send in your seed. They have finished cleaning 2019 SOS seed but test results from OSU will likely come in June. PLEASE let me know your new estimated number of collections for this season. Bend's hiring depends on how many seed lots they anticipate each season. I understand a lot is in flux right now, but if you have an idea of how many seed collections are possible (or not) this year, please let me know.

For those who are continuing on with field work, PLEASE continue to practice social distancing and health precautions whether that means caravaning, remaining very far apart while collecting, wearing masks, using hand sanitizer, etc. Please be sure to review the CDC's recommendations here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/index.html

For those who are not engaging in field work and instead sheltering in place, please feel free to share your stories or ideas for SOS. I would like to highlight a few folks who are working hard remotely to advance Seeds of Success (this is by no means all encompassing!):

Justin Chappelle in California has been preparing virtual presentations for each field office. He's been reviewing the California data with a fine tooth comb and helping teams identify potential new areas and species to collect in the future. This is such a helpful way to do virtual scouting and prepare for when we can collect again. Thank you, Justin!

Carol Dawson & Phil Krening in Colorado are turning their "Flora of the West" presentation used in Seeds of Success training into an educational book! They are using Seeds of Success Smug Mug photos (https://seedsofsuccess.smugmug.com/) in this publication. So happy to see the combined efforts of collecting teams' photos and Carol & Phil's work turn into an awesome resource for all of BLM and outside partners! Thank you, Carol & Phil!

Jess Kindred in Nevada is continuing to virtually train the Great Basin folks in their ArcGIS Online (AGOL) protocol. This is an amazing tool for reporting, scouting, and reviewing accomplishments regionally. Thank you, Jess!

Again, these are just a few folks out of MANY who continue to support and advance SOS and plant conservation in unusual times. I would love to highlight more virtual/remote projects being done, so please send along any work being accomplished.

Thank you again to everyone! Please be careful, stay safe, and always feel free to reach out at any time.

Our next call is Tuesday, May 5th at 12pm eastern time.

All the best,
Leah

--
Leah Prescott
Seeds of Success
National Collection Curator (Contractor)
202-912-7232

Seeds of Success<https://www.blm.gov/programs/natural-resources/native-plant-communities/native-plant-and-seed-material-development/collection>
National Seed Strategy for Rehabilitation and Restoration<https://www.blm.gov/programs/natural-resources/native-plant-communities/national-seed-strategy>
Plant Conservation Alliance<http://www.plantconservationalliance.org/>
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