A day and a life of public relations manager in the field learning about reseeding
Early mornings are the best, especially when your biggest responsibility is to dress, exercise, or sit outside to drink coffee. On a particular Tuesday in April, my responsibility was to join the CEHMM team on my first reseeding job. Being so excited about the adventure, I woke way before my alarm; I felt like a child on Christmas morning. I hopped out of bed, doing most of my usual morning routine. This particular morning, I put on flame-resistant jeans, a flame-resistant shirt, and steel-toed boots instead of getting ready to exercise, drinking coffee, or dressing in my typical business attire. I pulled my hair up in a ponytail and placed my CEHMM ballcap on my head just before heading to the office.
Arriving at the office early, I had plenty of time to grab my H2S monitor, snake gaiters, hard hat, gloves, and bright yellow vest. My team loaded the ice chest with ice, water, and hydration drinks. Taking off from the office parking lot in our heavy-duty truck and two other trucks, we headed to our farm in Atoka, where our equipment is stored. The sun had risen, and the wind velocity was notable when we arrived. The team steadily worked to hitch the trailer to the truck, secure our tractor, and no-till seed drill to the trailer. We were off to the site where the "no longer traveled" right of way would be seeded.
A week or two before planting day, our Range Conservation Scientist performs a desktop analysis using web soil survey to determine the soil type. The soil type determines native plants on the landscape in a specific area. We use the Bureau of Land Management's recommended seed mix as the base seed mix. Then we add additional native plant seeds to ensure a successful and diverse landscape reclamation.
The drive was long. The traffic was heavy. My heart was light and happy to be part of the team that would reclaim the portion of land that once was a road. Following our GPS pin, we found the location without issue. The team unloaded the equipment and poured the custom seed mix into the seeder. The tractor pulled the equipment, going back, forth, up, and down the specified area until all the area was touched. The seeds were drilled into the ground. The job was complete, all we need now is rain.
CEHMM, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization located in Carlsbad, New Mexico, has a reseeding and reclamation program proven to show results. CEHMM is an organization that is proud of its efforts. We are here to help keep industry on the ground, working through our environmental services while simultaneously providing conservation efforts through cooperative conservation. For further information on reseeding or other ways CEHMM can assist your activities on the landscape, visit our website at www.cehmm.org or call the CEHMM office at 575-885-3700.
Emily Wirth and Karla Niemeier are the Executive Director and Public Relations Manager, respectively, for CEHMM, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization located in Carlsbad, New Mexico.
This article originally appeared on Carlsbad Current-Argus: A day and a life of public relations manager in the field learning about reseeding
