{"id":4723,"date":"2018-10-01T21:53:35","date_gmt":"2018-10-01T21:53:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cnhp.colostate.edu\/?p=4723"},"modified":"2021-06-08T21:35:11","modified_gmt":"2021-06-08T21:35:11","slug":"student-guest-blog-post-hidden-treasure-of-pagosa-springs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cnhp.colostate.edu\/cnhpblog\/2018\/10\/01\/student-guest-blog-post-hidden-treasure-of-pagosa-springs\/","title":{"rendered":"Student Guest Blog Post: Hidden Treasure of Pagosa Springs"},"content":{"rendered":"

The following is a guest blog post by Colleen Hurst, a student intern with CNHP in the Siegele Conservation Science Internship program:<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

There\u2019s something instinctively thrilling about the concept of \u2018one-of-a-kind\u2019.\u00a0 We all admire things that are rare because their novelty makes experiencing them that more precious, and the moment more special.\u00a0 When I think of rare and novel things, I think of remote Indian jungle inhabitants and hidden glacial lakes high in the Canadian Rockies.\u00a0 However, I would never have thought to look for something even more rare, a true one-of-a-kind in a small plot of land off the highway in my own state.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Being a Siegele Intern, I had the incredible opportunity to get to explore the hidden treasures in the state I\u2019ve called home my whole life but never knew about.\u00a0 I got to go with Jill Handwerk to Pagosa Springs, CO to survey the Pagosa Skyrocket (Ipomopsis polyantha<\/em>). \u00a0This beautiful plant only grows in and around Pagosa Springs.\u00a0 Looking at the Colorado State property it stands on, one would be prone to passing them by among the non-native grasses and forbs.\u00a0 But if you know what you\u2019re looking for, the proud white stalks of flowers cloud all over the landscape and transform your perception of its value.\u00a0 It was truly eye-opening.\u00a0 Suddenly, every step becomes the childhood game of lava as I tried to avoid crushing any of the precious flowers that seemed to be exactly where you wanted to be.\u00a0 I now am always so aware and cautious of where I step.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Being a wildlife geek by nature, I had always practically appreciated botany as a key habitat and nutrient component of wildlife. However, this experience helped me value plants in a new way.\u00a0 Being able to see something rare is truly a powerful way to introduce the beauty and sanctity of our natural world to people.\u00a0 I have such a respect of the work all the CNHP employees do.\u00a0 Their work provides for sanctuary for these rare treasures of our natural world, so that people for generations to come can be inspired to preserve them as I have.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Pagosa

Pagosa skyrocket (Ipomopsis polyantha<\/i>). Photo by Dave Anderson, CNHP Staff.<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"A

A site with Pagosa Skyrocket populations. Photo by Colleen Hurst, CNHP Intern.<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The following is a guest blog post by Colleen Hurst, a student intern with CNHP in the Siegele […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5226,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5,59,62,35,28,36,96,34],"tags":[104,91,92,105,106,107,108,109],"class_list":["post-4723","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-botany","category-cnhp-interns","category-cnhp-work-study-adventures","category-conservation","category-education","category-rare-plants","category-siegele-conservation-science-internship","category-students","tag-botany","tag-co","tag-colorado","tag-ipomopsis-polyantha","tag-pagosa-skyrocket","tag-pagosa-springs","tag-plants","tag-rare","entry","override"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnhp.colostate.edu\/cnhpblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4723","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnhp.colostate.edu\/cnhpblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnhp.colostate.edu\/cnhpblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnhp.colostate.edu\/cnhpblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnhp.colostate.edu\/cnhpblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4723"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cnhp.colostate.edu\/cnhpblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4723\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnhp.colostate.edu\/cnhpblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5226"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnhp.colostate.edu\/cnhpblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4723"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnhp.colostate.edu\/cnhpblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4723"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnhp.colostate.edu\/cnhpblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4723"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}