Worth a thousand words

I just finished a presentable version of a map I am working on for our study area. So, here it is, you can finally have a decent idea of what I am up to!

The big ta' do

Last week we gave our presentation at Studium at PC- I think it went really well. All the groups gave really strong presentations on their projects and I think it garnered a lot of interest in the REU program from the student body. I didn't even see anyone fall asleep!

What a weekend

So, weekend before last we had a super-major all-out research-prep fest.
It was awesome. The weather was great, eighties, not too hot under the gracious forest canopy. Lovely violets sparkled like flecks of gold in the green and brown sea of the forest floor. Vine maple vivid green as its new leaves unfold and soak up the light; skunk cabbage the size of small child, streams swollen with the sudden snow melt singing across our path and flooding the way with their mad dance.

I had mighty plans of getting every plot reestablished for the summer course. We came close. I suppose I can't really complain that I have to spend another day out in the woods, watching the salmon berries finish their blooms and getting to know that neck of the woods just a little better.

oh man!

So we had our presentations tonight at the Olympic Park Visitor's Center. I have to say, all the groups did very well. I think that the community members were also surprised and impressed at the graduate level of research going on at our "2 year community college". Most of the questions seemed rather informed, and it is always refreshing to be reminded how much of our community likes to be involved in educational programs and environmental restoration projects such as this. Pretty great for a small town.

All in all, I feel we left a very positive impact in the minds of our audience, on behalf of our small part in the research being done with the damn removal and on behalf of the advancements as Peninsula College.

This weekend: relocation bonanza!

Hey there!

This weekend a fellow researcher on the Rainy Creek project and I are going to make a weekend of it: we're heading out on Saturday and am going to camp out over the weekend, hopefully getting all the plots in the treatment areas found and flagged.

Anyone's welcome!

A plan

As I just mentioned, at long last all the data crunching and map making is completed. Sadly this took way longer that it ought to have, so now all we have is one month to get the prep field work done before the summer class starts.

What we are going to do is go out into the Rainy Creek area out west, armed with trusty compass, map, metal detector and reams of flagging. Our goal is simple: find the plots, mark them clearly, very clearly

One thing I found when trying to locate plots last fall and earlier this spring is that no amount of flagging can really be too much in the woods. Somehow, plots keep on vanishing, trees fall on them, the flagging gets eaten or taken away by strange magic kritturs, maybe hunters took the marks to brighten themselves up in a pinch... All I know is that it was gone, and we were damned lucky to have found anything.

So, if anyone has a free day this month and wants a fun romp in the woods marking up plots, let me know! I'll make some tea!

At last!

It is done! After much pain and hours of bitterness, I finally have my map done! It was originally created in a program no longer supported by the college, and which is no longer installed on any computers... I had to call in a favor from a friend to get it transfered into countless shape files, which I could then put in ArcView.... However; when I brought it in, all the geographic data was all hosed up, so it ended up in the great lakes instead of Sol Duc!

Though the help of one of the ARC teachers at PC, I was able to develop a method for tricking the program into storing them with the location data (for some reason it kept giving us error messages when we tried to do it in all the normal and customary ways).

Anyways, it is done!
Now that we can see what mapping was actually done last summer, we can move on to the field work. Its about time.

Its about time!

My angst from the prior quarters is finally over! This week I was able to get the program I need running on my home computer and also had the map files I needed transfered over into a format I can use- Weeeee! I was soooo bummed out by the prospect of having to remake these very intensive maps. Worry no more!

I also hear that there will be a good group of people on board to get our project done this summer as well as a few that will be working with me and Dan this quarter to reestablish the plots and finish up the forest inventory. With field work, the more the merrier! Especially when you know the work involves wandering around in the woods hoping to find some trace of where you were last year!

Video Up!

wrap up so soon

In spite of myself this had been a very full quarter and it amazes me that it is over already. I have been able to spend a fair amount of time in the woods, and get to look forward to ever-increasing amounts as the days get longer.

Technical difficulties and compatibility issues are still keeping a map linger over my head that totally needs to get made, that aside I am proud of the video I made about the project. When I get it up on the Tube tomorrow I'll embed it here so you all can see my multimedia madness and get the nitty-gritty on my project.

Thanks for tuning in this quarter- sorry for not keeping more frequent posts, but frankly, there hasn't been that much new and exciting going on!

Oh, one thing I thought to put in but did on another blog: I was interviewed in the Spring catalog! Check it out, its near the beginning where there in the scoop on Dan's summer research classes!

On the Forestry side of things...

Its official: Record Height Pacific Dogwood (Cornus nuttallii)

We went back out to the Rainy Creek woods yesterday to find the dogwood and document its height, diameter and to try to figure out its age.

here goes:
87 feet high with a diameter of 10 inches
Core rot prevented us from determining its age. Still, it is most likely the same age as the rest of the stand (63 years).
The spread of the crown is about 10-12 feet.

There is very little crown left on this tree, this and the core rot lets us know that even if measures are taken to try to save it, there is little chance it will live much longer. Go visit is while you can!

Three miles uphill, in the snow, eating sticks

The trail winds through forest, patchy at times with the sun gleaming through breaks in the canopy. Here and there an enormous (relatively) yew tree with its shaggy bark leans over the trail, a green cocoon embracing the path.
Cougar prints alight the section of trail- clearly embossed in the untarnished snow.
We turn a corner and step out up on Deer Ridge.
The clear blue sky stretched out overhead, pure and bright. The only cloud hung close to the not-so distant mountain peaks, seeming to find safety nestling near the snow and rocks, far from the never ending open pierced only by the bright glowing orb overhead.
We stop to freshen up, eat some, drink some- put the snowshoes on and continue along the ridge to find a good spot to sample.
A little trickier than you'd think.
Need to find a place with out too much slope (good luck) or too much canopy cover (yeah right). In the end we decided on Compensation Point to get it started, and began our descent. Stopping at a few points back down off the trail to set our new sampling locations.

Beautiful day.
Wonderful crew.
Deep snow.
Quality snow chains are important.
very important.

Hurrah for modern snowshoes! Some have a bracket that flips up in back to assist in steep uphill climbs- very handy when climbing up a ridiculous ascent!

So I got to the college thinking it would be a regular field day of driving up to the hills, stopping at the different sampling areas, trotting off road a bit to get to the plots, nothing too exciting... and lo! I get to PC to discover that there has been a change of plans- instead of same ole same ole, we get to go up Deer Ridge!

Man, I love field work.
What a glorious place to live.

Right On!

Ron Paul placed second in Nevada!!!!!

Yay!

update: and Louisiana! A very close second!
update II: Main?

Tallest Pacific Dogwood Ever!

This just in:

It has been confirmed that right here in the Olympic Peninsula is the world record for the tallest Pacific Dogwood (Cornus nuttallii). Last summer on our research expedition in the Sol Duc area by Rainy Creek we found this lone soldier in a mixed Douglas-Fir stand.

It came in at 83 feet- head and shoulders above the prior record holder, though now chopped down, was 60 feet (in 1986, at the last verified measurement).

(In case anyone is concerned, in the experimental forest we are working in all, all unique species (any deciduous such as this and ceders) are untouched as this wood is being managed to increase habitat and structural diversity.)

Keep on growing baby!

Update

Progress is slow in the forestry front.


I have had a hell of a time getting the data from concerned parties, all the equipment seem to be blowing up and if that were not enough, the whole process we are trying to study is held up in court. So, this seems like a perfect time to let you know what we are trying to do.

Since the implementation of the Northwest Forest Plan (1994) Federal Forest lands are now managed moreso for habitat than simply for timber production. The group working out here on the Olympic Peninsula has taken second-growth stands that are currently in stem exclusion (understory in deep shade, tree growth limited while they compete for light) and have prescribed various treatments that enrich structural diversity. The intent has been to mimic natural disturbances (wind-throws) that open up the canopy and allow the understory to become more complex.

We have gone out to a number of stands near Bear Creek (Sol Duc area) and have gathered the baseline date to compare the effects of the treatments on the health and diversity of the shrubs and forest herbs. The treatment are setup so there are patches of small gaps (no trees) large areas that will not be touched at all and blocks that will be thinned. This should encourage a boost in understory development with the addtional growing space while leaving enough of the forest intact that it does not fully eliminate any late-seral forest species.

This sort of treatment has been done in a similar stand of Federal Forest land near Copper-Ranch Road, but no one has ever quantified the success of such prescriptions to actually improve a forest's health as an ecosystem to support a variety of animal and floral life.

This is where we come in.
Right now I do not know the status of the court battle over the fate of the stand. If it takes another year to clear up, we can always get in another year of baseline data so we can see the growth rate of forest before the understory trees, shrubs and herbs are released.

I'll keep you updated.

"Dam Removal Begins in Early 2008"

"It's never gonna happen"

So says a friend that works at OPI (Olympic Park Institute) and has been rather up on the events surrounding the Elwha Dam removal for quite some time now. We talk about it from time to time, his students go out there and gather samples; and he would like to see them go- but with the never ending slew of hold ups, who really knows?

Our conversations inspired me to see if I could find anything on how things are progressing. After much searching, I found a lot of old articles citing what should be happening early next year. This article from last year was very thorough, I recommend it as a primer on the process or for all the great quotes it provides form the men that are directly involved.

Team Work

Not too much to report- I have maps to make of the permanent sample plots we laid out in the Sol Duc valley and ought to make a spread sheet of the times the HOBO (data gathering unit) was moved around, the weather conditions and what data it collected.

here's the hitch: I don't have any of the files or data sheets.

That is the joy and terror or working with and trusting people you don't know very well. One thing in the field of research is that quite often the work is such that you can work independently. This is great if you have another job, a family, or prefer to "work with the weather" as much as possible- however, it can get you in big trouble if someone who appeared to be on it drops the ball.

Especially when there is no admittance of error. If you forget something or can't figure it out- Tell Someone! When there is a need, it is easy to address if it is known, then you can fix it before it becomes a problem.

Hopefully, we get all the data so we have time to process it before we need to get going again. Right now, the biggest issue is figuring out what has been done so we know what we still need to do.


ahhh, the joys of teamwork.


*this post doesn't have to do with anyone in REU- don't worry!

what about trout?

Last Wednesday I set out out to see if my new backpack was tough enough to carry the boy and everything needed for a day and a night or two in the wild yonder. If we go on any of the snow surveys, I want to make sure before I am miles up and out that my pack can comfortably carry the kid and everything we would need in any terrain. My last pack was a back-killer and couldn't store much.

For a good experiment covering some usual trail walking with a steep climb, we decided to hike up the east side of the Elwha part of the way to Humes Ranch, then back down by Goblin's Gate and up Rica Canyon (nice and steep) About 5 or 6 miles in all. I discovered that I should have been using the fancy pack the whole time. Nice backpacks may seem bulky, but the extra weight and size is defiantly worth the comfort and not pulling a muscle four miles in. And even on a steep climb, the weight is distributed well, so its doable even though the added weight can be a drag.

So, how does this relate to my work on the Elwha?

Well, on the way back out, we ran into a guy works with the park. His job is to keep track of bull head trout. Apparently they are hurting too. The dam has them trapped above and below and their population is declining.

This got me thinking on how political all these issues are. Why don't more people care about the trout- they are in trouble, but we never hear of it. Maybe its because they aren't as big in fine dining circles, perhaps it is because they weren't as much as a staple food for the people that inhabited the area before the "settlers" came.

Either way, how many species really are in danger over this, how many have we lost before we even knew to look. All over the country we do things for the "betterment" of the people with out thinking about what it will do to the world around us. Build a really big fence all around our nation, what will that do to all our land migrant animals? It seems the only way anything can get worked on it when there is *huge* public pressure and even then it takes a long time.

How long are we going to keep on repeating our mistakes of the past before we just stop and think about what we are doing.

Eh?

***

Example of public pressure finally getting things done: did you all hear that WallMart is demanding higher standards and environmental responsibility from its shrimp farmers- can this be real? Maybe the free market theory is the best way to deal with environmental issues, if we all think about what we buy and let our money do the voting, the big companies that do the most damage and can make the quickest changes will listen. If WallMart is getting eco-concious, that really proves something.

(below digresses into more of a rant - I do not intent to offend anyone)
We can fight for political regulations to get things moving, but fast significant change will only occur if companies start loosing money for dong business in ways we don't agree with.

What would happen if everyone who considered themselves "ecologically conscious" stop buying food and cloths that traveled 150,000 miles, more or less, to get here. What if we recycled and reused and didn't buy new for a year and rode the bus more often? How about if we just started buying local organic produce and eating with the seasons? For as popular "caring about the environment" is getting, if just half the people starting acting like it, I bet more than Wal-Mart would be listening.

so, what about the other factors...

A short ways back I read an editorial the local paper about salmon habitat. The main premise of the essay was that while many think removing the dams will make the salmon come back (in time) to their glorious sizes and levels of old- we ought to look at other factors.

Look at the Queets. Never damed, it too is a pale comparison of the river booming with life that is once was. Is it a result of poor forestation practices and the resultant sediment/ habitat loss, the absurd amount of salmon harvested through commercial fishing for our demanding appetites, our ocean getting sick and dirty, global warming????

To show one example of a toxin in the ocean that could be affecting salmon, here is an interesting article about toxins in farmed (and wild) fish. If PBDE's are toxic to us, they could be affecting the fishies in negative ways too. I heard a report on NPR a few months ago about giant swaths of the ocean that are literally dying. When are we as a society going to be willing to change our convenient lifestyle to address these issues before it becomes dire.

Yes, removing the dams is a great step for restoring pacific salmon habitat and encouraging them- doing what we can to keep any more species from going extinct. But we may find out that though we restore the river, there are more factors at play which can't repaired that easy.

Not the reason

I just came across this page from King County on salmon friendly living.

Nothing Like it

I must be a real sucker. Seems like I will sign up for anything if it gives me an excuse to spend more time in the woods. Ah well.

So, here is my official officialness. A wonderful place where I can keep you tuned into all the marvelous discoveries I will make and the grand adventures I will have over the next year.

Here is a little example of what is in store:



isn't that exciting?

A strange small thick-leaved fern! I've never seen its likeness before!

Man, this is gonna be great.