Week Three

ENVIR 280 Field Trip to the Olympic Peninsula


April 20, 2014

I had so much fun on this field trip this weekend. It was such a breath of fresh air to get out of the city and learn first hand about the natural history of the beautiful Pacific Northwest.

After our ferry ride into Kingston we stopped for a quick restroom break and information session on the Native Klallam reservation. Having an American Indian/Alaskan Native background, this was a special way to start off the weekend. The traditional ecological knowledge that American Indians are striving to hold onto is so valuable and important in keeping their culture alive. It was awesome for Tim to touch on the relationship between natural history and the Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest. We also got to see a colorful, orange, male Rufous Hummingbird up close through a telescope, which was really neat!

Once we arrived at Nature Bridge (where we stayed over night) we went on a really informative walk on the "moments in time trail". To start off this walk, we learned the rich glacial history of Lake Crescent. The thumbnail sketch below is an image of Lake Crescent that I drew while sitting on the Nature Bridge dock. Although you cannot tell from the drawing, this lake is over 1000 feet deep and was shaped by the Cordilleran ice sheet during the last ice age. The lake is so deep that the bottom is below sea level. Crazy, right?! There is only one species of landlocked salmon that are present in the lake. Unfortunately among the crystal clear water we didn't see any of the salmon.

I drew this image on Sunday morning at 9am when the temperature felt like it was in the mid 40s and the weather was mostly cloudy. The following is an actual photograph of the same landscape that I drew above. 

As we continued our walk on the "moments in time trail" we saw lots of Douglas Firs, Grand Firs, Western Hemlocks, and Western Red Cedars. All trees that I really feel like I have mastered in identifying this weekend. In the surrounding meadow we saw a a couple of Black Tail Deer and some American Robins, who like the dramatic break in habitat that was provided by the meadow. We saw many examples of previous disturbance in the form of forest fire among the old growth forest ecosystem. It was incredible to see how so many Douglas Firs were still thriving despite fires that had taken place because of their very thick and protective bark. The photo below is one of a living Western Red Cedar which suffered from fire damage so much that the entire center of the base of the tree was hollowed out.

 Although we did not see any Bard Owls this weekend, an example of competition between species that exists out in the old growth ecosystem is between the Bard Owl and the Spotted Owl. You can no longer find Spotted Owls in the ecosystem ever since the Bard Owl was introduced and began to outcompete the Spotted Owl and simply scare them away.  

The typical habitat of the spotted owl use to be on top of wind broken trees such as the Douglas Fir on the fat side branches that would grow in response to the disturbance. There is now a ripple effect that exists in the ecosystem. Similar to the spotted owl, the Marbled Murrelet has the perfect habitat created following the breakage of Douglas Firs. When the large horizontal branches are created and moss begins to grow there in response, it becomes the perfect place for the Marbled Murrelet to lay their eggs.

An example of predation starts at the top of the food chain out in this area. We didn't spot any over the weekend, but Cougars are the top predator of the surrounding forests. They feed on deer, rabbits and most likely the Mountain Goats that were introduced by man to Barnes point and now, Mt. Storm King (where they currently reside).

 Later in the day on Saturday, we were able to compare vegetation on the Mt.Stormking trail and Marymere Falls trail. I started out with the shorter hike to Marymere falls (which is pictured to the right). This area was covered in ferns and lots and lots of moss indicating excess moisture. I was then able to compare this vegetation and ecosystem to that of Mt.Stormking. Mt.Storm King was a much more intense hike then the Marymere Falls. With that said there was definitely a difference in vegetation between the two. There was much less moisture on the Storm King trail as there was not nearly as much moss. This is because the site is a west facing slope, so it gets much more sun in the evening and afternoon then the east facing Marymere Falls trail. There was much more Salal on this trail as well indicating nitrogen poor soils which were probably amplified by fires that previously took place in that area. Subalpine Firs also became more prominent as we gained elevation on the Storm King trail. 

 This photograph to the left was taken toward the top of the Mt. Storm King trail. We got lucky that it wasn't too cloudy to see Lake Crescent. The hike was definitely worth the view at the top. We even saw a Grey Jay up there who could easily be identified by their "food robber" ways.

April 20, 2014 

Tide Pools at Salt Creek 

What an awesome way to spend the second day of our weekend field trip. We even had a couple sun breaks throughout the afternoon while enjoying the tide pools. I've attached a couple pictures of my favorite species that were seen. Below to the right is a photo of one of the many cute Purple Shore Crabs that could be found hiding beneath rocks in the intertidal zone. The orange color on their legs made them easy to identify. It's kind of hard to see, but right next to him to the left is a Hermit crab hiding in his shell. The photo below to the left is a vibrant Pacific Blood Star. These little guys were fun to pick up and feel the rough texture of. You can see how little they are in comparison to a fellow classmate's hand. Although not pictured, I also saw a Bald Eagle that was flying above the sandy beach area. It could be identified by its white colored head and tail along with its wide wingspan.     

 

Giant Green Anemone to the right >>>>>>>>

Above is a photo of a large Ochre Sea Star.
It's the biggest sea star I've ever seen. This is only
one of the many colors that were found
throughout the afternoon. Bright pinks and purple
were also spotted.