from 4/25- Frog follow-up

Last night I stayed at Codi and Jimmy's. After telling them all about the frog experience I had at school, we all (Kate too :) ) decided to go for a night hike to the wetlands behind their house. the sound was deafening. Pacific Chorus Frogs (Pseudacris regilla) were all singing so that we had a hard time hearing each other. Occasional (and introduced) Bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana) made their voices hear too, but they fortunately did not overwhelm the natives.

I caught another frog when we got to the edge of the water because I wanted to double check the species... How fun indeed! I don't think I did too much of this when I was younger so I am happy to make up for lost time now.

from 4/24, Wednesday Ecology Club

Amphibians… that was the mantra.

I just passed the first level of the Kamana Naturalist Training Program. Though not too difficult, there was a bit of introductory work to do. And the first steps in any journey are often the hardest… momentum is difficult to create.

Along with my completion certificate came a hand-written note from the program director. She reminded me that the spring brings life, vitality, and energy. She wrote, “In spring, the blood pumps in your body like rivers.” No kidding… we had less snow this year so the rivers are already pumping our tremendous volumes of water. And the spring rains, although recently, short bursts, flood the creeks and saturate the rivers.

She also wrote that this is the time for amphibians. On the heels of the amphibian class I took earlier in the month, this seemed poignant. I decided that we would go amphibian searching during Ecology Club in the pond behind the school. We tested the water quality in terms of pH and temperature… now let’s see what life is there!

 It didn’t take long. We found egg attached to the bottom of rocks. We found frog tadpoles, we found salamander larva (tadpoles with fuzzy “gills” and arms too). We found SIX FROGS too! Though they were brown and green, they were almost certainly all Pacific Chorus Frogs (Pseudacris regilla ).

It was awesome and the boys wanted to go for another round of exploration and dip nets after we took a break. Who am I to say no?!

At the end, one boy told me that he was happy that the girls left because he wouldn’t have done this work (exploration, horsing around, getting wet and dirty, and discovering if the ladies had stayed. When I asked him why, he told me that he likes one of the girls. Ahh…. To be an eighth grader again! Tomorrow, I may tell him that she may even like him more if he shows that he is into doing this work!

Another boy said, “I didn’t think Ecology Club would be this fun. I’m glad I’m here” I’m glad too!

A high school boy also joined us. He does some after-school mentoring and teaching, so it was great that he joined us. I got to mentor him in Stinging Nettle uses and the amphibian stuff while he mentored and was a good role-model for the junior high boys too. Multi-level male mentorship… jeez it’s powerful stuff. I'm thankful for the power of the masculine. But I am especially thankful to the amphibians for making this learning and growing possible. Like you metamorphose from eggs to water to air-breathers, we grow too from babies to boys to men. Thank for for the example!

from 4/22- Earth Day!

I meant to write this last week, then over the weekend and now it is already TUESDAY of the following week. Such is life. :)

Last Monday Michelle kidnapped me for an afternoon picnic. Her plan was to go to Boulevard Park, but when I realized what was going on, I insisted we drive a little further south along the coast. Instead of the city park, we found a county one and ended up in Teddy Bear Cove. Coincidentally, I had taken a group of 9 year old boys there the day before during a glorious afternoon. Monday’s excursion proved to be just as brilliant.

We had sandwiches and hummus and strawberries and white wine too J It was such a nice afternoon on the water as the day got later and later… and even at 7pm the sun was still tanning our faces. A slight spring chill came through and then we decided to leave.

It’s worth documenting the Coal Train too (at the bottom). It goes RIGHT along this pristine beach and coastline with uncovered cars, spewing coal dust along our bay, the Puget Sound, and the coast… you don’t have to live here to support and encourage more responsible behavior from business owners and private enterprise.

My air and water quality are not free… those businesses should pay for destroying the quality of life or simply find an alternative way. My preference would be that this type of business is recognized for its immorality and abuse of our earth. I have to voice my opinion and document what I see. This behavior is not responsible if we think about the generations who will (hopefully) come after us. I don’t have an answer, but I think we should work together to find one BEFORE this continues like it is.

From Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax, as the Brown Bar-ba-loots march off because they have no food, “I, the Once-ler felt sad as I watched them all go. BUT… business is business! And business must grow regardless of crummies in tummies, you know.” What if entire communities of human beings get sick and can't eat the food they grow because our businesses must grow and pollute our ecosystems and gardens in doing so?

The contrast of the beauty of a couple in love during an the happy afternoon picnic in paradise with the disgusting behavioral pattern of a sick society in need of desperate healing and insight is too stark to ignore. I am thankful for that entire sunny afternoon. We should not only celebrate and enjoy our world but recognize when we do it wrong. Happy Earth Day, Earth!

from 4/13- wild weather and sit spot

I've been struggling to find the time for a sit spot. As I get outside more, and kayaking, and working significantly more than in the winter, I find less time to commune with nature. In fact, this is precisely when I need to get out to a sit spot more. I am still intimidated, having moved recently, in finding a new one, lest it be anything less than ideal. BUT HAVING A SIT SPOT THAT ISN'T IDEAL IS BETTER THAN HAVING NO SIT SPOT! I write that in capital letters to remind myself to ditch the ego and the excuses and to simply get outside!

So, the opportunity arose last weekend. It was cold in the morning and by 10:30am, it was SNOWING. Though it didn't stick we feared that it would persist and the cold would linger, making our outing with 8-year-olds somewhat un-enjoyable and challenging. So we cancelled the day's outing. By noon, when the outing was going to start, the weather was still brisk, but sunny and blue skies... wild spring weather!

As such, I had a day with time on my hands that I wasn't expecting. I used the time well in getting my natural history files arranged perfectly (after years of disorganization). But it was an all-day affair. I said, "At two o'clock I am going outside regardless of how much work I have to do and no matter what the weather is." At 2:20, I was out the door and it was sunny. My work was strewn about the apartment like a tornado had come through, but I left anyways.

I found my spot (only my second time out there) and spent a LONG ten minutes sitting, wondering when 30 minutes would finally arrive. Eventually I got lost in the amazing-ness around me. An American Robin (Turdus migratorius) flying nearby that showed me a thing or two. The Western Grey Squirrel (Sciurus griseus) that had leaves in its mouth and accidentally tipped me off to where it lives! The insects flying about, the Western Hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla) protecting its root base from invading colony of native Sword Fern (Polystichum Munitum). At 35 minutes I peered at my watch and yearned to stay longer.

So I crept out slowly. In fact, being near a busy trail, I made a goal that no one should know I was there. Creepy according to society, but fun and challenging to the naturalist. My ruminations are written below, but the experience put me in the body and mind of a salamander, with their lateral undulatory locomotion, crawling close to the ground. I took 10 minutes to get back to the trail and made sure no predators were around to nab me!

I made the following three conclusions too:
-I observed oblivious runners (with headphones inserted) and gregarious walkers (whose loud talking and gross conversation might have overshadowed a cougar stalking and eventually attacking them) who were outside but not engaging with the outside.

-It's one thing to be a trail runner; it's another thing to run on trails. It's one thing to do an activity that takes place outside; it's another thing to BE outside. And it is possible to do both... but we often forget about the engagement piece. Spending time outside is not BEING outside.

-Doing an activity outdoors is empty unless we also spend the time to appreciate that outdoor place. What use is running through a forest without spending at least two minutes listening to the beautiful spring call of a Pacific Wren (Troglodytes pacificus)?

from 4/16, Tuesday- Kayaking to Post Point

Got into the boat again on this sunny morning. Met up with Mike, who works at the boating center, whose partner is one my colleagues, and who came, with his partner Kelley, over to our apartment that same night for dinner. We paddled around the corner, past the US Coast Guard, past the ferry terminal and to Marine Park. We took a short break and went a little bit further south down the coast to Post Point. We came across six or so pairs of Harlequin ducks and promptly scared them. Sorry duckies!

It was lovely and sunny, and as we paddled back an hour later, the wind picked up and the storm began its approach. Indeed we had perfect timing and I rode my bike home looking over my shoulder to see the white-caps on the water....

Mike was sharing tips about successful kayaking technique. He showed me the body mechanics to consider and things to avoid so as to protect myself and my gear. It was just a nice way to get outside again.

Amphibian Class Field Trip- Stimson Reserve

It's true. I signed up for a class because I have not had much work during the days. I did it for the lichens and mosses and now I've done it with amphibians. Just me and a whole slew of nice and kind retired folks delving into the slimy world of amphibians!

Frogs, Toads, Salamanders, Newts... those were on the menu. No, we didn't eat anything!

When I was in 8th grade, my science teacher, Mr. Anderson, gave me a newt because I thought they were so cool. I brought it home on a Thursday, it was dead the following Sunday night. I obviously didn't study its needs well enough. Sorry about that, newt. My brother, ages five, even asked in such a cute way, "Dave, where's the newt, Dave?" Dead and buried in the backyard.

So this was some redemption. and yet another taxonomy to study. Knowing very little, except seeing a tree frog attached to my window at age ten, I grew up with very little exposure to amphibians. There were reptiles about in southern California, but I didn't engage with too many moist-skinned creatures. Maybe I didn't hang out in the right outdoor spaces, maybe development in Irvine drove them all to local extinction.

After learning about so many local species in four hours of class time, we had a three hour field excursion to find them. As such, we went to a new place for me, the Stimson Family Nature Reserve, near Lake Whatcom. Some older trees in there made for rich habitat.

You find salamanders by flipping over rocks and logs... but make sure to put them back. After ten or more unsuccessful attempts, I finally saw a large one! My first instinct was to leave it alone, but I wanted to have a field specimen that we could all look at. So I grabbed it and brought it to the group. I finally caught a salamander in the wild. It looked like this:

 

(retrieved on April 12, 2013 from: http://www.wildpnw.com/2011/02/21/the-western-red-backed-salamander/#.UWikNqKkofQ)

(retrieved on April 12, 2013 from: http://www1.dnr.wa.gov/nhp/refdesk/herp/html/feat_plve.html)

Why, it's the Western Red-backed Salamander (Plethadon vehiculum) of course! In Bellingham, it is more yellow-backed than red-backed, but it is indeed the same species. It was about three inches long, from snout to vent (don't include the tail in the measurement). Though it was wriggly and fast-moving, we all got  a chance to see the dorsal stripe and even the "knee pads" what were the same color. Cool!

I caught a later, smaller one later in the day and may have injured its tail. I feel bad that my zeal for nabbing it may have caused injury, but it's leap from my notebook (at waist height) to the forest floor also didn't seem to bother it much. i should have put it back where I found it, but I was so excited to show the group that I tried to catch up and show them. A good learning experience; leave it where I find it!

Later we came across this Ensatina (Ensatina eschscoltzii). The constriction at the base of the tail is a characteristic that the tail will come off if grabbed by a predator. The tail will detach and wiggle in order to attract the attention of anything that is trying to eat the salamander.

We also went past a pond and someone found a Pacific Chorus Frog (Hyla regilla or Pseudacris regilla). We saw how brown it was compared to some of the greener individuals we studied. Cool! It brings my childhood back around for some closure. How wonderful!

What a great outdoor place to explore. As the sun faded away we ended the day happy and complete after having found some of the species we had studied. Here’s to an introduction to amphibians: Cheers!

All for one and one for all... Licheneers!

So, I joined a group of folks who get together on the second Tuesday of each month at Western to look at microscopes and study lichens and bryophytes (mosses). We are called the Licheneers! We spend two and a half hours sharing, chatting, learning, teaching, and observing.

How wonderful it is to have access to such deep observation... I have seen things that I could have never imagined because of this technology and these people. There is so much knowledge in the room... yesterday I was diverted from my microscope to learn about harvesting nettles and even more ways of storing and eating them: drying, teas, remedies, etc.

I found a lichen last month, only two days after the meeting. I was nettle hunting and harvesting if you will recall. I shared the context and where I found the lichen. It looks like a beast! It was scary and exciting... so I picked it from the top of a moss-covered stump and brought it with me to the Licheneers for some help.

I struggled mightily with the biology terms and vocabulary. I understand the basics of biology but it is not readily available in my mental database... so I re-learn high school science while jumping into a higher academic level... with folks who have been studying these things for years. They are kind to me as I ask the most rudimentary questions. But it is good for me to start anew and hopefully the answers they give are helpful to them as they explain the very basics.

Last night I identified this (not my picture) :

(copied on April 10, 2013 from: http://donegal-wildlife.blogspot.com/2012_02_01_archive.html)

After about an hour of using a dichotomous key, I came to the genus, PELTIGERA. I got there wrongly as it turns out, but I was right in the genus! It is a "Pelt" Lichen, a type of foliose (or leaf-like) lichen. Eventually, with the help of Fred Rhoades, our brave leader, I identified it down to the species.

It is called Peltigera membranacea. It has furry veins on the underside, and you can see the thalli are thin and like spikes almost. A thallus (pl: thalli) is a root-like structure, but not technically a root because it doesn't transport nutrients. They are likened (pun!) to holdfasts for kelp in the ocean. They simple keep the organism attached to a surface. I think this is correct but I might be wrong :)

This was the first of many more lichens I hope to study and identify. One characteristic and dozens of vocabulary words at a time! See you next second Tuesday.

Work I do at a local school district

I work at Allen Elementary School, in Bow, WA, on Wednesday afternoons. With funding from a STEM grant, I am the coordinator of the Ecology Club and have been from January and will be through June. We are studying water quality, exploring the LAWS of plants, experimenting with worms, cleaning up trash, looking at birds, and other things...

I hope to share my passion for birds by getting some live Red-tailed chicks in, disecting shellfish (maybe tomorrow!), and getting advice from the outreach coordinator at the local Co-op regarding a new school garden... yes, we hope to get a garden in school! We'll see how successful we are in all of this. If nothing else by the end of this program, hopefully students will have been exposed to many elements in the ecosystem and will have gotten outdoors a bunch. They will have the seeds and foundations for stewardship, environmental consideration, and opportunities to engage with the natural world. I hope they just have fun and enjoy their free snacks too!

From an email from the STEM coordinator:

A big thank you to Jim Logan for creating the STEM page on our District Website!  You can access it by clicking on the link on our homepage or via special programs.  Thank you so much Jim!  This looks fabulous, and is a wonderful representation of what STEM aims to be and how STEM is rolling out into our schools.

 

http://www.be.wednet.edu//site/Default.aspx?PageID=3178

Just one of the many facets to my environmental education, nature-connection, mentoring work....

-DS-

Spring Flowers

So many flowers bloomed last week. With nearly two weeks of sunshine and glorious temperatures, the flowers took advantage of the chance to bloom and boy did they ever! The pollinators (bees, flies, slugs) got major work done and I'm sure there will be many more seeds and new growth in the next year.

Also as a result of this weather, I reminisced about my time in Japan as I rode my newly acquired bike (temporary, long-term loan) under fragrant trees and crisp sunny skies. I experienced a portion of my first real spring in the Pacific Northwest... at least in Bellingham. Allegedly this is the most beautiful it has been in years. Glad I got to be a part of it!

In the past, I have not been around for spring. Here nearly three years (wow!) but my first spring was in the mountains where I saw a different form of spring that came much later. It was brutal in Diablo, wearing multiple layers and snow boots well into spring as it was the coldest, darkest, and rainiest April Washington state had ever recorded. Last spring, I was in Mount Vernon and working in Stanwood, so I got to see the tulips and other flowers, but no real focus on sakura, 桜 or, cherry blossoms. Seeing and smelling those trees this year was incredible. No other way to put words to it. So here are pictures to help me:

Blooming Tall Oregon Grape (Mahonia aquifolium) is shinier and more leafy than its cousin, Dull O.G. (M. nervosa)

 Do you see the elephant trunk?

 Looking skyward through white flowers!

 Through pink flowers too.

 I am titling this picture, "Late Bloomer." Seems fitting.

 Can I get some help naming this flower/ tree?

 More Sakura

The Late Bloomer up close

Reward for a life of service

Feedback from a mom of a participant from two summers ago:

See the below link for Climate Challenge past participants Stella Tsitsiragos and Colin Middleton (Summer 2011).  They loved their 3 weeks in the North Cascades and the newspaper has a story of how they decided to do community service.

Thanks for everything you do!

http://www.goanacortes.com/news/entry/students_hydration_station_popular_way_to_reduce_waste

I broke down in tears. It's so nice to know that my work makes a major difference... as teachers and mentors we don't often see this happen so soon if we ever get feedback that it happens at all. Keep trudging along, team! And thank you Stella and Colin for such good work. I am so proud of and for you both.

Gone kayakin'

In the past week or two, I've been out in my kayak three times. Sunny days, COLD water, but lovely fun! Here are some pictures:

 Harlequin Ducks (Histrionicus histrionicus) on the boom next to the public boat launch

 Looking west while paddling north

 Looking north

Met Yale on the shore (who was in a class with me during my fall 2011 on campus stint... when I actually BOUGHT this kayak!) He lives on his boat about 400 feet from the boat launch. He kayaks to shore everyday.

My new two new modes of transportation... kayak on the left and Nick's Surly bike (that he has lent me for two months) I LOVE riding my bike around town. Commuting by bike is fun... reminds me of three years in Japan commuting by bike. With Cherry Blossoms recently blooming, I was very natsukashii 懐かしい for Nihon 日本.

Another day, looking northwest, before turning west and then southwest around the ferry terminal towards Marine Park.

Looking North toward the Canadian Coastal Range... an extension of the North Cascades. Whistler is back there somewhere

Yup. This is a coal train... coal dust flying off the top of uncovered train cars. It's gross and immoral and should be illegal. And sending coal to China is downright awful. Stop this environmental and health degradation. NO to Cherry Point Terminal. NO to training Coal from Wyoming to Tacoma and then up the coast to British Colombia. NO to this nonsense.

The railroad should have to build a new line AWAY from water, the coast, people, animals, trees, and everything else... they should build an imaginary train line to send fake coal to their own homes and burn it there. Shame on BNSF, Warren Buffett, sending Coal to China, and everything about this situation. There... that is out of my mind now.

I leave you with one last picture:

Taylor Dock and Downtown Bellingham, from my launch point at the Community Boating Center in Fairhaven neighborhood. It's great to look back at the city from the water... I am so grateful to have this opportunity.

HUMMINGBIRD live stream video!

My cousin Thomas and his family have set up a live video stream of an Anna's Hummingbird nest near their home in southern Arizona. Here is a link to it!
http://www.hummingbirdpictures.net/hummingbird-nest-cam-2013/