Crater Lake

This month is six years since my visit to fabulous Crater Lake National Park in Oregon. America's deepest lake at nearly 2000 feet in depth, it sits inside the collapsed caldera of an ancient volcano. Wizard Island near the west side of the lake is a volcano within a volcano. The lake is fed entirely by rain and snow. The amount falling in each year is nearly equal to what evaporates of leaks out the bottom. Crater Lake is what I can only describe as being impossibly blue. Pictures don't do it justice.

Crater Lake seen from West Rim Drive

In addition to the lake, the park also features forests, wildflower meadows, waterfalls, pumice deserts, cinder cones, and formations called pinnacles. The pumice deserts were formed by volcanic eruptions depositing pumice. Like sand, it drains very well so there is little moisture retained in the ground. Like in a true desert, only the hardiest plants can scratch out a living. 

Pumice desert

The pinnacles were originally volcanic steam vents. As gas and steam were released, moisture mixed with the surrounding ash and formed a thick cement. Mount Mazama, the ancient volcano that formed Crater Lake, had its last major eruption 7700 years ago. Following a massive eruption of ash and pumice, a huge explosion caused the mountain to collapse into itself. 

Wizard Island, a caldera within a caldera

Red Cinder Cone, a shadow of the volcanic past

While visiting Crater Lake, I got to do a bit of exploring. I started a sunset hike up The Watchman, one of the peaks along the crater's rim. I got turned around by an incoming thunderstorm. On another hike across the pumice prairie and through a burned forest, I turned around when I lost sight of the horizon with more storms in the forecast. I went down into a canyon along a mountain stream and back up, saw the pinnacles, a waterfall, and small meadow with varying degrees of wetness. Different wildflowers were growing in different areas due to elevation, soil, and moisture levels- a great example of zonation.

Some of the wildlife in the park includes Clark's nutcracker, golden mantled ground squirrels, mule deer, black bears, foxes, bobcats, and pika. I was lucky enough to see the ground squirrel, deer, gray jays, and a tiny frog.

After leaving Crater Lake, I headed to the coast and stayed at the Oregon Dunes. There was no activity at the Sea Lion Caves nearby. The next stop before going home was a quick visit to Mount Hood. I stank after a week in the woods without showers, but the adventure was worth it. This week's information comes from USGS and NPS. All photos are my own. I'll be taking a break for vacation and will return in September with a look at some hard workers, just in time for Labor Day.

Endangered Species

This week Nature Minute will take a look at something most have never seen before- endangered species. You may have seen one or two because there are so many species that are endangered, but most likely not because there are so few of each species. They come in all shapes and sizes, from lichens to flowers to trees and from insects to corals to snails to whales.

In legal terms, an endangered species is defined by the Endangered Species Act (ESA) as being in danger of becoming extinct. A companion term in ESA is a threatened species, which is under threat of becoming endangered. ESA requires protection for endangered and threatened species as well as their habitat, because how can a species survive without having a place to live?

While ESA is an American law, it also extends global protection to species listed as threatened or endangered wherever they may be found. For example, the cheetah is listed as a foreign endangered species. While US laws regarding the conservation of cheetahs and their habitat can’t be enforced in Africa, the extent of the law here at home prohibits trafficking in them and other foreign endangered species.

Currently there are close to 2000 threatened and endangered species just in the US. When a species is listed, the appropriate state and federal agencies must develop a recovery plan. The recovery plan outlines how to increase the species population and preserve habitat and specifies a target population to be considered sustainable so the species can be delisted. Lead federal agencies that oversee ESA listing and recovery plans are the US Fish and Wildlife Service for terrestrial species and National Marine Fisheries Service works with oceanic critters. Both partner with state fish and wildlife agencies, local and tribal governments, private organizations.

My time in the field gave me the opportunity to work on conservation projects aimed at species recovery. I was even lucky enough to see some of the species I was trying to help.

In the US, four of the five Pacific salmon species (pinks are excluded) are listed as threatened or endangered. I volunteered with the Nisqually Land Trust, an organization that works to preserve and enhance salmon habitat. Although the salmon is a fish, salmon habitat begins with healthy forests that keep the rivers cool and clean.

Chinook salmon returning to spawn

I also volunteered with the Center for Natural Lands Management on two prairie preserves. I removed invasive blackberries and Scotch broom from the Glacial Heritage Natural Area and also collected wildflower seeds from there and the Mima Mounds Natural Area. The work I did was to open space for native plants to grow and collect seeds for propagation at other sites. The prairies are home to the endangered Taylor’s checkerspot butterfly, Mazama pocket gopher, and golden paintbrush, a flower. 

Golden paintbrush

Mazama pocket gopher (US Fish and Wildlife)

Taylor's checkerspot (US Fish and Wildlife)

My list of endangered species that I’ve seen in their natural habitat is short, but probably longer than most other people’s. I’ve seen the beluga whale (Alaska), golden paintbrush (Washington), Chinook salmon (Washington), black-footed ferret (South Dakota), and West Indian manatee (Florida).

Black-footed ferret (National Park Service)

West Indian manatee

I am glad that we have ESA to protect endangered species. Several, such as the bald eagle and the alligator, are considered recovered and have been delisted. The road to recovery takes a long time, and sadly the list gets longer as new species are added before the existing species recover. 

Bald eagle

American alligator (National Park Service)

My only regret about ESA is that it takes a reactive approach to protecting species with critically low populations, rather than a proactive approach that prevents them from needing to be listed in the first place. For more information on the Endangered Species Act visit the US Fish and Wildlife website here.

Vanishing Prairies, Part 2

Today’s prairies are home to a dazzling array of wildflowers, as well as birds, butterflies, and mammals. Endangered prairie species, besides the golden paintbrush, are the Mazama pocket gopher, streaked horned lark, and Taylor’s checkerspot butterfly. They all depend on the prairie plants. Some critters that I’ve seen at the prairies include the osprey, northern harrier, and Puget blue butterfly. Bats and owls are also common, but I haven't seen them because I haven't gone there at night.

Golden paintbrush

Mazama pocket gopher (from US Fish and Wildlife Service)

Puget blue butterfly

The gopher is endangered because it eats the plants that inhabit the prairie. No prairie, no plants, no gopher. The butterflies use the prairie plants as host plants for their caterpillars. No prairie, not plants, no butterflies. Streaked horned larks nest on bare ground. In western Washington, pretty much anything that is not forested is either oceanfront or developed, with the exception of the prairies (US Fish and Wildlife Service).

Northern harrier (from New York Department of Environmental Conservation)

Streaked horned lark (from US Fish and Wildlife Service)

Taylor's checkerspot butterfly (from US Fish and Wildlife Service)

How did a region known for its forests wind up with this little-known prairie? The geology is fascinating and mystifying all at once. The prairies formed on glacial outwash, but the origins of the mounds remains a mystery to this day. The soil around them is dry and gravelly. The mounds, however, are made of black sandy loam mixed with gravel. There are several theories as to how they formed.

Mounded prairie

Cross section of a mound (from Washington Landscape blog)

One theory is that the mound soils collected on top of glaciers in pits, then settled as mounds after the glaciers melted. Another is that they are wave peaks caused by soil that liquefied during earthquakes. Another theory is that following floods caused by a glacially dammed lake, sediment deposits collected when water flowed around vegetation, forming the mounds. There is a theory that the mounds were formed by erosion. My favorite theory is that pocket gophers built the mounds (Washington Department of Natural Resources). A lot of very industrious pocket gophers.

There are some prairies that are open to public access for hiking and wildlife viewing. Glacial Heritage Natural Area, where I took last week’s pictures, I owned by Thurston County and open only on Prairie Appreciation Day in May. Others owned by the State of Washington, such as Mima Mounds Natural Area and Scatter Creek Wildlife Area (also in Thurston County) are open year-round.

This week's references:

US Fish and Wildlife Service: https://ecos.fws.gov/ecp0/profile/speciesProfile?spcode=B0B3

Washington Department of Natural Resources:  http://file.dnr.wa.gov/publications/amp_mima_mounds_mistery.pdf

Gopher: https://www.fws.gov/wafwo/articles.cfm?id=149489588

Harrier: http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/7090.html

Horned lark: https://www.fws.gov/oregonfwo/articles.cfm?id=149489450

Checkerspot: https://www.fws.gov/oregonfwo/articles.cfm?id=149489449

Mound cross section: https://washingtonlandscape.blogspot.com/2012/05/mima-mound-cross-sections.html

Vanishing Prairies, Part 1

When you think of the Pacific Northwest you probably think of misty forest full of towering trees and glacier-covered volcanic peaks. You think of killer whales and salmon in Puget Sound and coffee-fueled hipsters of Seattle and Portland. Do prairies ever cross your mind?

The Puget Sound region is home to remnant prairies, an ecosystem that currently only covers 10% of the area it covered before the arrival of European settlers. Why did the prairies disappear? Settlers replaced prairie grasses and flowers with pasture grass, crops, and orchards. Cities sprang up in other areas. Forests took over some prairies after the settlers didn’t keep up the Indians’ practice of setting fires to keep the prairies open. Invasive species overran others.

I was privileged to visit Glacial Heritage Natural Area, a mounded prairie, earlier this year to pull invasive Scotch broom. Mounded prairies are covered in small hills of indeterminate origin. Weather was the biggest challenge that day. Part of the time it was sunny and warm, but there were periods of sideways rain and even sleet. I got into such a frenzy pulling my archenemy that when I happened to find some broom that was already pulled, I was disappointed.

Flash forward to May, and the place was almost unrecognizable. The weather deteriorated to constant downpours, but the biggest change was in the flora. During my first visit, the only plants I could identify were Scotch broom, Himalayan blackberry, and a shooting star that had already bloomed. This time, the place was awash in color. There was more blue camas than I’ve ever seen, as well as endangered golden paintbrush and a bunch of other flowers I’m not familiar with. Next week we’ll discuss some of the critters that call our prairies home, as well as look into the mysterious geology of the mounded prairie. Until then, enjoy some pictures of the flowers!

Notice the mounds?

Red columbine

Endangered golden paintbrush and blue camas

Blue camas

A white "blue" camas

Red sorrel

Stand of Douglas fir in the middle of prairie

The forest edge

Harsh paintbrush

Plight of the Bumblebee

Let’s talk about bees. When I was a kid it took me years to learn not to run around outside barefoot. After countless bee stings, I finally got the hint. Of course, I wanted every bee to die as revenge. Then one day I realized no bees, no honey. Now that I’m older and wiser I realize it’s much bigger than that. No bees, no food.

Bee pollinating pearly everlasting flowers

Bees are small animals but vital not just to ecosystems but to civilization as we know it. For a critter that has the weight of humanity on its shoulders, you would think that these busy little workers would be better protected. Worldwide, bee populations are plummeting. No one sure what is behind the die-offs, but the leading suspects are pesticides and disease, coupled with habitat loss of course.

According to the EPA, the suspected causes of Colony Collapse Disorder (in which the workers leave the hive- the queen and larvae remain with an adequate food supply) are: the invasive varroa mite, new and emerging diseases, pesticides applied to crops or in-hive for mite control, stress from transporting hives, habitat degradation, poor nutrition, and immune-suppression caused by one or more of the previous listings.

Honeybee (from Finger Lakes Land Trust)

In Europe, neonicotinoid pesticides have been banned because of the harm to the bees (The Guardian). America has yet to follow suit. You may be wondering how bees can lose habitat. Well, bees are just like everyone else in the world. They need a place to live, food to eat, and a lack of stuff that kills them. When that field or forest gets converted into "New Townhomes Starting In The Low 200s!" it isn’t just deer and birds that are displaced. Not every bee hive is under your eaves or inside your Mustang’s engine.

Bumblebee (from keywordsuggests.com)

How can you help the bees? Plant flowers. Native flowers are best because the native bees are attracted to them, they support other native wildlife, and they are low-maintenance because they are adapted to the local climate. Not sure where to start? Ask your local National Wildlife Foundation Habitat Steward (like me) for help.

Mason bee (from Gardeners Supply Company)

Fast fact: There were no honeybees in the Americas before they were brought from Europe.

This week's sources:

EPA: https://www.epa.gov/pollinator-protection/colony-collapse-disorder

EU ban on neonicotinoids: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/mar/23/europe-poised-for-total-ban-on-bee-harming-pesticides

Finger Lakes Land Trust: http://www.fllt.org/cl-the-honey-bee-our-friend-in-danger/

keywordsuggests.com: http://www.keywordsuggests.com/216WYHErZLESNc*3XIHAyvHvnvYHZLEjeAwp6kKWUxWfg*RQ6TyVcou9EM7ms6O*EtEwdMeAl9n2qfSJuf%7CIBw/

Gardeners Supply Company: http://www.gardeners.com/how-to/about-mason-bees/8198.html

March Showers Bring April Flowers

Spring is here for most of us. Daffodils and crocuses (croci?) have sprouted and blossomed here in the Northwest already, and I look forward to seeing the tulips. While the summer wildflowers in the mountain meadows get all the publicity, our forests also have their own display of wildflowers, starting now.

One of the first plants to leaf out is the Indian plum. In fact, it is already flowering. Indian plum is edible, but I read that they don’t taste very good and there isn’t much to eat. However, they are an important early food source for critters that are just waking up or just arriving from migration. 

Indian plum flowers

Salmonberries are also blooming, and Oregon grape is right around the corner. 

Salmonberry flower

Oregon grape getting ready to bloom

I found some self-heal and colt’s foot flowers on my last walk in the woods. It won’t be long until wood sorrel, bleeding heart, and trillium and the non-native stinky Bob and daisies are also blooming. Over in the wetlands, the skunk cabbage is living up to its name. This aquatic plant looks like cabbage leaves with a large yellow flower that smells like skunk spray. The scent attracts the insects the pollinate it. I have no idea if those same insects are attracted to any unfortunate victims of a skunk attack. Pond lilies are close to reaching the surface. Once that happens, I lose my ability to find egg masses, but it is yet another spring flower to look at.

Colt's foot

Self heal

Wood sorrel

The spring flower show might not be as impressive as what is to come in August (or California’s superbloom- see Nature Minute of Facebook for that), but it is just enough to whet your appetite. Plus, the longer growing season at lower elevations gives you more to look at over an extended time. What flowers are growing in your forest?

Pacific bleeding heart

Skunk cabbage (AKA skunkweed, AKA stinkweed), courtesy US Forest Service 

Western trillium

US Forest Service: https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/regions/Pacific_Northwest/QuinaultRainForestTrail/index.shtml