More news from Jellystone!
Again, sorry for the length, I haven't learned how to do a cut.
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Today we traveled to Mammoth for bear and radio training. Bear training was quite interesting. Along with many horror stories, there were quite a few funny ones. Statistically, I am more likely to be murdered or killed in a car accident while I am here than to be mauled by a bear. On average, there is one bear incident per year. In contrast, bison gore an average of four people in the park every year. I am equally likely to be struck by lightning as to have a bear incident. That is fortunate, since Kerry told me I am being dumped if I lose more than one arm and one leg this summer. She has high standards I guess.
We were issued fancy park radios today. They are a professional model used by rangers and the like. They interface with a system of mountain top relays that cover 95% of the park. These will allow our field crews to call for help should an emergency arise. They also allow 2-way communication and provide twice daily weather forecasts. My call sign is 3R73.
This afternoon we traveled to Gibbon Meadows for more field training. In the span of about 3 hours, we managed to capture all four species of amphibians in the park in all of their life stages. I can now scratch the tiger salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum) off of my Maryland salamander list. I still need to see a Wehrle’s Salamander and a Valley and Ridge Salamander in order to have seen all of Maryland’s salamander taxa.
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Today we had classroom training. Charles Peterson, the principle investigator on the project, came from Idaho and presented background information on the project and some ecology information on the herpetofauna of Yellowstone. Rob from USGS also came and talked about data management.
Thursday, June, 15, 2006
Today we had more field practice in Hayden Valley. We all worked on the same ponds simultaneously and collected data. It was cold, windy, and threatening rain. We collected PSMA (boreal chorus frog), BUBO (boreal toad), and AMTI (tiger salamander). There were many wildflowers blooming, and we found a bison skull. Somewhere along the line I lost my black hat. We came back to the dorm and practiced transferring data to the computer.
Friday, June 16, 2006
This morning we returned to Hayden Valley for more field training. Though threatening rain, everything started off well. That is, all went well until we crested a hill and saw a cow-calf herd of about 25 bison position on another hill about 400 yards away. Then a coyote ran out in front of us. We could see Debra, Polly and Jaime on a ridge about 200 yards past the bison. Suddenly, the bison started stampeding towards us. I soon found myself cowering behind a lone telephone pole with the three other guys. There was no other cover for miles. Alex and I got out our bear spray. As the bison drew closer, all four of us broke formation and hauled ass over a very steep hill and up the next hill. You would be amazed how fast a guy can run down a steep hill in waders while carrying a full pack and cradling a can of bear spray. Apparently I leaped a considerable distance across a stream during the retreat. I did not even notice the stream until afterwards. A 2000 pound bison can run 38 mph. In my experience, an amphibian researcher can too.
The herd of bison stopped right at the telephone pole where we had just been. They madly stomped and snarled around. The boys and I took up an observation post on the hill and watched the actions of the bison. Several herds of bison moved past our hill and throughout the catchment we were supposed to be surveying. After about an hour of hunkering down on top of the hill, we felt it was safe to approach the catchment. En route, we encountered the girl, who had witnessed the whole sequence of events. Apparently, there were three wolves (two were collared) who had provoked the bison into the stampede. From the bison’s prospective, they were surrounded by predators. The boys just happened to be the target of the stampede. If you consider biomass, we effectively had the offensive line of every football team in the NFC running at 30+ mph directly at us.
The rest of the day went smoothly. In fact, I got some great news. Kerry is going to try and come out here after all. I am psyched!
This evening I played HALO 2 against Neil, Jaime, Alex, and Yale. I was actually a bit embarrassed at how well I did. One round in particular, I went 26-0. I managed to obliterate all three of them working as a team.
Saturday, June, 17, 2006
This morning I slept in a bit and then Neil, Alex, Polly, and I went into Jackson for the day. We ate lunch at Mountain High Pizza Pie. The food was very good, though it was a bit pricey. We then found a internet café at music store down the block. I got to check my e-mail and update my LJ and Myspace account. Afterward, we split up and meandered through Jackson. I stopped in an outfitter and picked up a lexan bowl and cutlery as well as a pair of gaiters. I called Kenny and the family while in town. I also left a message on Kerry’s voice mail. She called back while I was in the grocery store. The only part I heard before her phone cut off was, “I am calling because I really miss you,” If she only knew how badly I miss her.
We played a game of poker tonight. It was a lot of fun for a one dollar buy-in. I one the first hand, lost quite a few, and after a while managed to hold my own. In the end, Alex managed to beat me. Overall, I came in second of five. I think that is pretty good, given my limited poker experience.
Sunday, June, 18, 2006
I slept in a little bit again this morning. Then the field crew (spare Yale) and I went hiking at Mount Washburn. It was a beautiful day and we could see forever. We saw a few marmots, some swallows, several ravens, and an eagle. I had fun sliding down the snow banks. We got caught in a snowball battle some adolescents had engaged in.
Monday, June 19, 2006
This morning I woke up at 6:30 AM to go field sampling in Lamar Valley. Lamar Valley is at lower elevation in the northeast region of the part. Immediately prior to reaching our parking area, Neil and I saw a herd of about 100 predacious bison right next to the road. After last week, I have a fear of bison. We walked about 2 miles into our site. En route, we encountered a number of pronghorn antelope. We found tons of animal skeletons, which was a bit unnerving. Lamar Valley is known for its predators. On the way to the site, we found dozens of shed elk antlers, including one bodacious set which was almost as tall as I am. At the sites, we found thousands of AMTI larvae, and some boreal toad tadpoles. At one point I tripped over something in the wetland. I reached in to find out what I had tripped on, and wound up pulling out an elk skull with a sizeable rack. On the drive home from Lamar Valley, Neil and I got caught in 2 bear jams, a moose jam, and a bison jam. I was the first car to get caught be hind the bison. They decided to amble along the road for a good 15 minutes, during which time at least 100 vehicles were backed up behind me. Every time we came to a straightaway were I could safely pass, this one wily bison would cut me off and walk into the other lane. At one point some idiots on motorcycles tried to pass me and the bison on a blind turn. The noise from the motorcycles pissed off the bison. The bison snapped around at the bikers. About at the same moment, a large truck came whizzing around the corner, stopping just shy of a head on collision.
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Today we started sampling at Tanager Lake, just west of the south entrance to the park. Though infested by mosquitoes, the catchment was an easy 2 mile walk from the road. the catchment included Tanager Lake itself, which was a daunting 1000 meters by 500 meters. We had been allotted 3 days to complete the catchment, so we decided to start with the sites at the far end of the catchment. These sites ended up being enormous wet meadows. While surveying the second site, I discovered that our $2000 radio (which I had been carrying earlier) was MIA. We finished the site and proceeded to backtrack to search for the radio. After 2.5 hours of slogging through the swamp, we gave up and decide to head back. Miraculously, on the way back, we spotted it in a bush at the edge of the swamp. Phew!
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Neil and I went supersane and finished 10 sites today. We also located 3 more. Neil won’t spoon with me. Our one site had acres and acres of sundews.
Thursday, June 22, 2006
We finished up Tanager Lake today. We took 2 SCA students along. I felt sorry for them, as they’ve been stuck doing menial labor at below minimum wage all summer.
Friday, June 23, 2006
Neil and I met with Debra this morning to discuss our upcoming backpacking trips. Then we set off to survey Grebe Canyon, which as it turns out, is a full 8 miles from the road. Three of those miles (each way) were off trail and steep, often traversing massive logjams of dead and fallen trees. I nearly fell off of one of the taller ones when I was caught by a gust of wind. I would have survived, but it would’ve hurt a lot. When we finally got to the site, chorus frogs were calling away and there were dozens of egg masses in the site. We were too early. Consequently, we will likely have to return to that site later in the summer. Oh boy!
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Today we traveled to Mammoth for bear and radio training. Bear training was quite interesting. Along with many horror stories, there were quite a few funny ones. Statistically, I am more likely to be murdered or killed in a car accident while I am here than to be mauled by a bear. On average, there is one bear incident per year. In contrast, bison gore an average of four people in the park every year. I am equally likely to be struck by lightning as to have a bear incident. That is fortunate, since Kerry told me I am being dumped if I lose more than one arm and one leg this summer. She has high standards I guess.
We were issued fancy park radios today. They are a professional model used by rangers and the like. They interface with a system of mountain top relays that cover 95% of the park. These will allow our field crews to call for help should an emergency arise. They also allow 2-way communication and provide twice daily weather forecasts. My call sign is 3R73.
This afternoon we traveled to Gibbon Meadows for more field training. In the span of about 3 hours, we managed to capture all four species of amphibians in the park in all of their life stages. I can now scratch the tiger salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum) off of my Maryland salamander list. I still need to see a Wehrle’s Salamander and a Valley and Ridge Salamander in order to have seen all of Maryland’s salamander taxa.
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Today we had classroom training. Charles Peterson, the principle investigator on the project, came from Idaho and presented background information on the project and some ecology information on the herpetofauna of Yellowstone. Rob from USGS also came and talked about data management.
Thursday, June, 15, 2006
Today we had more field practice in Hayden Valley. We all worked on the same ponds simultaneously and collected data. It was cold, windy, and threatening rain. We collected PSMA (boreal chorus frog), BUBO (boreal toad), and AMTI (tiger salamander). There were many wildflowers blooming, and we found a bison skull. Somewhere along the line I lost my black hat. We came back to the dorm and practiced transferring data to the computer.
Friday, June 16, 2006
This morning we returned to Hayden Valley for more field training. Though threatening rain, everything started off well. That is, all went well until we crested a hill and saw a cow-calf herd of about 25 bison position on another hill about 400 yards away. Then a coyote ran out in front of us. We could see Debra, Polly and Jaime on a ridge about 200 yards past the bison. Suddenly, the bison started stampeding towards us. I soon found myself cowering behind a lone telephone pole with the three other guys. There was no other cover for miles. Alex and I got out our bear spray. As the bison drew closer, all four of us broke formation and hauled ass over a very steep hill and up the next hill. You would be amazed how fast a guy can run down a steep hill in waders while carrying a full pack and cradling a can of bear spray. Apparently I leaped a considerable distance across a stream during the retreat. I did not even notice the stream until afterwards. A 2000 pound bison can run 38 mph. In my experience, an amphibian researcher can too.
The herd of bison stopped right at the telephone pole where we had just been. They madly stomped and snarled around. The boys and I took up an observation post on the hill and watched the actions of the bison. Several herds of bison moved past our hill and throughout the catchment we were supposed to be surveying. After about an hour of hunkering down on top of the hill, we felt it was safe to approach the catchment. En route, we encountered the girl, who had witnessed the whole sequence of events. Apparently, there were three wolves (two were collared) who had provoked the bison into the stampede. From the bison’s prospective, they were surrounded by predators. The boys just happened to be the target of the stampede. If you consider biomass, we effectively had the offensive line of every football team in the NFC running at 30+ mph directly at us.
The rest of the day went smoothly. In fact, I got some great news. Kerry is going to try and come out here after all. I am psyched!
This evening I played HALO 2 against Neil, Jaime, Alex, and Yale. I was actually a bit embarrassed at how well I did. One round in particular, I went 26-0. I managed to obliterate all three of them working as a team.
Saturday, June, 17, 2006
This morning I slept in a bit and then Neil, Alex, Polly, and I went into Jackson for the day. We ate lunch at Mountain High Pizza Pie. The food was very good, though it was a bit pricey. We then found a internet café at music store down the block. I got to check my e-mail and update my LJ and Myspace account. Afterward, we split up and meandered through Jackson. I stopped in an outfitter and picked up a lexan bowl and cutlery as well as a pair of gaiters. I called Kenny and the family while in town. I also left a message on Kerry’s voice mail. She called back while I was in the grocery store. The only part I heard before her phone cut off was, “I am calling because I really miss you,” If she only knew how badly I miss her.
We played a game of poker tonight. It was a lot of fun for a one dollar buy-in. I one the first hand, lost quite a few, and after a while managed to hold my own. In the end, Alex managed to beat me. Overall, I came in second of five. I think that is pretty good, given my limited poker experience.
Sunday, June, 18, 2006
I slept in a little bit again this morning. Then the field crew (spare Yale) and I went hiking at Mount Washburn. It was a beautiful day and we could see forever. We saw a few marmots, some swallows, several ravens, and an eagle. I had fun sliding down the snow banks. We got caught in a snowball battle some adolescents had engaged in.
Monday, June 19, 2006
This morning I woke up at 6:30 AM to go field sampling in Lamar Valley. Lamar Valley is at lower elevation in the northeast region of the part. Immediately prior to reaching our parking area, Neil and I saw a herd of about 100 predacious bison right next to the road. After last week, I have a fear of bison. We walked about 2 miles into our site. En route, we encountered a number of pronghorn antelope. We found tons of animal skeletons, which was a bit unnerving. Lamar Valley is known for its predators. On the way to the site, we found dozens of shed elk antlers, including one bodacious set which was almost as tall as I am. At the sites, we found thousands of AMTI larvae, and some boreal toad tadpoles. At one point I tripped over something in the wetland. I reached in to find out what I had tripped on, and wound up pulling out an elk skull with a sizeable rack. On the drive home from Lamar Valley, Neil and I got caught in 2 bear jams, a moose jam, and a bison jam. I was the first car to get caught be hind the bison. They decided to amble along the road for a good 15 minutes, during which time at least 100 vehicles were backed up behind me. Every time we came to a straightaway were I could safely pass, this one wily bison would cut me off and walk into the other lane. At one point some idiots on motorcycles tried to pass me and the bison on a blind turn. The noise from the motorcycles pissed off the bison. The bison snapped around at the bikers. About at the same moment, a large truck came whizzing around the corner, stopping just shy of a head on collision.
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Today we started sampling at Tanager Lake, just west of the south entrance to the park. Though infested by mosquitoes, the catchment was an easy 2 mile walk from the road. the catchment included Tanager Lake itself, which was a daunting 1000 meters by 500 meters. We had been allotted 3 days to complete the catchment, so we decided to start with the sites at the far end of the catchment. These sites ended up being enormous wet meadows. While surveying the second site, I discovered that our $2000 radio (which I had been carrying earlier) was MIA. We finished the site and proceeded to backtrack to search for the radio. After 2.5 hours of slogging through the swamp, we gave up and decide to head back. Miraculously, on the way back, we spotted it in a bush at the edge of the swamp. Phew!
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Neil and I went supersane and finished 10 sites today. We also located 3 more. Neil won’t spoon with me. Our one site had acres and acres of sundews.
Thursday, June 22, 2006
We finished up Tanager Lake today. We took 2 SCA students along. I felt sorry for them, as they’ve been stuck doing menial labor at below minimum wage all summer.
Friday, June 23, 2006
Neil and I met with Debra this morning to discuss our upcoming backpacking trips. Then we set off to survey Grebe Canyon, which as it turns out, is a full 8 miles from the road. Three of those miles (each way) were off trail and steep, often traversing massive logjams of dead and fallen trees. I nearly fell off of one of the taller ones when I was caught by a gust of wind. I would have survived, but it would’ve hurt a lot. When we finally got to the site, chorus frogs were calling away and there were dozens of egg masses in the site. We were too early. Consequently, we will likely have to return to that site later in the summer. Oh boy!