When last I left you I was telling you about the McNeil River trip I took in June. Before I finish that story let me get you up to date on what is going on here in the present at Brooks Camp. Lurch was reported to have attacked a bear on the valley road and ate him last week. He has done it again. This time at Brooks Camp on the closed trail about 50 yards from the gate of the floating bridge. Not only did he kill and feast on another subadult but buried what he could not finish. Yesterday, live on the web cam he dragged the remains out of his dug hole and feasted. National Parks let nature take its course and this is a part of nature. One we don't usually get a glimpse of. None of the staff have been able to ID the subadults. We will have to wait to see who doesn't appear next year as the last of the staff left Brooks Camp today. And though this is nature at its most dangerous. If Lurch were to kill one more time, in human terms he would be considered a serial killer.
Now if we retrace my steps and go back to McNeil we spent the last day of bear viewing at the famous McNeil falls. Where in 2011 they counted 72 bears feeding at one time. I was in total shock when I saw how close we were to sit by the river. Right next to the falls. I mean right next to the water. Now we were in there in the middle of June so the salmon had not started their big push yet, so there were no bears actually fishing yet. We only spent a few hours getting a look at the place. Not only do they sit and watch the action from so close but they eat their lunch right there. That includes eating salmon. It is amazing to me that humans and bears can live together at such close distances and not get hurt. Again the leaders of McNeil carry weapons and when asked what they do if there is a territory fight in the river that gets close. The answer was they throw a chair at the bears to break up the battle. Crazy! But it was an amazing place to visit.
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Thursday, October 4, 2012
First Spring cub
Going back to June and the day I saw my first spring cub.
I am going back in time to my trip to McNeil River State Park. We are there to compare management techniques with the staff. We have hiked through the sedge meadow and are sitting on a group of logs watching bears. We are sitting near a river (not the McNeil). When along came a sow with one little spring cub.
The cub was so cute. It was running after mom. Mom checked out the river for salmon. She munched on grass then she headed up the river. The little guy went running after. Everyone was taking pictures and were ooh and aahing over how cute.
For the next five minutes watched a few subadults go by. We could see the couple mating in the field. It was a good time. There was never a time where we didn't see a bear. Then we heard a sound. A growl and huff and running footsteps. From up river came the sow. She was running and calling. But no cub was following. She ran up hill and down. She ran along the river. She sniffed along the ground. She huffed and growled and yelled. She ran out of site down river.
The whole time she was in our view there was no cute little cub. Some how she had lost it. She was back minutes later on our side of the river. She ran past us in the same panicked behavior. Then she was out of site again. This scene played out for an hour. She would show up running and calling then ran back. At no time did we see the cub. Then a heard the cub call. Then it was heard by more members of the group. Problem was mom was not around.
Then across the river in a large clump of trees a few of us saw the cub run across in to the trees. But mom still had not come back. And of course we had lost sight of the cub and no longer heard it. As a group, though we wanted the two to meet up, we decided to move up river and see how the action was up there. Once we moved about a 1/2 mile we saw the sow.
She was no longer panicked. She was no longer huffing or growling or running back and forth. No she hadn't found the cub. she did however find a big ole salmon and was having a nice dinner. Then she caught another, then another and another. She had filled her stomach quite nicely and had forgotten all about her sweet little baby all alone in the woods with no one to love and protect her. Needless to say the group was quite upset with this terrible mother.
Finally it was time to go back to camp. We had spent over 12 hours of bear watching. We never did see the cub again. We did see the sow many times through the rest of our stay but she seemed to have forgotten she had a baby. So I saw my first cub and then I lost my first cub. How sad is that?
In King Salmon today it was meetings and birthday celebrations. The sun was out and the wind was blowing 50 miles an hour. Not much in the way of adventures.
I am going back in time to my trip to McNeil River State Park. We are there to compare management techniques with the staff. We have hiked through the sedge meadow and are sitting on a group of logs watching bears. We are sitting near a river (not the McNeil). When along came a sow with one little spring cub.
The cub was so cute. It was running after mom. Mom checked out the river for salmon. She munched on grass then she headed up the river. The little guy went running after. Everyone was taking pictures and were ooh and aahing over how cute.
For the next five minutes watched a few subadults go by. We could see the couple mating in the field. It was a good time. There was never a time where we didn't see a bear. Then we heard a sound. A growl and huff and running footsteps. From up river came the sow. She was running and calling. But no cub was following. She ran up hill and down. She ran along the river. She sniffed along the ground. She huffed and growled and yelled. She ran out of site down river.
The whole time she was in our view there was no cute little cub. Some how she had lost it. She was back minutes later on our side of the river. She ran past us in the same panicked behavior. Then she was out of site again. This scene played out for an hour. She would show up running and calling then ran back. At no time did we see the cub. Then a heard the cub call. Then it was heard by more members of the group. Problem was mom was not around.
Then across the river in a large clump of trees a few of us saw the cub run across in to the trees. But mom still had not come back. And of course we had lost sight of the cub and no longer heard it. As a group, though we wanted the two to meet up, we decided to move up river and see how the action was up there. Once we moved about a 1/2 mile we saw the sow.
She was no longer panicked. She was no longer huffing or growling or running back and forth. No she hadn't found the cub. she did however find a big ole salmon and was having a nice dinner. Then she caught another, then another and another. She had filled her stomach quite nicely and had forgotten all about her sweet little baby all alone in the woods with no one to love and protect her. Needless to say the group was quite upset with this terrible mother.
Finally it was time to go back to camp. We had spent over 12 hours of bear watching. We never did see the cub again. We did see the sow many times through the rest of our stay but she seemed to have forgotten she had a baby. So I saw my first cub and then I lost my first cub. How sad is that?
In King Salmon today it was meetings and birthday celebrations. The sun was out and the wind was blowing 50 miles an hour. Not much in the way of adventures.
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Spring Activities at McNeil
Watching bears at McNeil is quite the experience. While you can be close to bears at Katmai you are usually above them. At McNeil you hike through the muck and mud and sit on logs and let the bears be bears. This may mean they walk right up to the group. The guide is always ready to do what is necessary even if that means shooting the bear but for the most part the bears are use to humans being at a close proximity. We got to see quite a few bears on our first day out.
McNeil contains a very large sedge meadow. This is where most of the bears were hanging out. Being it was spring the bears were doing the natural thing. Eating, sleeping and having sex. What a life. We saw some peculiar mating rituals, we saw a female chase off a smaller female near a male only to turn around and play hard to get with the same male. It was comical to watch. We saw a female come out of the woods and fight with one male who was not exactly small in size, then head off to another bigger male and almost demand to be mated. The boar however was not too keen on granting her wishes. That did not stop her as she kept everyone away from the male until he finally gave in to her demands.
Then there was one male who we saw mate with one female and within minutes mate with another. Spend 45 minutes to an hour mating with her and finish and find another female. I think I counted 7 females that boar mated with while we were there. I never did see him eat. Wonder how he kept the stamina up.
There were bear couples that nuzzled and played and curled up together before and after mating. Then there were the love them and loose them couples and even a couple where the female showed no interest at all in the activities. While he was doing his thing she just stood there waiting. Every once in a while glancing back to see if he was done yet. Then when he finally got off her she just started to eat grass. Like nothing had ever happened. Life, got to love it.
McNeil contains a very large sedge meadow. This is where most of the bears were hanging out. Being it was spring the bears were doing the natural thing. Eating, sleeping and having sex. What a life. We saw some peculiar mating rituals, we saw a female chase off a smaller female near a male only to turn around and play hard to get with the same male. It was comical to watch. We saw a female come out of the woods and fight with one male who was not exactly small in size, then head off to another bigger male and almost demand to be mated. The boar however was not too keen on granting her wishes. That did not stop her as she kept everyone away from the male until he finally gave in to her demands.
Then there was one male who we saw mate with one female and within minutes mate with another. Spend 45 minutes to an hour mating with her and finish and find another female. I think I counted 7 females that boar mated with while we were there. I never did see him eat. Wonder how he kept the stamina up.
There were bear couples that nuzzled and played and curled up together before and after mating. Then there were the love them and loose them couples and even a couple where the female showed no interest at all in the activities. While he was doing his thing she just stood there waiting. Every once in a while glancing back to see if he was done yet. Then when he finally got off her she just started to eat grass. Like nothing had ever happened. Life, got to love it.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Heading to McNeil River
The first week of June I returned once again to MN for a weeks vacation with all my family. When I returned to King Salmon I had just a couple of days to catch up on office work and then it was off to McNeil River.
McNeil River is an Alaska State Park. It is found north of Katmai and also has a high number of brown bears. Last summer they had 72 bears in the river at one time. Pretty amazing. Unlike Katmai and other Alaskan parks, to be allowed to go to McNeil you have to win the lottery. Only 250 people a year are allowed to visit with 60% of those being Alaskan residents. The biologist of Katmai were going there on a science permit to compare notes on how they manage their bears compared to Katmai's plan.
The only way to get to McNeil is to fly and being on the coast flying in can be tricky. Luckily we had no problem except our pilot had no idea where to land. Once there you are led to the camping area. You may arrive a day or two early and stay a day or two later depending on your flight but only 10 visitors a day can go bear viewing. The camp has 16 sites for tents. It has a wonderful cook cabin complete with dishes to cook in. Better cookware than I own. It has three large tables, a small library,and a few games and puzzles for the really crappy days. It also has artwork, photos and sayings left from past visitors on the wall. And on the other end of camp there is also a little sauna where you can wash away the dirt from the long day. Two outhouses are a short walk outside of camp. I can't really say your roughing it at McNeil at all.
The camp is surrounded by willows and alder bushes. when we arrived the sun was out and the birds were singing. We set up camp and took a walk along the beach. I was told it was a great place to beach comb. But on the first day there was no treasures found.
McNeil River is an Alaska State Park. It is found north of Katmai and also has a high number of brown bears. Last summer they had 72 bears in the river at one time. Pretty amazing. Unlike Katmai and other Alaskan parks, to be allowed to go to McNeil you have to win the lottery. Only 250 people a year are allowed to visit with 60% of those being Alaskan residents. The biologist of Katmai were going there on a science permit to compare notes on how they manage their bears compared to Katmai's plan.
The only way to get to McNeil is to fly and being on the coast flying in can be tricky. Luckily we had no problem except our pilot had no idea where to land. Once there you are led to the camping area. You may arrive a day or two early and stay a day or two later depending on your flight but only 10 visitors a day can go bear viewing. The camp has 16 sites for tents. It has a wonderful cook cabin complete with dishes to cook in. Better cookware than I own. It has three large tables, a small library,and a few games and puzzles for the really crappy days. It also has artwork, photos and sayings left from past visitors on the wall. And on the other end of camp there is also a little sauna where you can wash away the dirt from the long day. Two outhouses are a short walk outside of camp. I can't really say your roughing it at McNeil at all.
The camp is surrounded by willows and alder bushes. when we arrived the sun was out and the birds were singing. We set up camp and took a walk along the beach. I was told it was a great place to beach comb. But on the first day there was no treasures found.
Monday, October 1, 2012
Bear Survey Bust
During the last weeks of May, my partner was performing bear den and bear stream surveys. They spent two weeks looking for bear dens running over 100 transects and only saw three dens. Brown bears dig their dens in higher elevations usually around 1300 feet. With all the snow we had last winter and the cold spring bears were not leaving their cozy dens. It was a total surprise that they saw so few dens.
Next they flew over streams looking for the bears that had emerged. Only a few boars were seen. The were only one or two females and no family groups were seen at all. The surveys were to see how fall hunting had effected the population but with all them still asleep, we did not learn a whole lot.
Jumping to October 1st and there is exciting news from Brooks Camp. Probably not great news to most of you but exciting. Seems one of the big boars chased a subadult down the valley road yesterday. He evidently caught it and killed it. Then he proceeded to eat it. One of the contractors working at camp caught the whole thing on video. I have not seen it yet but I am sure some day in the future it will be on you tube for all of us to enjoy.
Next they flew over streams looking for the bears that had emerged. Only a few boars were seen. The were only one or two females and no family groups were seen at all. The surveys were to see how fall hunting had effected the population but with all them still asleep, we did not learn a whole lot.
Jumping to October 1st and there is exciting news from Brooks Camp. Probably not great news to most of you but exciting. Seems one of the big boars chased a subadult down the valley road yesterday. He evidently caught it and killed it. Then he proceeded to eat it. One of the contractors working at camp caught the whole thing on video. I have not seen it yet but I am sure some day in the future it will be on you tube for all of us to enjoy.
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Hello Tundra!
Back in time to end of May
I have spent four days in Brooks. We have had no excitement. No bears, no other animals. There have been barely any birds. So all I have been doing is training staff. I had given up on seeing any bears this trip and was packed and ready to head back to King Salmon and as I trekked back to the camp from BL3 I wasn't even thinking bears just what need to be done at home before I leave again. When I reached the river I almost missed her lying on the downriver island.
There was Tundra. She was doing just what she was doing last year when I first saw her, digging holes and eating who knows what. She was bigger than last year and though thinner than the fall she looked good. It was totally fitting that my first bear of both seasons was Tundra. I stood and watched her as long as I could before I had to catch the boat back to Lake Camp. So I did not get skunked on my first visit. It just made me anxious to get back.
Though the last week in May was all training there was some excitement in the fact that the BBC had arrived to film a documentary at Brooks. They set up cameras that recorded activity at the falls platform during the month of July. They arrived in May to set up camera equipment. They also traveled to Hallo Bay and other coastal areas to get pictures out there. The film crew worked hard and long and are currently editing the film shot. In July of 2013 the film will be shown on the BBC network. Keep your eyes out for it.
Also arriving at Brooks the last week of May were the people from explore.org. They have set up web cams at the falls platform and at the lower river platform to let people watch the bears. It is a huge hit. Go to explore.org and watch yourself. You will see the high water of the river. Lots of male bears catching fish. You might even see Beadnose and family.
I have spent four days in Brooks. We have had no excitement. No bears, no other animals. There have been barely any birds. So all I have been doing is training staff. I had given up on seeing any bears this trip and was packed and ready to head back to King Salmon and as I trekked back to the camp from BL3 I wasn't even thinking bears just what need to be done at home before I leave again. When I reached the river I almost missed her lying on the downriver island.
There was Tundra. She was doing just what she was doing last year when I first saw her, digging holes and eating who knows what. She was bigger than last year and though thinner than the fall she looked good. It was totally fitting that my first bear of both seasons was Tundra. I stood and watched her as long as I could before I had to catch the boat back to Lake Camp. So I did not get skunked on my first visit. It just made me anxious to get back.
Though the last week in May was all training there was some excitement in the fact that the BBC had arrived to film a documentary at Brooks. They set up cameras that recorded activity at the falls platform during the month of July. They arrived in May to set up camera equipment. They also traveled to Hallo Bay and other coastal areas to get pictures out there. The film crew worked hard and long and are currently editing the film shot. In July of 2013 the film will be shown on the BBC network. Keep your eyes out for it.
Also arriving at Brooks the last week of May were the people from explore.org. They have set up web cams at the falls platform and at the lower river platform to let people watch the bears. It is a huge hit. Go to explore.org and watch yourself. You will see the high water of the river. Lots of male bears catching fish. You might even see Beadnose and family.
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Where are the bears?
Returning to May
It is my second day at Brooks Camp and I have yet to see a bear. Even the maintenance men haven't seen a bear. We still have deep snow in the upper elevations. My partner is actually flying den surveys while I am at Brooks. So far they have not found too many dens open yet this spring. The bears are staying in the dens much longer than last year. I am beginning to wonder if I will see a bear any time soon.
Most of my day was spent training the summer staff. We have such a great group. I am glad however that I will not have to go through dunker and MOCC training again this year. While they go through that training the rest of the week I will be working on cameras and some spotting some bird identification sites to perform surveys in a couple of weeks.
Today in King Salmon
I woke up to a frosty chill in the air. As the sky lightened up the fog came in. the temperature was below freezing so the frost froze on everything it touched. I guess I can say winter is on its way.
It is my second day at Brooks Camp and I have yet to see a bear. Even the maintenance men haven't seen a bear. We still have deep snow in the upper elevations. My partner is actually flying den surveys while I am at Brooks. So far they have not found too many dens open yet this spring. The bears are staying in the dens much longer than last year. I am beginning to wonder if I will see a bear any time soon.
Most of my day was spent training the summer staff. We have such a great group. I am glad however that I will not have to go through dunker and MOCC training again this year. While they go through that training the rest of the week I will be working on cameras and some spotting some bird identification sites to perform surveys in a couple of weeks.
Today in King Salmon
I woke up to a frosty chill in the air. As the sky lightened up the fog came in. the temperature was below freezing so the frost froze on everything it touched. I guess I can say winter is on its way.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Land of the Voles
I have spent most of the summer in the field somewhere and had little time to use the Internet. So after being gone for 4 months I am now going back in time to share my summer adventures with you while I try to keep you informed of things going on today too.
Yesterday I told you what Brooks Camp looked like when I arrived and left off with me going to BL3 to unpack. BL3 is a beautiful old cabin. It looks out over Lake Brooks. I love it. But when I arrived I was told that I was sharing my room. No, not with another human but a furry little creature. That furry little creature is a vole. Small like a mouse with short rounded ears. They are not as good as climbers as mice but just as annoying. I am not a fan of these members of the rodent family. And I was not excited to be sharing my room with the creatures.
BL3 has never had a rodent problem before. Why did we suddenly have a little guest. Seems one of my roommates left a bag of potato chips in his room at the end of last season and with the cold winter and warm cabin supplied with food the vole(s) made themselves at home. I had unpacked my belongings and was talking with my roommates when I spotted the first vole.
Little?!? Not exactly. This vole racing around the room on some kind of sugar high was huge and round and barely kept his belly off the floor. He was huge and looked more like a guinea pig than a vole. It was a vole on steroids. I could not get over how big it was. Not only that but it was racing around the room like it owned the joint. First act of business. Call the boss.
No I wasn't going to demand a new house or an exterminator but I had to have the rules qualified for me. Animals in a national park are protected. From the big bears to the tiniest ant or mosquito. Even the overgrown vole has its rights to live. I wanted to know if we had a course of action. I was told we could not kill it. Fine, I can't kill it but can I trap it? The answer? YES.
So my first night at Brooks was spent laying live traps for voles around the house. I hope the big guy enters the trap soon.
Back to Sept and what is going on in Alaska today. The Anchorage paper had a story of an albino moose spotted with a brown calf. The article included a picture of mother and calf. It was interesting news but frustrating as I haven't even seen a brown cow and now white ones are appearing. I tell you the moose are playing with my mind.
Yesterday I told you what Brooks Camp looked like when I arrived and left off with me going to BL3 to unpack. BL3 is a beautiful old cabin. It looks out over Lake Brooks. I love it. But when I arrived I was told that I was sharing my room. No, not with another human but a furry little creature. That furry little creature is a vole. Small like a mouse with short rounded ears. They are not as good as climbers as mice but just as annoying. I am not a fan of these members of the rodent family. And I was not excited to be sharing my room with the creatures.
BL3 has never had a rodent problem before. Why did we suddenly have a little guest. Seems one of my roommates left a bag of potato chips in his room at the end of last season and with the cold winter and warm cabin supplied with food the vole(s) made themselves at home. I had unpacked my belongings and was talking with my roommates when I spotted the first vole.
Little?!? Not exactly. This vole racing around the room on some kind of sugar high was huge and round and barely kept his belly off the floor. He was huge and looked more like a guinea pig than a vole. It was a vole on steroids. I could not get over how big it was. Not only that but it was racing around the room like it owned the joint. First act of business. Call the boss.
No I wasn't going to demand a new house or an exterminator but I had to have the rules qualified for me. Animals in a national park are protected. From the big bears to the tiniest ant or mosquito. Even the overgrown vole has its rights to live. I wanted to know if we had a course of action. I was told we could not kill it. Fine, I can't kill it but can I trap it? The answer? YES.
So my first night at Brooks was spent laying live traps for voles around the house. I hope the big guy enters the trap soon.
Back to Sept and what is going on in Alaska today. The Anchorage paper had a story of an albino moose spotted with a brown calf. The article included a picture of mother and calf. It was interesting news but frustrating as I haven't even seen a brown cow and now white ones are appearing. I tell you the moose are playing with my mind.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Back to Brooks
So lets go back in time and return to the month of May. My last blog talked about the wonderful experience I had while surveying eagle nests.
Once I finished the eagle disaster it off to my first week at Brooks Camp. I was excited and anxious to see all my favorite bears; Tundra, 402 and the little cub and of course 284. It was time to show the seasonals where they would be staying for the next four months and to go through all the necessary trainings to keep them safe for the season. Luckily a lot of our staff were returning from last year.
Once I landed and unloaded on the beach of Naknek Lake I took in all the beauty that I remembered from last fall. Only this year there were quite a few changes. For one, the mountains had a ton of snow on them. Even Dumpling which is the lowest mountain in elevation had snow on it. I passed snow banks on the sides of the trail to the ranger station. Maintenance people were still trying to unfreeze water pipes to all the cabins. But the most amazing thing was that the water levels were extremely high for spring. The beach was all ready non-existent and the islands in the river were all ready covered with water.
Once in the ranger station I got updated on conditions at the camp. The valley road was closed as there was still 10 feet of snow on the road. Unbelievable, but then we did have a lot of snow throughout the winter. Cabins were cold and the only wildlife that had been seen so far are the bats hiding in the buildings to keep warm.
Next on the agenda a walk to the falls. Did I say walk? Climb is more like it. The visitor center weather station recorded a day in Feb. where the winds were 90 miles an hour. The damage from the winds was evident on the falls trail. At least 30 trees had blown down over the trail. In some places you could not even find the trail. The normal 20 minute hike took me over an hour. I climbed over and crawled under trees. Not sure if the crew was going to clean up that mess before visitors arrived.
Once at the falls you could not miss how fast or how high the water was.
So all day long while I explored the camp all I could think about is how are we going to get camp ready to open. Then it was off to BL3 to unpack. Quite a different first day at Brooks then last year and oh yah no bears!!!!!
Once I finished the eagle disaster it off to my first week at Brooks Camp. I was excited and anxious to see all my favorite bears; Tundra, 402 and the little cub and of course 284. It was time to show the seasonals where they would be staying for the next four months and to go through all the necessary trainings to keep them safe for the season. Luckily a lot of our staff were returning from last year.
Once I landed and unloaded on the beach of Naknek Lake I took in all the beauty that I remembered from last fall. Only this year there were quite a few changes. For one, the mountains had a ton of snow on them. Even Dumpling which is the lowest mountain in elevation had snow on it. I passed snow banks on the sides of the trail to the ranger station. Maintenance people were still trying to unfreeze water pipes to all the cabins. But the most amazing thing was that the water levels were extremely high for spring. The beach was all ready non-existent and the islands in the river were all ready covered with water.
Once in the ranger station I got updated on conditions at the camp. The valley road was closed as there was still 10 feet of snow on the road. Unbelievable, but then we did have a lot of snow throughout the winter. Cabins were cold and the only wildlife that had been seen so far are the bats hiding in the buildings to keep warm.
Next on the agenda a walk to the falls. Did I say walk? Climb is more like it. The visitor center weather station recorded a day in Feb. where the winds were 90 miles an hour. The damage from the winds was evident on the falls trail. At least 30 trees had blown down over the trail. In some places you could not even find the trail. The normal 20 minute hike took me over an hour. I climbed over and crawled under trees. Not sure if the crew was going to clean up that mess before visitors arrived.
Once at the falls you could not miss how fast or how high the water was.
So all day long while I explored the camp all I could think about is how are we going to get camp ready to open. Then it was off to BL3 to unpack. Quite a different first day at Brooks then last year and oh yah no bears!!!!!
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Where Have I Been
What a season I have had. My schedule has been nuts and I have had little time in King Salmon to communicate on the blog. Not too worry I plan on getting everyone caught up with my adventures in Alaska. But before I travel back to the past let me tell you about the storm yesterday that hit King Salmon.
I was asleep when I heard the wind howl. Wind storms are quite common in King Salmon. What would be called a hurricane in the south is just another windy day here. But last night it got a little creepy. It was 3 in the morning and I awoke to the sound of the wind hitting the house. Then I heard what sounded like the roof being ripped off and rolling across the rest of the roof. Metal banged and rattled. I layed in bed covered up wondering if I should be worried or if I was imagining it. When things quieted down I went back to sleep. I wanted to check out the outside of the house but it was still dark when I walked the dog and still dark by the time I went to work.
After I had got to work, my boss came in and asked if I knew where the boat was parked. Our department has a boat that we use to carry gear to Brooks Camp and do run surveys with on Naknek Lake. I had no idea where the guys that work for me docked it last but assumed it was in its usual spot at Lake Camp. But I was told that it was not where it was suppose to be. My boss and the guys that work for me left for Lake Camp, loaded with waders and diving suits. By 2 pm they were back for a hot lunch and to warm up. Our boat had sunk in the storm. It had taken them most of the day to get it floating. After lunch they were going back to pull it out of the water. They had not returned by the time I had left for the end of the day.
When I got home I inspected my house. I did not lose the roof but I did have a large section of siding riped off the house. It was torn off on the wall that my bed is next to. No wonder it sounded so bad. The maintenance crew will be out tomorrow to look at it. Hopefully they can fix it before the next storm hits which by the way is some time tomorrow.
I want to apologize for being gone so long. Stay tuned to the stories of this summers excitement. I will be posting stories everyday. Stay safe and on the ground.
I was asleep when I heard the wind howl. Wind storms are quite common in King Salmon. What would be called a hurricane in the south is just another windy day here. But last night it got a little creepy. It was 3 in the morning and I awoke to the sound of the wind hitting the house. Then I heard what sounded like the roof being ripped off and rolling across the rest of the roof. Metal banged and rattled. I layed in bed covered up wondering if I should be worried or if I was imagining it. When things quieted down I went back to sleep. I wanted to check out the outside of the house but it was still dark when I walked the dog and still dark by the time I went to work.
After I had got to work, my boss came in and asked if I knew where the boat was parked. Our department has a boat that we use to carry gear to Brooks Camp and do run surveys with on Naknek Lake. I had no idea where the guys that work for me docked it last but assumed it was in its usual spot at Lake Camp. But I was told that it was not where it was suppose to be. My boss and the guys that work for me left for Lake Camp, loaded with waders and diving suits. By 2 pm they were back for a hot lunch and to warm up. Our boat had sunk in the storm. It had taken them most of the day to get it floating. After lunch they were going back to pull it out of the water. They had not returned by the time I had left for the end of the day.
When I got home I inspected my house. I did not lose the roof but I did have a large section of siding riped off the house. It was torn off on the wall that my bed is next to. No wonder it sounded so bad. The maintenance crew will be out tomorrow to look at it. Hopefully they can fix it before the next storm hits which by the way is some time tomorrow.
I want to apologize for being gone so long. Stay tuned to the stories of this summers excitement. I will be posting stories everyday. Stay safe and on the ground.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Eagle Survey Disaster
Yesterday was a beautiful day to search for bald eagles. It started out beautifully. I could not believe how much ice there is on the lakes yet as we flew out to the starting point. There is open water at Brooks Camp but only because the river is there opening things up but a boat could not make it there yet.
We got to the startign point and there in a puddle was a moose. This seemed to be a good sign as I rarely see a moose. The survey started and we were finding nests and eagles.It was awesome until my motion sickness took over. An hour into the surveys I had lost my breakfast but I kept looking and searching and finding nests. The end of the second hour of spinning around nests to gather information I lost what little I had in my stomach. But I could keep working. I had a motion sickness patch on and was sucking on ginger candy. We stopped after three hours for a bathroom and lunch break and by the time the plan landed I was again close to heaving my guts again. I went for a walk to try to settle my stomach and to stay away from the rest of the team while they happily downed their lunch.
We started out again. I found two more nest within minutes of each other. Again spinning in circles around the nest to gather the information. I found a third nest that the other team members didn't see. We circled around and they saw the nest and I took pictures then the dry heaves began. We had to circle around again to get GPS coordinates. My team members could not find the nest. I was busy loosing my insides to point it out to them so we just kept circling and I kept up heaving. By the time we had finally GPS the nest I was totally spent. Yet it wasn't over. 5 minutes later I spotted another. Three more spins. With the way my stomach was feeling I could not concentrate anymore. I had to call it a day. And while we were flying back to drop me off I dry heaved for another five minutes.
The team dropped me off then went out to finish the days transect. I got driven home and was told I was greener than the hulk. I laid down for an hour waiting for the world to stop spinning then headed back into the office. Overall we found 11 new nests not found on last years survey. Which is terrific but I now realize that I am not going to be able to do surveys from the plane as I can not take it.
Those of you in the contest. No bears were spotted yesterday.
We got to the startign point and there in a puddle was a moose. This seemed to be a good sign as I rarely see a moose. The survey started and we were finding nests and eagles.It was awesome until my motion sickness took over. An hour into the surveys I had lost my breakfast but I kept looking and searching and finding nests. The end of the second hour of spinning around nests to gather information I lost what little I had in my stomach. But I could keep working. I had a motion sickness patch on and was sucking on ginger candy. We stopped after three hours for a bathroom and lunch break and by the time the plan landed I was again close to heaving my guts again. I went for a walk to try to settle my stomach and to stay away from the rest of the team while they happily downed their lunch.
We started out again. I found two more nest within minutes of each other. Again spinning in circles around the nest to gather the information. I found a third nest that the other team members didn't see. We circled around and they saw the nest and I took pictures then the dry heaves began. We had to circle around again to get GPS coordinates. My team members could not find the nest. I was busy loosing my insides to point it out to them so we just kept circling and I kept up heaving. By the time we had finally GPS the nest I was totally spent. Yet it wasn't over. 5 minutes later I spotted another. Three more spins. With the way my stomach was feeling I could not concentrate anymore. I had to call it a day. And while we were flying back to drop me off I dry heaved for another five minutes.
The team dropped me off then went out to finish the days transect. I got driven home and was told I was greener than the hulk. I laid down for an hour waiting for the world to stop spinning then headed back into the office. Overall we found 11 new nests not found on last years survey. Which is terrific but I now realize that I am not going to be able to do surveys from the plane as I can not take it.
Those of you in the contest. No bears were spotted yesterday.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Year 2 Begins
I am back from the Grand Canyon and Minnesota and ready to work. The Grand Canyon was beautiful. It is considered one of the premiere parks in the National Park System. It receives over 4.5 million visitors a year. But with all its beauty it doesn't have brown bears, wolves, or moose. It is breathtakingly amazing. It also has habituated elk and mule deer. On our first night there we almost walked right into the back side of an elk. To our credit it was pitch dark. Unlike here the sun sets around 7:30 every night and rose around 5:30. We never had a day where we did not see an elk. The moose around here should take notice. I did love the training and the exploration of the park.
The 9 days with my family was wonderful. I traveled all over MN to visit everyone and had a great relaxing time. But Now I am ready to get to work. And since I am now an official Alaskan I can if I want afford to hunt and fish. We will see.
So let's start the season today with eagle surveys. I will be flying the next two days looking for eagle nests in the Naknek drainage area. Then on Friday I will be leaving for my first trip to Brooks Camp. The maintenance people have been out there for a month. The interps left yesterday. I can't wait to get out there.
There is still time to win the beautiful new book Katmai that celebrates our 100 year history. I have yet to see my first bear. Choose the day you think that will happen and let me know your choice in the comment section and if you choose the day I see my first bear the book is yours. It could be today so get your entries in. I am off to search for eagles!
The 9 days with my family was wonderful. I traveled all over MN to visit everyone and had a great relaxing time. But Now I am ready to get to work. And since I am now an official Alaskan I can if I want afford to hunt and fish. We will see.
So let's start the season today with eagle surveys. I will be flying the next two days looking for eagle nests in the Naknek drainage area. Then on Friday I will be leaving for my first trip to Brooks Camp. The maintenance people have been out there for a month. The interps left yesterday. I can't wait to get out there.
There is still time to win the beautiful new book Katmai that celebrates our 100 year history. I have yet to see my first bear. Choose the day you think that will happen and let me know your choice in the comment section and if you choose the day I see my first bear the book is yours. It could be today so get your entries in. I am off to search for eagles!
Monday, April 23, 2012
Coming To You From Phoenix
After a 12 1/2 hour day of flights and airports I arrived in Phoenix. My first step out the door of the plane I was ready to go back to King Salmon. I am not much for heat and it was 102 when we got off the plane. I sure hope the canyon is cooler.
Flying over Alaska yesterday I got to see how much snow was still in the high country. Not many of the lakes or rivers in the upper elevations have thawed yet. I was hoping to see the volcanoes from the air but where they were suppose to be we were flying in clouds. so not much to report. The bay in Anchorage is wide open with a lot fewer icebergs than I saw in it two weeks ago. It won't be long before the cruise ships arrive. I hear Kodiak has all ready seen the first one. So it means the Summer season is all most upon us. Now I am off to the canyon.
Flying over Alaska yesterday I got to see how much snow was still in the high country. Not many of the lakes or rivers in the upper elevations have thawed yet. I was hoping to see the volcanoes from the air but where they were suppose to be we were flying in clouds. so not much to report. The bay in Anchorage is wide open with a lot fewer icebergs than I saw in it two weeks ago. It won't be long before the cruise ships arrive. I hear Kodiak has all ready seen the first one. So it means the Summer season is all most upon us. Now I am off to the canyon.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Changes in the River
Yesterday I went looking for whales. The belugas should be arriving soon. Naknek River is pretty open with icebergs floating off to Bristol Bay. Hundreds of birds line the shoreline waiting for the ice to open on area ponds and lakes. I saw tundra swans, white-fronted geese, common goldeneyes, pintails and widgeons. I saw mew gulls and eagles. But no whales.
King Salmon Creek was wide open on Tuesday but yesterday it had closed back up. Ice chunks froze together making the river look rough and cold. It was quite unusual. Ice flows were being pushed up the creek banks. Not the same as on Tuesday with the water flowing and the look of spring.
The to add to the thrill of Spring the neighborhood has a female moose and calf yet I have not seen it. I am not sure what the moose have against me but it is becoming very frustrating. Last night the neighborhood had a potluck dinner and everyone was asking me if I saw it. At east I was not the only one with out seeing it. But really!!!!!!
King Salmon Creek was wide open on Tuesday but yesterday it had closed back up. Ice chunks froze together making the river look rough and cold. It was quite unusual. Ice flows were being pushed up the creek banks. Not the same as on Tuesday with the water flowing and the look of spring.
The to add to the thrill of Spring the neighborhood has a female moose and calf yet I have not seen it. I am not sure what the moose have against me but it is becoming very frustrating. Last night the neighborhood had a potluck dinner and everyone was asking me if I saw it. At east I was not the only one with out seeing it. But really!!!!!!
Saturday, April 21, 2012
A Sad State of Affairs
I was in meetings all day yesterday. I so wanted to be out at Brooks Camp. I wanted to be anywhere but the meetings. Not only did the meetings keep me from going to Brooks but from seeing all the wildlife that is out and about. I missed a female moose and calf. I missed seeing a northern harrier. I missed trumpeter swans in the river. There is something wrong with this system when the wildlife biologist isn't seeing the wildlife.
Update from the people who made it out to Brooks. There was a young adult hanging out down by the river. No one could tell who it was. Otherwise the snow was melting around the buildings and the maintenance crew were working on getting everything up and functional for all the visitors. I have less than a month before my first stay out there.
Post your guess on when you think I will see my first bear in the comment section. Winner receives the new Katmai 100th anniversary book. It is beautiful and the pictures are breath taking. Remember though I will not be in Alaska from April 23 -May 14. For the next two weeks reports will be from the Grand Canyon. Wonder if I will have a chance to see wildlife there.
Update from the people who made it out to Brooks. There was a young adult hanging out down by the river. No one could tell who it was. Otherwise the snow was melting around the buildings and the maintenance crew were working on getting everything up and functional for all the visitors. I have less than a month before my first stay out there.
Post your guess on when you think I will see my first bear in the comment section. Winner receives the new Katmai 100th anniversary book. It is beautiful and the pictures are breath taking. Remember though I will not be in Alaska from April 23 -May 14. For the next two weeks reports will be from the Grand Canyon. Wonder if I will have a chance to see wildlife there.
Friday, April 20, 2012
Just Missed Them
Yesterday was totally frustrating. I have a lots of work that needs to be done before the end of today as I will be leaving for the grand canyon on Sunday. So I was buried in my office. I went to go make copies of some papers and I ran into the other biologist just walking in the door. I was trying to call you he said but I could not remember you extension. I just saw a female moose with a calf just down the street but they have gone off into the woods. I thought you would have liked to see them. Well Duh? But I just missed them.
An hour later the coastal biologist who takes time off to walk everyday called me to tell me she was on the Eskimo creek bridge and three otters were playing. So I quickly headed out the door and by the time I walked the half a block the otters were gone. I had just missed them.
Just before I left for the day I was asked if I wanted to join a group heading out to Brooks Camp today. Of course I want to go to Brooks Camp. I was so excited. Then my boss said you can't go to Brooks you have two meetings tomorrow neither of which you can miss. Just missed an awesome day. So instead of going to Brooks I am going to yawn my way through the meetings. What good is it living in Alaska if you have to spend all your time in the office. I did ask the members going to ID the bear that was sited two days ago. Maybe it is 284. That at least would make me happy.
Don't forget to guess the day I see my first bear of the season and win a copy of the brand new Katmai book.
An hour later the coastal biologist who takes time off to walk everyday called me to tell me she was on the Eskimo creek bridge and three otters were playing. So I quickly headed out the door and by the time I walked the half a block the otters were gone. I had just missed them.
Just before I left for the day I was asked if I wanted to join a group heading out to Brooks Camp today. Of course I want to go to Brooks Camp. I was so excited. Then my boss said you can't go to Brooks you have two meetings tomorrow neither of which you can miss. Just missed an awesome day. So instead of going to Brooks I am going to yawn my way through the meetings. What good is it living in Alaska if you have to spend all your time in the office. I did ask the members going to ID the bear that was sited two days ago. Maybe it is 284. That at least would make me happy.
Don't forget to guess the day I see my first bear of the season and win a copy of the brand new Katmai book.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
A Little After Dinner Bird Watching
The days have been in the 50's and the snow and ice are melting fast. So after dinner my neighbor and I headed down to Lake Camp to do a little birding. The diversity of birds was not so great but the numbers were awesome. We saw over a hundred tundra swans, about the same number of white-fronted geese, around 50 common goldeneyes. Not to mention, a few scaup, a pair of pintails and few common mergansers. While watching a bald eagle landed in a group of geese and scattered them. Then he sat on ice staring at us. I guess we were to blame for his lack of successful hunting.
After Lake Camp we headed to Rapids Camp. Sadly there were only three hunters and group of decoys. The ice formations on the sides of the river were amazing.
From there we went to the city dock. Where there were a few birds on the ice flows but not a lot. While we were watching we did see a fox come out of the woods and head out on the ice in hopes of catching dinner. He was bright red with a long bushy tail. Must be a pretty smart fox to avoid the trappers. He walked down the ice for about a quarter of a mile then went back into the woods. It was a wonderful time after being cooped up in the office all day.
The maintenance people are heading out to Brooks Camp to get everything ready for the season. When the first group arrived I got a call. They had to inform me that there was a bear by the lower platform. Of course they could not tell who it was. I am getting quite anxious to get there but I have two weeks of training at the Grand Canyon then I am off to MN for a week. I leave on Sunday. I fly out to Brooks on the 18th. I can't wait!!!!!!! (Oh and by the way I saw tracks of a moose on the road today)
After Lake Camp we headed to Rapids Camp. Sadly there were only three hunters and group of decoys. The ice formations on the sides of the river were amazing.
From there we went to the city dock. Where there were a few birds on the ice flows but not a lot. While we were watching we did see a fox come out of the woods and head out on the ice in hopes of catching dinner. He was bright red with a long bushy tail. Must be a pretty smart fox to avoid the trappers. He walked down the ice for about a quarter of a mile then went back into the woods. It was a wonderful time after being cooped up in the office all day.
The maintenance people are heading out to Brooks Camp to get everything ready for the season. When the first group arrived I got a call. They had to inform me that there was a bear by the lower platform. Of course they could not tell who it was. I am getting quite anxious to get there but I have two weeks of training at the Grand Canyon then I am off to MN for a week. I leave on Sunday. I fly out to Brooks on the 18th. I can't wait!!!!!!! (Oh and by the way I saw tracks of a moose on the road today)
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Fight Over Territory
I had a beautiful walk to work yesterday. The sun was rising over the horizon turning the sky a variety of pinks and blues. The air was fresh and cool. The sounds of shrieks and trills resounding in the air. Two male bald eagles were chasing and attacking each other. One would land on the top of a tree only to be dive bombed by the other. They flew in circles calling to each other in their not so threatening voices. For those of you who have never heard a eagle cry out it is not that great of sound. That is why in movies the eagle cry is replaced by the sound of red-tailed hawk. Now that is a call.
Before long the talons came out and they were trying to grab at each other as they spiraled down. Then finally a victor was chosen and the one of the eagles left. The winner perched on his tree and looked down at me as to say I am the king of the world. What a breakfast show.
No signs of bears yet but don't forget to enter the contest. Guess what day it will be when I see my first bear and win a beautiful new book about Katmai.
Before long the talons came out and they were trying to grab at each other as they spiraled down. Then finally a victor was chosen and the one of the eagles left. The winner perched on his tree and looked down at me as to say I am the king of the world. What a breakfast show.
No signs of bears yet but don't forget to enter the contest. Guess what day it will be when I see my first bear and win a beautiful new book about Katmai.
Monday, April 16, 2012
Let the Adventures Begin
I am back from Anchorage and I can tell you that I had little time to explore. Anchorage received 139 inches of snow this year. I was expecting to see mountains of it every where but they had a week of 50 degrees before I got there and it was in the 50's while I was there. What I did like about Anchorage this visit was exploring 4th street. I wish I had more time to explore all the shops along that road. Unfortunately the Wildlife Society took up a lot of my time. That and my food buying trips. I did learn that if you want to mail food to King Salmon the best post office to mail things from is the one by the airport. They are helpful and quick. Not so the post office on third street. I would also like to give a heads up to the Ramada downtown as they were excellent and a inexpensive place to stay.
I am home for a week before I head to the Grand Canyon for 12 days of training and then a week in Minnesota to see the family. It must have been warm here too as I can now see patches of grass in my yard and there are large puddles of water everywhere. The ice on the Naknek river is now open to our dock area and with the leaving of the ice the birds have arrived. I say it is time for the adventures to begin. I plan on doing birding every day until I go as I will miss a lot of the migrants traveling through. I will keep you up to date this week though.
Work will be busy as while I was gone the yearly budgets were set. Now we can really plan our season. So by the end of the week I will know how many times I will be going to Brooks Camp and if I get to go to the coast or Aniakchak. I am hoping for both. You should be hearing from me on a more regular schedule now.
The bears should be waking up from their long winters nap. So I thought I would offer up a little contest. Guess what the date will be of when I will see my first bear and you will win a copy of the new book on Katmai that comes out in June to celebrate the 100 year anniversary of the eruption of Novarupta. Good Luck.
I am home for a week before I head to the Grand Canyon for 12 days of training and then a week in Minnesota to see the family. It must have been warm here too as I can now see patches of grass in my yard and there are large puddles of water everywhere. The ice on the Naknek river is now open to our dock area and with the leaving of the ice the birds have arrived. I say it is time for the adventures to begin. I plan on doing birding every day until I go as I will miss a lot of the migrants traveling through. I will keep you up to date this week though.
Work will be busy as while I was gone the yearly budgets were set. Now we can really plan our season. So by the end of the week I will know how many times I will be going to Brooks Camp and if I get to go to the coast or Aniakchak. I am hoping for both. You should be hearing from me on a more regular schedule now.
The bears should be waking up from their long winters nap. So I thought I would offer up a little contest. Guess what the date will be of when I will see my first bear and you will win a copy of the new book on Katmai that comes out in June to celebrate the 100 year anniversary of the eruption of Novarupta. Good Luck.
Monday, April 9, 2012
Off to Anchorage
Well we are nine days in to April and still no change. I work everyday at my computer. I am planning the new summer schedule but we still have plenty of snow and the ice is still on the river. I love hiking in the woods but I never see a creature. I know I have a family of hares living under my back porch but I only know that because I see their tracks going out and back under it. I did however see a bald eagle fly by my living room windows at window level on Friday night. That is the coolest thing that has happened here in a week. I could not even get an owl survey in because of course the weather would not cooperate.
Today I leave for four days in Anchorage? I am attending the state wildlife society meeting. Four days of talks and trainings and shopping. I have a car rented so I might do a little exploring. Hopefully I will see something cool but I am not holding my breath. It seems the lure of the moose is leaving me. I have decided to wait and see what is in store. But I really need to get back to field work.
Today I leave for four days in Anchorage? I am attending the state wildlife society meeting. Four days of talks and trainings and shopping. I have a car rented so I might do a little exploring. Hopefully I will see something cool but I am not holding my breath. It seems the lure of the moose is leaving me. I have decided to wait and see what is in store. But I really need to get back to field work.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Warm Weather Is Upon Us
Yesterday the snow melted big time. King Salmon Creek had water on top of the ice. I am looking forward to the creeks ice breaking as I hear it is noisy and spectacular to watch. I talked with a native towns person yesterday and they had been snowmachining at Brooks Camp and said the valley road had deep, deep, layers of snow. It may be a while before we see the grass around here. Today's forecast calls for rain and snow.
Right now it is hunting season on wolves and they are taking a beating as bag limits are high and the weather conditions do not favor the wolf. I was hoping we would get to collar some of them in the park to see what our populations look like but the number of hoops you have to jump through to place collars on wolves in a wilderness area is high and I didn't get through them. Not for lack of trying though. Next year we will be all set. Right now the field work is limited to owl surveys and I don't do another one of them till next week. March needs to go away!
Right now it is hunting season on wolves and they are taking a beating as bag limits are high and the weather conditions do not favor the wolf. I was hoping we would get to collar some of them in the park to see what our populations look like but the number of hoops you have to jump through to place collars on wolves in a wilderness area is high and I didn't get through them. Not for lack of trying though. Next year we will be all set. Right now the field work is limited to owl surveys and I don't do another one of them till next week. March needs to go away!
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
What Is So Great About March?
It is really sad. My boss said that March was the greatest month. Well after living through most of it I would have to say I disagree. No adventures were had. The last owl survey we heard nothing. No owls, no coyotes, no nothing. I went to Naknek last Saturday and I can say that the ice on Bristol Bay is breaking up but nothing more. I have hiked in the woods and though it is pretty with all our snow nothing exciting happened. My work at the office is depressing as all I am doing is online trainings and finalizing reports. How I wish I were in the fields.
The coastal biologist has been on a near shore survey of the Katmai coast. She got back yesterday. I am so jealous. She has a sunburned face and great stories to tell. She saw all kinds of seabirds, and waterfowl. She said there were tons of sea otters with their newborn babies. They saw a whale. They saw sea lions and shorebirds. The saw a short ear owl in a nest. They saw a coyote and a moose. They saw a dead sea lion with wolf tracks all around it. And best of all they saw fresh bear tracks. Now being stuck in the office is really killing me. I want my season to start. I am tied of stall air and computer lighting. I want to see all my favorite bears. Where are you 284 when I need you!
The coastal biologist has been on a near shore survey of the Katmai coast. She got back yesterday. I am so jealous. She has a sunburned face and great stories to tell. She saw all kinds of seabirds, and waterfowl. She said there were tons of sea otters with their newborn babies. They saw a whale. They saw sea lions and shorebirds. The saw a short ear owl in a nest. They saw a coyote and a moose. They saw a dead sea lion with wolf tracks all around it. And best of all they saw fresh bear tracks. Now being stuck in the office is really killing me. I want my season to start. I am tied of stall air and computer lighting. I want to see all my favorite bears. Where are you 284 when I need you!
Friday, March 9, 2012
A Night of Wonders
Last night was round two of the owl surveys. On our way to Lake Camp guess what we saw? I will give you a clue. It was tall and lanky and big. You guessed it! It was a moose. It was just running down the road. A very large moose. It ran down the road then cut off into the tundra. It was amazing!!!!! It was so much fun to see. I wish the owl survey would have been as much fun.
We did hear an owl at Lake Camp this time. Which is good. We also heard a lot of noise in the open water of the river. My guess it was river otters that have been spotted there many times. But we could not see them. And yes that part of the river remains open. The next two stops were quiet. No owls.
On stop four the moon rose and it was a beautiful full moon. It came over the horizon large and orange colored. It looked so large that you could almost reach out and touch it. And though watching this gorgeous moon rise was awesome, we did not hear any owls.
The next stop had one owl. Then the fog lowered. The moon disappeared and all was quiet. It was the same for the next stop and the next. At the second to the last stop the fog rose leaving in its wake a changed world. Everything was froze by the fog. It was frosty and gleaming in the lights of my headlamp. It was as if Jack Frost had swooped down and covered everything in diamonds. It was wonderful. The last stop we heard dogs barking but no owl. Though the number of owls was few the night still showed us some of the wonders of winter. We will have to see what happens in two weeks when we do round three.
We did hear an owl at Lake Camp this time. Which is good. We also heard a lot of noise in the open water of the river. My guess it was river otters that have been spotted there many times. But we could not see them. And yes that part of the river remains open. The next two stops were quiet. No owls.
On stop four the moon rose and it was a beautiful full moon. It came over the horizon large and orange colored. It looked so large that you could almost reach out and touch it. And though watching this gorgeous moon rise was awesome, we did not hear any owls.
The next stop had one owl. Then the fog lowered. The moon disappeared and all was quiet. It was the same for the next stop and the next. At the second to the last stop the fog rose leaving in its wake a changed world. Everything was froze by the fog. It was frosty and gleaming in the lights of my headlamp. It was as if Jack Frost had swooped down and covered everything in diamonds. It was wonderful. The last stop we heard dogs barking but no owl. Though the number of owls was few the night still showed us some of the wonders of winter. We will have to see what happens in two weeks when we do round three.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Trampsing Through the Snow
Yesterday I went for a walk down by King Salmon Creek. It was a just another walk. I took my dog with me and off we went. I did not think the snow was so deep so I did not take my snowshoes. Big mistake but at least my legs got a work out yesterday. We walked to the first stop over looking the river and looked for moose. Some of the cross country skiers were talking about how wonderful the skiing was and how they were seeing so many moose tracks. Nothing at the first lookout.
We trudged to the second overlook and still we did not see a thing. But I was disappointed as it was just good to get out and walk. We were on our way to the third overlook when my dog refused to go any farther and tried to get me to go the other way. I thought she was probably getting tired as she is a small dog with short legs and the snow was deep for her to walk through. So I followed her out of the woods and on to the road.
No sooner had we exited the woods when we heard a growl. A kind of deep, I am going to rip you to shreds kind of growl. We stopped and stared into the woods. I watched to see if anything would run out but I saw nothing. My dog stood stock still and watched. Then we heard it again. This time it seemed closer and I thought it might be best to move on.
A few minutes later we had a snowshoe hare run out in front of us. It is the first one I have seen in the winter coloration. It was pretty cool. Then when we were close to home I heard a high pitch call. My first thought was that it sounded like an elk. But no elk live on the tundra. We climbed to the top of hill and I searched. I heard the call a few times but I could not see anything. I don't think it was a moose as their call is usually deeper but maybe it was a caribou. Who knows. I did not see anything so I will never know. Maybe the animals are as bored as I am and we were all out walking yesterday.
We trudged to the second overlook and still we did not see a thing. But I was disappointed as it was just good to get out and walk. We were on our way to the third overlook when my dog refused to go any farther and tried to get me to go the other way. I thought she was probably getting tired as she is a small dog with short legs and the snow was deep for her to walk through. So I followed her out of the woods and on to the road.
No sooner had we exited the woods when we heard a growl. A kind of deep, I am going to rip you to shreds kind of growl. We stopped and stared into the woods. I watched to see if anything would run out but I saw nothing. My dog stood stock still and watched. Then we heard it again. This time it seemed closer and I thought it might be best to move on.
A few minutes later we had a snowshoe hare run out in front of us. It is the first one I have seen in the winter coloration. It was pretty cool. Then when we were close to home I heard a high pitch call. My first thought was that it sounded like an elk. But no elk live on the tundra. We climbed to the top of hill and I searched. I heard the call a few times but I could not see anything. I don't think it was a moose as their call is usually deeper but maybe it was a caribou. Who knows. I did not see anything so I will never know. Maybe the animals are as bored as I am and we were all out walking yesterday.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Having a Boring Time
Yes, it is sad. I live in Alaska and I am actually bored. I live in the land of the last frontier. The last true wilderness of the United States but I am bored. The highlight of the last week happened yesterday when the Post Office told me that I had lived in Alaska long enough to qualify for a free post office box. And the sad thing was is that I got excited. Luckily another owl survey is on the horizon if the weather holds.
I was acting chief last week, and I worked a lot of hours trapped to my computer so I am trying to get off early to find myself an adventure but it did not work out too well yesterday. Instead of leaving early I actually worked over the normal eight. I am going to try again today. I want and I need a long hike. Life in the office is killing me.
I was acting chief last week, and I worked a lot of hours trapped to my computer so I am trying to get off early to find myself an adventure but it did not work out too well yesterday. Instead of leaving early I actually worked over the normal eight. I am going to try again today. I want and I need a long hike. Life in the office is killing me.
Friday, February 24, 2012
Adventures Can Be Found in the Dark
I finally had an adventure all it took was to go looking for love. Yes, it is the time of year where all Great Horned Owls are looking for love. It is mating season for these beautiful birds. It also time for bored biologist that have been stuck in their office glued to their computer to go out and count the love sick owls. Owls call more during mating season so it is a great time to listen for them. Conditions have to be right though, winds below 12 mph and no precipitation. Those kind of days that are rare in King Salmon. Last night was perfect weather for an owl survey and we took advantage of it.
The survey began 30 minutes after sunset. Still twilight but good. Our first stop was Lake Camp. The last survey was performed in 2001 and out of the 12 sites visited only two owls were counted. We were hoping for three. Not high goals but that was it. At each stop you listen for 10 minutes hoping to hear the owls call. There we stood in the growing darkness with just my flashlight and my partner was wearing a headlamp. Ten minutes later no owls.
Stop 2 was a mile away. Now it was really dark. The wind was slight and cloud cover was 100%. Then we heard it. One gray horned owl calling. Not once but three times.
Stop 3. We heard one owl, then a second answered. The two of them calling back and forth. And then a coyote called. He sang his song not far from us. We listened to all of them call into the night. After our ten minutes my partner said she thought the coyote was going to eat us it was so close.
Stop 4. It was really dark now. We heard an owl off in the distance. Then quiet after about five minutes of darkness a strange noise occured not to far from where we were standing. Not knowing what it was we ran back towards the doors of the truck. I raised my flashlight but we saw nothing. After our time was over we tried to guess what it was that we heard. My partner was sure it was a moose. I thought it sound like a scared ptarmagin taking flight. Then again something would have startled it to make it flush.
Stop 5. More owls calling.
Stop 6. We heard what sounded like a duck. During the ten minutes we try not to talk so that we can hear the owls. So niether of us said anything as the duck like noises continued. We were not near waterfowl habitat all our stops are in boreal habitat. So the chance of it being a duck were very slim. Yet duck like noises do not make people jumpy. We decided that it must have been a porcupine as they are known to make unusual sounds.
Stop 6. More owls.
Stop 7. More owls.
Stop 8. More owls.
Stop 9. We were a few feet from an intersection of two dirt roads. We heard kids out into the woods off my side of the truck. We heard an owl. Then we heard the snap of a branch. I asked my partner if she heard it. She said yes and that it was coming towards us. It is on your side of the road she said. I raised my flashlight watching. We could hear it coming towards us. I watched the woods. Then I heard a growling sound. I focused my flashlight on the area the sound came from and there in the night shone two green eyes looking at me. Then another growling sound. I told my partner to get into the truck. We dimmed the lights hoping it would come out but we didn't see anything. My partner said it must be a wolf but I have been close to a lot of wolves and have never been growled at. I think it might have been a wild dog. But who knows all the mysteries of the night are still that mysteries.
Stop 10. More owls.
Stop 11. More owls.
Stop 12. This stop was three blocks from my house and I told my partner if we hear growling I am going to be a little nervous walking to work for awhile. No growling but three more owls.
Both of us decided that 1. You don't do this survey alone. 2. We heard over 20 owls, we will tally it this morning. and 3. It was a blast to do. We are planning on performing the survey every two weeks through April as mating season for different species of owls start at different times. It was about time to have fun!!!!!!!
The survey began 30 minutes after sunset. Still twilight but good. Our first stop was Lake Camp. The last survey was performed in 2001 and out of the 12 sites visited only two owls were counted. We were hoping for three. Not high goals but that was it. At each stop you listen for 10 minutes hoping to hear the owls call. There we stood in the growing darkness with just my flashlight and my partner was wearing a headlamp. Ten minutes later no owls.
Stop 2 was a mile away. Now it was really dark. The wind was slight and cloud cover was 100%. Then we heard it. One gray horned owl calling. Not once but three times.
Stop 3. We heard one owl, then a second answered. The two of them calling back and forth. And then a coyote called. He sang his song not far from us. We listened to all of them call into the night. After our ten minutes my partner said she thought the coyote was going to eat us it was so close.
Stop 4. It was really dark now. We heard an owl off in the distance. Then quiet after about five minutes of darkness a strange noise occured not to far from where we were standing. Not knowing what it was we ran back towards the doors of the truck. I raised my flashlight but we saw nothing. After our time was over we tried to guess what it was that we heard. My partner was sure it was a moose. I thought it sound like a scared ptarmagin taking flight. Then again something would have startled it to make it flush.
Stop 5. More owls calling.
Stop 6. We heard what sounded like a duck. During the ten minutes we try not to talk so that we can hear the owls. So niether of us said anything as the duck like noises continued. We were not near waterfowl habitat all our stops are in boreal habitat. So the chance of it being a duck were very slim. Yet duck like noises do not make people jumpy. We decided that it must have been a porcupine as they are known to make unusual sounds.
Stop 6. More owls.
Stop 7. More owls.
Stop 8. More owls.
Stop 9. We were a few feet from an intersection of two dirt roads. We heard kids out into the woods off my side of the truck. We heard an owl. Then we heard the snap of a branch. I asked my partner if she heard it. She said yes and that it was coming towards us. It is on your side of the road she said. I raised my flashlight watching. We could hear it coming towards us. I watched the woods. Then I heard a growling sound. I focused my flashlight on the area the sound came from and there in the night shone two green eyes looking at me. Then another growling sound. I told my partner to get into the truck. We dimmed the lights hoping it would come out but we didn't see anything. My partner said it must be a wolf but I have been close to a lot of wolves and have never been growled at. I think it might have been a wild dog. But who knows all the mysteries of the night are still that mysteries.
Stop 10. More owls.
Stop 11. More owls.
Stop 12. This stop was three blocks from my house and I told my partner if we hear growling I am going to be a little nervous walking to work for awhile. No growling but three more owls.
Both of us decided that 1. You don't do this survey alone. 2. We heard over 20 owls, we will tally it this morning. and 3. It was a blast to do. We are planning on performing the survey every two weeks through April as mating season for different species of owls start at different times. It was about time to have fun!!!!!!!
Thursday, February 23, 2012
I Want March
I have been complaining that there are no adventures in Alaska right now. But yesterday talking to my boss I was told that March is the best time of the year. The days are longer, the weather isn't as cold. All of the water is frozen so that you can go anywhere. Anywhere that is if you have a plane. Then he offered to take me where ever I would like to go as he has a plane and loves to fly. The catch? He is taking the whole month of March off this year so I will have to wait until next March. But maybe March will be good to those of us that have no plane also.
Maybe I should dream of April. In April I am spending four days in Anchorage to attend the state Wildlife Society Meeting. Then at the end of the month I head to the Grand Canyon for two weeks of training. Then it is off to MN for a week with the family before coming up here for the beginning of the summer fun. I will get back just as the bears are coming out of their dens. I just have to get through February.
Maybe I should dream of April. In April I am spending four days in Anchorage to attend the state Wildlife Society Meeting. Then at the end of the month I head to the Grand Canyon for two weeks of training. Then it is off to MN for a week with the family before coming up here for the beginning of the summer fun. I will get back just as the bears are coming out of their dens. I just have to get through February.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Stories Left Unfinished
I told you about a few mysteries in the a while ago. They dealt with fish dropped over a lake in a crater and fox released on the islands. I wrote a grant to see if we could answer the mystery but I found out yesterday that the grant will not be passed on to the national office for review. I am so disappointed. My grant to study wolverines did not make it pass either. In Alaska four species are studied over all others as they provide food for families. Moose, Caribou, Bear and Salmon. Katmai will be doing a very large bear study. It will be fun to see where the numbers are today after years of large salmon escapements. I will have to try again next year. It is too bad that you have to convince others you need to study all the animals.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Where are the Adventures?
I haven't written anything for a few days. Not because I was in the field. Not because I was sick. I haven't written because there has been nothing going on. I am in the office either working on data, writing reports or grants or attending meetings. I come home and go for walks but I see nothing. Even days where the wind howls is just another day.
Now I understand why people go on vacation for weeks this time of year. Every week our office has less and less people in it as workers take off for vacation. I would love to join them but I have to go back and forth to MN so many times this year that all my vacation time and money is being saved for that. Why can't colleges graduate the class in March in stead of May or June.
My only hope is that the wind stays down and the sun comes out so moose surveys can be performed. But I am not holding my breath. The weather just does not understand that I want out of the office.
Now I understand why people go on vacation for weeks this time of year. Every week our office has less and less people in it as workers take off for vacation. I would love to join them but I have to go back and forth to MN so many times this year that all my vacation time and money is being saved for that. Why can't colleges graduate the class in March in stead of May or June.
My only hope is that the wind stays down and the sun comes out so moose surveys can be performed. But I am not holding my breath. The weather just does not understand that I want out of the office.
Friday, February 17, 2012
New Technology for Katmai
I have been working with the chief of interpretation of Katmai and placing our book of most common bears on an app for people to download for their IPad and IPhone. It is very cool. We have great pictures, videos and amazing facts. He is taking it into town to show Alaska Geographic. We are hoping that they will make our ebook for sale for the public by Summer. We have even put 284 in the book. I love it.
Besides creating this app and trying to get a citizen science app for Katmai but still lack funding for creation I am making changes in our bear monitoring techniques. I have bought my team I touches to carry in their pocket to record bear activities and incidents on. It should make our lives simpler and save lots of paper. I have never been an apple person but I have to admit that I got so excited about these new products that I ordered an I touch for myself. The summer is going to be exciting!
Besides creating this app and trying to get a citizen science app for Katmai but still lack funding for creation I am making changes in our bear monitoring techniques. I have bought my team I touches to carry in their pocket to record bear activities and incidents on. It should make our lives simpler and save lots of paper. I have never been an apple person but I have to admit that I got so excited about these new products that I ordered an I touch for myself. The summer is going to be exciting!
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Constant Change
Do you ever wonder about the weather? Yesterday I thought about it all day. I thought about how strange the weather in King Salmon is. When I got up yesterday we had 40 mph winds in the morning with gusts reaching 70 mph. The gusts were occurring often. The pine trees were bending in half, the house shuttered, and the wind roared. I tried to walk to work but I could not walk against the wind. My eyeballs dried out before reaching the corner. I had to call a neighbor to get a lift as there was just no way I could walk a mile in that stuff.
By 9:30 it was a whole different story. The winds had died the temps fell and so did the snow. Large quarter size snowflakes. They danced through the air but there were many of them that you could not see anything but white when you looked out the window. So much snow was falling that the office satellite dish was quickly covered and our Internet service was down.
By 12:30 the temps rose and the snow turned to rain. It melted the snow that had fallen and made everything slick and slippery.
By 2:00 the sun was out and not a cloud could be found in the sky. It too melted more snow and ice.
By 4:30 when I walked home the wind was again building up. All in the same day. Weather here is just too crazy!
By 9:30 it was a whole different story. The winds had died the temps fell and so did the snow. Large quarter size snowflakes. They danced through the air but there were many of them that you could not see anything but white when you looked out the window. So much snow was falling that the office satellite dish was quickly covered and our Internet service was down.
By 12:30 the temps rose and the snow turned to rain. It melted the snow that had fallen and made everything slick and slippery.
By 2:00 the sun was out and not a cloud could be found in the sky. It too melted more snow and ice.
By 4:30 when I walked home the wind was again building up. All in the same day. Weather here is just too crazy!
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Friday Adventure Supreme!
I thought I was going to spend just another friday sitting in the office working on proposals. We have one that is important to do but is running into a lot of red tape. So I thought I would be stuck in the office working on it. Then I was aksed if I wanted to join a patrol over the park for a three hour flight. I really wanted to go but I new the boss wanted me to work on this proposal. So I turned it down.
An hour later and another road block on the proposal and I was banging my head against the wall. My boss told me to do something else and get my mind of the problems we were facing. He said I was spending to much emotional time on this certain project that I needed a break so. I asked if I can go flying. He said yes!
I quickly headed to dispatch to see if they had left yet. No she said hurry and catch them. I got to the LE office and asked if the offer still stood. Yes, if the pilot okays it. I went to the pilots office. Asked if I could go. He looked at me. I said I haven't eaten since 6am and I have my dramine and plastic bag with me. I will bake you something sweet to eat tomorrow. Please can I go? He smiled and said yes.
The itenerary was to fly over all the lodges and cabins that are located in the park. Some of the cabins are privately owned others are historical cabins. This trip would mean that I would get to see more of the park than I had before. I was pumped. We took off and headed for Contact Creek. The snow had melted quite a bit in the past week with the warmer weather. All the lakes and ponds were frozen.
It was beautiful as we turned our direction towards the mountains. They were totally white and shining in the sun. Snow was tens of feet deep. We headed towards Brooks Camp. The falls were frozen but the mouth of the river was still open. Then we headed for the Valley. We managed to make it to three forks and the canyon looked so narrow with all the snow piled up. I was hoping to go to the crater but the cloud layer was too low so we headed up to the preserve.
This was all new territory for me. The winds were blowing at 35 mph. You could watch it blow the snow across the flat lands of the tundra. Then I saw a creature run across a river. I only caught a quick glimpse but my first thought was a wolverine. Then a few minutes later we saw a fox running across a lake. On ward we flew. Another spot on the ice, this time it turned out to be a wolf. One lone wolf of grayish color. Good size too. I am guessing it was a male.
The rivers were amazing to view. Most of them were frozen but some of the rivers are thermal heated and flowed freely, with stream coming off of them. Next up the Alagnak River.
An hour later and another road block on the proposal and I was banging my head against the wall. My boss told me to do something else and get my mind of the problems we were facing. He said I was spending to much emotional time on this certain project that I needed a break so. I asked if I can go flying. He said yes!
I quickly headed to dispatch to see if they had left yet. No she said hurry and catch them. I got to the LE office and asked if the offer still stood. Yes, if the pilot okays it. I went to the pilots office. Asked if I could go. He looked at me. I said I haven't eaten since 6am and I have my dramine and plastic bag with me. I will bake you something sweet to eat tomorrow. Please can I go? He smiled and said yes.
The itenerary was to fly over all the lodges and cabins that are located in the park. Some of the cabins are privately owned others are historical cabins. This trip would mean that I would get to see more of the park than I had before. I was pumped. We took off and headed for Contact Creek. The snow had melted quite a bit in the past week with the warmer weather. All the lakes and ponds were frozen.
It was beautiful as we turned our direction towards the mountains. They were totally white and shining in the sun. Snow was tens of feet deep. We headed towards Brooks Camp. The falls were frozen but the mouth of the river was still open. Then we headed for the Valley. We managed to make it to three forks and the canyon looked so narrow with all the snow piled up. I was hoping to go to the crater but the cloud layer was too low so we headed up to the preserve.
This was all new territory for me. The winds were blowing at 35 mph. You could watch it blow the snow across the flat lands of the tundra. Then I saw a creature run across a river. I only caught a quick glimpse but my first thought was a wolverine. Then a few minutes later we saw a fox running across a lake. On ward we flew. Another spot on the ice, this time it turned out to be a wolf. One lone wolf of grayish color. Good size too. I am guessing it was a male.
The rivers were amazing to view. Most of them were frozen but some of the rivers are thermal heated and flowed freely, with stream coming off of them. Next up the Alagnak River.
Moose Report
Three moose were spotted in the housing area yesterday at noon. I could not wait to get home. I changed clothes and grabbed the dog and off we went. Unfortunately we saw no moose. We looked for them and finally found the tracks of one of them that had just recently walked through as the tracks were fresh. I kept my eyes pealed all evening hoping they would saunter through the yard. No luck!
I am about to leave for work so maybe I will get a glimpse of them this morning but then again I think seeing them in the day light would be better than surprised by them in the dark.
I am about to leave for work so maybe I will get a glimpse of them this morning but then again I think seeing them in the day light would be better than surprised by them in the dark.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Tracks and Trails
My weekend of was pretty unadventurous but yesterday I thought I would walk to walk using the snow covered trail. This was an adventure as when I walk to work it is pitch black outside and the beam of my flashlight is not that big so I had to go slow and watch were walked.
Slowing down was not bad as boy did I see tracks. It had snowed a few hours before I left for work so I saw the forest come to life in the tracks I saw. Starting off the neighborhood fox was right at our front door. I followed his footsteps to the woods. From there I followed the tracks down the trail. Then the hare tracks appeared. Casual steps at first then they went everywhere. In circles, over the trails and under brush and back again. Next to the hare tracks were lynx tracks. I guess the lynx wanted his breakfast and the hare did not want to cooperate. I am not sure if there was a winner but I did not see any blood on the ground.
On my walk I saw vole tracks and I saw raven claw marks in the fresh snow. It was a wonderful walk to work.
Slowing down was not bad as boy did I see tracks. It had snowed a few hours before I left for work so I saw the forest come to life in the tracks I saw. Starting off the neighborhood fox was right at our front door. I followed his footsteps to the woods. From there I followed the tracks down the trail. Then the hare tracks appeared. Casual steps at first then they went everywhere. In circles, over the trails and under brush and back again. Next to the hare tracks were lynx tracks. I guess the lynx wanted his breakfast and the hare did not want to cooperate. I am not sure if there was a winner but I did not see any blood on the ground.
On my walk I saw vole tracks and I saw raven claw marks in the fresh snow. It was a wonderful walk to work.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
I thought I was going to spend just another Friday sitting in the office working on proposals. We have one that is important to do but is running into a lot of red tape. So I thought I would be stuck in the office working on it. Then I was asked if I wanted to join a patrol over the park for a three hour flight. I really wanted to go but I knew the boss wanted me to work on this proposal. So I turned it down.
An hour later and another road block on the proposal and I was banging my head against the wall. My boss told me to do something else and get my mind of the problems we were facing. He said I was spending to much emotional time on this certain project that I needed a break so. I asked if I can go flying. He said yes!
I quickly headed to dispatch to see if they had left yet. No she said hurry and catch them. I got to the LE office and asked if the offer still stood. Yes, if the pilot okays it. I went to the pilots office. Asked if I could go. He looked at me. I said I haven't eaten since 6am and I have my dramamine and plastic bag with me. I will bake you something sweet to eat tomorrow. Please can I go? He smiled and said yes.
The itinerary was to fly over all the lodges and cabins that are located in the park. Some of the cabins are privately owned others are historical cabins. This trip would mean that I would get to see more of the park than I had before. I was pumped. We took off and headed for Contact Creek. The snow had melted quite a bit in the past week with the warmer weather. All the lakes and ponds were frozen.
It was beautiful as we turned our direction towards the mountains. They were totally white and shining in the sun. Snow was tens of feet deep. We headed towards Brooks Camp. The falls were frozen but the mouth of the river was still open. Then we headed for the Valley. We managed to make it to three forks and the canyon looked so narrow with all the snow piled up. I was hoping to go to the crater but the cloud layer was too low so we headed up to the preserve.
This was all new territory for me. The winds were blowing at 35 mph. You could watch it blow the snow across the flat lands of the tundra. Then I saw a creature run across a river. I only caught a quick glimpse but my first thought was a wolverine. Then a few minutes later we saw a fox running across a lake. On ward we flew. Another spot on the ice, this time it turned out to be a wolf. One lone wolf of grayish color. Good size too. I am guessing it was a male.
The rivers were amazing to view. Most of them were frozen but some of the rivers are thermal heated and flowed freely, with stream coming off of them. Next up the Alagnak River. Down into the river bottoms and what should we see. Why yes it is a moose. Not one moose but three moose. We kept to the river three more moose. I started a tally. Look there is a moose and then I noticed it still had antlers. Amazing! Nine, ten, eleven. Onward we flew. The pilot counted three more, I saw two wait no three more. By the time we got to the end of the river we had counted 30 moose. It was unbelievable. I can now say we do have moose at Katmai.
Then the pilot said we will fly across the tundra to look for the caribou herd. I sat on the edge of my seat. Across the tundra we went. But those sly caribou had moved out of the area. Oh Well! I had a great adventure. Then as we reached the last ten miles before home I got air sick. Not bad just a little but I was well prepared. I had almost made it. Next week the weather looks good for moose surveys. Lets hope it is so I can go! Looking for moose was a blast!
An hour later and another road block on the proposal and I was banging my head against the wall. My boss told me to do something else and get my mind of the problems we were facing. He said I was spending to much emotional time on this certain project that I needed a break so. I asked if I can go flying. He said yes!
I quickly headed to dispatch to see if they had left yet. No she said hurry and catch them. I got to the LE office and asked if the offer still stood. Yes, if the pilot okays it. I went to the pilots office. Asked if I could go. He looked at me. I said I haven't eaten since 6am and I have my dramamine and plastic bag with me. I will bake you something sweet to eat tomorrow. Please can I go? He smiled and said yes.
The itinerary was to fly over all the lodges and cabins that are located in the park. Some of the cabins are privately owned others are historical cabins. This trip would mean that I would get to see more of the park than I had before. I was pumped. We took off and headed for Contact Creek. The snow had melted quite a bit in the past week with the warmer weather. All the lakes and ponds were frozen.
It was beautiful as we turned our direction towards the mountains. They were totally white and shining in the sun. Snow was tens of feet deep. We headed towards Brooks Camp. The falls were frozen but the mouth of the river was still open. Then we headed for the Valley. We managed to make it to three forks and the canyon looked so narrow with all the snow piled up. I was hoping to go to the crater but the cloud layer was too low so we headed up to the preserve.
This was all new territory for me. The winds were blowing at 35 mph. You could watch it blow the snow across the flat lands of the tundra. Then I saw a creature run across a river. I only caught a quick glimpse but my first thought was a wolverine. Then a few minutes later we saw a fox running across a lake. On ward we flew. Another spot on the ice, this time it turned out to be a wolf. One lone wolf of grayish color. Good size too. I am guessing it was a male.
The rivers were amazing to view. Most of them were frozen but some of the rivers are thermal heated and flowed freely, with stream coming off of them. Next up the Alagnak River. Down into the river bottoms and what should we see. Why yes it is a moose. Not one moose but three moose. We kept to the river three more moose. I started a tally. Look there is a moose and then I noticed it still had antlers. Amazing! Nine, ten, eleven. Onward we flew. The pilot counted three more, I saw two wait no three more. By the time we got to the end of the river we had counted 30 moose. It was unbelievable. I can now say we do have moose at Katmai.
Then the pilot said we will fly across the tundra to look for the caribou herd. I sat on the edge of my seat. Across the tundra we went. But those sly caribou had moved out of the area. Oh Well! I had a great adventure. Then as we reached the last ten miles before home I got air sick. Not bad just a little but I was well prepared. I had almost made it. Next week the weather looks good for moose surveys. Lets hope it is so I can go! Looking for moose was a blast!
Friday, February 10, 2012
Eight Minutes a Day!
What can you do with 8 extra minutes. That is how much daylight we are gaining per day. Eight minutes. I am told that I will be amazed at how fast the days will lengthen now. Eight more minutes of sunlight to enjoy the outdoors. Eight more minutes of daylight means the animals have eight more minutes to be observed. Eight more minutes to get energy back because it is dark all the time you tend to feel tired even though in the summer you are wide awake at the same time of day. Eight more minutes of sunlight to melt the ice. Which my dog would rather not happen as she fell through the ice on the driveway. Yes I have that thick of ice on my driveway. When there is no place for the melting snow to go it freezes where ever.
Eight minutes doesn't sound like a lot but add a week or two weeks up and it is glorious to those of us that lived with only four hours of daylight. I hope you enjoy your extra eight minutes today!
Eight minutes doesn't sound like a lot but add a week or two weeks up and it is glorious to those of us that lived with only four hours of daylight. I hope you enjoy your extra eight minutes today!
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Five Favorite Sounds
I have five sounds that I just love to hear. One is the sound of my husbands voice. The second is the sound of my kids laughing. Nothing can beat those two sounds but then there are the sounds of nature that I love and give me peace and make me smile.
The first is the wind through the trees. I love to listen to the sound of the wind as it rustles the branches and sways the tops of trees. Yesterday on the way to work the wind was blowing 30 miles and hour and the sound of it through the trees was amazing. You just had to smile and laugh as it listened.
Next sound I love is the sound of ice crinkling in moving water. As I passed Eskimo creek I hear the running water under the ice. Not quite the sound I love but close. To be it is the sound of spring. which I know may not be true yet but I still like to hear it.
Lastly there is nothing like the sound of a wolf howling to its family. Again yesterday morning I heard that howl. Just one long howl. No one anwered back or maybe the wind carried the voices away from me but I did here the one. It made me want to howl an answer in return. I have to say I had a very good morning walking to work!
The first is the wind through the trees. I love to listen to the sound of the wind as it rustles the branches and sways the tops of trees. Yesterday on the way to work the wind was blowing 30 miles and hour and the sound of it through the trees was amazing. You just had to smile and laugh as it listened.
Next sound I love is the sound of ice crinkling in moving water. As I passed Eskimo creek I hear the running water under the ice. Not quite the sound I love but close. To be it is the sound of spring. which I know may not be true yet but I still like to hear it.
Lastly there is nothing like the sound of a wolf howling to its family. Again yesterday morning I heard that howl. Just one long howl. No one anwered back or maybe the wind carried the voices away from me but I did here the one. It made me want to howl an answer in return. I have to say I had a very good morning walking to work!
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
World of Water
We have been in the forties for the last few days. Temperature wise I suppose that is good as it is much better than the below zero stuff we had been living in. But it is melting all our snow and leaving pools of water everywhere. In the yard, in the streets, on top of ice, pools of water are everywhere. I was told this was the worst time of year and I believe it.
I can't go snowshoeing as there is little snow. I really can't hike far unless I want to swim the puddles on the trail. The roads are covered in ice and topped with water. It is frustrating as it is finally nice to be outside and there isn't a lot outside to do.
We do have wind. Lots of it. What I should do is send for ice skates and create a sail then I could fly across the ice on the wind. I would think that would be fun. Well, at least until I hit a rock. Oh well, should I pray for more snow or hope spring is on the way?
I can't go snowshoeing as there is little snow. I really can't hike far unless I want to swim the puddles on the trail. The roads are covered in ice and topped with water. It is frustrating as it is finally nice to be outside and there isn't a lot outside to do.
We do have wind. Lots of it. What I should do is send for ice skates and create a sail then I could fly across the ice on the wind. I would think that would be fun. Well, at least until I hit a rock. Oh well, should I pray for more snow or hope spring is on the way?
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Walking to Work
It has become warm enough for me to begin walking to work again. The air was warm and the wind light and the skies are still dark. It was a wonderful morning for a walk. I started out the door and realized that the warm air and wind had turned our snow covered roads back into a skating rink. So I turned around to grab the ice grippers.
Once more I headed out the door. I was ready. The sound of my feet hitting the ice was the only sound. Then I heard it. A long howl from the south. Not too far away. Then his answer was called back. Not just by one but by many. The call of a pack of wolves. I counted five separate calls. I guessed they were on the shores of the river. Close but not too close. Their voices carried on the breeze.
As I walked and listened I wondered if they were playing. After a night of hunting were they chasing each other up and down the river bank? I have seen that behavior in Minnesota. I kept my flashlight looking through the woods hoping that I may catch a glimpse of one. Then again it was only me and the sound of my boots on the ice. It was a nice greeting to start the day.
Once more I headed out the door. I was ready. The sound of my feet hitting the ice was the only sound. Then I heard it. A long howl from the south. Not too far away. Then his answer was called back. Not just by one but by many. The call of a pack of wolves. I counted five separate calls. I guessed they were on the shores of the river. Close but not too close. Their voices carried on the breeze.
As I walked and listened I wondered if they were playing. After a night of hunting were they chasing each other up and down the river bank? I have seen that behavior in Minnesota. I kept my flashlight looking through the woods hoping that I may catch a glimpse of one. Then again it was only me and the sound of my boots on the ice. It was a nice greeting to start the day.
Monday, February 6, 2012
Winter Weather and Winter colds
We have gone through chinook winds and below zero temps. And while all this was occurring I was fighting the battle of the cold that would not let go. I spent the last four days sleeping and eating and drinking everything with vitamin C in it to try and get better. I think I am finally feeling human again.
While I was fighting the cold with long naps and followed by fits of sneezing and coughing the Naknek fishtival was going on. I missed the penquin dip. The temperature outside was above freezing but the winds were gusting above 40 mph and the neighbors tell me lots of brave souls jumped into the water. No one over 40 did the crazy thing but there were quite a few who had to show their bravery. It was cold out on the ice with the wind blowing and you shivered just watching the proceedings I was told.
We have had all this beautiful snow and I have been sick since I got back from vacation so I haven't been able to enjoy it. Yesterday it was almost 40 degrees outside and our snow is beginning to melt. I am not happy about that as I have yet to get the snowshoes out and enjoy the snow. As I lay on the couch resting yesterday I heard a rumble. The sound grew louder and as I looked out the window I saw an avalange of snow fall from my roof. Mounds of snow roared as it slid down the roof and tumbled to the ground. I did not realize that I had so much snow on the roof. The sound was ominous and the sight was funny. And that is as much adventure as I have had this weekend. Not much!
While I was fighting the cold with long naps and followed by fits of sneezing and coughing the Naknek fishtival was going on. I missed the penquin dip. The temperature outside was above freezing but the winds were gusting above 40 mph and the neighbors tell me lots of brave souls jumped into the water. No one over 40 did the crazy thing but there were quite a few who had to show their bravery. It was cold out on the ice with the wind blowing and you shivered just watching the proceedings I was told.
We have had all this beautiful snow and I have been sick since I got back from vacation so I haven't been able to enjoy it. Yesterday it was almost 40 degrees outside and our snow is beginning to melt. I am not happy about that as I have yet to get the snowshoes out and enjoy the snow. As I lay on the couch resting yesterday I heard a rumble. The sound grew louder and as I looked out the window I saw an avalange of snow fall from my roof. Mounds of snow roared as it slid down the roof and tumbled to the ground. I did not realize that I had so much snow on the roof. The sound was ominous and the sight was funny. And that is as much adventure as I have had this weekend. Not much!
Thursday, February 2, 2012
A Proper Blizzard
Yesterday afternoon we were all told that the highway was closing due to the blizzard weather we were having. You had two choices; stay and work and try to make it home later or try to go home now before things got worse. I had driven the neighbors car and I can't seem to shake this cold so I chose to go home. I knew the winds were howling because I cold hear the roars through the trees in the morning when I walked my dog. When I started for home you could see little snow devils blowing across the road. Big gusts of wind blew sheets of white in front of you. It was going to be a proper storm.
I got home and decided that the storm looked bad enough that I ought to prepare. So I made sure my coleman stove and fuel tanks were ready to go. I fill pictures of water and placed them in the frig. I took out candles and the matches in case the power went out and of course had my flashlight near by. I also, for good measure filled one of the tubs about 1/3 of the way with water so in case I need it for a number of reasons I would be prepared. I was ready. Bring on the storm.
I then did what everyone should do through a storm and has a cold. I went to bed, curled up under my fleece sheets and fell instantly asleep. One and a half hours later I awoke. The house was quiet and when I looked out the window the wind no longer seemed to be howling and the snow had stopped. What? What kind of blizzard is this?
A proper blizzard would last for days. The wind would shake the very foundations of the house. Snow would accumilate by the ton. We would loose power and cuddle under mounds of blankets reading adventure tales by the light of your flashlight. You would guzzle hot chocolate and eat all the junk food you like as you may not survive the storm. That is a proper snowstorm but no. Not much of anything. I was so disappointed. Can you tell I am ready to get out of the office?
I got home and decided that the storm looked bad enough that I ought to prepare. So I made sure my coleman stove and fuel tanks were ready to go. I fill pictures of water and placed them in the frig. I took out candles and the matches in case the power went out and of course had my flashlight near by. I also, for good measure filled one of the tubs about 1/3 of the way with water so in case I need it for a number of reasons I would be prepared. I was ready. Bring on the storm.
I then did what everyone should do through a storm and has a cold. I went to bed, curled up under my fleece sheets and fell instantly asleep. One and a half hours later I awoke. The house was quiet and when I looked out the window the wind no longer seemed to be howling and the snow had stopped. What? What kind of blizzard is this?
A proper blizzard would last for days. The wind would shake the very foundations of the house. Snow would accumilate by the ton. We would loose power and cuddle under mounds of blankets reading adventure tales by the light of your flashlight. You would guzzle hot chocolate and eat all the junk food you like as you may not survive the storm. That is a proper snowstorm but no. Not much of anything. I was so disappointed. Can you tell I am ready to get out of the office?
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Writing Herd Histories
As much as I would like to be out observing the herds of animals we have in the park I am unfortunately in the office writing about them. Not that it is boring. I have learned quite a bit but really I would love to be in the air flying around seeing things.
I spent the last two days writing about the history of the moose and caribou of Katmai. Caribou were first spotted in the park in 1818 by Russian-American Fur Company agents this herd is now called the Mulchatna Herd. By 1860 they were increasing in numbers. By 1880 numbers had decreased so much that the migration had ceased. No, they were hunted to death that is just the way Caribou are. Their populations go up and down. In the 1930s the population had begun to increase then a decade later another decrease. In 1960 they estimated only 1000 caribou..By 1997 there were close to 200,000 caribou. Then the decline started and as of today we are hoping that the decline is over and things are stabilizing so that the herd can grow again.
Hunting is allowed within the herd but the harvest taken from the hunters is less than 3% of the herd. I hear that they are tricky to hunt. you can't call them in like a moose. You basically have to be lucky and find where they are, set up a camp and hope they go by you. I hope someday I can go and find the herd as seeing 30,000 caribou (the size of the herd today) would be awesome.
I spent the last two days writing about the history of the moose and caribou of Katmai. Caribou were first spotted in the park in 1818 by Russian-American Fur Company agents this herd is now called the Mulchatna Herd. By 1860 they were increasing in numbers. By 1880 numbers had decreased so much that the migration had ceased. No, they were hunted to death that is just the way Caribou are. Their populations go up and down. In the 1930s the population had begun to increase then a decade later another decrease. In 1960 they estimated only 1000 caribou..By 1997 there were close to 200,000 caribou. Then the decline started and as of today we are hoping that the decline is over and things are stabilizing so that the herd can grow again.
Hunting is allowed within the herd but the harvest taken from the hunters is less than 3% of the herd. I hear that they are tricky to hunt. you can't call them in like a moose. You basically have to be lucky and find where they are, set up a camp and hope they go by you. I hope someday I can go and find the herd as seeing 30,000 caribou (the size of the herd today) would be awesome.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Above Zero
Yes we are finally above zero. It was so much warmer than it has been that I walked to work. The first time in months. It felt so good to be out walking again. The sky was black as it had snowed earlier. You could hear a slight breeze through the trees. The only other sound was the snow crunching below my boots. Even my body stopped fighting the cold that has invaded me and enjoyed the silence.
No birds chirped in the night. No hares darting back under the trees. It was just me and the solitude. Even the creek that fought so long to stay unfrozen was quiet. Only one car passed me on the road. It was me lost in thought but I don't remember thinking about anything. I just know that once I made it to the office I was sorry it was over. I hope we stay above zero at least for a few more days as it is nice to enjoy the wilderness again.
No birds chirped in the night. No hares darting back under the trees. It was just me and the solitude. Even the creek that fought so long to stay unfrozen was quiet. Only one car passed me on the road. It was me lost in thought but I don't remember thinking about anything. I just know that once I made it to the office I was sorry it was over. I hope we stay above zero at least for a few more days as it is nice to enjoy the wilderness again.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Yesterday I went to Naknek. I needed to buy a new shovel and pick up a few nails. I have been battling a cold since I got home so I just wanted to go in and come back. The temperatures were warming but the winds were picking up. Enough so that even though the temperature was 20 degrees warmer the wind chills were -55 so it felt colder.
I took off about nine in the morning. The winds were blowing snow over the ice covered roads so I decided I would take my time. It was a beautiful day with the sun coming up and turning all the clouds a rainbow of colors and the mountains in the distance were covered in white. If you didn't know they were mountains you might have thought there were some huge clouds building. I hadn't been to Naknek in a while so when I got to the place on the drive where you could see the river I saw some strange objects. At first I thought they were fish houses. Then they disappeared from view.
I was wondering what type of house they were as they were big and chunky and odd shaped from any other fish house I had ever seen. Then when the river came into view again I realized I wasn't looking at fish houses but huge boulders of ice thrown about the river and shoreline. They were the size of small shacks. It was very weird. I thought about going to the bay to see the sights but like I said I am fighting s cold and I really didn't have the energy to go.
First stop was the hardware store. Picked up one shovel and 50 4 penny nails. I could not believe the price $36.90. But since I needed them and I had not figured out how to get a shovel on the plane I paid the outrageous price. Then it was to the grocery store. I didn't really need anything but since I have to buy my dairy products here I like to look for bargains. Which I found in the cheese section, I picked up a small chunk of ham and some sour cream. My price was $19. Another $50 went into the gas tank and I had spent a hundred dollars in less than an hour.
Most everyone likes to go to Naknek to grocery shop but I like the little AC in King Salmon better. The people are friendly and cheerful and I think they have better prices just not so much variety. The people in the Naknek store all seem so crabby. That is my two cents for the day.
I took off about nine in the morning. The winds were blowing snow over the ice covered roads so I decided I would take my time. It was a beautiful day with the sun coming up and turning all the clouds a rainbow of colors and the mountains in the distance were covered in white. If you didn't know they were mountains you might have thought there were some huge clouds building. I hadn't been to Naknek in a while so when I got to the place on the drive where you could see the river I saw some strange objects. At first I thought they were fish houses. Then they disappeared from view.
I was wondering what type of house they were as they were big and chunky and odd shaped from any other fish house I had ever seen. Then when the river came into view again I realized I wasn't looking at fish houses but huge boulders of ice thrown about the river and shoreline. They were the size of small shacks. It was very weird. I thought about going to the bay to see the sights but like I said I am fighting s cold and I really didn't have the energy to go.
First stop was the hardware store. Picked up one shovel and 50 4 penny nails. I could not believe the price $36.90. But since I needed them and I had not figured out how to get a shovel on the plane I paid the outrageous price. Then it was to the grocery store. I didn't really need anything but since I have to buy my dairy products here I like to look for bargains. Which I found in the cheese section, I picked up a small chunk of ham and some sour cream. My price was $19. Another $50 went into the gas tank and I had spent a hundred dollars in less than an hour.
Most everyone likes to go to Naknek to grocery shop but I like the little AC in King Salmon better. The people are friendly and cheerful and I think they have better prices just not so much variety. The people in the Naknek store all seem so crabby. That is my two cents for the day.
Friday, January 27, 2012
What You Learn From the Parking Lot.
What can you learn from the parking lot? If you work for the park service in January quite a lot actually. For instance, yesterday when a fellow coworker came in she knew that it was so cold that I had borrowed the neighbors car to get to work. Which was true as my neighbor is gone until the second weekend in Feb. and I have access to her car until then. Yesterday the work thermometer showed -47 so I did not feel like walking.
She also knew that another coworker was afraid her hybrid car would not start at the end of the day as she backed into her parking spot. She knew that a lot of people had decided to wait to see if it warmed up before coming into work as very few cars were in the lot. Also true. She predicted that one workers truck did not start as the wives car was in the lot. True. And finally she new that our coworker who normally rides bike to work actually drove as his hardly ever seen car was in the lot. Funny what you learn by driving into a parking lot.
It was so cold yesterday that when we heard that it was only -3 in Anchorage we were all thinking about flying there for the weekend to warm up. How sad is that.
She also knew that another coworker was afraid her hybrid car would not start at the end of the day as she backed into her parking spot. She knew that a lot of people had decided to wait to see if it warmed up before coming into work as very few cars were in the lot. Also true. She predicted that one workers truck did not start as the wives car was in the lot. True. And finally she new that our coworker who normally rides bike to work actually drove as his hardly ever seen car was in the lot. Funny what you learn by driving into a parking lot.
It was so cold yesterday that when we heard that it was only -3 in Anchorage we were all thinking about flying there for the weekend to warm up. How sad is that.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Still in the Deep Freeze
For most of this winter we have been below zero. I never imagined it would be this cold here as we are so close to the ocean. But today when I got up it was -35. Yesterday everyone was talking about the very cold temps. I got a weather lesson about the jet stream and low and high pressures that want to do nothing but bring icy cold air our way. We have had a low pressure system by us dropping cold air for 20 days and it doesn't look like it is going to move until sometime next week. Then above us is a high pressure system that is dumping lots of snow in Anchorage but bringing more cold air to this area. Lucky us.
With these very low temps even the neighborhood dogs don't want to be outside. Camille hardly goes five feet from the door when I let her out. It is comical to watch these animals try to move and stand without placing paws on the ground. I haven't even seen hare tracks in the snow for days. It is like everyone is burying themselves in homes until the weather changes. More people from the office are abandoning us for warmer areas. Wish someone would bring back some heat with them when they come home. Not no 80 degree heat but enough to reach the zero mark. I feel like the good year blimp every time I go outside I am so bundled up.
Then the conversation turned to how long can you last with the amount of food stored in your house. I am not quite sure how long I could last may be a month. Most people can live about two months. Should I buy more food?
People who have can goods and soda stored in their garage are worried that these ever dropping temps are going to start effecting their food supply. Thermometers are being scavenged to watch the inside temps of their garages as we seem to be dropping deeper in to the cold. Never had to worry about that before but then I don't have food stored in the garage yet. Wonder if I should ?
With these very low temps even the neighborhood dogs don't want to be outside. Camille hardly goes five feet from the door when I let her out. It is comical to watch these animals try to move and stand without placing paws on the ground. I haven't even seen hare tracks in the snow for days. It is like everyone is burying themselves in homes until the weather changes. More people from the office are abandoning us for warmer areas. Wish someone would bring back some heat with them when they come home. Not no 80 degree heat but enough to reach the zero mark. I feel like the good year blimp every time I go outside I am so bundled up.
Then the conversation turned to how long can you last with the amount of food stored in your house. I am not quite sure how long I could last may be a month. Most people can live about two months. Should I buy more food?
People who have can goods and soda stored in their garage are worried that these ever dropping temps are going to start effecting their food supply. Thermometers are being scavenged to watch the inside temps of their garages as we seem to be dropping deeper in to the cold. Never had to worry about that before but then I don't have food stored in the garage yet. Wonder if I should ?
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
A Job I Wouldn't Want
One of the things I love about my job is the research I get to do. Yesterday, I was studying the history of one of the caribou herds that travel through Katmai National Park and found a report written in 1958 that I thought I would share with you. It does not have to do with caribou but with beluga whales. I hope you enjoy the story.
In 1958 a group of men decided that they would like to capture some beluga whales in the area and send them to California where a newly created sea park was opening, kind of like the sea worlds of today. They put their heads together and came up with three different ways to capture the whales that they thought might work. The first being using a harpoon and shooting the whale just deep enough to capture it but not kill it. The second way was to use a salmon net and wrap the whale like a burrito in the net then haul it aboard. The last way was to climb upon the whales back and place a collar over its neck. Which way do you think they chose?
Why the third way of course. They thought it was the least obtrusive way to capture the whales. So they took a skiff and went out to get their whales. They pulled the skiff next to the whale, a man jumped out of the boat onto the creatures back then maneuvered a collar onto it so that they could pull the whale to shallow waters. Now this all happened in Bristol Bay which is known for its icy cold waters. The report did not have a date so I don't know what time of year this occurred but I am sure it wasn't January as the bay is frozen right now. Nor does the report say how many attempts it took to actually get on the whales back. This is not a job I would like to try and tackle.
How did they do you might ask? Well the first time out they captured two whales. The poor whales did not last long and died before ever making it to California. They tried again and this time captured two adults and one calf. In the notes of the report were instructions for keeping the whales alive during transport. They need lots of soft mattresses for the journey and you need to apply water to their skin regularly. The two adults whales were sent to California and survived. They were trained to entertain the public and that part of the task was considered a success. The calf was sent to New York where it died shortly after arrival.
Now you know the story of how they first captured beluga whales in Bristol Bay. I wonder what the natives thought of that job when they saw men trying to jump the backs of whales.
In 1958 a group of men decided that they would like to capture some beluga whales in the area and send them to California where a newly created sea park was opening, kind of like the sea worlds of today. They put their heads together and came up with three different ways to capture the whales that they thought might work. The first being using a harpoon and shooting the whale just deep enough to capture it but not kill it. The second way was to use a salmon net and wrap the whale like a burrito in the net then haul it aboard. The last way was to climb upon the whales back and place a collar over its neck. Which way do you think they chose?
Why the third way of course. They thought it was the least obtrusive way to capture the whales. So they took a skiff and went out to get their whales. They pulled the skiff next to the whale, a man jumped out of the boat onto the creatures back then maneuvered a collar onto it so that they could pull the whale to shallow waters. Now this all happened in Bristol Bay which is known for its icy cold waters. The report did not have a date so I don't know what time of year this occurred but I am sure it wasn't January as the bay is frozen right now. Nor does the report say how many attempts it took to actually get on the whales back. This is not a job I would like to try and tackle.
How did they do you might ask? Well the first time out they captured two whales. The poor whales did not last long and died before ever making it to California. They tried again and this time captured two adults and one calf. In the notes of the report were instructions for keeping the whales alive during transport. They need lots of soft mattresses for the journey and you need to apply water to their skin regularly. The two adults whales were sent to California and survived. They were trained to entertain the public and that part of the task was considered a success. The calf was sent to New York where it died shortly after arrival.
Now you know the story of how they first captured beluga whales in Bristol Bay. I wonder what the natives thought of that job when they saw men trying to jump the backs of whales.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
I am Back!
I am back in King Salmon and the adventure started right up again when I got on the plane to get here in Anchorage. Weather on the peninsula was horrible yesterday. I was sure they were going to cancel the flight. Most of the passengers on the plane were going to King Salmon and make a connection there to Chignik which is farther down the peninsula. The guy next to me had talked to his wife and she said the weather is horrible that visibility was about 50 feet. He figured King Salmon was as far as he would get for the day.
The guy said that he was glad to have time in King Salmon because then he could go shopping. Shopping in King Salmon. I could not believe him as we only have a general store with not much in it and it is very expensive. Especially compared to Anchorage of which we just came from. I asked him what he was going to buy and he said they always buy their meat in King Salmon so he would surprise his wife with meat. He said she would love it. Us Alaska women are easy to please buy us some meat and you good to go.
Of course King Salmon hamburger is $5 a pound and other meats are around $10 a pound. If he thinks meat is inexpensive in King Salmon I wonder what it costs in Chignik or if they even have a store there. We did not go into that in detail. I may have to go check out that town before I leave to see why King Salmon got the man all excited.
We made our decent and we landed during a blizzard. It was snowing and blowing. Wind gust were around 50 mph and temps with wind chills were -40. Welcome home. The people I normally beg rides from I knew were out of town, either on vacation or at some trainings. So I had decided that I was just going to call the taxi for a ride home but when I called for a ride I was told that the weather was too bad for him to come pick me up.
I walked over to the office to see if I could find anyone to give me and my four boxes of junk a ride home. The office was pretty empty as everyone had decided to stay home for the day until the wind died down or it got lighter for people to see. I finally found a coworker that said he would take the work truck and come and get me. For a few short minutes I thought I was going to have to walk home. I had not brought blizzard clothing with me so it would have been a very cold walk.
All that said and done it is nice to be back. I had a wonderful time with my family and husband. I am rested and anxious to get on with the next adventures.
The guy said that he was glad to have time in King Salmon because then he could go shopping. Shopping in King Salmon. I could not believe him as we only have a general store with not much in it and it is very expensive. Especially compared to Anchorage of which we just came from. I asked him what he was going to buy and he said they always buy their meat in King Salmon so he would surprise his wife with meat. He said she would love it. Us Alaska women are easy to please buy us some meat and you good to go.
Of course King Salmon hamburger is $5 a pound and other meats are around $10 a pound. If he thinks meat is inexpensive in King Salmon I wonder what it costs in Chignik or if they even have a store there. We did not go into that in detail. I may have to go check out that town before I leave to see why King Salmon got the man all excited.
We made our decent and we landed during a blizzard. It was snowing and blowing. Wind gust were around 50 mph and temps with wind chills were -40. Welcome home. The people I normally beg rides from I knew were out of town, either on vacation or at some trainings. So I had decided that I was just going to call the taxi for a ride home but when I called for a ride I was told that the weather was too bad for him to come pick me up.
I walked over to the office to see if I could find anyone to give me and my four boxes of junk a ride home. The office was pretty empty as everyone had decided to stay home for the day until the wind died down or it got lighter for people to see. I finally found a coworker that said he would take the work truck and come and get me. For a few short minutes I thought I was going to have to walk home. I had not brought blizzard clothing with me so it would have been a very cold walk.
All that said and done it is nice to be back. I had a wonderful time with my family and husband. I am rested and anxious to get on with the next adventures.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Prepare Yourself For Winter Fun
Today is the first day of my ten day vacation. Today is also the day Craig moves back to the lower 48. He has had enough of Alaska and is moving back to Sioux Falls South Dakota. So after today I am going to take a break from blogging to enjoy my family. But I want you all to be prepared for the adventures ahead.
Fun times await in Feb at Katmai as the first ever wolf project begins. We will be trying to collar nine wolves from three different areas. At least that is the goal. We will also be doing flights looking for moose to see where they are wintering. Then preparation for the spring bear surveys will begin. All kinds of adventures wait after I get back.
Not only is Feb full of adventures in Katmai but King Salmon also as the winterfest begins. To celebrate winter there is the annual penguin dip. What is that? Well mighty Alaskans cut a hole in the ice of Bristol Bay and take a quick swim. In Minnesota we called it the polar bear swim as we thought the arctic would be the coldest place to be in the water. Alaskans, I guess, think Antarctica is colder. Anyways, the swim takes place on the fourth of Feb. so you need to prepare.
See you in ten days!
Fun times await in Feb at Katmai as the first ever wolf project begins. We will be trying to collar nine wolves from three different areas. At least that is the goal. We will also be doing flights looking for moose to see where they are wintering. Then preparation for the spring bear surveys will begin. All kinds of adventures wait after I get back.
Not only is Feb full of adventures in Katmai but King Salmon also as the winterfest begins. To celebrate winter there is the annual penguin dip. What is that? Well mighty Alaskans cut a hole in the ice of Bristol Bay and take a quick swim. In Minnesota we called it the polar bear swim as we thought the arctic would be the coldest place to be in the water. Alaskans, I guess, think Antarctica is colder. Anyways, the swim takes place on the fourth of Feb. so you need to prepare.
See you in ten days!
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Hiring Help for the Summer
It is that time of year when the National Parks start hiring for the summer season. Here at Katmai we see a high turnover rate of seasonal employees. Our remoteness and expense makes it hard to keep people coming back year after year. That being said our park is one of the most magical places to work. You have days filled with endless sunshine, though it never gets hot. The scenery is beautiful and you can enjoy a variety of activities on your time off. And where else can you work with such magnificent creatures as the brown bears of Katmai. If you are interested in a position for the summer go to usajobs.gov to apply. Right now summer interpretive staff positions are being advertised, maintenance positions will open soon along with the Alaska Region call for wildlife techs. Though right now we are not sure if we will be hiring a wildlife tech as all of last years staff has till Feb 1 to let us know if they are coming back. Good Luck to all that apply!
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Unwanted Adventure
Last night I was all curled up in my bed sleeping soundly when all hell broke loose. The fire alarms went off in our house. We live in a duplex and the alarm will sound in both houses if something is wrong. Our neighbor is gone until Feb. I fumbled my way out of bed and headed down the stairs. Living in a government house there are many fire alarms with flashing lights and very loud sirens. It was rather crazy. Our alarm system is not hooked up to an outside service nor does it get reported to the fire department. Craig went out to turn off the alarm and I walked through the house looking for what might have set it off. Then I went next door.and repeated the process. We saw no signs of a fire, decided it was just a freak misalarm and went back to bed.
I was just about asleep when the alarm went off again. This time we were down the stairs faster than the first time. After silencing the alarms we did a thorough search and again found nothing. We talked about how weird it was and were wondering why it went off. But I went back to bed. I barely got the covers over me when it went off again. Now I was getting scared we were missing something.
Craig went to shut off the alarm and I called our chief of law enforcement. I got his voicemail, told him what was happening and was wondering if I should call 911. I hung up the phone and made another run through both houses. While at the neighbors the chief showed up. He looked at the alarm system then made his own inspection inside and outside of the house. Then he went through the systems log to see if a sensor was out or any other reason why it kept going off. Nothing. We waited a half an hour and nothing happened. He decided that we should be all right but if it went off again call 911 and him.
I had such a hard time going back to sleep. I kept wondering and waiting for it to go off again. Luckily, or unluckily depending on how you look at it, I had shut off my alarm clock. Not sure when but I must have done it, after the first alarm went off just out of habit. Not that my alarm clock sounds like a fire alarm, that is the only time I could think of that I would have shut it off. Anyways I finally went to sleep and no alarm woke me up so I did manage to get some rest. Not the kind of adventure I wanted.
I was just about asleep when the alarm went off again. This time we were down the stairs faster than the first time. After silencing the alarms we did a thorough search and again found nothing. We talked about how weird it was and were wondering why it went off. But I went back to bed. I barely got the covers over me when it went off again. Now I was getting scared we were missing something.
Craig went to shut off the alarm and I called our chief of law enforcement. I got his voicemail, told him what was happening and was wondering if I should call 911. I hung up the phone and made another run through both houses. While at the neighbors the chief showed up. He looked at the alarm system then made his own inspection inside and outside of the house. Then he went through the systems log to see if a sensor was out or any other reason why it kept going off. Nothing. We waited a half an hour and nothing happened. He decided that we should be all right but if it went off again call 911 and him.
I had such a hard time going back to sleep. I kept wondering and waiting for it to go off again. Luckily, or unluckily depending on how you look at it, I had shut off my alarm clock. Not sure when but I must have done it, after the first alarm went off just out of habit. Not that my alarm clock sounds like a fire alarm, that is the only time I could think of that I would have shut it off. Anyways I finally went to sleep and no alarm woke me up so I did manage to get some rest. Not the kind of adventure I wanted.
Monday, January 9, 2012
Flying Nightmares
The only way to get into King Salmon is to fly. In the summer when all the fishermen and tourist are flying in by great numbers two airlines come in: Alaska and Pen Air. During the winter we are down to just Pen Air. There are two flights a day, one in the morning and the other in the evening. Most flights right now are called triangle flights meaning that you leave here and fly to Dillingham than on to Anchorage making flight time 2 hours and 20 minutes where as a flight from here to Anchorage is 1 hour 10 minutes.
Now you have to add in the weather. Which is always tricky. This weekend there were blizzards in both Anchorage and King Salmon so both airports were shut down. Anchorage was up and moving quite quickly but not here. My neighbor was suppose to leave on yesterdays morning flight. We had a blizzard on Saturday cancelling all flights. The airlines called her and let her know that her flight yesterday morning were canceled but she was booked on the evening flight. Yesterday afternoon she took her luggage to the airport to check them in and see how the flights were going. Now she had to face the other problem with Pen Air. Plane and Staff problems.
She was told that the weather was fine but that the flight had been delayed till 1 am do to maintenance problems with the airplane. Now she started to worry as her connecting flight in Anchorage leaves at 6am. She was told to call back at 7:30 to see where things stood. At 7:30 she was told good news. The flight would be leaving at 11:30 and she should be back to airport by 11. I drove her to the airport and never got a call to come pick her up so I am assuming she got on. Now I just have to hope that I make my flights on Thursday as I leave here on the morning flight and my connecting flight to Seattle is at 2 pm. No wonder one of the biggest topics in Alaskan politics is transportation.
Now you have to add in the weather. Which is always tricky. This weekend there were blizzards in both Anchorage and King Salmon so both airports were shut down. Anchorage was up and moving quite quickly but not here. My neighbor was suppose to leave on yesterdays morning flight. We had a blizzard on Saturday cancelling all flights. The airlines called her and let her know that her flight yesterday morning were canceled but she was booked on the evening flight. Yesterday afternoon she took her luggage to the airport to check them in and see how the flights were going. Now she had to face the other problem with Pen Air. Plane and Staff problems.
She was told that the weather was fine but that the flight had been delayed till 1 am do to maintenance problems with the airplane. Now she started to worry as her connecting flight in Anchorage leaves at 6am. She was told to call back at 7:30 to see where things stood. At 7:30 she was told good news. The flight would be leaving at 11:30 and she should be back to airport by 11. I drove her to the airport and never got a call to come pick her up so I am assuming she got on. Now I just have to hope that I make my flights on Thursday as I leave here on the morning flight and my connecting flight to Seattle is at 2 pm. No wonder one of the biggest topics in Alaskan politics is transportation.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
The Blizzard Strikes
Yes, the temperature warmed up and the blizzard started. The wind blew and the snow fell. Watching out the window you would see snow devils forming in the wind and be carried off down the street. The wind blew raw and cold. No one seemed to be moving at all. No dogs were being walked. No cars moved out of driveways. No adventures were being had.
I watched a few movies. Talked with the neighbor on the phone. I was suppose to take her to the airport but of course her flight was cancelled. I baked. A lot. I made about seven different kinds of cookies to take home to my kids on Thursday. Not sure how I am going to get them all there but I have plenty. And I read. All the typical things that Alaskans do during a storm.
I am hoping that the weather clears and the flights are caught up by Thursday. I would like a break from the sub zero temps and the wind chills.
I watched a few movies. Talked with the neighbor on the phone. I was suppose to take her to the airport but of course her flight was cancelled. I baked. A lot. I made about seven different kinds of cookies to take home to my kids on Thursday. Not sure how I am going to get them all there but I have plenty. And I read. All the typical things that Alaskans do during a storm.
I am hoping that the weather clears and the flights are caught up by Thursday. I would like a break from the sub zero temps and the wind chills.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Frozen Pipes and Frozen Cars
We have spent so much time in the deep freeze that everything is freezing. Three out of the four trucks at the office were frozen and had probems this week. Block heaters broke, radiator hoses cracked and engines just quit. Then yesterday the heating pipes in the building froze. Made for a very cold morning in the office. I have learned I need to leave some warmer clothes in my office for events such as that. People were wearing their coats and hats and big boots to stay warm. Some went home to get small heaters to try and keep their space warm. Others dug out the union suits. Coffee, tea and hot chocolate were drunk by the gallons yesterday and it took me quite awhile at home to get rid of the chill.
So today the temperature is near zero but we have 50 - 70 mph winds. That isn't much of a help as that makes it feel colder than yesterday and I didn't think I could feel colder than that. From what I hear it is only suppose to get worse instead of better. As long as the storm blows itself out by Thursday morning so I can get out of town, I will be happy.
So today the temperature is near zero but we have 50 - 70 mph winds. That isn't much of a help as that makes it feel colder than yesterday and I didn't think I could feel colder than that. From what I hear it is only suppose to get worse instead of better. As long as the storm blows itself out by Thursday morning so I can get out of town, I will be happy.
Friday, January 6, 2012
Back in the Deep Freeze
Since November most of the days here have been cold. I was all excited as yesterday when I got up it was 4 above zero. It seems like we have not had too many days above that mark. I thought that meant I would finally be able to start walking to work as in these below zero days I catch a ride with the neighbors. I got on my coat, hat and gloves and was going to take my dog for a walk as she hadn't had one for awhile as her paws weren't made for below zero temps. We just walked around the block but my cheeks were frozen. Every time it gets above zero the wind comes in and we have wind chills in even colder temps than before.
So what do Alaskans do in this frozen ice land? Most people are either leaving for warmer places say Spain, Hawaii and South America. The people I have met here are more traveled than any place I have lived in the lower 48. Or they stay inside. Netflix is huge around here. Not only is it too cold to be outside but the amount of daylight is a little over five hours. If that. Puzzles are big. Talks over where to buy your books has become a topic in the break area. Some still try to be outside and do some skiing or jogging. But most of them are just thinking where they are going to be. Me, I am not going anywhere exotic or warm. I am heading to Minnesota to see my family for ten days in a week. Though I hear they are having record warm temps. But if it does turn out that MN has cold like here, which is possible, than at least I will have my family to watch movies with,work puzzles or freeze outside with.
So what do Alaskans do in this frozen ice land? Most people are either leaving for warmer places say Spain, Hawaii and South America. The people I have met here are more traveled than any place I have lived in the lower 48. Or they stay inside. Netflix is huge around here. Not only is it too cold to be outside but the amount of daylight is a little over five hours. If that. Puzzles are big. Talks over where to buy your books has become a topic in the break area. Some still try to be outside and do some skiing or jogging. But most of them are just thinking where they are going to be. Me, I am not going anywhere exotic or warm. I am heading to Minnesota to see my family for ten days in a week. Though I hear they are having record warm temps. But if it does turn out that MN has cold like here, which is possible, than at least I will have my family to watch movies with,work puzzles or freeze outside with.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Proposal Writing
There are two kinds of grant proposals. Hard ones, that are from the National Park Service national headquarters. I have been working on them for weeks. If you want extra money for some study that is not in the budget then you have to write a proposal and see if you are awarded the money. You are up against all the national parks. I have finally finished writing four proposals. One in conjunction with Denali, Lake Clark and Kenai Fjords to study wolverines, one to see if we have farmed fox on the islands off our coast and arctic char in Kaguyak crater, one to see if trumpeter swans are expanding their territory into Katmai and one to create an interactive app for visitors that will collect information on animals seen in the park. Yesterday all four were park approved. Now they go before the regional office to see if they get approved there and moved on to the national decision. It felt good to be finished. Now I start working on soft grants. That is money from private industries or groups that donate to help further science. I am going to try to get money donated to work on a wolf collaring project, my four hard proposals and I am going to try to get a cooperative international agreement with the park in Russia that is considered by some to be a sister park. My goal today is to learn more about that park and to try to make an initial contract to see if they are interested. I may not be in the field but I am learning great stuff researching information about these projects. Keep your fingers crossed that I receive a grant or two because I am sure they will give me stories to tell.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Yes Virgina There are Moose in Alaska!!!!!
What a great day yesterday was. The rocks bounced and we got to go to Brooks Camp which was beautiful all draped in white and frosted over. The river was still open but the lakes were all froze. We spent 2 1/2 hours out there doing the Christmas Day Bird Count. It was so much fun. The temperature in King Salmon when we left was -17 but it was only -8 there. It felt so much better there than here.
We counted 21 birds and had 8 different species which is more than we thought we would see since it was so cold. The most amazing sightings was four American Dippers. They were diving in and out of the water catching food and we were bundled up in lots of layers just amazed that they were actually in the water. The other species we saw were Raven, black capped chickadees, dark eyed juncos, red polls, gray jays, downy woodpeckers,and magpies of course.
On the flight back to King Salmon we saw them. First one hunkered down in the snow. Then we saw a mom and calf, sitting in the snow and then just before we landed we saw another one. Four moose on one trip it was a great thrill to see them. I loved it. It was amazing! Now I am happy! On to the next creature I want to see. I would love to see a wolverine next but I think I will concentrate on the wolves we will be collaring next month.
Life here in Alaska - It is the best!
We counted 21 birds and had 8 different species which is more than we thought we would see since it was so cold. The most amazing sightings was four American Dippers. They were diving in and out of the water catching food and we were bundled up in lots of layers just amazed that they were actually in the water. The other species we saw were Raven, black capped chickadees, dark eyed juncos, red polls, gray jays, downy woodpeckers,and magpies of course.
On the flight back to King Salmon we saw them. First one hunkered down in the snow. Then we saw a mom and calf, sitting in the snow and then just before we landed we saw another one. Four moose on one trip it was a great thrill to see them. I loved it. It was amazing! Now I am happy! On to the next creature I want to see. I would love to see a wolverine next but I think I will concentrate on the wolves we will be collaring next month.
Life here in Alaska - It is the best!
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Let the Rocks Bounce
In 1900 the annual Christmas tradition was that after everyone had feasted they would divide up into teams and each team would go on a hunt to see how many birds they could kill. It wasn't done to feed the family for the year, it was all just a game until one man decided that they needed to save the birds and he talked people into counting birds instead of killing birds. It became what is known as the Christmas Day Bird Count. Today people form all over the world participate. It is the longest running scientific study and we have learned a great deal about distribution, movement, and where species are becoming scarce.
The Christmas Day Bird Count is to be performed between Dec 18th and January 5th of each year. However never has one been performed at Brooks Camp in Katmai. I am hoping that today will be the first time. I have to hope for two things. 1. the weather is good for flying out to Brooks Camp and 2. that we can land on the river. Our pilot will be testing the strength of the ice by dropping 3 - 25 pound rocks out of the plane. If they bounce we can land. Let's hope the rocks bounce.
The Christmas Day Bird Count is to be performed between Dec 18th and January 5th of each year. However never has one been performed at Brooks Camp in Katmai. I am hoping that today will be the first time. I have to hope for two things. 1. the weather is good for flying out to Brooks Camp and 2. that we can land on the river. Our pilot will be testing the strength of the ice by dropping 3 - 25 pound rocks out of the plane. If they bounce we can land. Let's hope the rocks bounce.
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