Photo Roundup: April 30 2017
Every Sunday I will be posting photos collected from various NCI graduate students and staff. Please enjoy this glimpse into our everyday lives here in the North Cascades.
A beautiful sunset at Washington Park in Anacortes, where graduate students closed day one of their field trip. Photo by Angela Burlile
On Wednesday, our graduate M.Ed. students went to Anacortes for a three day field trip that explored climate change impacts on the lower Skagit through the lens of food production and agriculture.
Shannon Point Marine Center staff member, Gene McKeen, giving grad students a tour of the campus. Photo by Angela Burlile
Grad students (Jihan Grettenberger, Smokey Brine and Ash Kunz) having fun at the SPMC touch tank. Photo by Angela Burlile
On the first day of their trip, graduates were introduced to the Shannon Point Marine Center, a Western Washington University marine laboratory located in Anacortes, Washington. During their visit, grad students were able to meet with Dr. Erika McPhee-Shaw, Professor and Director of SPMC, who presented on the topic of sea level rise and ocean acidification here in the Pacific Northwest.
Grad student, Ash Kunz, attempting to identify sea birds just outside of Anacortes. Photo by Ash Kunz
Harbor seals as seen through a pair of grad binoculars. Photo by Angela Burlile
Alexei Desmarais and Kay Gallagher can’t contain their excitement about bird identification! Photo by Angela Burlile
On the final day of their trip, staff at Shannon Point Marine Center took grads out on their research vessel for the opportunity to view marine and bird life around Puget Sound. Harbor seals and peregrine falcons were just a few of the species spotted during their time out on the water.
Grad student, Kay Gallagher, biking down Highway 20 past the road closure. Photo by Kay Gallagher
With the road closure beginning just miles down the road from our Environmental Learning Center, grads and staff are taking advantage of the empty highway before WSDOT clears all the accumulated winter snow.
The most recent update from the WSDOT Highway 20 reopening page states:
“The west side crew cleared to within 2 ½ miles of Rainy Pass and the eastside crew is about the same distance from Washington Pass. The difference is on the west side the snow is three feet deep. On the east side, snow is 7 feet deep and the Liberty Bell avalanche zone is still ahead where there’s 45 to 55 feet of heavy wet snow on the roadway.
On the westside the work is progressing well with a plow truck and the loader-mounted blower. On the eastside, the two big caterpillars have begun cutting down the huge piles of snow in the Liberty Bell avalanche zone.”
*Find weekly updates on the WSDOT webpage*
Animal tracks on the Evergreen Trail at Rockport State Park. Photo by Angela Burlile
Grad student, Sarah Clement, spotted these cougar tracks during a run around the Evergreen Trail at Rockport State Park. The tracks seemed to be quite fresh, as they appeared during her third loop around the park!
Morel mushrooms in the North Cascades. Photo by Amy Rudko
More signs of spring in the upper Skagit valley! Morel mushrooms are popping up on the forest floor as the canopy above begins to green. Naturalists and kitchen staff spent their Sunday afternoon foraging for moral mushrooms at their “super secret spot” somewhere in the North Cascades…
Grad student, Rachael Grasso, leads Kulshan Creek Neighborhood Program participants in a ice breaker game. Photo by Jihan Grettenberger
Anne Braaten from the National Park Service, presenting to Kulshan Creek participants on grizzly and black bears. Photo by Rachael Grasso
Students feeling a grizzly bear hide. Photo by Rachael Grasso
Kulshan Creek Neighborhood Youth Program is a year-round educational program that engages young people ages 5 to 18 from two Skagit Valley neighborhoods in a series of monthly field trips to explore the outdoors and learn about our local environment. Grad students assist program organizers in educational and naturalist activities. This month, students met with Anne Braaten from the National Park Service to learn about grizzly and black bears. Anne brought along several taxidermy bears, hides and skulls that students were able to interact with throughout her presentation.
Check out previous Photo Roundups here!