Isaac Urner
Jefferson Community School Student
4-H Stewardship Program Member
2010 Fall Season Work Crew
-Fish Fling at the Skokomish River
We drove to the National Forest, about a 4 hour drive. We were taken up a long dirt road, past a couple of locked gates. Our first stop was at a bridge with a pile of dead and gutted fish. We were throwing the fish off the bridge (about a 50 foot drop), so the fish would spread out down the stream and provide nutrients to the riparian zone when the carcasses were dragged out by animals. Fish make a great sound when they hit a log 50 feet down. The long drives meant we got to spend most of the workday asleep in the car. We also learned about the creation of log jams on the river for restoration.
-Potting Cuttings
We were placing cutting into pots, preparing them to be planted next year. These cutting were essentially clones of a couple of plants. They would become new plants if placed in soil. We did this after we had planted the current stock of plants to restore habitat. This way the group next year will have plenty to plant. Poor children.
-Watershed Cleanup DayWe were in the forests above Quilecene, removing trash that had been dumped there. Removing the trash was important, as it would otherwise get into the watershed and from there into our drinking water. Our work was an important piece of watershed management. First off, a message to anyone who dumps trash there: I understand that for whatever reason you don't want to or can't use the dump, but please just drop your trash by the road. Don't throw it off the cliff. Please leave it in bags. It would make our job so much easier if you just left it in bags at the top of the hill. We found diapers. Used diapers. We had to haul up a mattress. I had stab that mattress with a knife to get a rope on it. We found most of a car. In the trees. At the bottom of a cliff. WHY? Why must you throw it off the cliff? It would be less work for everyone if you didn't. Please?
-Trail Maintenance
I wasn't there that day. I suppose they carried out maintenance work such a clearing brush, debris and clearing drainages.
-Forest Service MaintenanceOn this day we were putting the coating on picnic table tops. We set up an assembly line to move them from one pile, paint em, then place em in the final pile. Much screaming at the movers was had. Fun for all. We then removed the debris from the Forest Service parking lot. Wheelbarrow loads of it. This improved the experience for visitors to the Olympic forest.
-Replanting a Decommissioned Road
Let me just say the old roadbeds are the worst thing to dig in. You need a pickax. We had no pickaxes. Life was very hard. Dynamite would have helped. We also found a buried culvert. This was very disappointing, as it wasn't buried treasure or a cave. Hope springs eternal. Planting on the road both prevented cars from using the road (which made the area more attractive to animals) and loosened the road bed, eventually restoring it to a natural state. This is restoration ecology.
-Campground Maintenance
We were picking up trash in various campgrounds. Pretty basic stuff, driving up, walking through and picking up trash and driving away. The drives provided nice naps. I have gained amazing skills at sleeping in vans. Its really quite nice. I mean sure the job starts early, but theres usually an hour drive at least. The campgrounds were dedicated campsites with road access. While this made them nice and accessible, it also increased the amount of trash,
This was planting shrubbery (Bring me a shrubbery!) in a clearing that elk like to hang out in for munchies and shelter. Easy enough digging, but the plants were nearly impossible to get out of the pots. The area was a transition zone between forests and open area, which elk like to sleep and eat in.
All in all the work was a lot of fun. The pay was decent (minimum wage is good for a high school student), we got paid for transit time (yes we were paid to sleep, best job ever). We also got some school credit and made connections for future job opportunities.
All in all the work was a lot of fun. The pay was decent (minimum wage is good for a high school student), we got paid for transit time (yes we were paid to sleep, best job ever). We also got some school credit and made connections for future job opportunities.
World Problems I Care About
-Cholera in Haiti
-LGBT Rights
-Human Rights
-Cancer
-Empathy Between Cultures
-Pollution
-Hunger
-Climate Change
-Animal Cruelty
-Deforestation
-Racism and Sexism
-Xenophobia
Medical Problems
Cancer
Cholera in Haiti
Social Problems
LGBT Rights
Human Rights
Racism and Sexism
Xenophobia
Societal ProblemsHunger
Deforestation
Empathy Between Cultures
Pollution
Climate Change
Animal Cruelty
