Olivia Gibbons
Port Townsend High School Student
4-H Stewardship Program Member
2010 Fall Season Work Crew
Fish Fling at the Skokomish River
We drove for hours to get into a remote area deep in the national forest. To get our destination, we had to pass through two locked gates- it was land closed to the public. Finally we reached a small bridge over the Skokomish River. There were piles of week-old salmon carcasses on either side. We ate lunch, put on plastic gloves to protect ourselves, and grabbed a fish in each hand by the tail. Walking over to the edge of the bridge, we flung the fish over the side. We drove to a second bridge and repeated the process. On the drive home, we talked about what we had done and how the fish would benefit the river as they decomposed, fertilizing the river and feeding animals such as bears, birds, and insects. This benefits the riparian system, which is the green ribbon of life alongside a stream.
After driving to the Quilcene Ranger Station, we brought out plenty of tall, thin black plastic pots and began shoveling dirt from the back of a truck onto the ground. We were given cuttings of bushes and trees such as rose, willow, and elderberry. Everyone took a pot, filled it half full, put in a cutting right side up, and filled the rest of the pot up with dirt. Cuttings were labeled according to type of plant, and finished pots were stacked against the wall of a greenhouse. The cuttings would be planted in the national forests after a year of growing in the greenhouse.
A few miles into the forest past the Quilcene Ranger Station, the 4-H vans that we were riding stopped at a small gravel mine where people had previously held target practice shooting clay pigeons and cardboard targets. We got down on our hands and knees, picking up all kinds of trash. Bullets, bottles, cans, broken glass of all sizes, miscellaneous plastic, parts of clay pigeons, and the two targets that the shooters had left all went into the huge black trash bags. We put them all into the back of a truck and went on to the next location, picking up more garbage, this time at a trail beside a stream. This is a good example of watershed management, or maintaining the quality of water in your watershed. I found some trash in the river, but even picking up trash next to it helps protect the water purity because trash eventually winds up in the river anyway.
After getting to the Quilcene Ranger Station, we pulled out all sorts of different tools that we used to scrape grass, moss, and built-up dirt from the parking lot. We cut overhanding branches from the trees growing too close to the road, and we pulled branches from the ivy growing in front of the building. We cut blackberry vines from the curbs. When we were finished, the ranger station looked considerably cleaner and we had uncovered more parking spaces from below the dirt. By reclaiming the station, we made it easier for the U.S. Forest Service to do their job protecting and maintaining the land.
Replanting a Decommissioned Road
We hiked into the national forest carrying cuttings in pots and shapes, sizes, and weights of shovels. Once we got to a clearing, we began planting the cuttings in every open spot available. We planted sedge grass in the darker places and willow and elderberry in the middle of the clearing. This is a good example of restoration ecology because we were restoring land that had lost most of its native plant life to its original diversity.
Campground Maintenance
We went to several different campgrounds equipped with trash bags and tongs. We walked from campsite to campsite, using the tongs to pick up all kinds of trash that people had left behind. It was surprising how much trash there was all over the campsites, but mostly in the fire grates.
Picnic Table Restoration
We took wooden planks and painted them with Thompson's Water Seal, a type of varnish that repels water to lengthen the life of the wood. We set them down so that they could dry. They were going to be used to make picnic tables to replace some of the older tables that were not fit to use anymore. The new tables will last many years.
Planting Cuttings for Elk Forage
We took cuttings of plenty of kinds of potted cuttings and planted them in a clearing. Elk browse the plants that grow from these cuttings. Planting these will help them reclaim their territory. Elk need variety in their diet, and this project is helping by reintroducing some of the native plants that they need to be fed.