Michelle Garland
Port Townsend High School Student
4-H Stewardship Program Member
Noxious Weed Removal
Noxious weeds are plants that are not native to the area and take over. We picked weeds at most of the sites that we went to, removing various plants including Herb Robert and Scotch Broom. If you live in the Pacific North West you probably will have seen Scotch Broom, it's the big yellow bush that grows next to highways. It is important to control noxious weeds so that they don't take over areas where native plants grow.
Trash Cleanup Our groups also cleaned garbage up in campsites and on trails and beaches. I was surprised at how much garbage people left at their campsites. There were wrappers, water bottles, and paper on the ground at every site we went to. One of the places we went had broken glass and bullets all over from target practice. It took a long time to pick the little pieces of glass out of the gravel, but it looked a lot better when we were done.
The purpose of the fish fling was to introduce dead salmon from the fishery into the river. Salmon used to swim up these rivers, but because of the hatchery further down the river they don't get this far now, so it is important to bring the dead fish here. The salmon provide nutrients to other fish and insects in the river and riparian zone, the transition area between a river and land. Raccoons and other animals will carry the fish into the forest, fertilizing the trees. There were three big piles of dead fish that we threw off of the bridge. At first I was grossed out by the fish, but it was actually fun to throw them into the river.
Elk Habitat Restoration
To create a natural habitat for elk we planted elderberries, alder and other trees. We planted in an area that had been burned to create a field for the elk to graze in. The land was very hard to work on, we had to climb over piles of debris and avoid holes in the ground. This will restore a habitat for the elk and keep them away from the highway.
We also planted native trees and bushes on a decommissioned road to restore the habitat. The road was rocky and packed down from driving on it, it seemed like there were more rocks than dirt, it took us about 20 minutes to plant each tree but we managed to plant them all. If we had just left the road it would eventually go back to the natural state, but it would take much longer. After that we cut willow, and other tree branches and planted them in pots to be planted in the park next year.
Trail Maintenance
To cleanup a trail in the park we had to cut back the plants, dig to widen the trail, rake it flat and dig irrigation ditches. We walked down the trail one at a time each doing a job to speed it up. The trail had been made by volunteers a couple years before, but it was very overgrown. It was hard work and took us all day to clear just over two miles of the trail. Even though the trail was overgrown there were still some hikers on it, and I hope that clearing it brings more people out to enjoy the park.
World Problems I Care About
Environment
- Air/Water Pollution
- Global Warming
- Deforestation
- Domestic violence
- Animal Cruelty
- Genocide
- HIV/AIDS
- Cancer
