.Teacher tries out aquascope. Photo Kasia Booth" By Kathy Jacobson, CBEC Coordinator
The Chehalis Basin Education Consortium (CBEC), in partnership with the Washington State Departments of Ecology and Parks, recently offered a two-day training on "Water Quality Monitoring using Benthic Macroinvertebrates."
Twenty-three CBEC teachers, AmeriCorps, and community volunteers attended the training. Workshop participants heard from Brian Peck, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, and Bob Amrine, Lewis County Conservation District, about water quality issues in the Chehalis basin and efforts made to improve water quality. Susie Vanderburg, with Thurston County Stream Team, provided an excellent overview of the Clean Water Act and how scientists and community volunteers use biological monitoring to assess water quality.
Presenter Laurie Usher and the group ventured over to Spruce Creek and learned how to use a densiometer to assess canopy over a stream, the use of gravelometers to assess substrate type, and other tools to assess stream conditions.
On the second day of training, Chehalis River Council volunteers Rob Schanz, Bill Barmettler, and Patti Barmettler trained teachers on how to sample for stream bugs using Washington State Department of Ecology's protocol. The participants used aquascopes to help classify stream substrate and also used specially designed fine mesh nets to collect and identify benthic macroinvertebrates.
| .Teacher tries out aquascope. Photo Kasia Booth" |
Significant ideas that participants learned from the workshop:
""I learned about water quality standards and that stream biology is a good indicator for describing water quality."
"The variety of organizations involved in watershed protection."
"Numbers and kinds of macroinvertebrates can help determine the health of a river or stream."
"The variety of ways to get young people involved with macroinvertebrates.
Three comprehensive macroinvertebrate monitoring kits are now available at Millersylvania State Park for loan to area teachers and community volunteers. For more information or to check out a kit, please contact Seth Mason-Todd, Park Ranger and Environmental Learning Center Coordinator, at (360) 753-1519.
To learn more about the Chehalis Basin Education Consortium, please contact Kathy Jacobson, at (360) 586-3538 or email kajcobson@esd113.k12.wa.us.
 Sixth Grader (Boisfort Elementary) Riley White, peeping out from behind the canary grass, is just so excited about being outdoors for science class! She is collecting a sample from the South Fork of the Chehalis for the CBEC monitoring program." Photo: Kasia Booth. |
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By Rick Johnson, Thurston County Noxious Weed Control Coordinator
First found growing in Thurston County in the Chehalis River in 1998, Brazilian elodea populations have exploded in the past two seasons.
Over 7,000 lbs of Brazilian elodea was removed from the Chehalis River July 19-July 29, by a contractor working for Thurston County Noxious Weed Control.
Brazilian elodea is native to South America. It has been imported to North America, as well as many countries around the world, as an aquarium plant (often sold under the name of Anacharis). Brazilian elodea is a submersed, freshwater perennial. It roots in water up to 20 feet deep, with the stems growing up to the surface of the water, where they form dense mats. Roots grow from the stem nodes; leaves and stems are bright green. The plant is spread by fragmentation. Brazilian elodea has four (sometimes eight) leaves, while the native elodea, has three.
Dense stands affect water movement, water quality, recreational use, and navigation. They can also trap sediment, impacting native plants and fish. Brazilian elodea grows rapidly in the spring, shading out slower growing native plants. It is illegal to sell this plant in the state of Washington.
Diver dredging (suction dredging) was used on a one-mile stretch of the Chehalis River in Thurston County at river mile 60. Diver dredging is a method where divers use hoses attached to small dredges to vacuum plant material out of the river. This is primarily a removal process following dislodging of the roots by divers.
The purpose of diver dredging is to effectively remove all of the plant biomass including the roots. The divers use the suction device for Egeria disposal only. The water is returned back to the river and the plant material is then disposed
This project was funded by the Washington Department of Natural Resources and administered through the Thurston County Noxious Weed Control Department. Information: Rick Johnson, Weed Coordinator, 360.786.5576.
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By Bill Barmettler, Chehalis River Council
I started out intending to write about some amphibians we saw during a hike into the Olympics in the summer of 2004. "Drops of Water," however, focuses on what's happening inside the Chehalis Basin. Hills and valleys define the river and the newsletter. Our hike was outside the geography of the Chehalis Basin. On top of that, one of the two amphibians would be found only in a few pockets of the Basin, if at all. The whole idea was starting to look pretty thin.
In casting about for some scrap of relevance to the Chehalis Basin I stumbled across the fact that the alpine lakes we'd visited were only 11 miles distant from the Basin as the crow flies. This was hard to imagine. If someone had told me so while I was standing at the lakes I wouldn't have believed it. They were so crisp and clear, surrounded by rock and guarded by marmots that chirped in alarm at our arrival or just went back to snoozing in the sun. The lakes seemed hundreds of miles distant from the greenish, lowland aspect typical of the Basin.
But there it was on the topo maps -- a short leap from the northernmost reach of the Chehalis Basin to those lovely alpine lakes. The idea of a combined geography/amphibian story began to take shape.
Where is the northernmost reach of the Chehalis Basin?
The Wynoochee headwaters, in WRIA 22, stake out the northernmost reach of the Basin. Behind the Wynoochee dam the watershed can be traced several miles northward, extending into Olympic National Park. The headwaters first come together in a small cluster of unnamed lakes at about 3950 ft. elevation inside the Park. UTM (Universal Transverse Mercator) coordinates are 10 458694 Easting, 5265069 Northing. (1)
It looks like you could visit the headwater lakes without too much trouble. Take this with a grain of salt because I haven't been there. Trail #874 begins on a Forest Service road, then enters the National Park as it approaches the head of the Wynoochee valley. The trail cuts across the lakes' outfall about 700 feet below them and a half-mile distant, then turns away from them and climbs sharply to Wynoochee Pass. At Wynoochee Pass the trail leaves the Chehalis Basin and drops into the Quinault watershed. To reach the lakes you could leave the trail where it crosses the outfall and go straight up the watercourse. Or you could turn west at Wynoochee Pass and contour around to them. Either way involves cross-country travel. Perhaps there are boot paths or animal trails to follow. For those of you who have a GPS receiver and aren't afraid to use it, those UTM coordinates point to the center of the cirque in which the lakes lie.
LaCrosse Basin -- Outside of the Chehalis Basin
Just 11 miles northeast of Wynoochee Pass is LaCrosse Basin, a stretch of subalpine country "equal to any found in the Olympics." (2) LaCrosse Basin hosts a network of lakes and tarns, all of which drain to the Hood Canal via the Duckabush watershed. The three main lakes are called Marmot, Hart, and LaCrosse.
In August of 2004 my wife Patti and I teamed up with Rob Schanz, CRC secretary, and his family for a trans-Olympics hike that would visit LaCrosse.
We started into the mountains from the Quinault River trail head. Rob and family (Shirley, Sarah and Ben) approached from the other side of the Olympics at the Duckabush trail head. The plan was to meet at Marmot Lake sometime on the third day. After taking a day off to relax and explore, we'd hike out to the Duckabush trail head and drive their car home. Rob's party would head for the Quinault, where our car would be waiting.
 . "LaCrosse Basin. Photo by Rob Schanz" |
Patti and I got to Marmot Lake mid-morning on August 12th. We set the tent up on a rocky knoll with an astounding view overlooking the Duckabush River headwaters and surrounding peaks, then turned to the lake to refill our water bottles. A spit of rock jutted into the lake, making a perfect spot for the task. Patti pointed at a salamander in the water. Then she spotted another and another. There were salamanders in every direction, exhibiting several different behaviors. Some were floating in mid-water, others were crawling slowly along the lakebed or swimming to the surface for a gulp of air. In a shallow part of the lake filled with fist-size and smaller rocks we found lots more salamanders that had pushed themselves halfway under the rocks, leaving only their tails visible. Some had external gills. Others did not, or at least the gills were not easily spotted. All of them were fairly small, maybe four or five inches total length. Most of them had a greenish stripe down their backs. I thought we had two different kinds of salamanders and volunteered the notion that one species was Van Dyke's, proving that I don't know much about salamanders.
Then we found the frogs. I'm only familiar with the two kinds that are common throughout the Chehalis Basin, the Red-legged (Rana aurora) and the Pacific Tree frog (Hyla regilla). Although roughly the same size as an adult Red-legged, these frogs were clearly different. Rob and family soon arrived, and we excitedly showed them our discoveries. That afternoon several frogs and salamanders endured capture and examination.
The next day we wandered up to LaCrosse Lake. LaCrosse lies at 4760', roughly 400' higher in elevation than Marmot. Although the difference in elevation is not great, LaCrosse is distinctly more alpine. While Marmot is partially fringed with brush and fairly large trees, LaCrosse is stark. Compact alpine flowers and grasses abruptly give way to rock, then water so clear it doesn't seem possible. A few stumpy, wind-carved trees have established footholds here and there.
We immediately found adult frogs lolling among the sun-warmed rocks at the water's edge. One frog, bravely choosing human contact over a retreat into the cold water, allowed Ben to gently stroke its back. Just south of the lake we found a small tarn thick with thousands of frog tadpoles and salamander larvae, but no adult salamanders. The salamander larvae were almost certainly the same species as in Marmot, but less developed because of the later thaw at LaCrosse. Patti came upon a knot of frog tadpoles furiously cannibalizing a dead tadpole, providing a jarring counternote to the otherwise serene morning.
Just the Facts
The next day everyone broke camp and headed back to civilization, jobs, TV, etc. Rob identified the salamanders as Long-Toed. There are five sub-species. Ours would have been the Western (Ambystoma macrodactylum macrodactylum). Macrodactylum means 'long toe' and refers to the long fourth toe. That toe is an obvious identifying characteristic of the species. The Long-Toed Salamander inhabits a greater variety of habitats than any other salamander in the Northwest. They breed and develop in water. Adults leave the water and lead a very reclusive life underground. In colder climates, such as the LaCrosse Basin lakes, adult salamanders will crawl under or on top of snow to reach the breeding ponds. They almost always migrate at night. They're the earliest salamanders to breed, a tactic that can backfire on them if freezing weather returns after eggs have been laid.
 . "Long-toed salamander. Photo: Bill Barmettler." |
A study in Alberta found long-toed salamanders from one to ten years of age, with most in the 2 to 3 year range. In warmer climates, long-toed salamanders will grow out of the larval stage after one year in water, but in cold climates they may spend as many as four years in the water before metamorphosing to adults. It's likely that many of the gilled salamanders we saw in Marmot were three to four years old.
Adult long-toed salamanders hunt terrestrial and aquatic arthropods. They also scavenge dead arthropods. The larvae's diet is similar: larvae consume aquatic arthropods and terrestrial arthropods that fall into the water, and scavenge arthropod remains. Some long-toed salamander larvae are cannibalistic. Cannibal larvae are different from "normal" larvae, having larger heads and jaws, reduced gills, and a more slender body. Larvae may become cannibalistic in response to either high larval population density or a scarcity of other food sources.
The frog species turned out to be the Cascades Frog (Rana cascadae). They lay their eggs in high elevation ponds between 2500 and 6000 ft. so they're unlikely to be found in most of the Chehalis Basin. I wonder if the Wynoochee headwater lakes are home to any Cascades Frogs?
 : "Ben Schanz meets Rana cascadae. Photo: Bill Barmettler." |
The two Washington State populations - in the Cascades and Olympics - are geographically isolated from each other. Because of their high elevation lifestyle they are exposed to increased levels of ultraviolet radiation. Some studies have shown Cascades Frog populations to be shrinking - this may be a result of human-induced changes to the ozone layer. In general terms, the Cascades Frog's breeding pattern mirrors the Long-Toed Salamander's. They breed early in shallow bogs and ponds, then the adults go terrestrial. However, the adult frog stays closer to or in the water and doesn't live underground.
The tadpoles tend to hang out near the egg deposition sites, massing in warm, shallow waters. We saw this behavior in Marmot Lake, where hundreds of big fat tadpoles congregated in one arm of the lake that was just a few inches deep. Biologists are scratching their heads over the remarkable discovery that tadpoles from one egg mass are able to recognize their siblings.
Sources:
(1) Location of Wynoochee headwaters and UTM coordinates derived from National Geographic "Topo!" series CD-ROM map set of Washington State
(2) "Olympic Mountains Trail Guide" (Robert L. Wood), ISBN 0-89886-087-3
"Just the Facts" section gleaned from several sources - online articles and two books; "Amphibians of Oregon, Washington and British Columbia (Corkran and Thoms), ISBN 1-55105-073-0 and "Amphibians & Reptiles of the Pacific Northwest" (Nussbaum, Brodie, and Storm), ISBN 0-89301-086-3
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By Sara Carter, Weed Management Specialist, Lewis County Noxious Weed Board
A tree is toppled by the wind, uprooted with a large mass of roots dangling in the air. Where the tree had previously stood is a patch of bare, uncovered soil.
In nature, the rare patches of bare soil in the forest result from situations such as this. In the once forested landscapes we call home, bare soil is a fact of life. All around us, along our roads, in our yards and along the edges of what remains of the forests, bare soil beckons to weeds.
Weeds are often the first plants to recolonize the soil, beginning the process of revegetation, repopulating the land and soil with the pulse of photosynthetic life. Unfortunately, most weeds are not native to our region and do not provide adequate habitat to support the local wildlife. There are even weeds that increase erosion and add to water quality problems. Some weeds can go from a seed to a flower-sporting, seed-bearing plant in a matter of weeks.
Native plants evolved over millennia to survive in a land that offered bare soil only when a tree fell, a bank sloughed or a river raged beyond its banks. When faced with the task of reseeding themselves and growing to maturity, native plants generally work within a time scale of years, decades, sometimes even centuries.
Weeds often jump in and get started before the native vegetation has an opportunity to take hold. Dense patches of weeds commonly suppress the native vegetation, and the natural process of revegetation is thrown off.
The most effective way of combating weed invasions is to reduce the amount of bare soil. Replant areas where the vegetation has been removed. Use a weed-free mulch such as straw, compost or bark to cover areas between plants. Do what you can to encourage constant vegetative coverage and reduce the further disturbance of soils. Be sure to clean mud, seeds and plant parts from equipment before working in areas with relatively few weeds.
For more information about minimizing the impacts of weeds, call your county Noxious Weed Control Board. A natural resource specialist, such as the county Conservation District staff, can help you choose appropriate ground cover plants.
Lewis County Noxious Weed Control Board: 360.740.1218; weeds@co.lewis.wa.us.
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By Margaret Rader, Chehalis River Council
As many as 122 amphibian species have disappeared since 1980, and 1,900 are in danger of becoming extinct. This the conclusion of a worldwide study published in Science magazine in October. According to the researchers, this is the equivalent of tens of thousands of years' worth of extinction in just a century. The three-year study cost $1.5 million and involved more than 500 scientists from more than 60 countries.
The report traces the decline to three major reasons: habitat decline; in some parts of the world, overharvesting for food and medication; and a fungal disease which appears in cooler climates experiencing drought. Amphibians are often called "the canaries in the coal mine" because their permeable skin makes them especially sensitive to environmental changes. Researchers believe they may be signaling changes that will ultimately threaten humans and other animals.
Claude Gascon, a scientific adviser to the study, said: "There are some actions we can take today to prevent the immediate extinction of many species as we work on a longer-term solution." These include creating parks and ecological reserves, reducing emissions that contribute to climate change, and breeding animals in captivity to sustain vulnerable species.
In the United States, habitat destruction poses the greatest challenge. In July the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the California tiger salamander as threatened and identified 383,000 acres of habitat in California as key to its survival.
In Western Washington the Oregon spotted frog (Rana pretiosa) is a candidate species. As of October 2004, species of concern include Cascades frog (Rana cascadae), Columbia torrent salamander (Rhyacotriton kezeri), Larch Mountain salamander (Plethodon larselli), Olympic torrent salamander (Rhyacotriton olympicus), Tailed frog (Ascaphus truei), Van Dyke's salamander (Plethodon vandykei), and Western toad (Bufo boreas).
(Candidate species are those species for which the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has sufficient information to propose for listing as threatened or endangered under the Act. Species of concern are those species whose conservation standing is of concern to the Service, but for which status information is still needed.)
Read the report in the October issue of Science magazine.
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By Nancy Ness, Coordinator, Grays Harbor County Noxious Weed Control Board
Japanese knotweed is a non-native noxious weed that has escaped cultivation and is spreading at an alarming rate across stream and river channels and riparian areas. [See article in October issue of Drops of Water.]
The Washington State Department of Agriculture received funding from the state legislature to begin pilot projects in the southwestern portion of the state. One of the areas selected was the Elk River, in Grays Harbor County.
The Elk River Estuary is in a watershed used primarily for commercial forestry. Compared to other sites around Gray's Harbor, residential development pressure is light, but is increasing. Because the human population along the Elk River is minimal, we had a unique opportunity to see how one knotweed infestation moves down-river. The knotweed sites scattered along the Elk River have been traced back to one origin, an upriver property with contaminated fill. From one source, the river had as many as a dozen knotweed sites.
The Washington Department of Natural Resources - Natural Resource Conservation Area, totaling 4,362 acres of the Elk River watershed, is the largest, highest quality estuarine system remaining in Washington or Oregon. It includes diverse habitats, ranging from tideflats and sloughs, saltmarsh and freshwater wetlands, to forested uplands. Identified as critically important waterfowl and shorebird habitat, it also includes a nesting site for bald eagle and significant habitat for elk, bear, beaver, river otter and other mammals. One population of a Washington State monitor plant species, Henderson's checker- mallow, occurs within the tidal portion of the estuary system.
The Elk River watershed is also a wintering area for Peregrine Falcons and a small number of Trumpeter Swans and Brant; as well as breeding habitat for Pileated Woodpeckers, and Vaux's Swifts. Waterfowl are predominantly Mallard, American Wigeon, Green-winged Teal, and Northern Pintail.
Research has shown that up to 15,000 shorebirds utilize the Elk River estuary to continue feeding on the rising tide when lower-lying sites in Gray''s Harbor are flooded.
Knotweed infestations are displacing valuable native vegetation needed by wildlife, as well as causing erosion and altering hydrology. Because of the limited infestations on the Elk River, identified through surveys in 2003, the hopes for successful eradication were high. A partnership of the DNR Natural Areas Program, The Nature Conservancy and the Grays Harbor Noxious Weed Control Board received funding in July to tackle the weeds.
Every plant found on the shores of the river was treated using new and site sensitive technology. Specially designed injector guns were used to deliver a very small dose of herbicide inside the hollow stems of the plant. Off site contamination or damage to native plants was avoided in this manner, and results are promising.
Experience with knotweed control has taught us that we will probably see a few survivors in the 2005 growing season, and monitoring will continue. Hopefully, so will the funding.
 . "Before." Photo by Sanders Freed (used with permission). |
 . "After." Photo by Sanders Freed (used with permission.) |
Program Volunteers serve a key role as stewards for natural areas and as links to local communities. Large groups are often needed for restoration and trail building projects. Volunteers help in the protection of biodiversity and often gain a personal connection to these special places. Information on volunteering is available through the nearest DNR Region office. Contact Birdie Davenport for more information: 360-586-0719.
The Wishkah River was another river selected to be a part of the knotweed control project. A survey in 2003 by Washington Fish and Wildlife identified several locations and many more were found in the 2004 survey. Work continues until frost and will finish in 2005 if adequate funding is provided.
For those interested in controlling Japanese knotweed on their own property, contact your local Noxious Weed Control office for the best control options. If you have been trying, you know how hard this plant is to control, and your efforts are appreciated.
Grays Harbor Noxious Weeds: 360-482-2265
Thurston Noxious Weeds: 360-786-5576
Lewis Noxious Weeds: 360-740-1215
Mason Noxious Weeds: 360-427-9670 ext 396
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