By Gray, Madelyn, and Joey
You can see everything on the island from the top of Mount Grant. After a short hike up the mountain, we were amazed by the lakes, farm land, and even the snowy peak of Mount Baker. The rest of our day consisted of data collection, discussion, and adventure.
After our first breakfast on the island and some “icebreakers,” we climbed into the van and made our way to Mount Grant. At the bottom, we met up with Shauna who is a conservationist working for the San Juan County Land Bank as a field researcher. Responsible for the protection and management of the wildlife on the steep slopes of the mountain and surrounding area, she gave us a “guided tour” and explained to us the significance of each plant and animal and how they all worked together in this biome.
As we hiked, we periodically stopped to observe flora and fauna like the Madrona, Gary Oak, deer, other animals, and views. She provided us with many interesting facts and thoroughly answered our questions. One of the most interesting things we stopped for was a dead deer on the side of the trail. She explained to us how she had been called to move it off of the trail just a month or two before. Apparently, there has been an outbreak of a deer virus on the island. Another big stop we made was at a clearing, near the top, where we could see Trout Lake along with beautiful landscape and seascape scenery.
Finally, we arrived at the top of the mountain. After taking in the amazing view (below) of the island’s rolling hills and Mount Baker on the mainland, we sat and had an intriguing and wandering discussion. We talked about the future for the islands and how they would be affected by climate change, what an isolated system is and how it affects research and data collection, and how to “do what you can” in helping the ecosystem, however small. On our way down the mountain we continued our philosophical discussions and upon reaching the bottom we said our goodbyes and parted ways.
The view from the top of Mt. Grant. (Photo by Madelyn Crist)
We headed to Lake Zylstra to eat our lunch and conduct an ecology survey. We ate in the cool shade under the Madronas. Subsequently, we split into three groups to conduct our survey: birds, trees, and insects. The bird group was able to spot nine species of birds; totaling one hundred and ten birds, one of them being a majestic Bald Eagle who had just recently nested in the area. The tree group found eight species of trees with an estimated total of 2,781 trees inside the property line. Our insect group was unable to directly quantify the number of insects as they were limitless; however, they were able to find seventeen different species. The area around Lake Zylstra is teaming with life of all varieties and a great place to take a walk with your dog or friends.
Lastly we headed for False Bay, the final stop on our tour of the watershed. Because we had spent so long on our other activities we only had fifteen minutes to complete our tour. We threw on our boots and tramped along False Bay’s muddy beach. Because of all of the decomposing seaweed, it had a sulfur smell. After reaching a small creek inlet where the water was flowing upstream because the tide was coming in, we turned around. Exhausted, we boarded the van and drove home, excited for dinner and some relaxation.
While we wrote this blog, Jacob and Kika recreated MasterChef Junior, making a delicious tri-bean chili. Joey was so ecstatic about the meal, tears began to pour down his cheeks. After a splendiferous dinner, we planned logistics and decided that the 5:45 am ferry ride would not be blessed with our presence.
Pictured left to right: Kika and Jacob (photo by Madeyln Crist).