Angelo Reserve, Mendocino Co.

15 May, 2015

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    CA: Mendocino Co: Angelo North Coast Reserve: S. Fork Eel River

    Our first day started off with a slow walk and an intention for trees. We identified 8 different trees in just the first half mile of our hike. We explored the riverside, got familiar with a dead lamprey, ate lunch in the sun, and heard about soils from Avery. We continued on to Sprague Meadow where we walked around the perimeter and hypothesized how and why the meadow came to be, and what would happen to it in the future. After discussing the past human influence and the meadow’s possible future disappearance, we continued on to Walker Meadow where we saw fresh bear scat! We all broke up in to little keying parties and spent a while identifying some of the wildflowers in the meadow. As the sun was getting lower in the sky we began heading back to camp. A group of us saw a Bald Eagle on the way back. It was an eventful day filled with excitement to say the least. Oh did I mention it was funky friday!

16 May, 2015

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    Mendocino Co: Angelo North Coast Reserve: S. Fork Eel River

    On our second day in the great forests of the Angelo Reserve we spun the wheel about forest composition. We walked in groups and wondered why the forest was open in some places, but crowded in others, what the forest looked like 50 years ago, and what it would look like 200 years from now. Spencer K, Selena, Izzy, and Avery climbed up to Black Oak Mountain while the rest of the class walked through old-growth Doug-Fir forest above Elder Creek. In both of these places we noticed the signs of fire and wondered what effect it had on shaping these forests. After a good day of spinning the wheel, much of the class began to gather in the sun along the Eel River, catching snakes and identifying orchids. Some people were just starting to doze off when a Bald Eagle flew 30ft overhead up the river. Not a bad way to end the day!

17 May, 2015

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    Mendocino Co: Angelo North Coast Reserve: S. Fork Eel River

    Today, we focused on the Eel River and dynamics of river systems. We walked in pairs upstream and talked about how the ancient river likely played a role in carving the meadows that now lie far above the rushing water in the canyon below. Chris led us in an exercise acting out characteristics of a river and then we went down to study it up close. We say the ox-bow (cut off lake) from a previous river flow and found a dragonfly larvae in the process of emerging into an adult. Then we went to Elder Creek and had two great presentations on river ecosystems and aquatic invertebrates. After this we were free to explore where we liked, some of us plunged into the creek to identify insects while others went off in search of beautiful and rare flowers.

18 May, 2015

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    Mendocino Co: Angelo North Coast Reserve: S. Fork Eel River

    On our fourth day in Mendocino we set out for the bigger water at the confluence, where the Eel River meets 10 mi Creek. Walking north from camp we birded and botanized our way through mature Doug-Fir forests until we reached The White House. This old abandoned homesteader’s house sits in a large meadow and tells a small piece of the story of land use past. We all sat on the porch here for lunch. Many students keyed plants, while others stalked lizards or explored the meadow. After lunch, we all set out together down the Eel and almost immediately found ourselves in the blackened landscape of last year’s fire. We wondered why the fire torched some areas but left others untouched. It was amazing to see the abundance of life sprouting up in the ashes. A bald eagle flew by, drawing our eyes to the river and taking our breath away. We continued on, and descended a narrow ridge to the confluence, through wildflower blooms and charred stumps. We reached the water just as it started to rain, which didn’t deter many of us from going for a swim. The rain faded quickly and we split up into groups to measure the discharge of the rivers, marveling at the massive volume of water flowing by each second. By this point, it was late afternoon and we all began to make our way back to camp, lured by the thought of dinner.

19 May, 2015

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    Mendocino Co: Angelo North Coast Reserve: S. Fork Eel River

    On Tuesday we continued the field quarter tradition of “Niche Day”, where students are encouraged to spend the entire day studying one species or interactions amongst two or three species. Students dispersed to spend the day alone in an area or with a species which caught their eye earlier in the trip. Izzie, Miro, Melina, Bree, Rozy, Emma, and Casandra went back to the confluence we visited the day before. Bear tracking led Miro to a partially eaten turtle shell near three piles of bear scat and potentially bear-trampled vegetation. Casandra’s willow wandering inspired a song which she and her ukulele shared with the class during nature notes. Emma tasted nine different moss species and later described their impressions on her well-developed palate. The Spencers ended up at South Meadow. Spencer K. shared his beautiful short story of a Douglas Fir who survived fire and became shelter to many forest creatures. Spencer W. was tickled by what he believed to be a monogamous relationship between a pollinating bee fly and a particular flower, only to end his day’s observation by witnessing the bee fly pollinating a different flower species. Max, Avery, Aldo, Kylie, and Elisha were drawn back to White House Meadow. Aldo studied a Western Fence Lizard after an abrupt introduction involving the lizard’s fall from the sky to his lap. Evan started following a doe and fawn early in the morning, eventually gaining the trust to watch them from just a few feet away. Some students didn’t have to travel so far to find their special place. A nesting Cassin’s Vireo family near the cabin inspired Nik to write a heart-melting love song. Each student “surpassed the threshold of boredom” while learning more about themselves and what nature has to offer.

20 May, 2015

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  Mendocino Co: Angelo North Coast Reserve: S. Fork Eel River

  On our final day in Mendocino we were free to explore wherever we wanted. Given the freedom to wander at our own pace, find whatever catches our eyes, and spin the wheel to our heart’s content. Those who wanted to explore the same areas formed into groups and headed out with a daypack filled of food, water, journals, and whatever ever else we needed to spend the whole day exploring. Some wandered up and away from the river to an isolated patch of unusual species called the “alien landing site”, while others stayed by the river or creeks hoping to cool off periodically during the day of naturalizing. With wetsuits zipped up or with rolled up shorts, a group of 15 hiked from Fox Creek Lodge to the White House where they met up with the Eel and made an upstream river walk following a horseshoe path that led us back to the camp. As we walked, we pondered the question that Chris had posed to us that morning “If you were in charge of the entire Eel River watershed, how would you manage it and balance human use, fish populations, and overall river ecology?” After dinner, a hand drill spun a coal that sparked the last night’s fire. Staying warm alongside the heat of the flame, we shared our experience from that day and reflected on the trip as a whole. As the coals burned out we headed into the lodge that had been cleared out to make room for live music and an old fashion hoedown. We danced into the night, saying our goodbyes to the Angelo Reserve and closing out our third trip of quarter.