31 May 2018 - Sierra S.

• • We left today on our last adventure of the quarter. On our way to the Sagehen Field Station, in the Eastern Sierra, we made a pit stop at the Yolo Bypass. The Yolo Bypass gave us a glimpse into the central valley’s wetland past with a diverse number of shore birds and native rushes. After a few more hours northeast we finally made it to Sagehen Field Station! This is the first time NHFQ has been to this special reserve so we are all excited to explore. To wrap up the night we heard from Zohe about weather in the Sierra specifically the fascinating world of clouds.

1 June 2018- Deanna

• • Today was our first full day at Sagehen Creek Field Station. We started off the day by meeting with Jeff, where we got to watch out first field quarter movie on the history and happenings of Sagehen. After that, some of us went to explore the fen and the meadow and others had an opportunity to hike further up the ridge. I chose to explore the meadow. As we trekked through the fen the ground gushed with water and mud. We saw many birds along the way, including a Wilson’s Warbler, Lincoln’s Sparrow, and woodpecker. We also saw several nests, including a woodpecker nest, one very small Brown Creeper nest within the crevice of a tree and another nest in a hole on the base of a fallen log. There were so many beautiful flowers growing that day and a few of us sat down at the meadow to key a Ranunculaceae flower, Caltha leptosepala. That night we heard from Brian about the Lahontan Cutthroat Trout and how introduced species and diversion of water have pushed them out of their range in the Sierra. We also heard from Ryan about the Washoe tribe who originally inhabited this land, and then Chris lead a geology lesson where  we got to play with marshmallows and sugar while learning about plutons and country rock.

2 June 2018- Amelia

• • Today we ventured a little ways up Highway 89 to the beautiful Perazzo Meadows, which lie in a seasonally flooded valley through which the Little Truckee River snakes. We parked at a campsite and walked a little ways down a dirt road, naturalizing as we went. Keeping our eyes out for bear butts running away into the forest, we listened to bird songs, checked out some new flowers, and admired the bright green patches of aspen intermixed with lodgepole pine along the ridge slopes.  Once we got closer to the river, we noticed the way it meandered in various directions, and how you don’t have to get very close to the river’s edge to step down in some grass and get your feet entirely soaked. As a group, we discussed the mountain yellow-legged frog of the high Sierra, how climate change is affecting these mountains, and how the vegetation changes with increasing height on the slopes from the river banks to the tops of the ridges.  At the floor of the valley, grasses and willows dominate, especially at the level of the river. As you go a little higher up the slope, as well as on old river terraces, the soil becomes more compact and rocky, allowing for the growth of sagebrush and lodgepole pine. Towards the tops of the ridges, lodgepole pine and white fir grow in dense forests. Many of us had never had the chance to experience an alpine meadow as in depth as we did today, and we will surely take away with us many amazing memories: the eerie call of the mountain quail, the contrasting colors of the mourning cloak butterfly, numerous plants that we were able to key, a garter snake slithering through the grass, and of course a beaver casually swimming by.

3 June 2018 - Kelly

• • Today we said our goodbyes to Sagehen and headed south towards Mono Lake. The drive was incredible as we watched the plant communities change with elevation. There are so many different types of conifers here in the Sierra, and we sure did botanize in the car. We took Monitor pass to the 395, stopping only for a quick second at the top. As we entered Mono Basin, we stopped at the Mono Lake Tufa state reserve. There, we saw the amazing Tufa towers that were created underwater, where calcium laden springs and carbonate lake waters meet, to create limestone structures that are now visible due to the lakes tributaries being diverted to the L.A. area. Later in the evening, we learned more about the long, complicated story of Mono lake by Ryan and Katherine, which included many characters and skits. Indeed, it was a good introduction to this beautiful area.

4 June 2018 - Olivia

• • 6 am Sibley Lazuli Bunting, creek water caught coffee ground waiting

    a talk of time, volcano, subduction, production, endorheic basin

    mantle materials sliding, pressing, continent defined, plates stretch out, sierra uplifted

    algae producers nourish bring flies & shrimp

    gulls, grebes, sandpipers, phalaropes, feast eco-web

    a dip in the reflected sky blue below, blue above, shallow saline lake

    wade, immerse float free stinging cuts and no-seeum bites

    white salt clings to torso and limbs

    Lee Vining delta meets saline rim

    share mud scrub, laughing, sheds salt

    the deep evening mingling in windblown aspens,

    Kutsavi stories told, pine nuts and alkali fly pupae

    patterns of seasons across the land

5 June 2018 - Sophie

• • Thanks to a series of geologic events that included subduction, continental drift, glaciation, and volcanism, today’s activities took place in both the Sierra High Country, and the rolling hills just east of said peaks, looking southeast over the mono basin, with only a few miles of distance in between this vast array of ecosystems. The morning began with a much needed sleep in breakfast, after which we piled into vans and moseyed up to around 10,000 feet. We traveled north up highway 395, turned left on Virginia lakes road, and followed it for 6 miles to the trailhead, seated in the steep staircase of the eastern sierra peaks. As a group, we walked the trail to overlook the first lake, blue lake - steep red slopes with cascades of rock lining the walls of the basin, and snow everywhere! The excitement of snow turned quickly into a Chris Lay vs everyone else snowball fight (CML used to be a pitcher, guess who won). After the snow yayas had been released, we heard from Kelly GM about alpine ecosystems and Lacey on glaciers. Ryan’s mother, who joined us on the hike, also presented about being one of the first female rangers in the California State Parks system! After presentations, we continued to walk in an ascent to just around 10,700 feet, wheezing the whole way, and arriving to the next alpine lake for lunch. Some people jumped in the water - I chose the much warmer option of sitting and drawing the moraines and observing the different types of rocks and erosion processes. We headed back down after lunch, and many sweet birds were spotted along the way - a bald eagle, Clark’s Nutcrackers, and a falcon sp.! Once at the vans, we drove a short ways to the Bodie Hills overlook, just five miles east of Virginia Lakes, and found ourselves atop rolling green hills, alive with Castilleja and moths that look like bees and a whole new host of plants and invertebrates. The view was one of the most beautiful I have experienced: the entire mono basin in front of us to the south, green lush rolling hills to the east, shadowed in the back by tall snowy peaks - very sound of music-esque, only NHFQ style (less singing, more keying). We came back to camp, and after dinner gathered in a circle in our sleeping bags in the meadow next to camp to watch the sunset and listen to part 2 of life after college with Ryan and Chris, who relayed their journeys in post-grad life, reassuring many of us of the many opportunities available to us and people ready to support us as we venture into the world beyond UCSC. The day culminated in a big cuddle party beneath the rising summer constellations. Altair, Vega and Deneb smiled as they rocked us to sleep.

6 June 2018 - Jessica

• • After breakfast this morning Alexa taught us about cowbirds and the drama their parasitic lifestyle brings to songbirds. Later in the morning we met up with the education director of the Mono Lake Committee, Bartshe Miller. He talked to us about water management and gave us a tour of the local watersheds. We started the day at Lee Vining Diversion Dam where we learned that water from there is diverted to Grant Lake and Los Angeles. Our next stops were Lower Rush Creek and Grant Lake, here we got to learn about future plans to modify the spillway and build an outlet which will hopefully allow Rush Creek to thrive. One cool factoid I learned is that the city of Los Angeles used to receive 16% of its water from the Mono Basin and now it only receives 2.5%, which is great news for Mono Lake. While we were at Grant Lake we saw a juvenile Bald Eagle swoop over the lake and pick up a fish. We were all shook!! Next thing we see is Rozzy blazing it to the vans and Chris racing after her to get the telescopes and see who could set up the fastest. Roz won. Once we got a visual on the bird we spotted it perching on a rock, holding the fish with one talon while tearing it apart with its beak, fully enjoying the fresh meal. We voiced our gratitude and said our goodbyes to Bartshe then hungrily ate some lunch before hitting up the Tufa Towers at Navy Beach. Once we were at the Tufa Towers we dispersed and got to explore on our own. We didn’t stay too long, because our next stop was Downtown Lee Vining. While there, most of us got some Mono Lake swag at the gift shop, some went to get ice cream from Mono Market, and others got french fries from Mono Cone. We got back in time for cook crew to make dinner and later in the evening we layered up, circled up in the meadow, and heard about Ryan and Chris’ life after college stories.

7 June 2018 - Sierra S.

• • Today we started the day with a discussion with Lucy Parker, a member of the Paiute tribe and a master basket maker. She shared with us her stories, history, traditions, and triumphs of the Paiute tribe. She also shared with us her beautifully meticulous baskets that are all woven from local flora such as willow bark. We then made our way to Lundy Canyon after saying our last  goodbye to Lucy. Lundy canyon is a glacial canyon that is shaped by the Mill Creek and the riparian communities that surround it. Here at Mill Creek looking up onto a beautiful waterfall we listened to Courtney about Beavers and their extreme impact of the abiotic and biotic factors of the canyon. We then went our separate ways and explored the canyon. Some of us went to the top of the waterfall and took a dip in the snow runoff while some of us searcher for Sooty Grouse. We stayed at Lundy Canyon extra long then drove straight to Traverntine Hot Springs. Ryan had picked us up some world famous Monoritos so we spent our night birding and chowing down at the hot springs. After a long day we arrived back at camp around 9pm. While a few of us went straight to bed a few of us stargazed into the night with CML.

8 June 2018 - Deanna

• Today was our very last sponge day of the quarter, a time to soak up all that the Mono basin had to offer and reflect on everything field quarter has brought to our lives. Some of us left in the morning to Dechambeau ponds, others to explore Horsetail Meadow and to dip in Mono Lake one last time, and many of us on an attempt to climb Lee Vining Peak.  I went with Zohe, Lacey, Courtney, the Kellyz, Brian, Trevor, Sierra S., and Chris on the Lee Vining Peak adventure. The hike up was tough but as we gained elevation we began to pass through patches of snow. I plopped down on a pile to cool down and ate snowballs throughout the rest of the hike to keep hydrated. Eventually we reached a point where we had to scramble over rocks to get to the top The rocks were loose and wobbly and some of us were scared but we were all very supportive of one another and everyone pushed through and made it to the top. The view was stunning at the peak; you can see the entire Mono Lake surrounded by the  tips of every mountain and every single place we visited on our trip. The air was cool and the wind heavy. We got to trek down the giant patched of snow on our way down, and Chris taught us how to heel-kick to keep from falling. We heel-kicked down in pairs, hand in hand, until we reached a point where we could butt-sled down the rest of the alpine zone. Definitely the most exciting slide I’ve ever been on! While we were up there we saw a Clark’s Nutcracker, Cassin’s Finch, White-barked Pine and signs of bears including scat and tracks in the snow. We were all exhausted when we returned, but we had a long night of reflections to close up the quarter. Emily, Ryan, Chris and Rozy took us through our journey from the Mojave to Big Creek to Mendo and finally the Sierras, through visualizations, poetry and reminders of the people we came across. Then we all went around and shared our gratitudes and our reflections on our roles in the natural world. Some of us stayed in the circle sharing appreciations until the peak of the night and everyone was sleepy. That night I slept in the meadow under the stars. Although I am sad that this experience is coming to an end, I know that the places I visited, the people I’ve met, the lessons I’ve learned, and the experiences I’ve made will stay with me for a lifetime.