Week 3

Lake Crescent  and Salt Creek 

April 19-20

After the drive and ferry ride, we made it to the Nature bridge Campus and settled down in our cabins, I slept in the one called Crescent. It was incredible the difference of  just seeing the forest from the side of the road to actually being in it. The thing I noticed most was the abundance of growth especially the moss on the trees. After a warm cup of coffee, we started out on the Moments in Time trail. The first species we saw was the fairy slipper orchid. In this second growth forest, there are many younger trees and a closed canopy, the Douglas-firs are about 30-40 years old. We learned that the mycorrhizal fungi  

forms a symbiotic relationship with the Douglas-fir, decomposing soil and sending nutrients through its roots. 

Fairy Slipper Crchid 

Lake Crescent is estimated to be about 1000 feet deep, well below sea level. It was carved out by glaciers during the last ice age. The lake is nutrient poor and anoxic so not much grows in it. There is one Salmon species endemic to the lake, the Beardslee Trout. 

Lake Crescent 

It was way harder to pay attention and identify species on the way down Storm King. Fatigue was beginning to set in and I was concentrating more on where I was placing my feet and trying not to slide. We made it to the beginning of the Mary Mere falls and had time to explore the river banks looking for newts and mayfly larva. 

Second Growth Forest 

1

• a) Competition: Trees compete for sunlight to grow especially after a disturbance. On the Sword King Trail we notice that on a lot of trees, branches only grew on the side facing out to receive sunlight
• b)Disturbance: Fire, clear signs of burn marks on Douglas-fir bark seen on the Sword King trail. 
• c) Predation: In the tide-pools  there was a clear line where there were no muscles n the rocks, a sign of possible starfish predation
• d) Ripple Effect: Oyster Catchers eat limpets from rocks which in turn allows algae to grow over the rocks. This makes it easy to determine the range of an Oyster Catcher.  

2

• a) Slope Aspect: The West facing slope receives more afternoon sun which makes it a warmer climate and results in dryer condition. We noticed Madrones and Manzanita on Sword King trail which are both dry soil species.  The East facing side is colder and wetter just getting the morning sun. Also the North facing Slope has a colder climate than the south facing slope. 
• b) Elevation: As we climbed higher up Storm King there were visibly less big and old trees. The soil gets rockier and less nutrient rich as you approach the alpine habitat also the weather conditions are harsher. 

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View From Storm King 

• c) Soil Type/ Moisture: Around the river there were more Western Red Cedars  as they prefer the moisture and can't compete with the big Douglas-firs. The Madrones we saw up Storm King are adapted to the dry rocky soil found on the West facing slope. 
• d) Disturbance: Visible signs of fire along the Storm King trail. We noticed clearings with young trees growing fast to fill in the landscape, there were also burn marks on some of the Douglas-firs 

Ochre Sea Star 

Lake Crescent