Box Turtles and Serpentine Barrens

Last week I flew back to Pennsylvania for the designation ceremony of the Nottingham Serpentine Barrens as a National Natural Landmark. The serpentine barrens are a globally rare ecosystem that supports many rare and endemic species. The picture below shows the grassland areas intermixed with pitch pine forests.

During my visit I had the opportunity to extend my stay a few days and work on my beloved turtle project at Gettysburg. Despite the pouring rain during my field work and the lack of my skilled turtle dog, I was able to locate turtles. 

Without my dog I had to depend on luck and my ability to track turtles by following the trails they leave in the Japanese stiltgrass (finally, a use for that nasty exotic!). The cool thing about following the turtle trails is that you can see what a turtle has been up to as they meander around. Sometimes the trails lead to berry bushes, carion, or a "form" where the turtle may have spent the night. I even followed a trail once that led to a scenic vista at a cliff edge. Was the turtle just looking at the scenery? Or did he get confused and turn around before he fell off the cliff? I like to believe the former.

The highlight of the field work was finding box turtle #4. She was one of the first turtles I found back in 2006 and she was relocated (along with many others) to the temporary holding pen while a portion of the forest was being clear cut. It was interesting that I found her back in the original location where I found her over 3 years ago only now her forest has been converted into a meadow. It gave me hope that she was able to survive the transition. Of course, she is not the only turtle that I've found safely returned "home". Of the nearly 200 turtles that I've marked I have recapture data for nearly a quarter of these. Now, if Ada would just take longer naps I could attempt to publish my findings one day!

A weekend as a tourist...

Exploring the tidal pools of the Oregon coast is a great way to spend an afternoon. Here is a colorful photo of sea stars and sea anemones we spotted on a recent visit to "Hug Point" located just south of Cannon Beach. When the tide is low these creatures are exposed and vulnerable to clumsy humans that step on them or pull them from their homes.  In fact, one must tiptoe through these areas because everything is alive....you can actually hear the barnacles making soft clacking noises, almost like a bowl if Rice Krispies.

Last weekend I had a good friend come to visit and we hiked the 6 mile "Fort to Sea Trail" which begins at Fort Clatsop and traces the route that Lewis and Clark traveled to the Pacific. Along the way we spotted a bald eagle fly overhead carrying nesting material and land in this tree. 

Heather and I along the Fort to Sea Trail....

A random shot of Zach, Ada, and I at Ecola State Park. Ada had a blast running up and down the trail saying hello to random strangers. She has a very extroverted personality. 


And you can't consider yourself an Oregonian unless you've had your photo taken at Haystack Rock in Cannon Beach. The Haystack is the 3rd largest monolith in the country and is home to all kinds of birds, including puffins, and has some splendid tidal pools, too. (Thanks for the photo, Heather!)

Chickens

We finally gave in and realized that life is not complete unless we have chickens. So, the other day we became the proud parents of four baby chicks- Buff Orpingtons and Black Australorps . Ada is always asking to see the "birds". Here's what they look like now:

And what they will become:

What we've been up to lately...

Ada seems to really enjoy car rides. This is the view I normally get when I turn around to look at her. She loves to pull her shoes and socks off while riding in the car...

And here she is posing at Cape Disappointment State Park, WA. We went for a Mother's Day hike through the wetlands.

A rare photo opportunity with mom (usually I'm behind the camera!)

The carousel in Seaside, Oregon. Ada was in her glory because she rode a bunny!

And here's a shot of the Young's River Falls. Apparently the waterfall is famous and was in a ton of movies....

A hike up Saddle Mountain

Saddle Mountain Natural Area is located about a 30 minute drive from us. This steep mountain trail climbs 1,633 feet in just under 2.5 miles traversing through mature forests and sub-alpine meadows. The summit offers a stunning 360 degree view of Clatsop County and on a clear day one can see Portland, Mount Hood, and Mount Rainier. This past Sunday we put Ada in the backpack and trudged up the mountain. 

The different ecosystems of Saddle Mountain support a variety of wildflowers...including pink fawn lillies that we saw in bloom.

This is one of the many panoramic views during the hike.

Zach pointing out the wildflowers to Ada...

Zach and Ada taking a break near the the top...

And we finally made it to the summit! Admittedly it was a STRENUOUS hike and the next day my legs were in pain, but it was absolutely worth it!

The horrors of wool

Wool is one of the most remarkable fibers that we know of. It's soft, warm, breathable, and hypo-allergenic...perfect for use in a baby's room. However, as I delved into my pursuit to find natural wool bedding and clothes for Ada, I discovered that the large scale sheep shearing business in Australia (where a significant portion of the world's merino wool originates from) is terrifying and disgraceful. Check out the video...but be forewarned that it is extremely graphic so watch with caution: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4595645622036014391

Never again will I simply buy a wool product unless I know where it comes from and how the animals have been treated. I realize this will be difficult and probably more expensive but fortunately here in Oregon we have the Oregon Wool Growers Association that consists of small family farmers who sell wool products. I'd rather buy close to home where I can see firsthand how the sheep are treated. 

Ruby Red Slippers

We got Ada her first pair of shoes the other day. They are ruby-red mary jane crocs. I had wanted a nice conservative brown color but Ada insisted on the red pair. I suppose that red color represents the independent, extroverted, fiery personality she is becoming. Below is a video of her modeling the new shoes.

Easter Morning

Ada's second Easter! Her Easter bag was filled with wooden lacing beads, a small chocolate dipped peep, and a little lamb I sewed her from wool remnants from the Pendelton Wool store.

California Sea Lions

Just a short walk from the grocery store in Astoria is a fishing pier where California sea lions like to hang out. These magnificent animals live in the mouth of the Columbia River for most of the year with the exception of June to August when they migrate to California for breeding. Sea lions can weigh up to 700lbs and excel at catching salmon...much to the dismay of local fisherman.  The other day we got lunch from one of the local "taco trucks" and parked our car on the pier right next to the sea lions. Ada was enthralled with watching them roll into the water and listening to them bark and groan at each other. 

Zach's parents were came to visit for a bit and got to see the sea lions, too. That's Grandma on the left....Grandpa is hiding behind the camera :-)

The new house

I hesitated to post pictures of the house we are in the process of buying because I didn't want to jinx anything (the loan is still being finalized)....but here it is! The house is about 1800 sq feet and sits on a small pond. Although the house is newer (we really wanted an older house to restore since new development is responsible for wildlife habitat loss) the previous owners were very green minded with the house design and it's energy usage. The ocean is less than a mile walk away and so is Fort Stevens State Park. We will only own .6 acres so, of course, our neighbors are much closer than they were in Gettysburg but perhaps that will help us ditch our anti-social ways :-)

And here's the house from behind....

On Two Legs....Ada is Walking!

A bit wobbly but she's walking! What really got her trying to walk was a morning spent at play group watching other little kids walk. As soon as she got home she started practicing. 

You know we live in small town...

...when Zach and Ada make the front page of the Daily Astorian!

History follows park chief's journey from coast to coast
HTTP://www.dailyastorian.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&subsectionID=398&articleID=59606&Q=80343.12
Web Posted 3/30/2009 11:22:00 AM
Article :

Zach Bolitho is all energy. His hands flick as he speaks, illustrating and emphasizing his words. But being energetic and active might be a Bolitho family trait. Bolitho has just joined the staff of Lewis and Clark National Historical Park as its new chief of resources.

One of the early things he did after arriving at the park was hike the Fort to Sea Trail. Bolitho and his wife, Carolyn, set out with a group of nearly 50 other park service personnel from across the country two weeks ago with 13-month-old daughter Ada in a baby backpack carrier. But Ada became a little crabby after a short while and Carolyn headed back home with her.

Bolitho explained that Ada prefers to continue to move along the trail, and wasn't happy about the frequent stops for discussions. Then again, maybe she'd had enough travel for a while. The family had just come cross-country from Bolitho's last assignment with the Park Service, at Gettysburg National Military Park, in Pennsylvania. He said Ada is fine when he pushes her along for five or six miles in her jogging stroller.

The diverse activities at Lewis and Clark National Historical Park attracted Bolitho to the job. "I think it was the mix between cultural and natural resources - like Gettysburg," he said. He added that - in much the same way leaders at Lewis and Clark are striving to return the park to the biological state it was in when the explorers first arrived, leadership in Gettysburg is trying to restore that park to its Civil War-era state. Both parks are trying to preserve a piece of history, while restoring their area's historic landscapes. And Bolitho was ready to try something new. Either my park, where I was at, was going to give me more responsibility, or I was going to have to jump out and try something else," he said.He said Lewis and Clark was a new park, in a new part of the country for him, that had begun projects - like the restoration of South Clatsop Slough - that he could take part in. Otter Point - those types of projects are of interest. It was a step forward," he said. "I thought it was an opportunity to try something out. You've got a lot going on here."

Bolitho's first job with the Park Service was at Craters of the Moon National Monument in Idaho. It was later expanded and reclassified as a national monument and preserve. He moved on to the Shenandoah National Park, where he was a member of the Exotic Plant Management Team. The team assessed, controlled and eradicated (where possible) the most invasive plant and insect species in eight national parks in Pennsylvania, Virginia and Maryland. Since his time there, the team has expanded to control invasive species in 14 national parks.

He then moved on to Gettysburg. Bolitho's work in the past eight years in Gettysburg has been to restore the 1863 battlefield landscape. His natural resources office in Gettysburg was responsible for monitoring forest health and sustainability. It managed the park's agricultural properties - leasing out 3,000 acres for farmland. "I think I've got a lot to learn, in a good way," he said. "The resources are different."

Thanks for visiting http://www.dailyastorian.com/!

Should I walk or should I crawl? Important thoughts of Ada Evaine Bolitho.

One of these days Ada will be walking on her own, but for now we still help her out, as Zach does in the video below. It's funny because she hasn't been wanting to practice walking lately and we think it's because she's so talanted at crawling.

Mount Rainier National Park

Well, we made it to Mount Rainer National Park. It's about a 3 hr drive northwest of us. Zach was there for a training for work so Ada and I decided to come visit for a night. Beautiful place, even though we never actually got to see the mountain since they were having a blizzard! Who would have thought there would be that much snow up there?
Lacking snowshoes or skis we didn't stray too far from the roads, but we did enjoy the snow.

Volcano Evacuation Route?? These signs were posted everywhere. Thankfully the volcano didn't blow while we were there...although maybe that would have melted the snow for us...

I must have too much time on my hands...

I seem to have gotten the sewing bug these days. It's strange because I never was a sewer even though my mom was a talented seamstress and my best friend growing up would sew the most beautiful riding clothes for us. But I've found that sewing for kids is easy...mostly because you can make colorful, fun things and nobody criticizes your mistakes! Below is the felt food collection (yes, those are ravioli), a beach ball, and some thrift store jackets that I covered up the ugly designs they came with.


And more shirts with fun critters. It's so addictive to buy an ugly shirt and make it uniquely beautiful (or at least I think so).

And then there is "Irene"....