thriftstore glasses and barbed wire

Snipping wire for otter snares is generally precluded with a sigh and grimacing face - not because it's ridiculously challenging, it's just really tedious...Fortunately Kurt, the lead scientist/otter guru, was pleasantly surprised by the number of complete snares, meaning fewer untampered snares that we "get" to clip. Because it's a very awkward, abrasive task, I can't really do it inside our house (nothing like stabbing yourself with a random wire chunk to reinforce that minor detail) - so, much to the entertainment of our neighbors, I've moved a table out onto our front porch and have set up a little wire snipping sweatshop if you will - and the best part is the pair of mildly magnified reading glasses I snagged at Goodwill that I use as safety glasses; for $.39 I can handle the headache that sets in after an hour -it's a good timer for breaks.

Next week is the beginning of the wildlife's work with 2 very cool park technicians - it sounds like more trekking through the Elwha looking for otter latrines and eventually setting up the beloved snares.

The hydrology group is currently the in the midst of data interpretation madness as we prepare for a snow conference coming up in April, meaning my best friend Excel and I will be spending lots of time together in the next few weeks, thankfully I've got some good wine on hand...

Otter Photoshoot!

After working a few days with Kim, we saw our first legitimate otter last week, basking in the sun on one particular log near the State Salmon Spawning Channel (yep, it's that easy...). Our work has consisted of bushwacking along the side channels of the Elwha, looking for signs of otter latrines - silvery/white blobs of goop and fish bones. The latrines act as a communication center and are often used by multiple otters but locations change with seasonal changes. I'm currently gathering information/previous research related to the influence that changes in streamflow and tidal fluxes have on the relative use and placement of these latrines.

According to Kim, otters usually live in small groups and may gather in larger numbers for social gatherings. After identifying the most heavily used latrines for the season, we can set painless snares that collect otter hair as the animal moves through the snare (a barbed wire contraption held together by a paperclip). This hair is then used for DNA analysis to determine the size of otter communities, looking for repetitious DNA indicative of the "locals". This abundance estimate will be compared to numbers following the dam removal as well as looking at the transfer of marine derived nutrients (if salmon return in the upper reaches).

The hydrology group is continuing to work on our designated snow courses for the Dungeness. Apparently we have a new course on Deer Ridge that is ridiculously beautiful and a wonderful little hike in - I look forward to participating in that one soon!