the FINAL push...

Daylight savings is here and I am loving it! Last night I took Elsie (that adorable dog above) on a walk at 7:30 pm and it wasn't pitch black - hooray! The madness of finals week is upon us here in PA, which means my wildlife group video and personal otter podcast are up for evaluation - yep, I'm a tech-loving gal (Ok, it really hasn't been that bad thanks to Kathy, a tech guru in my eyes...). Because there is more to the research than the tech-aspect, thank god, Robert and I hiked into 4 latrine sites on the west side of the Elwha last week. This is a stretch of the river I hadn't explored, and it was awesome - gorgeous views, lots of hiking, a HUGE Douglas Fir, and some interesting activity at the snare sites. Robert showed me a partially-submerged beaver den, and judging by the size of the entrance, those beavers are a lot bigger than I imagined - after learning they are in fact a rodent, I became a bit less enthused (though Robert ensured me that encounters are rare and they are not crazy, rabid critters (some say that about rats too, aaaahh! just kidding...kind of).

As for the hydrology folks, I am working on some statistical analyses of the Deer Park data, which we will present in April at the Western Snow Conference in Hood River, OR - not a bad place to be for a few days! But, in the meantime, I'm focusing on surving this week, and looking forward to a stellar roadtrip over Spring Break~

The search continues...

Last week I worked with the 2 USGS otter biologists, Robert and Carolyn, in the continuing, but nearly completed, inventory of potential otter latrines and snare sites. Carolyn and I hiked down the Lake Mills trail on the east side of the Elwha with the lead of a potential latrine site. Unfortunately we found no signs, but the ticks found me - 2 of the little bastards were on the attack, but luckily I discovered their trespassing before they really dug in...yum. The day continued with a lot of river searching with little luck, but I did discover some stellar swimming holes and good jumping spots (definitely on the agenda for this summer...or sooner). Robert and Carolyn expect to have this initial inventory done soon and then we'll begin to check every snare site on a weekly basis, collecting hair follicles and sending them in for DNA analysis. The weather's been awesome, and I'm loving my time spent outside~