While I wasn’t able to shadow any teams in the field this week, I was invited to sit in on the seasonal interpretation training at SAJH, San Juan National Historic Park. The islands that make up this beautiful archipelago were once in a boundary dispute between the United States and Britain in the mid-1800’s. Two camps were established on either end of the island and we almost escalated into war over the shooting of a pig. The park manages many of the original buildings at American and English camp and as I discovered, the cultural landscape was deeply affected by the natural one and vice-versa.
After an hour and a half ferry ride, we emerged out of the fog at the port city, Friday Harbor. I had forgotten how peaceful and quiet the islands are; they cling low to the horizon like half-submerged arms offering protective coves and safe passage. My last visit was two years ago on a solo bike trip and the islands seem timeless and unchanged since then.
The superintendent, Peter Dederich, was gracious enough to drive me in their new hybrid vehicle from park headquarters to the visitor center at American camp, a trip that seemed much shorter than when I had to bike it myself. Introductions were made over coffee and donuts and our small group settled in for the first of the day’s presentations. Because the nature of seasonal training can be an overwhelming amount of information and because the topics didn’t always apply to my job communicating inventory and monitoring, I’ll just go through some highlights:
-The San Juan Islands are home to around 4,000 harbor seals with about 1,000 born each year. Unfortunately, the pupping season, late June through early August, coincides with peak tourist visitation. Strandings and injuries do occur but we’ve got one of the best animal rehabilitation centers in the region located on the island, Wolf Hollow.
-There are four different decomposition stages for marine mammals found on beaches: fresh kill, dead stinky, dead ugly, and mummified/skeleton. The powerpoint slides of dolphins with exposed entrails were the perfect appetizers for our lunch break. Mmmmm.
-One of orca celebrities, Granny, from the J-Pod, is estimated to have been born in 1911!
Christopher Davis finished off the day with an introduction to one of the island’s more unique natural resources, the 684-acre (1.1 sq mile) prairie at American Camp. Prairies were once wide-ranging in the Western Washington landscape but now are severely fragmented and rare. Many were converted to farmland and at American camp, originally Bellevue Farm, over 4,000 sheep, cattle, horses and pigs once grazed in the 19th century.
Ebey’s Landing National Historic Reserve also has 3,000-acres of prairie and together with SAJH, they are monitoring prairie vegetation communities. In addition to prairies, SAJH also monitors climate, landscape dynamics, intertidal and landbirds.
Unfortunately, non-native plants and rabbits are negatively impacting the health of the prairie and restoration efforts are currently underway. Christopher shared numerous misconception or “urban legends” that the public still hold as true:
“Rabbits are good for the soil because their holes provide aeration”
-Actually, they dig too deep and bring up nutrient-poor glacial till.
“If we remove the rabbits, we remove an important food source for raptors.”
-While this is sorta true for the raptors living around the prairie, their consumption of rabbits is way out of proportion for normal raptor diet.
“The government released a virus to kill the rabbits in the 80’s.”
-Ummm, no.
This last point sparked an exciting discussion amongst the group and what they had heard from the public. I had no idea that the rabbits were such a contentious issue (if they weren’t so cute and reminiscent of Thumper, no one would care about removing this invasive species).
There was also a lively reenactment by a prominent staff member, intentionally left nameless, who once hurled a wooden flag pole like a javelin at a bullying pheasant that someone had released illegally in the park.
The only story I could contribute was about Clark’s Cabin in Marblemount. Years ago, the owners had brought some of the San Juan Island rabbits back to their restaurant/lodge and the animals quickly bred like, well, rabbits. Visitors can now pick up stale bread from the back of the restaurant and feed the rabbits much like one feeds ducks in a park. It’s a surreal and scary experience to see twenty rabbits bounding towards you and your bread.
Okay, I’m clearly rambling at this point and should wrap things up. San Juan National Historic Park might not have the sublime majesty of the three larger parks in Washington, but I believe there can be a more intimate experience with its landscape and our own cultural history. Because the human story is so intertwined with the natural resources, I’m not sure if communicating prairie restoration and monitoring becomes easier or more difficult.
I’m realizing that the value of these field trips isn’t necessarily based on how much I learn, but about the connections I make with other NPS employees. I’m continually meeting people who are passionate and excited about what they do and I’m proud to be part of such an organization.
Special thanks to: Peter Dederich, Darlene Wahl, Mike Vouri, Christopher Davis, and Cousin Vinnie’s Authentic NY Café.
1 comment:
Invasive exotic species, the cuter and cuddlier they are the harder it is to explain why the NPS wants to get rid of them. Channel Islands endured some rough times over the extermination of feral pigs. The debate is still raging there over the exotic elk. In other SW parks it was the burros. Somehow most people don't get as incensed about EVER targeting pythons or BUIS removing black rats.
It is difficult for most people to conceptualize what a healthy, balanced ecosystem really looks like since very few ecosystems are actually in a "natural" state.
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