Wild Wyoming!

Well, August became quite the busy month after my bird project was finished in Wyoming. When I was hired for the bird project, I had also been hired for some vegetation work, in Lodgepole Pine stands, for the remainder of the summer. This work was a combination of American Lynx habitat work, required by the US Forest Service under the endangered species act, and to examine the extent of pine beetle kill in the southern Wyoming and northern Colorado Lodgepole Pine Forests.

So, I, in other words, wasn't doing bird work. Which was fine by me. A new kind of work meant I would learn new things. Which always makes life interesting.

It was fun work, in it's way. It was very nice to work with people again! As much as I enjoyed the bird work and all the time I had to myself...after a while, I realized I wanted company again. Corny jokes, shorter drives, and funny stories were the order of the day, to help pass the time on the project.

And then I did a switcheroo...
For various reasons, I switched projects from the lodgepole project to a wetland delineation one. This project would involve backpacking, getting our feet wet (literally), remote areas, grizzly country, and great scenery. All the plots were around the Grand Teton National Park area, and I got to work with my "roommate" from the summer (though we rarely were at home base at the same time). I loved it!

Our first plots involved a boat ride across Jackson Lake, to the Moran Bay area. The photos above were of our first plot there, a marsh. It was sometimes hard to get work done, with such a wonderful backdrop! We got our plots done a little faster than we expected, so even did a bonus plot on the last day for extra data. Very wet feet were involved the whole time, as well as some Great Horned Owls calling and flying around camp, Bald Eagles, Ospreys, and various songbirds as well.

After we were finished, the boat came back to pick us up at our pre-arranged time and location. The weather was very pleasant, and offered some unparalleled views of the Teton range. This first is a view of the moon setting behind the Tetons the night we listened to and watched the owls:
The following is a composite image of the first marsh:
And the view of the Tetons from the boat on the way out:
From these plots, we spent a much deserved day restocking our larder and resting in beds! A strange thing for my field partner, who could count on two hands the number of nights he wasn't camping during the summer. Then, it was off to our first actual backpack (well, for me) to some plots near Survey Peak, on the west side of Grand Teton National Park.

We were more worn out more than we thought...it took much longer to walk the 10 miles than we thought it would. But nevertheless, we got to our plots fine, with only about a half mile of off trail walking. We saw some signs of bears, but nothing that made us too concerned. We made plenty of noise to make sure they knew we were coming. The plots up in that area went smoothly...well, the first three anyway (a marsh [photo 1], a fen [photo 2], and a wet meadow).
Then, we walked down to our last plot for the area. And we thought, uh oh. Moose or bear danger. The shrubs were too tall to see over, and too dense to see through. But after a short time, we realized that it was so dense, a bear or moose wouldn't even walk in it (and we never saw any sign that they did), and they would hear us and all the noise we made without any problem.
Then we walked out the next day. As difficult as the shrubland was, it wasn't nearly as bad as Ken's brilliant idea of a shortcut to avoid a short climb up a mountain, and instead going across the contour straight across the slopes. Yeah, I'm being sarcastic - it took us just as long. The reward was great scenery though.
Once we got back on the trail, we made PLENTY of noise. We had done so on the way up too. The reason? Bear bait. Also known as huckleberries. Though we enjoyed plenty as well.
From here, it was off to a single, lone plot next to lost lake. And then some much needed rest and relaxation in a bed again, in Jackson Hole this time. And then some fun.

In the interest of saving space on this blog, please check out photos on my flickr page, link on the right. We took a couple of days of "rest" in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, checking out different sites in the parks. Then, it was the final push, for me. We had a few short days to get the "wildcat peak" plots done. This area is east of Teton National Park, and south of Yellowstone National Park, in the Teton Wilderness. This was prime grizzly country, and though we never saw one, we saw plenty of signs. This is Ken next to a clawed tree...with a worried expression (on Ken, not the tree):
We finished our plots, and walked out. And I was finally done with my summer in Wyoming. For this year, anyway.
And so, from here, I embark on the next great adventure. PERU! I'm starting...um, no, that's not right. I've been excited for this for months. I'm just getting more and more amped up for the trip. There will be lots of new birds to see, and lots of adventures to be had.