DNR weekend reading: Economic value of urban trees, forests shifting northward and other stories

A snag like this one in Capitol State Forest can provide shelter and forage to birds, small mammals, and other wildlife. Photo: Jessica Payne/DNR.

Here are links to articles about natural resources, climate, energy and other topics published recently by universities, scientific journals, organizations, and other sources:

US Forest Service: US urban trees store carbon, provide billions in economic value
America’s urban forests store an estimated 708 million tons of carbon, an environmental service with an estimated value of $50 billion, according to a recent U.S. Forest Service study. The annual net carbon uptake by these trees is estimated at 21 million tons and their economic benefit at $1.5 billion.

NASA–Jet Propulsion Laboratory: NASA Opens New Era in Measuring Western U.S. Snowpack
A new NASA airborne mission has created the first maps of the entire snowpack of two major mountain watersheds in California and Colorado, producing the most accurate measurements to date of how much water they hold. The agency plans to exand the mapping to other mountain watersheds.

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory: New Study: As Climate Changes, Boreal Forests to Shift North and Relinquish More Carbon Than Expected
Boreal forests will likely shift north at a steady clip this century. Along the way, the vegetation will relinquish more trapped carbon than most current climate models predict.

University of Wisconsin: Decline in snow cover spells trouble for many plants, animals
In a warming world, winter and spring snow cover in the Northern Hemisphere is in decline, putting at risk many plants and animals that depend on the space beneath the snow to survive the blustery chill of winter.

University of Calgary: Human impacts on natural world underestimated
A comprehensive five-year study by University of Calgary ecologists indicates that conservation research may not giving enough consideration to the influence of human activity on natural ecosystems and food chains.

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Take Our Daughters and Sons To Work® at DNR

Kids had the chance to meet Smokey Bear at DNR’s Take Our Daughters and Sons To Work® Day event. Photo by: DNR/Jessica Payne

Yesterday the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) celebrated Take Our Daughters and Sons To Work® Day with the children of state employees.

This year, the Take Our Daughters and Sons To Work® Foundation partnered with the National Association of State Foresters to introduce children to careers in forestry. Almost a hundred kids came out to learn about the jobs we do at DNR, the Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the Washington Department of Agriculture.

For half a day, the Natural Resources Building here in Olympia was transformed into an education fair featuring trees, bugs, and geodes. Kids had an opportunity to learn how foresters work in the woods and try to stump the forester with their questions. They got up close with bugs while learning about forest health from one of DNR’s entomologists.

This little girl is proud to show off a sparkly geode at the Washington Geology Library exhibit for the event. Photo by: DNR/Jessica Payne

At the Washington Geology Library, children learned the life-cycle of a rock and identified special rocks, from geodes to the Washington state gem:petrified wood. Many kids put their directional skills to the test by learning to use a compass and trying to complete the orienteering course mapped out by DNR’s recreation staff. They were given a noble fir seedling from DNR’s Webster Nursery and practiced proper planting with the Washington Conservation Corps Urban Forestry team.

These little girls got to get an up close look at the bugs that affect the health of Washington’s trees. Photo by: DNR/Jessica Payne

Participants also learned how Geographic Information System (GIS) specialists make maps and use technology to help DNR teams fight wildland fires.

They also experienced what it’s like to be a DNR firefighter by meeting some of the team, trying on personal protective equipment, and meeting Smokey Bear, who paid a special visit. Even Commissioner of Public Lands Peter Goldmark came down to meet the children, thank the volunteers, and snap a quick photo with Smokey.

View photos from the event on our Flickr page here.

DNR is happy to have had the opportunity to recruit our future generations of state land managers. If you are interested in finding out about the several types of careers that DNR has to offer, visit our jobs page and apply to work with DNR today.

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2013 Salmon Recovery Conference

Today is the final day to get early-bird rates for the 2013 Salmon Recovery Conference in Vancouver, WA.

State hosts salmon recovery conference
About 600 people who live and breathe salmon recovery are expected to descend on Vancouver May 14 and 15 for a two-day salmon recovery conference. Hosted by the Washington State Salmon Recovery Funding Board, the conference includes 12 different educational tracks on all things salmon recovery. Lean more about the 2013 Salmon Recovery Conference and register today. (Student volunteers are needed.)

Conference focus

• Building better salmon recovery projects and sharing lessons learned.
• Celebrate what is working in salmon recovery
• Examine what could work better
• Share experiences and lessons from the field
• Assess and reflect on over ten years of salmon recovery work
• Learn ways to improve the quality and cost-effectiveness of projects

Who should attend: You, and others like you who are engaged in salmon recovery—project managers, land trust staff, conservation district personnel, tribal members, city and county staff, planners, landowners, fishery enhancement groups, hatchery workers, fishing professionals, sport fishers, state and federal agency staff, fish scientists, restoration ecologists, wetland biologists, and others involved with salmon recovery in Washington, Oregon, and along the Pacific Coast.

 

Spring into your DNR recreation adventure! DNR-managed lands offer a wealth of activities

Spring is officially here today and the warmer weather is starting to draw many Washington recreationists out of hibernation. Start making your spring recreation plans with these fun ideas from the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR):

Welcome spring with a new adventure on DNR-managed lands! Photo by: DNR/Toni Droscher

Prepare – What you need to do before heading out to recreate:

1. The first stop on your trip should be to visit our recreation page to see what locations are open for the season.
2. Get your map before hitting the trails. You’ll stay safer and you might find a new route to check out.
3. Sign up for DNR’s e-newsletter and get the insider’s guide to what recreation opportunities your state lands offer (click on the join email list at the top of the page).
4. Dust off the hiking boots and review your trail etiquette for happy travels in the forest.
5. Don’t forget to purchase your Discover Pass before you head out! It’s your year-long membership to nature’s gym.

Adventure – Make it a memorable spring by trying a new recreation activity this year:

DNR weekend reading: Lots and lots of sediment yet to flow down Elwha River, and other articles

Eocene continental sedimentary deposit of the Chuckanut formation in northwest Washington state. The formation’s deposits—fine-to-medium grained sandstones with lesser amounts of interbedded shale, conglomerate, and coal—and the presence of plant fossils indicate that the area was once a low-lying coastal plain with a subtropical climate. Photo: David Jeschke.

Here are links to articles about natural resources, climate, energy and other topics  published recently by universities, scientific journals, organizations, and other sources:

University of Washington: Tracking sediments’ fate in largest-ever dam removal
Salmon are beginning to swim up the Elwha River for the first time in more than a century. But University of Washington marine geologists are watching what’s beginning to flow downstream—34 million cubic yards of sediments from the largest dam-removal project ever undertaken.

University of California-Santa Cruz: Bats not bothered by forest fires, study finds
A survey of bat activity in burned and unburned areas after a major wildfire in the southern Sierra Nevada mountains found no evidence of detrimental effects on bats one year after the fire. The findings suggest that bats are resilient to high-severity fire, and some species may even benefit from the effects of fire on the landscape.

Scientific American: Clearing Forests May Transform Local—and Global—Climate
In the last 15 years, 200,000 hectares of the Mau Forest in western Kenya have been converted to agricultural land. Previously called a “water tower” because it supplied water to the Rift Valley and Lake Victoria, the forest region has dried up; in 2009 the rainy season—from August to November—saw no rain, and since then precipitation has been modest.

Virginia Tech: Researchers propose innovative solution to ensure biofuel plants don’t become noxious weeds
Some plants that are ideal for bioenergy production can potentially become invasive weeds that can cause billions of dollars in economic damage. A Virginia Tech researcher proposes changes in the regulatory methodology for evaluating the invasive potential of plants that are under consideration for large-scale cultivation as biofuel feedstock.

Stanford University: Stanford scientists calculate the carbon footprint of grid-scale battery technologies
Solar and wind power pose a challenge for the U.S. electrical grid, which lacks the capacity to store surplus clean electricity and deliver it on demand. Researchers are developing grid-scale storage batteries, but the fossil fuel required to build these technologies could negate some of the environmental benefits of new solar and wind farms, say scientists.

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DNR weekend reading: We’re bothering the birds and the crabs, apparently

A seal swims past some of the toxic creosote-treated pilings that a DNR-managed project will soon remove from Budd Bay at Olympia.

Here are links to reading selections about climate, the environment and other science topics  published recently by science journals, universities, websites, and other sources:

Newswise: Exurban Residences Impact Bird Communities Up to 200 M Away

A study by the Wildlife Conservation Society indicates that impacts to bird communities from a single rural, “exurban” residence can extend up to 200 meters into the surrounding forest. The findings suggest that even isolated rural residences can have a negative affect on sensitive bird species, such as the hermit thrush and scarlet tanager, that prefer unbroken forests, while others, like the blue jay and black-capped chickadee, often thrive with human neighbors.  Read more…

University of Bristol: Ship noise makes crabs get crabby

A study published  in Biology Letters found that ship noise affects crab metabolism, with largest crabs faring worst, and found little evidence that crabs acclimate to noise over time. The team from the Universities of Bristol and Exeter found that crabs exposed to recordings of ship noise showed an increase in metabolic rate, indicating elevated stress, which could have implications for growth. Read more…

University of Oslo: Windmills at sea can break like matchsticks

Medium-sized waves can break wind turbines at sea like matches, asserts Professor John Grue at the University of Oslo, who is one of the world’s foremost experts on wave research. Grue says an inexplicable wave phenomenon called ringing, which is a special type of vibration that occurs when choppy waves hit marine installations, arises at the rear of the turbine. Grue is now looking for a general mathematical formula that can explain the special phenomenon.  Read more…

University of Colorado: Volcanic aerosols, not pollutants, tamped down recent Earth warming, says CU study

A team led by the University of Colorado-Boulder looking for clues about why Earth did not warm as much as scientists expected between 2000 and 2010 now thinks the culprits are hiding in plain sight — dozens of volcanoes spewing sulfur dioxide. The study results essentially exonerate Asia, including India and China, two countries that have increased their industrial sulfur dioxide emissions by about 60 percent from 2000 to 2010 through coal burning.  Read more…

Science Daily: Loss of Wild Insects Hurts Crops Around the World

Researchers studying data from 600 fields in 20 countries have found that managed honey bees are not as successful at pollinating crops as wild insects, primarily wild bees, suggesting the continuing loss of wild insects in many agricultural landscapes has negative consequences for crop harvests.  Read more…

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Chinese ‘Year of the Snake’ is time to put spotlight on local species

The Northwestern garter snake reaches 2-feet long at maturity, lives on slugs and worms, and is harmless to humans. Photo: Wash. Natural Heritage Program

 With the Chinese lunar ‘Year of the Snake’ beginning this past weekend, let’s take a look at the smallest of our three garter snake species: the Northwestern garter (Thamnophis  ordinoides), one of 12 native snake species in Washington state.

Northwestern garter snakes are not rare. You can find them in open grassy areas, forest openings and edges of coniferous forests, frequently in city parks and suburban areas. They are also common near lakes, ponds and other bodies water. They reach about 2 feet at maturity and tend to be dark above with stripes of red and orange. The Northwestern garter snake lives mainly on slugs and earthworms … and it does not have a poisonous bite.

Of course, this particular year of the snake in the Chinese zodiac recognizes the water snake but we don’t have those in Evergreen State, according to the Washington Herp Atlas, an online atlas of amphibians and reptiles in the state. The atlas was produced by the Washington Natural Heritage Program, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service.

Learn more about snakes and other wildlife in Washington state

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DNR weekend reading: Dwindling mountain meadows; new hopes for salmon; and more

Granite Creek. Photo: DNR.

Here are links to selected articles about science, climate and the environment:

Oregon State University: Mountain meadows dwindling in the Pacific Northwest
Some mountain meadows in the U.S. Northwest are steadily disappearing as the effects of climate change have allowed trees to invade the ecosystems in recent decades, a new study says.

University of Alberta: Saving salmon from deadly sea lice
A University of Alberta-led research team has some positive news for British Columbia’s pink salmon populations, and the salmon farming industry that has struggled to protect both captive and wild salmon from sea lice infestations.

Science Daily: New Study Shows Effects of Climate Conditions On Bark Beetle Outbreaks
A recent study by a team of scientists confirms the important role climate plays on bark beetle outbreaks. Based on three decades of bark beetle outbreaks in Oregon and Washington, the researchers developed a statistical probability model to quantify the contribution of various climate conditions, such as temperature and precipitation, on outbreak levels and to estimate expected amounts of damage to lodgepole pine forests.

Cool Green Science (The Nature Conservancy): Giving Thanks to Salmon: Sustainers of the Great Bear Rainforest
Phil Hoose, a Newbery and National Book Award-winning author, muses on the importance of salmon to humans, wildlife and habitat in today’s British Columbia.

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Fall is a busy time for visitors to (and inhabitants of) DNR-managed state trust lands

Bighorn sheep in Loomis State Forest. Photo: Chris Marcolin/DNR.

It’s fall. Leaves are falling. And bighorn sheep, like this one spotted in Loomis State Forest in Okanogan County, have been busy bulking up for winter.

See more fall scenery photos on our blog earlier this week or, better still, get out soon and enjoy the scenery firsthand.

Know before you go! Check our recreation page for the latest open and closure notices. www.dnr.wa.gov/recreation.

Use your Discover Pass for state lands — it’s your ticket to Washington’s Great Outdoors.

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‘Fall’ in love with DNR recreation

Don’t let the shorter days get you down. Fall is one of the best times to get away from the crowds and enjoy the colorful scenery. Many DNR recreation sites will be awash in color this week. Get inspiration for your next adventure in the fall photo journal below. Send your pictures to diana.lofflin@dnr.wa.gov, and like us on Facebook to see other fall photos.

Brown is a fall color! This photo was taken last week on the John Wayne Pioneer Trail (also called the Milwaukee Road Corridor Trail), west of Spokane. DNR manages a portion of the 143-mile trail, from Columbia River to Lind, WA. The fence posts were charred in a fire that burned through the area in 2005. Photo: Mike Williams, DNR.

The Buck Creek Trail System is nestled in the forests above the Columbia River Gorge near White Salmon, WA. This non-motorized trail system winds through a working forest. One advantage of a recently harvested forest stand is the undergrowth foliage that changes color in the fall. It lights up the hillside in this photo. Photo: Donn Rasmusson, DNR.

Capitol State Forest near Olympia, WA is busy this time of year with hikers, hunters, and other recreation enthusiasts all sharing the road system. When you head out on any DNR-managed lands, remember that trails sometimes cross roads, so slow down and enjoy the fall colors! For more information, check out our Forest Road Survival Guide. Photo: Luis Prado, DNR.

The Olympic Peninsula is ablaze with fall colors and activity this year. This photo was taken on the South Fork of the Hoh River. Photo: Eric Steffen, DNR.

Boats have taken over the Hoh River for salmon fishing in the Olympic Region. Go for the weekend and stay at one of DNR’s campsites. Many of DNR’s campsites in the Olympic Region have river access. DNR does not charge for camping. However, make sure you display your Discover Pass in your vehicle. Photo: Eric Steffen

I hope you enjoyed this photo journal of fall in DNR-managed recreation sites. Send your pictures to diana.lofflin@dnr.wa.gov, and like us on Facebook to see other fall photos. Photo: Eric Steffen

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