Author Archives: jltnatural-admin

Walking Tour of Tamanowas Rock

On April 19, 2016, the Natural History Society sponsored a walking tour of Tamanowas Rock. Due to the sacred nature of this special place, participation in this outing was limited.

This walk to a very special place and spiritual icon was led by Owen Fairbank, Conservation Project Committee Chair and Jefferson Land Trust Board Advisor.

Highlights of the tour included a discussion of the 13-year saga of protecting Tamanowas Rock, an overview of the geology and a little tribal history. From the ridge, we saw views of other protected farm, forest, and habitat properties, both existing and proposed. Have you walked in the crack in the ground? Have you encountered spirits at the Rock?

636 Janell at jltNatural@saveland.org was the contact for information.

April 2016 Book Selection

The Sea Runners cover Jefferson Land Trust Natural History Society’s book club selection for April is The Sea Runners by Ivan Doig. We will meet on Monday, April 25, 2016, from 3:30-5:00. E-mail Jean at jltnatural@saveland.org to RSVP and for location.

The Sea Runners is based on an actual incident in 1853. It is the gripping survival tale of four indentured servants who escape their Russian Alaska work camp in a stolen canoe, only to face a harrowing journey down the Pacific Northwest coast. The men battle high seas and fierce weather from New Archangel (Sitka), Alaska, to Astoria, Oregon, struggling to avoid hostile Indians, fending off starvation and exhaustion. This is master storyteller Doig’s first novel.

Dosewallips Spring Walk

Early spring is a lovely time to explore the Dosewallips River.

The Natural History Society gathered on March 15, 2016, for a 3.5 mile hike along the Steam Donkey Loop in Dosewallips State Park.

Craig Romano, author of Day Hiking Olympic Peninsula, says this is “an especially attractive hike. Offering glimpses of the Dosewallips River, passing by tumbling creeks, and traversing quiet stands of tall timber…”

Some people extended the walk by adding the 1.5 mile Maple Valley loop. Unlike most of our outings, this was a hike without a leader. It was a day to explore the natural history of an area most of us don’t know.

We suggested bringing field guides, lunch, and water, and dressing for the weather. Oma at jltnatural@saveland.org was the contact for information.

March 2016 Book Selection

Jefferson Land Trust Natural History Society ‘s book club selection for March 2016 is Rosalie Edge, Hawk of Mercy: The Activist Who Saved Nature from the Conservationists by Dyana Z. Furmansky. We will meet on Monday, March 28, from 3:30 – 5:00. Email Jean at jltnatural@saveland.org to RSVP and for the location.

Rosalie Edge (1877-1962) was the first American woman to achieve national renown as a conservationist. She was a suffragist, an amateur birdwatcher, and a champion of the establishment of Olympic National Park. She was an early voice against the indiscriminate use of toxins and pesticides, reporting the evidence about the dangers of DDT fourteen years before Carson’s Silent Spring was published.

In spite of her legacy of achievements (called “widespread and monumental” by the New Yorker), her name is not widely known. Dyana Furmansky’s book will enlighten readers about the indomitable personality of Edge and her many accomplishments in the arena today known as “environmentalism.”

Let’s Look at Moss!

Mosses are everywhere in our parks and forests; we find them covering fallen logs and rocks, growing up the trunks of trees, and hanging from branches. We’re so used to seeing moss in the background that we don’t pay much attention to it. At first glance the mosses in the forest may all look alike, but they’re not!

On February 20, 2016, Pat Rothman joined members of the NHS for a two-mile walk and a closer look at these tiny, fascinating plants.

We talked about the characteristics of different mosses, such as leaf shape, growth pattern and specific location, so you can recognize some of the most common ones in our area.

It was an easy walk, but the trails were muddy. We recommended bringing a hand lens.

Pat at jltnatural@saveland.org was the contact for details. Participation was limited.