Valdez Glacier Summary 11/6/14

Weather: in the 30's little sun but mostly cloudy, windy of 10 miles per hour

Berwyn, Bob. "Travel: Exploring Valdez." Summit County Citizens Voice. N.p., 26 Nov. 2012. Web. 21 Nov. 2014. <http://summitcountyvoice.com/2012/11/26/travel-exploring-valdez/>.

Plants:

White Clover (Trifolium repens)

 Pineapple Weed (Matricaria discoidea)

  Barclays Willow (Salix barclayi)

Arctic Willow (Salix arctica)

  Dwarf Fireweed (Chamerion latifolium)

 Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

  Devils Club (Oplopanax horridus)

Cow Parsnip, Heracleum lanatum

Other:

Having been to both Valdez and Worthington Glaciers allows us to compare these ice masses and see how they impacted their surrounding environments. At Worthington Glacier we saw that it was hanging glacier that was sitting high up in between two mountainsides. Valdez differs in the fact that it is not a hanging glacier but a Valley Glacier. However, the Valdez Glacier at one point in its history was a Tidewater glacier meaning that it reached out all the way to Prince William Sound. Although these are two different types of glaciers, they both clearly showed signs of glacial karst left behind along with lakes. -Nate Litka

The glacier in Valdez is different than the Worthington glacier in may ways. Worthington is more of a mountain glacier. It is on a higher lever of ground whereas Valdez is on mostly one level. You don't have to hike or climb anything to reach Valdez glacier. Also, there was a lot more glacial till at Worthington compared to Valdez. There were more rocks with layers showing it being pulled down by ice or snow at Worthington. Valdez was more flat, and had water showing pieces of ice in it. -Tayler Hehir

                                                     Homestead Summary 10/30/14

                         Weather: around 35 degrees, clear blue sky, thicket, sunny, snow on the ground

                                                     

Plants:

       Goats Beard (Aruncus diolicus)

      Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

   Large Leaf Avens (Geum macrophyllum)

         Sitka Spruce (Picea sitchensis)

         Rockweed (Fucus distichus)

Cow Parsnip (Heracleum maximum)

     Fireweed (Epilobium angustifolium)

    Lady Fern (athyrium filix-femina)

     Sitka Mountain Ash (Sorbus sitchensis)

 Sitka Alder (Alnus viridis)

Willow (Salix spp)

Animlas:

 red squirrel Tamiasciurus hudsonicus

acorn barnacle Balanus glandula

northern sea nettle jellyfish Chrysaora melanaster

pacific blue mussel Mytilus edulis

sitka periwinkle Littorina sitkana

northern sea lion Eumetopias jubatus

lion's mane jellyfish Cyanea capllata

bald eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus

Other: 

Homestead Trail is where we saw the most eagles and had the most animals we have seen in all of the trails. 

                 Thompson Pass Summary 1/1/1111
 Weather: felt like in the 40's, Sunny, clear sky, wind around 10-20 miles per hour 

                                           

Plants:

Fireweed

Siberian Aster(Aster sibiricus)

Alaskan Cotton (Eriophorum)

Peat Moss (Sphagnum)

Liverwort (Marchantiophyta)

Blueberry (vaccinium)

 Willow (Salix) Acrtic Willow (Salix artica)

White spruce (Picea glauca)

 Moss Heather (Cassiope stelleriana)

 Artic Kidney Lichen (Nephroma articum)

Turgid Aulacomnium (Turgidum)

 Northern Rock Tripe (Umbilibaria)

 King Bolete Mushroom (Boletus edulis)

Yellow Mountain Heather (Phyllodoce glanduliflora)

Reindeer Lichen (Cladonia rangiferina)

Alpine Spiraea, Luetkea Pectinata

Sitka Burnet, Sanguisorba stipulata

Red Stemmed Saxifrage, Saxifraga lyallii

Animals:

Didn't see see any animals this time. 

Other:

it went from low ground to high ground which was one of the reasons plants adapt differently in this tundra. 

DOCK POINT 10/09/2014

WEATHER temps in high 30s, winds at 14 mph, overcast, unusually high tide

PLANTS

·               Sitka Alder (Alnus crispa)

·               Salmon Berry (Rubus spectabilis)

·               Sitka Spruce (Picea sitchensis)

·               Northern Red Currant (Ribes triste)

·               Fireweed (Epilobium angustifolium)

·               Red Berried Elder (Sambucus racemosa)

·               Lady Fern (Arthyrium filix-femina)

·               Large Leaf Avens (Geum macropyllum)

·               Devil's Club (Oplopanax horridus)

·               Goat's Beard (Aruncus sylvester)

·               Wild Celery (Angelica lucida)

·               Black Cottonwood (Populus balsamifera)

·               Cow parsnip (Heracleum lanatum)

·               Yarrow (Achillea borealis)

·               Oval-Leaved Blueberry (Vaccinium ovalifolium)

·               Alaskan Blueberry (Vaccinium alaskanum)

·               Skunk cabbage (Lysichiton americanum)

·               Groundcone (Boschniaka rossica)

·               Willow Salix spp.

·               Common Horsetail (Equisetum arvense)

·               Dwarf Dogwood (Cornus canadensis)

·               Arctic Dock (Rumex articus)

·               Mountain Ash (Sorbus sitchensis)

ANIMALS

·               Crow (Corvus caurinus)

·               Cackling goose (Branta hutchinsii)

·               evidence of red or douglas squirrel

OTHER

slime mold

MINERAL CREEK BOG 10/16/2014

WEATHER temps in low 40s, winds 9 mph, mostly cloudy

PLANTS

·               Sitka Alder (Alnus crispa)

·               Salmon Berry (Rubus spectabilis)

·               Northern Red Currant (Ribes triste)

·               Fireweed (Epilobium angustifolium)

·               Red Berried Elder (Sambucus racemosa)

·               Lady Fern (Arthyrium filix-femina)

·               Large Leaf avens (Geum macropyllum)

·               Devil's Club (Oplopanax horridus)

·               Goat's Beard (Aruncus sylvester)

·               Wild Celery (Angelica lucida)

·               Black Cottonwood (Populus balsamifera)

·               Cow Parsnip (Heracleum lanatum)

·               Blueberries (Vaccinium ovalifolium)

·               Groundcone (Boschniaka rossica)

·               Common Horsetail (Equisetum arvense)

·               Dwarf Dogwood (Cornus canadensis)

·               Arctic Dock (Rumex articus)

·               High Brush Cranberry (Viburnum edule)

·               Low Brush Cranberry (Vaccinium vitis adaea)

·               Barclay's Willow (Salix barclayi)

·               Sitka Burnet (Sanguisorba stipulate)

·               Several-flowered Sedge (Carex pluriflora)

·               Labrador Tea (Ledum palustris)

·               Wild Iris (Iris setosa)

·               Bog Blueberry (Vaccinium ulignosum)

·               Chocolate Lily (Fritillaria camschatensis)

·               Wild Celery (Angelica lucida)

·               Moss Campion (Silene acaulis)

·               Feather Moss (Kindbergia oregana)

·               Sphagnum angustifolium

·               Sphagnum warnstorfi

·               Polytrichum strictum

ANIMALS

·               Magpie

·               Bear scat

SHOUP BAY TRAIL 10/23/2014

WEATHER  temps in low 50s, little/no wind, clear blue skies

PLANTS

Thicket

·               Black Cottonwood (Populus balsamifera)

·               Devil's Club (Oplopanax horridus)

·               Fireweed (Epilobium angustifolium)

·               Large Leaf Avens (Geum macropyllum)

·               Sitka Alder (Alnus crispa)

·               Salmon Berry (Rubus spectabilis)

·               Cow Parsnip (Heracleum lanatum)

·               Spiny Wood Fern (Dryopteris expansa)

·               Lady Fern (Athyrium filix-femina)

·               Yellow Moss (Homalothecium fulgescens)

·               Pixie Cup Lichen (Cladonia asahinae)

·               High Bush Cranberry (Viburnum trilobum)

·               Barclays Willow (Salix barclayi)

·               Red Elderberry (Sambucus racemosa)

·               Common Horsetail (Equisetum arvense)

·               Dwarf Fireweed (Epilobium latifolium)

Meadow:

·               Chocolate Lilly (Fritillaria camschatcensis)

·               Yarrow (Archillea millefolium)

·               Spread-Leaved Peat Moss (Sphagnum squarrosum)

·               Fireweed

·               Arctic Dock

·               Cow Parsnip

Beach:

·               Rockweed (Fucus distichus)

·               Sea Lettuce (Ulva lactuca)

·               Dune Grass (Leymus mollis)

·               Sea Staghorn (Codium fragile)

·               False Hellebore (Veratrum viride)

ANIMALS

·               Moon Jelly (Aurelia labiata)

·               Sea Lion (Eumetopia jubatus)

·               Darkeyed Junco (Junco hyemalis)

·               Pacific Blue Mussel (Mytilus edulis)

Kennecott Trail, McCarthy Day 3, 9/7/11

Weather: Temperature in the mid to high 40’s with clouds and scattered sun breaks.

Plants:

·         Puff Ball Mushroom (Lycoperdon umbrinum)

·         Spiney Puffball Mushroom (Lycoperdon echinatum)

·         White Spruce (Picea glauca)

·         Freckled Pelt (Peltigera britannica) 

·         Dwarf dogwood (Cornus canadensis)

·         Black spruce (Picea mariana)

·         Currant (Carissa spinarum)

·         Labrador tea (Ledum groenlandicum)

·         Horsetail (Equisetum)

·         Cranberry (Vaccinium oxycoccus)

·         Frog Pelt Lichen (Peltigera neopolydactyla)

·         Wild Roses (Rosa nutkana)

·         Lycopodium

·         Fireweed (Chamerion angustifolium)

·         Paper Birch (Betula papyrifera)

·         Green Wintergreen (Pyrola chlorantha)

·         Poplar (Populus balsamifera)

·         Slime mold (Dictyostelium discoideum)

·         Willow (Salix)

·         Black mushroom

·         Mistletoe (disambiguation)

·           northern red currant Ribes triste

·           high-bush cranberry Viburnum edule

·           raspberry Rubus idaeus

·            

 Animals:

·         Squirrels

·         Gray Jay (Perisoreus canadensis)

·         Birds nest

·         Beetle infestations 

·         Evidence of woodpecker

Other: Chugach/Wrangell Mountains, Kennecott/Root Glaciers, glacial till, bog/muskeg

Comments:

“The trip to McCarthy and being able to see the glaciers and how much they shape the land was very cool. Coming from Washington I have seen how glaciers can form land, but seeing the glacier right next to where it just receded from really opened my eyes on how it actually looks like. Not to mention trying to comprehend the size of the glacier at its peak versus what’s left makes me feel smaller than a seed.” –Nate

Root Trail, McCarthy Day 2, 9/6/14

Weather: Temperatures in the mid 40’s to low 50’s with heavy cloud coverage. Rain showers early with scattered patches of sun. Winds less than 10 mph

Plants:

·         Cow Parsnip (Heracleum maximum)

·         Feather moss (Hypnaceae)

·         Frog Pelt Lichen (Peltigera neopolydactyla)

·         Sieve Cup Lichen (Cladonia multiphormis)

·         Artic Lupen (Lupinus arcticus)

·         Fireweed (Chamerion angustifolium)

·         Red Alder (Alnus rubra)

·         White Spruce (Picea glauca)

·         Wild Roses (Rosa nutkana)

·         Bearberry (Arctostaphylos)

·         Crow berry (Empetrum nigrum)

·         Spiney Puffball Mushroom (Lycoperdon echinatum)

·         Winter Pink Pyrola (Pyrola asarifolia)

·         Green Wintergreen (Pyrola chlorantha)

·         Prickly Saxifrage (Saxifraga tricuspidata)

·         Waterworm Lichen (Siphula ceratites)

·         Soapberry (Sapindus)

·         Rushes (Juncaceae)

·         Poplar (Populus balsamifera)

·         Paper Birch (Betula papyrifera)

·         Sub-alpine fir (Abies lasicopara)

·         Horsetail (Equisetum)

·         Alder (Alnus)

·         Junipes (Cupressaceae)

·         Fireweed (Chamerion angustifolium)

·         Mistletoe (disambiguation)

·           Dryas (Dryadoideae)

·           pixie cup lichen Claudonia chlorophaea

·           yellow sulfur lichen

·           broomrape/groundcone Boschniakia rossica

·           scouring-rush Equisetum hyemale

·           dandelion Taraxacum officinale

·           northern yarrow Achillea borealis

·            

Animals:

·         Moose Alces alces

·         Gnats

Other:

·           Gravel

·           Glacial till

·           Karst

·           Kennecott Mill

·           Lateral Moraine

·           Wrangell St. Elias Mountains

·           Chugach Mountains