Dock Point, The Duck Flats & Beach

7/8/09 12:15pm-2:45pm
70 Degrees with a light breeze. It was hazy due to smoke from wildfires in the interior.

Plants:
Kelp
Rock Weed
Beach Grass
Ulva Seaweed
Northern Yarrow
Sitka Spruce
Willow
Alder
A Rush
Dandelions
Beach Cinquefoil (Pacific Silverweed)
Wild Celery
Salmonberries
Purple Northern Yarrow
Beach Pea
Goats Beard
Fire weed
Fringecup
Red Berried Elder
Devils Club
Watermelon Berry
Skunk Cabbage
Dogwood
Early Blueberry
Fools Huckleberry
Spagnum Moss (forms peat moss)
Wild Iris
Feather Moss
Cotton Grass
Corn Lilly
Broom Rate Ground Comb
Alaska Spiraea

Birds:
Bald Eagle
Raven
Seagull
Wren

Mammals:
Dog
Humans and their trash.
Bear Tracks and scat.
Small canine tracks; most likely a fox.
Douglas Squirrel

Insects:
Fly
Spiders
Pill Bug
Beetle
Mosquito

Aquatic Life:
Clam
Blue Muscle
Snail
Shrimp
Beach Hopper
Limpet
Idotea


We searched for organisms under rocks at the beach, and then went on to the duck flats. We found some really good bear prints in the mud. We also spotted a Bald Eagle in a nest. The mud was so soft & sticky I almost walked out of my boots. There are a lot of berries getting ready to ripen at Dock Point. We found a few salmon berries that were ripe enough to eat! You could see paths that bears made going through the berries and other plants. We also saw a Douglas Squirrel sitting on the branch of a Sitka Spruce, with a pine cone. We also saw the squirrels stash of cones under the tree. This was a short, but very good trip. We even treated ourselves to ice cream afterwards.

Dock Point/Beach

8-8-09
hazy smoky,
70 degrees
partly sunny
dock point & beach

Beach:
Mussels
Baby clams
Olivier seaweed
Limpet's
Beach hopper bug
Pill bug
Kelp
Amphalpods
Idodia
Sings of ship worms
Shrimp
Grass
Bear bed
Rush grass
Beach countervail-
Pacific silver weed
Bird tracks mostly duck an seagulls
Fox tracks
Eagle in its nest
Adler's
Samione Berry's
Wild celery
Northern yero
Beach pea
Yellow Efren pod
Fire weed
Goats beard
Fringe cup
Red berry Adler
Devils club
Watermelon berry
Skunk cabbage
Dogwood
Lady fern
Blueberry
Boom rape cone
False huckleberry
Early blueberry
Owl feathers
Squirrel
Pet moss
Bear skat that has Singh of Berry's in it
Alaskan spore
tanning peat moss bowl
Cotton grass
corn lily

the Samione berry's were almost ripe. Also the blue berry's.
I found it was a great trip of the day an the stop for the ice cream.

Moose

The moose are part of the deer family, and is the largest and tallest animal in the North America. The females weigh up to 800 to 1,300 pounds, and males weigh 1,200 to 1,600 pounds,and can run up to 35mph(that’s fast didn’t know that).Moose are most active at dawn and duck, because they do not have very good eyesight. But they do have very good hearing and sense of smell. They have long, thick, light brown to dark brown hair; this is what keeps the moose warm in the weather time. Its front legs are longer than its rear legs. Why because the helps them jump over fallen trees and other thing that may be in the way. The male moose has huge wide antlers that will stretch anywhere from 4 to 5 feet across. The antlers start to grow in the early summer. When the antlers begin to grow, they are covered with a soft fuzzy skin called velvet. “The velvet has blood vessels in it that deliver nutrients that help the antlers grow. By late summer when the antlers reach full size, the blood supply dries up and the velvet starts to drop off.” The moose live in areas where there is snow in the winter also near lakes, bogs, swamps, streams and ponds. In warmer months such as the summer time they eat the leaves, twigs and buds of trees and shrubs. In the winter the moose eat woody plants such as again the twigs and bark of willow, birch, aspen and dogwood trees. The female gives birth in the spring or summer time and usually has one baby. Moose calves can stand up in a day and swim in a couple of weeks. They are weaned after about six months and stay with the mother until the next calve is born. The mothers are extremely protective of their calves and will charge at anything even people if they get too close.
Work Cite:
http://www.alaskascenes.com/alaskamoose.html
http://www.alaskatrekker.com/moose.htm
The Nature of Alaska

Sitka Spruce

Picea Sitchensis

Pinaceae (Pine family)

Sitka Spruce is the Alaska state tree, it's also largest species of tree in the state. It is found along middle to low elevations along the pacific coast, stretching from Alaska to California. They can grow up to 160ft, with a diameter of 5ft. The Sitka Spruce is closely related to the white spruce found in the interior. The two trees frequently hybridize, creating what’s known as the Lutz or Roche Spruce.

Leaves: Needles can be bluish-green or yellowish-green, growing up to 1 inch. The needles are sharp and stiff. One way of identifying a Sitka Spruce is to grab the needles; because the needles point out of every side of the branch grabbing it will hurt.

Cones: 2-3 ½ inches long; cylindrical, reddish-brown color. Cones open and fall when they become mature.

Bark: Less than 1 inch thick, grayish brown color.

Preadators: The Sitka Spruce is host to a number of insects including White Pine Weevil, Spruce Aphid, Spruce Beetle and Root-Collar Weevil. The tree is also damaged by Squirrels, Deer, Bear, Porcupines, rabbits and hares.

Native Alaskans believed the sharp needs of the spruce gave it strong protective powers against evil thoughts. The bark was eaten or made into cakes mixed with berries. The Makah ate the raw shoots. The shoots are a good source of vitamin C. The Nuxalk used the inner bark as a laxative. The pitch was used to treat skin irritations, colds, syphilis, gonorrhea, sore throats, toothaches, rheumatism and swelling. The roots of the Sitka spruce were used to make hats and baskets.

Sitka Spruce wood is very strong, and makes a high quality lumber. The wood is considered valuable and used for ladders, pianos, oars, guitar faces, and turbine blades for energy conversion; boats, mast, and construction components of experimental aircraft.

Resources:

Plants of The Pacific Northwest Pojar & Mackinnon

USDA Forest Service

http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/silvics_manual/Volume_1/picea/sitchensis.htm

Alaska Division of Community Advocacy

http://www.dced.state.ak.us/oed/forest_products/forest_products5a.htm

Borealforest.org

http://www.borealforest.org/world/trees/sitka_spruce.htm

Wagon Road

Wagon Road
Date: 6*1*09
Time: 1:00 -3:45 p.m.
Weather: 65, Sunny, with a light wind

Plants seen on the trip:
Wild Celery
Northern Yarrow
Mountain Harebell
Pink Pyrola, Wintergreen
Alder
Cottonwood Willow
Broomrape Ground Cone
Devil’s Club
Dogwood
Blue Berry
Alpine Heudnera
Horsetail
Baneberry
Salmonberry
Twisted stock
Fireweed
Goats Beard
Catkens
Monkshood
Sitka Burnet

Insects/other things we seen on our trip:
Moose Tracks
Markings from a bear on a tree
Dongles Squirrel
Birds
Moose Poop
Bear Poop
Tons of Mosquito

On this trip I enjoyed it a lot I really did. It was really nice that day, we seen a lot of different thing such as plants and everything. I would have to so far that day was the most fun for me it really was. I hope that we will be able to have more trips like the one we had that day.

Wagaon Road Trail

7/1/09 12:30pm-3:30pm
Partly cloudy, 65 degrees & breezy.

Mammals:
Moose Tracks & Scat
Bear markings on tree.
Bear Scat
Douglas Squirrel
Humans left sunglasses & a dryer sheet.

Insects:
Mosquito
Fly
Moth
Lady Beetle

Birds:
Tundra swans along the road.
Birds chirping.

Plants:
Northern Yarrow
Mountain Hairbell
Alder
Willow
Cottonwood
Devils Club
Pink Pyrola Wintergreen
Dogwood
Sitka Spruce
Lady Fern
Blueberry
Salmonberry
Broom Rate Ground Comb
Alpine Heuchera
Ostrage Fern
Stinging Nettle
Large Leaf Avens
Fire Weed
Meadow Rue
Horse Tail
Goats Beard
Wild Geranium
Monks Hood
Columbine
Sitka Burnet
Lichen
Baneberry
Watermelonberry

We've been lucky, as far as the weather goes...

You guessed it; it was another beautiful day for a hike! The wagon road was originally a pack trail that became part of Richardson Highway. Today it's a beautiful hiking trail. As we were walking through the first part of the trail we noticed a large dead Sitka Spruce that took the trees sourrounding down with it, when it fell. We walked over the trees & up a steep, narrow incline; it was nice & flat at the top. There were alot of mosquitos, as usual. One of the facinating things about the tree is they appear dead execpt for the tops of the tree. This is because there is very little light at the lower part of the woods. Many other plants flourish with only a small amount of light. A bear marked up a Sitka Spurce with it's claws. We also saw bear & moose scat. A douglas Squirrel chattered at us, but I thoguht it was a bird at first. We had a nice long hike along the beautiful & peaceful trail. This was a relaxing hike for me & I felt great after we finished.

Labrador Tea

Rhododendron groenlandicum. Also known as Ledum groenlandicum.

Family: Heath(Ericaceae)

Habitat: South Eastern, South Central & Central Alaska. It's also found in other parts of North America & Greenland.

Description: Small slow growing evergreen shrub, with leaves similar in appearance to rosemary. The leaves are small with dots on top and have a rusty hairy underside. The leaves have a aromatic odor. The flowers are white and have five petals with long stamens. The fruit is a dry, hairy capsule holding many seeds. The fruit is in clusters of five.

Predators: Caribou and moose eat the twigs. Humans use the leaves to make tea. It can also be a host to a fungus called spruce needle rust.

Labrador Tea leaves can be used to make tea, but should be drank in moderation. In large doses the tea acts as a diuretic & will cause intestinal problems. First nation’s people used Labrador tea to treat dizziness, headaches, stomachaches, colds, kidney problems & asthma. It was also used for burns, dandruff, dry skin & head lice. This tea has been know to cause drowsiness is some people, but has a relaxing effect on others. The nutrients found in Labrador tea are copper, thiamin, vitamin c, iron, zinc, potassium, magnesium, vitamin d, vitamin e, calcium, sodium, pantothenic acid, carbohydrates and fiber.

It is important not to confuse Labrador Tea with a similar looking plant called Trappers Tea. Trappers Tea can be toxic, if consumed. Both species can be found in the same habitat. They can be distinguished by looking at the leaves. Trappers Tea leaves have a white hairy appearance, while Labrador Tea has a rusty hairy appearance.

Resources:

Plants Of The Pacific Northwest Coast By, Pojar & Mackinnon

Alaskan Wildflowers By, Verna E. Pratt

Naturalstandard.com
http://www.naturalstandard.com/index-abstract.asp?create-abstract=/monographs/herbssupplements/labradortea.asp

nutrograph.com
http://nutrograph.com/7186-tea-tundra-herb-and-laborador-combination-alaska-native

Alberta Plant Watch
http://plantwatch.fanweb.ca/plant-information/labrador-tea