Silver Falls State Park Volunteer Day 2012

So, last weekend I found out from Park Ranger Dylan that they would have a State Park Volunteer Day today. There were three options to help out with: repairing bridges, making a new trail, and mapping invasive species along the canyon trail. I decided the third choice.

I got to the park this morning around 8:45 to check in and sign a few papers. Then I was off with a small group of about 8 as we were shown different invasive species and given a map and a specific species to map. I ended up having to map Creeping Buttercup. What a pain that was! I saw so few that I thought I wasn't looking for them good enough. If what I saw was all there was, than it is good that they have not become a huge problem.

By staying near Ranger Dylan, I did get to learn a lot about the native species. I got to see Skunk Cabbage, which I have seen before but never at the park. I also saw Trailing Blackberry, Western Trillium, Siberian Miner's-lettuce, Three-leaved Anemone, and many other plants that I either have not seen before, or have seen but not known what they were. Today was a very educational day.

But by the time I was hiking the Rim Trail on the way back, my bad right hip was hurting quite a bit, especially when I was hiking uphill. And due to carrying a backpack with my lunch and a few other stuff in it weighing 10 - 15 pounds, my shoulders are now sore. But I don't mind, it was worth the exercise and learning about some of the plants. By the way, many of the plants are blooming, unfortunately the Trillium had already bloomed, so if I want a picture, I need to get one next year.

Have you helped out lately at your nearest state or national park?

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Mother's Day Weekend at Silver Falls State Park

Last Saturday, I met up with a group that had four adults and 6 kids and led them on an geological interpretive hike at Silver Falls State Park. It went almost perfectly (I need to talk louder behind the waterfall for future interpretive hikes that I lead). We started off at the Historic South Falls Lodge that was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) while I used the basaltic rock that makes up the walls of the lodge to talk about the oldest rock in the park. Next stop was at the Stone Shelter, which is the second oldest building in the park and also built by the CCC boys. Here I talked about the next two rocks, which one could be seen in the stone walls that make up the stone shelter. The next few stops took us to the South Falls Viewpoint, the bridge just downstream from South Falls, behind South Falls, and just at the edge of the rock overhang that rises over the trail. At these places I talked about the Columbia River Basalts  as well at the tree & root casts, erosional chimneys, and how much basalt is in the park (enough to make a road from San Francisco to New York that is 2 feet thick and 1 mile wide!) The last stop was at the South Falls viewpoint once again where I talked about the source of the waterfalls and what effects the Ice Ages had on them.

After that the group and I went over to the South Falls Lodge where they had their annual wildflower show. Flowers were on display in the lodge, and others were being sold on the porch outside. Unfortunately I forgot to take pictures, which is why I came back the next day. So on Mother's Day, I came back to get pictures and enjoy a hike instead of talk about how the park was created.

After taking pictures of the plants, I went on a hike with my parents and took pictures of some of the local wildflowers and an unnamed waterfall that seems to be getting larger over the past several years.

On the way back, I took a few pictures of the countryside. The yellow field is mustard. I also took a picture of one of the few wind turbines in the Willamette Valley, and the first one I have seen in Oregon as it was built about 2 years ago. The turbine is at a major grass seed growing distributor that ships worldwide.