Hello everyone!
It has been quite the interesting week. All of our company left the Many Glacier valley last Sunday. I was not far behind them, leaving the valley myself on Monday morning. It was a frustrating trip out because we passed over many bare patches of road on the way. This meant that Jeff and I had to keep taking our skis off and putting them back on again and again. Also, we were hoping to ski Lake Sherburn on the way out, but it was very icy and dangerous. I decided to leave the Many Glacier valley for a couple of weeks to enjoy the winter carnival in town and to see some friendly faces. Jeff is still in Many Glacier working and making sure the cabin doesn't burn down (only kidding). On Sunday, Jeff called to tell me that some wolves had cornered two mountain goats on the the cliffs of Mt. Altyn. The goats were knocking rocks off of the side of the mountain in their distres. The standoff went on for quite a while, but eventually the wolves gave up and the mountain goats moved on, unharmed.
There have been blue skies all week over on the east side of the park where Many Glacier is located. On the west side, where I am now, we have had nothing by gray skies. The clouds have been hanging low over this area all week. On the bright side, something very cool has been happening here. There is a mountain that has a ski resort on it here and on the top of the mountain, the skies are clear blue. The top of the mountain is actually higher than the clouds. So, when you're standing on top of the mountain, all you see below you is a layer of clouds. This is called an inversion and it is really cool to see. I saw an inversion last summer from the top of a peak in Glacier NP called Mt. Reynolds. It looks like you could just jump into the sea of clouds!
There are so many research projects going on all over the park this winter, so I have decided to spend some time volunteering. This means that I will be out of the Many Glacier valley for a while, but I will still be working in the park. I will be spending about half of my time in the Many Glacier Valley and the other half I will be based out of Whitefish, MT where I can volunteer and get to know the biologists that work in the park. This means I will be getting my fair share of exercise, skiing into Many Glacier and battling the strong winds frequently. Another plus is that my refrigerator is full of fresh fruits and veggies! But don't worry, things aren't going to change too much with this blog. I will have a lesson for you every other week but will blog as frequently as I can in the mean time. This should allow for a more interesting blog since I will be spending time all over the park instead of in just one beautiful corner of the park. Also, Jeff will be keeping me updated on what is going on in the Many Glacier valley when I am not there, and I will pass that information along to you.
On Sunday, I hiked into Many Glacier with a couple of my friends. We saw a coyote, a downy woodpecker, two grouse, and five bighorn sheep. We walked the whole road, passing over a handful of snow drifts on the way. Next week I will let you know about all of the exciting things happening in the Many Glacier valley.
Right now, many of us Montanans are concerned with the size of the snow pack because of the upcoming fire season. Here in the Northwest, forest fires are a major concern in the summer time. My first year in Montana was in 2007. That summer, we had a significant amount of fire activity outside of the park. Some fire is good for the forests, but fire can also be very destuctive. Also, the fires made the sky very hazy, and sometimes we couldn't even see the mountains. Generally, there is a relationship between the size of the snowpack in the winter and the occurance of fires in the summer. During the winter of 2007-2008, Montana got a record amount of snow. This means that it took much longer for the snow to melt in the spring. As an avid hiker, this was a bummer for me since I just wanted to hike the trail without trudging through snow. However, this was great for the forests. When the snow finally began to disappear from higher elevations, it was well into July. The ground was so wet that fires couldn't easily start. So, we had a wonderful summer with very few fires in the area.
Of the last five years in the state of Montana, 2006 had the most wildfires. Over one million acres burned! 2007 was the second highest, with nearly 800,000 acres burned. If we don't build up a decent snowpack this winter, we could be in for another busy fire season. Recently, 2003 and 2006 have been the most active fire years. Check out the map below to see where the fires were:
The size of the snowpack is only one factor that affects the fire season. Temperature also affects the level of fire activity. The warmer the temperature, the faster the snowpack will melt, and the faster the forest will dry out. A drought with further speed up the drying of the forest since there will be no new moisture added to the environment. Things like wind, the length of summer, and the amount of fuel (downed, dry trees) also greatly affect the chance of wildfires.
Assignment: Understanding the pros and cons of wildfires. Wildfires can be extremely destructive. Humans have been preventing wildfires so long that a lot of fuel has built up in the forests. Now, when a wildfire breaks out, it is much hotter and spreads much faster than it should. Think about how big your campfire can get if the adults keep putting more and more wood on it. Wildfires are also important in some areas. A wildfire allows certain species of pine trees to release seeds and opens up the forest to new life. Check out the link below to learn more about wildfires. Brainstorm some of the causes of wildfires. Then, make a short list of the pros and cons of wildfires.
It has been quite the interesting week. All of our company left the Many Glacier valley last Sunday. I was not far behind them, leaving the valley myself on Monday morning. It was a frustrating trip out because we passed over many bare patches of road on the way. This meant that Jeff and I had to keep taking our skis off and putting them back on again and again. Also, we were hoping to ski Lake Sherburn on the way out, but it was very icy and dangerous. I decided to leave the Many Glacier valley for a couple of weeks to enjoy the winter carnival in town and to see some friendly faces. Jeff is still in Many Glacier working and making sure the cabin doesn't burn down (only kidding). On Sunday, Jeff called to tell me that some wolves had cornered two mountain goats on the the cliffs of Mt. Altyn. The goats were knocking rocks off of the side of the mountain in their distres. The standoff went on for quite a while, but eventually the wolves gave up and the mountain goats moved on, unharmed.
There have been blue skies all week over on the east side of the park where Many Glacier is located. On the west side, where I am now, we have had nothing by gray skies. The clouds have been hanging low over this area all week. On the bright side, something very cool has been happening here. There is a mountain that has a ski resort on it here and on the top of the mountain, the skies are clear blue. The top of the mountain is actually higher than the clouds. So, when you're standing on top of the mountain, all you see below you is a layer of clouds. This is called an inversion and it is really cool to see. I saw an inversion last summer from the top of a peak in Glacier NP called Mt. Reynolds. It looks like you could just jump into the sea of clouds!
There are so many research projects going on all over the park this winter, so I have decided to spend some time volunteering. This means that I will be out of the Many Glacier valley for a while, but I will still be working in the park. I will be spending about half of my time in the Many Glacier Valley and the other half I will be based out of Whitefish, MT where I can volunteer and get to know the biologists that work in the park. This means I will be getting my fair share of exercise, skiing into Many Glacier and battling the strong winds frequently. Another plus is that my refrigerator is full of fresh fruits and veggies! But don't worry, things aren't going to change too much with this blog. I will have a lesson for you every other week but will blog as frequently as I can in the mean time. This should allow for a more interesting blog since I will be spending time all over the park instead of in just one beautiful corner of the park. Also, Jeff will be keeping me updated on what is going on in the Many Glacier valley when I am not there, and I will pass that information along to you.
On Sunday, I hiked into Many Glacier with a couple of my friends. We saw a coyote, a downy woodpecker, two grouse, and five bighorn sheep. We walked the whole road, passing over a handful of snow drifts on the way. Next week I will let you know about all of the exciting things happening in the Many Glacier valley.
So, on with it! We have been having an unseasonably warm winter here in Montana. While you are getting lots of snow back on the east coast, we haven't had more than an inch or two. Most days hover just above freezing. I feel like I am missing out on a true Montana winter! We still have a couple months of winter left out here, so hopefully the sky will start dumping snow soon. The amount of snow we receive is very important for a few reasons. First of all, much of our ground water that we use for drinking comes from the runoff from the winter snowpack. If we were to continue to have very little snow over the years, our fresh water source could be hurt. In some areas of the U.S. where fresh water is already scarce, this is a serious issue. In some areas snow fences are used to build up the snowpack for use as a water source in the spring. I don't know if you have ever seen a snow fence (they are seldom used back in Pennsylvania), but it is basically a plastic or wooden fence that is placed in a field or along a road to collect snow. The fences found along roads are used to keep snow from blowing across the road to make for safer travel for vehicles. This led to the idea to use the snow fences to build up snow in areas in need of water. Besides drinking water, snow melt is also used for power generation, irrigation, and recreation.
Right now, many of us Montanans are concerned with the size of the snow pack because of the upcoming fire season. Here in the Northwest, forest fires are a major concern in the summer time. My first year in Montana was in 2007. That summer, we had a significant amount of fire activity outside of the park. Some fire is good for the forests, but fire can also be very destuctive. Also, the fires made the sky very hazy, and sometimes we couldn't even see the mountains. Generally, there is a relationship between the size of the snowpack in the winter and the occurance of fires in the summer. During the winter of 2007-2008, Montana got a record amount of snow. This means that it took much longer for the snow to melt in the spring. As an avid hiker, this was a bummer for me since I just wanted to hike the trail without trudging through snow. However, this was great for the forests. When the snow finally began to disappear from higher elevations, it was well into July. The ground was so wet that fires couldn't easily start. So, we had a wonderful summer with very few fires in the area.
Of the last five years in the state of Montana, 2006 had the most wildfires. Over one million acres burned! 2007 was the second highest, with nearly 800,000 acres burned. If we don't build up a decent snowpack this winter, we could be in for another busy fire season. Recently, 2003 and 2006 have been the most active fire years. Check out the map below to see where the fires were:
The size of the snowpack is only one factor that affects the fire season. Temperature also affects the level of fire activity. The warmer the temperature, the faster the snowpack will melt, and the faster the forest will dry out. A drought with further speed up the drying of the forest since there will be no new moisture added to the environment. Things like wind, the length of summer, and the amount of fuel (downed, dry trees) also greatly affect the chance of wildfires.
Assignment: Understanding the pros and cons of wildfires. Wildfires can be extremely destructive. Humans have been preventing wildfires so long that a lot of fuel has built up in the forests. Now, when a wildfire breaks out, it is much hotter and spreads much faster than it should. Think about how big your campfire can get if the adults keep putting more and more wood on it. Wildfires are also important in some areas. A wildfire allows certain species of pine trees to release seeds and opens up the forest to new life. Check out the link below to learn more about wildfires. Brainstorm some of the causes of wildfires. Then, make a short list of the pros and cons of wildfires.
http://www.ecopals.com/wild_fire.html
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