spraying

Large swathes of land adjacent to the Elwha River are exposed as the reservoirs are lowered. Some native grasses and trees are doing their thing, but there are also some invaders taking more than their share of resources. Reed canary grass seems to be leading the charge, so we apply herbicide.

The spray zone.

Glyphosate, courtesy of Monsanto.

Don't spill.

Three gallons ready to go.

PPE: sunblock, solar shades, nitrile gloves and long sleeves.

Wading through cottonwood.

Sam, givin' some.

JZ, style points on the raincoat.

Bending the reed canary grass away from the trees.

Elwha Dam canyon and natural regenerates.

Reed canary grass skeleton.

Natural willow tree regeneration.

knotweed

I swapped onto a WCC crew working with Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group. We took some rafts down the Sauk River looking for Knotweed, an invasive plant that sends down strong rhizomatous roots similar to bamboo. It spreads throughout the floodplain and gives the river a rough time. We spent the week checking on known patches, looking for new patches, taking GPS coordinates, and making notes so the patches can be found and treated with herbicide later in the summer.

River guide Shane and support crew Katie and Michael prepping for launch.

Neoprene boots and dry bags, stay wet or stay dry.

Leaving the boat for a long survey. Micky, Josh, Rob, Shane.

Josh crossing some swift water.

Shane picking us up after a six hour hike through the understory.

Ten hours in the boots, tender feet.

Meal time at camp.

Our fearless river guides, Shane and Andrea.

Camping on a gravel bar.

My house for the night.

Mount Bedal getting its last rays of sun for the day.

A cup of coffee before booting up. Rob and Caleb discussing logistics.

Rob finds a new patch of Knotweed.

Survey data.

The pest: Knotweed.

live staking

At first, we sprayed a bunch of invading plants with herbicide, kind of lame but sometimes it's gotta be done. This week, on the other hand, we get to do some goodness for the Elwha River riparian belt. All the Reed Canary Grass we sprayed may come back, so we need to shade it out. Cut a branch of Willow, stick it in the ground, watch it grow. Live staking.
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Washington Conservation Corps

Early morning snow line.

Cutting Willow on the Lower Elwha.

Load the F350.

Huck the bundles down the hill.

Haul the bundles to the staking site.

Put the stakes in the ground, three nodes deep.

Fresh cut Willow.