The last two weeks signified the transition from job shadowing activities to working full time on independent research projects. During the first half of last week the interns helped with invasive European green crab trapping on the Wa’atch and Tsoo-Yess rivers by setting and checking traps, cataloging species caught, and removing green crabs from the system for sampling. Since this work is only possible during the low tide, they had plenty more to keep them busy during the off hours. On Monday afternoon the interns learned about using scat samples to analyze diet by investigating some chocolate pudding filled with bones! On Tuesday morning the interns received a presentation on careers in fish and wildlife from Dan Spencer of US Fish and Wildlife, then collected more data for Kaeden’s čibu·d bait study on Tuesday afternoon. Wednesday afternoon was spent on a crash course introduction to statistical analysis by Matt Damiano, which also helped the interns figure out which analytical methods they will need for their own projects. Thursday was spent shadowing Travis Butterfield on a beach hike to check out the tidbits used to inform salmon survival estimates, and on Friday the interns went out with the wildlife program to learn about skunk trapping efforts and elk telemetry collars. Friday was a great opportunity for Toby to learn more about the skunk trapping data that will be informing his study on habitat characteristics of trapping locations.

Ian and Laney getting ready to set their hooks.

This past week started out with a visit to Port Angeles to learn about energy and water conservation from Mattias Järvegren at Clallam PUD. His presentation focused on ways that every person can save energy without expending a lot of time or money. The interns spent time on Tuesday collecting these energy and water saving tips and making a poster to present them to the community at the Makah Days street fair.

On Monday afternoon we headed over to Peninsula College to tour the campus and learn about the opportunities they have to pursue higher education in environmental science. The interns met with Barbara Blackie and Brian Hauge, both instructors in the biology program at PC, and chatted about their research projects and the many ways they can use the skills from this internship to be successful students in college and beyond. They also met with Sadie Crowe, the coordinator for the Longhouse, to learn about the mission of the Longhouse and the events and services they offer to PC students.

Tuesday and Wednesday were focused on collecting more data for Kaeden’s čibu·d project while Toby went out with the wildlife crew to collect habitat data for his skunk trapping sites. Angelina continued her trapping efforts through the week to document species diversity inside and outside eelgrass beds in the Wa’atch River. Laney started classifying her porpoise sighting data into analysis regions in order to better tease out population trends. By the end of the week, each intern was well on their way to having their full data set ready for analysis. Phew!

Ian and his first ever halibut!
Angelina with her catch
Toby helps Angelina record which species she observes in her traps.
Angelina bringing a trap to the shore to check
Angelina dumping her catch to count it
An invasive European Green Crab Angelina caught by hand during her trapping efforts.

This weekend, the interns will head out to Tatoosh Island to learn about the intertidal research that has been happening there for decades. They will participate in collecting data on mussel beds, sea stars, all manner of algae, sea lions, and much, much more. In order to prepare, the interns will spend Friday morning reading about the rich research legacy and discussing the opportunities that arise from long-term studies done at a small geographic scale. Then we will be on our way!

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