We accomplished a lot this week! I reintroduced sit-spots, and we all had our first sit of the season. I love starting our day in the wild with some quiet contemplation. I leave the Merlin app running so when we return we can see what birds were detected. Terran said he heard six different birds during his sit, and the Merlin app counted seven.
After that, we headed to the pine forest to finish marking the corners of Plot #3. Some worked on creating tall stakes out of standing dead trees and orange ribbon, others used the compass to help orient the string holders, and the rest of us did our best to create an accurate square with the four bundles of string and stakes.
Can you spot the student standing at the corner of the plot?
We explored the perimeter of the plot to find the best spot for our basecamp. It wasn’t easy to reach a consensus, but eventually we decided on a mossy spot near a stream.
Skill time started with a lesson on knife sharpening, and the expectation that they each give it a try, either with their knives or one of mine. Juniper worked on one of my knives for longer than I’ve ever spent on a blade, and by the end, it was sparkling and sharp! Thanks, Juniper!
Next, I taught them a special slip knot I learned in a rigging class, and we started practicing some of the fundamentals of tarp structures. I challenged them to use the new technique to hang a small tarp to cover firewood, but we ran out of time and had to leave it half-finished. There was a team effort (from most of us) to gather as much dry wood as we could before the rains returned.
Most of the BCEs are working on a Forest Science Project this year, and I look forward to sharing progress on these as they develop. So far, we have Terran leading the charge with a soil science experiment- he’s got lots of ideas and initiative, and I can’t wait to see what he comes up with. Juniper is taking on the large mammals (likely using the trail cameras), Simon wants to study lichen, Ruani reptiles and amphibians, and Bella and Rheah plan to work as a team and possibly focus on trees.
In case you’re worried that it’s all work and no play… I did capture evidence of some monkeying around. 😉
