Signs of Spring

Last week, the first camas lily in the meadow was blooming, a sure sign that spring is here.

Another sign of spring: students working hard to complete their research projects. Each of the last two weeks, Terran has diligently collected soil respiration data from plots #4 and #6. Meanwhile, Juniper volunteered to get her hands dirty and collect the samples for the final soil texture test.

Simon is making progress on his lichen project, with the help of Bella last week and this week Gavin. We made a project pivot away from species and abundance to just species present in each plot. It feels like the right call, and I’m hopeful we’ll still make a big leap forward in understanding what lichens live in our research forest.

Jumiper is also making progress on her wildlife study. After a recent online meeting to get our ideas organized, I feel hopeful that we’ll soon have much to add to our trail camera data.

This week, I asked the BCEs to help me develop a protocol for pond monitoring. In addition to volunteering to spend his sit-spot watching the pond, Gavin came up with the idea to use our Vernier water quality sensor to measure dissolved oxygen and temperature. I think it’s a great idea!

During morning data collection, Terran often has a soil-related task associated with his project.

Ruani has been making the rounds each morning to check his ACOs for critters. So far, there’s been at least one discovery each week- mostly juvenile ensatinas. So cute!

Rheah always volunteers to come along.

Did I mention how happy it makes me when I spot a student updating their field notebook without being asked? 🙂

But it isn’t just science we’ve been working on. We’re also refocusing on our wilderness skills. After a few weeks off, the basket-makers continued the spirals of their basket bases.

The hazel we gathered is still workable, but getting quite stiff. We tried using the Juncus that grows down by the pond.

Terran’s twigs split, so I showed him how to make a gods-eye. He continued working in the car and had a completed piece by the time we were back in town.

The next week I brought some wild cucumber vines I dried last year, and after a few minutes soaking in the pond, they were ready to weave.

Halfway through a marathon two-hour skills session, many of us were sitting under the tarp at main camp, carving or weaving. I can’t quite remember how we came up with the idea, but suddenly we decided to take a break and run through the meadow to Bear Creek in the rain. I do love a good fast run in the rain. Down at Bear Creek, a few of us lingered. I showed Simon a new trail section (built over spring break with a couple of OG BCEs), and we collected some dogwood branches that had been cut in the process. Nice greenwood for carving, was the first thought.

But soon I realised the delicate ends of these dogwood branches would be just the thing to complete phase one of Bella’s basket! I love it when stuff like that happens. When you settle into a place in nature, sometimes you’re guided to just what you need, even before you know you need it.

Yesterday’s extended skill session was initiated by my encouragement for each of them to pick an area of mastery and work towards it before the end of the year. Well, Gavin has been bringing his axe every week, so it was no surprise he wanted to go for hatchet mastery. I decided we could blend the two, axe and hatchet, as long as he put in some real effort with both tools. As it turned out, he’d already felled a small tree the week before: step one complete.

The other steps include: removing the branches, cross-cutting at least one round, splitting two rounds three ways, and creating two fine stakes. The saw is allowed once you cross-cut the log once. And can you guess what happened?

After a couple of hours of hard, focused work, he achieved his first skill mastery at BCE! Nice work, Gavin!

For the record, Ru and Terran are going for knife level 2, Simon and Rheah knife level 1, and Bella basketry and cordage. Juniper is away on a trip, so we’ll find out what she wants to work towards when she gets back.

I enjoy skill time, but for me, it’s pretty much running from one request for help to another. I like the challenge, but sometimes it’s hard to keep the queue straight.

And it hasn’t ALL been hard work. The kids got a lot of free time last week and invented a better way to use the slackline.