Observe Ravenna Park: Week 5- Field Trip to the Cascades

October 25^th, 2014

8am- 7:30pm

East of the Cascades

Light Rain and Sun throughout the trip

Location 1 (Yakima Canyon)

Panoramic of Yakima Canyon

Landscape of Yakima Canyon from atop a hill.

Yakima Canyon is located on the East side of the Cascades and is in the shrub-step zone. Shrub-step zones tend to be in the rain shadow of mountains, which means that they get very little rain. This type of landscape is declining. Yakima Canyon is an area with many cliffs, dry climate, and shrubs. Many of the cliffs have volcanic rock formations, was formed after one of the major eruptions in the past. The most prominent type of tree in the area is the ponderosa pine because it is drought tolerant. The two shrubs that are common in this area are rabbit brush and tall sagebrush. Tall sagebrush is the characteristic species of the shrub-step zone. It has tridentata leaves, or three toothed leaves. Additionally, tall sagebrush is endangered due to increased agriculture. The river going through Yakima Canyon brings many trees that would not otherwise grow in the shrub-step. Many black cottonwood trees and willows can be found next to the water. The weather changed rapidly when at Yakima Canyon. Within the time we were there, the weather went from rain to warm sunny weather in a matter of minutes.

When we first drove into Yakima Canyon, I felt a rush of nostalgia. There were shrubs everywhere! I am from San Diego and the main landscape type is a shrub, specifically coastal shrubs. Immediately, I knew I would enjoy this trip. We walked into the ecological area over a swaying bridge and with each step on the bridge, it creeked and rocked. I doubt the bridge has ever had as many people on it as there was on Saturday. The group was immediately allowed to explore the area. I found rabbit brush with some dried out flowers growing on it. Also, I examined the tall sagebrush. The brush had many dry leaves and branches. We continued to explore, walking up one of the trails to the top of a hill on the canyon. The views were amazing all around us. I could stay at the spot for hours, watching the weather change rapidly in the canyon.

Tall Sagebrush (characteristic plant)

Flowers on the Rabbit Brush

Song Sparrow that was caught on the trip.

Location 2 (Umtanum Ridge)

Landscape of Umtanum Ridge

Umtanum Ridge is a lithosol community, or a rocky soil area. The rocks are jagged volcanic rocks that formed after ancient lava flows. It is also a bitterbrush community. This type of brush area is a migratory place for deer and elk. The animals come from the mountains during the wintertime. An important plant in the area is the Thyme desert buckwheat. The buckwheat puts most of its energy into the stem and has small leaves. Each plant can live for many years at a time; some of the ones we saw at the site could be up to a hundred years old. Other plants that can be found at the site are greasewood and sagebrush. Greasewood has trident leaves and has a different scent than sage. The sagebrush in the area can be either tall sagebrush or stiff sagebrush. The differences between the two are the size of the plant and shape of the leaves. During the spring, the area can be covered in flowers.

As we arrived at location 2, I looked around with confusion. The landscape had changed dramatically from location 1 to 2 and I was not sure where the cars were anymore. Once the group walked to the plateau, I began to be amazed by the beauty of the area. For hills in all directions, you could see the bitterbrush communities. The mountains bordered the left side of the scenic views. It was windy and there was steady rain as we arrived. I found it difficult to survey the plants in the area. Each plant was so small and I could not tell the difference between each easily. My main focus of this location was to find a horned lizard or a scorpion. I circled the area; picking up every rock I could find and then carefully putting them back how I found them. My efforts were fruitless, but I found that looking for both helped me understand the landscape more. I slowly became more familiar with the plants and their structures.

Location 3 (Umtanum Creek Falls)

Landscape of Umtanum Creek Falls

Umtanum Creek Falls is a ponderosa pine community. The area has hills covered in volcanic rocks and shrubs. The characteristic tree in the area is the ponderosa pine. The bark of the pine has an orange-brown color and smells like vanilla. Also, the bark can grow wolf lichen. Other trees in the area include quaking Aspen, white alder, and crabapple trees. The quaking aspen has smooth bark and its leaves turn yellow in the fall. The crabapple tree has red leaves and long thorns. While at the site, the weather was partly cloudy and in the 50s.

After we finished surveying location 2, the vans drove us further down the road. The distance between location 2 and 3 was small and we arrived at our final destination quickly. As the group began the hike, we had in mind that it would take no longer than an hour to get to the waterfall and back. I continued down the trial trying to identify the plants and trees in the area. This was not an easy task because many of the plants in the ponderosa pine community I am not familiar with. I could easily identify the quaking aspen due to the vibrant yellow leaves and interesting knots on the bark. Additionally, ponderosa pines and crabapples were easy to identify due to their characteristics. Our field trip group continued down the path, crossing rivers and walking the side of cliffs. Although not the easiest walk, I was managing to get to the waterfall. Then we reached the cliff to get down to the viewing site of the river. This inclined cliff was far from a short walk down and was not going to be a simple task to get down. I decided to try and I began slowly going down the cliff. My comfort level dropped significantly as I continued. My feet were slipping and I had no control over where I was going. I decided to get close to the ground and slide down the cliff. Once I reached the bottom of the hill, I was in shock; all I could think about was how I was going to get back up. We observed the waterfall for some quite some time. As I looked at my clock, the time had reached the one-hour mark at the waterfall. The area had rock cliffs with small plants growing on little ledges formed. Moss and lichen grew down the cliff beside the waterfall framing the water with greenery. I speculate that an earthquake formed the rock because there is a clear distance between different areas of the rock cliffs. The group was ready to get back to the cars, but the first obstacle was to scale the cliff. I walked straight up, grasping every rock I could find. I went too far up the hill and had to back track to get to the trail. I can say that overall, although scaling the mountain was difficult, I was an adventure I will never forget. We returned to the cars, discussed our experience, and headed back to Seattle.