Yosemite etimesoY

 Reflecting near Tioga Pass, Yosemite NP, this past weekend.

It's a pretty nice place.

Here's to finding a beautiful, natural place near you,

and getting into it.

And, although the NPS is running a

Find Your Park campaign to encourage & celebrate such things,

and I am a huge fan of the NPS,
it doesn't have to be a national park.

Whether you're at some famously stunning natural landscape,

or peering at the bugs that flew to your porch light,

nature can always enrich your life.

Ours is a complex and wonderful planet.

And it's all right out there...

=)

xoxobb

why these NPS scientists do what they do... short video w/GREAT scenery

Which has a NUMBER of people in it

whom I was lucky enough to get to know back in my PNW NPS days. =)

2 of 'em even came to my Christmas party. =)

InSANE scenery ahead!

Why We Work from NCCN Science Learning Network on Vimeo.

And if you know of any science-nerdy folks

whose work focuses on nature,

you might make sure they know that the NPS

is one of the places they could work.

xoxobb

Thilent Thurthday: thankful for national parks

On the rocks, please... intertidal monitoring bliss

Skillz: a park volunteer (yet another professional biologist) perched atop a large marine boulder (at Cabrillo National Monument) searching for and measuring every owl limpet (Lottia gigantea) within 1 meter of a metal bolt. Note the wet spots where her feet were are only where owl limpets are not. She's good. =)

This is a picture of a good day.

If you see me doing this,

you will know I am in my happy place.

I will have ocean-soggy feet,

blonde hair flying wildly,

and a semi-permanent grin on my face.

I love the above photo

because it shows you a part of this work

that is very important,

but few would ever think of.

Our team: 3 professional biologists working for free 'cause a) we're just that nerdy, b) it's such a freakin' awesome place, and c) it's a fabulous cause. =) Note the orange chalk marking either the plot boundaries, or owl limpets that have already been measured.

Something that adds another level of complexity

and makes me love this work all the more.

Aside from having to lean into, hover over, squat under, or perch upon

a cold, hard, damp, variably squishy or scratchy boulder for up to an hour, 

and find and measure all the owl limpets

(being careful not to confuse smaller L.g. with other species),

you need to do it without crushing any owl limpets.

Don't tread on me! Lovely owl limpets. Note the area they've cleared of competitors (via bulldozing) so they can farm algae. Pretty awesome and interesting way of life. Clearly, though, it's tough to doze your own back....

And perching can include tip-toe-ing around on slimy

boulders or ledges: slipping is not an option.

Sometimes you get smacked around by waves,

and you always have to watch the tide.

Sing with me! "Every Lottia is sacred. Every Lottia is great. If a Lottia gets wasted, bb gets quite irate."

Finally, these boulders, ledges, and cliffs were selected for this study

because they sport so many owl limpets. High density.

I kind of love that.

So, while you try to work quickly and accurately,

to accomplish as much as possible in the time given,

within an ever-changing environment that's entirely out of your control,

you must also ensure that you don't hurt anyone.

I think it's good practice.

For lots of things.

=)

xoxobb