Rocky shore and forested trails; the Barred Owls traverse Larrabee to Clayton, 5/13/17

Imagine, if you will, being awakened in your houseboat (play along…don’t let the fact that you don’t have a houseboat deter you from losing yourself in this entrancing story!) by this sound. As you no doubt figured out if you clicked through to hear the sound, it comes from the fish known as the midshipman (from markings on its body that resemble buttons on a naval uniform). The fish lives along the Pacific coast of North America, ranging from Alaska to Mexico, and regularly awakens houseboat residents during mating season. 

Our day started cool and showery...great weather for
exploring along a rocky shoreline.

According to Wikipedia, “The fish produces the sound using the muscles of its modified swim bladder.^[10] It receives the sound in its saccule, a sensory organ in the inner ear. During the breeding season, hormones induce the microscopic anatomy of the female's saccules to change in such a way that she can better sense the harmonics of the male's calls.” Think about this example of the wonders of the natural world. The female experiences hormonal changes that tune it to the male’s call. Amazing.

Note the treeline at the water...and the handsome Explorer!

I was telling the Barred Owls about this fish (some midshipmen, but not the Salish Sea populations, are also bioluminescent, by the by) as we started down the beach from the Larrabee boat launch on Saturday. I had just learned about the midshipmen, which fertilize eggs along rocky shores and protect the eggs by laying between rocks. So, I was pleasantly surprised when several Explorers called to me to point out a midshipman laying between a few rocks. A great example of the power of attention; the boys were tuned in to the possibility of seeing this fish and ….. there it was!

Here's the male midshipman guarding the eggs - cool!

This was just one example of the wonders of our rocky shores as experienced by the Barred Owls last Saturday. There were crabs, of course, and gulls, and kelp and on and on. The Explorers were totally immersed; not in the bay, but in exploring along the beach. 

Amazing life in this rough, rocky habitat.

Up close and personal.

Halfway through our hike, we switched from rocky shore to forested trails (stop to think about that for a second…we are so fortunate to live in such a diverse, spectacular, stimulating environment). Progress was quicker without the distractions of the intertidal zone, and we were soon in more familiar territory near Clayton Beach. We took advantage of our remaining time and this place we love so much to explore, relax and play. 

It was an outstanding wrap-up for the Barred Owls year. The power of the places we traversed brought out the explorer in each of us as we reveled in the company of friends in the outdoors. 

If you haven’t already, check out Wild Whatcom’s summer offerings. We just opened an additional Anderson Watson Lakes backpack trip for grades 5-9! August 14-16.

In the meantime, check out the rest of the photos from Saturday’s outing. And enjoy your summer. We’re looking forward to seeing you in the fall.

The Barred Owlets discover the wonders of Clayton Beach

As you may be aware, the salmon life cycle occurs in a chain of connected environments: stream, estuary, nearshore, and ocean. Salmon fry spend from a few hours to a few years in fresh water, depending on species. When ready to leave the stream, salmon enter estuaries, where they begin to adapt to saltwater. Again, their time at this stage varies from hours to months, but it’s the changes they undergo here, called smoltification, that fascinate me. Their body shape is altered, their skin reflectance increases (more silver) and there’s an increase in their gills of the enzyme that pumps sodium out of cells. Presto/change-o, they’re now saltwater creatures. Is that amazing or what?!!!?

No less astounding is the change in humans as they transition from children to adults. This change might still be some time off for the Barred Owlets, but a focus at Explorers Club, as we attempt to complement in our “survival” setting what you do every day, is to prepare them to be caring, respectful, cooperative members of our society. A principal way we’re doing that with the Barred Owlets right now is to set an expectation of honorable, respectful, helpful behavior toward each other and the mentors. An important tool for us, as I mentioned in my last blog post, is the 5-finger “contract”. 

Steve and I were very pleased to see that several of the boys remembered that we introduced the “contract” during the torrential downpour that passed for our last outing. One mentioned that his Mom talked with him about it (great!, thanks). And, we later saw evidence that the boys are “getting it” as they helped each other with rock climbing, exploring and decision-making. No doubt, there is work still to be done, but it is rewarding to see the boys gel as a group and mature as individuals.

 But enough philosophy, you say! What the heck happened out there? Well, with a watchful eye to the sky in hope of a rain-free afternoon, we crossed Chuckanut Drive and headed down the path toward Clayton Beach. Before long, 10 intrepid Barred Owlets, 1 EMA (Explorers club Mentor Apprentice) and 1 mentor scattered into the ferns at the call of HIDE! It’ll be a long time before I call HIDE! in the spot again, for when I opened my eyes I could see not a one. With considerable effort, I managed to locate a few, but it was not my finest hour, for sure. 

Our opening meeting followed and was focused around the 5-finger “contract”, our water curriculum (estuaries) and a difficult decision - should we go straight down to the beach or play Spider’s Web first? Two good options. With our Tribal Elder’s capable assistance, we decided to play Spider’s Web first, but only for a limited time so we could have enough time at the beach. Outstanding work, Barred Owlets!

After our game, we threw our packs on again and headed down the trail. As we crossed the RR tracks, a few explorers who were familiar with Clayton Beach wanted to head off in different directions to explore. At the urging (insistence, really) of the mentors, however, we moved together down to the rocks along the shore where we could establish a base. The beach offers beach-combing, tide-pool examining, rock climbing, trail exploring and more. We needed to anchor their activities for everyone’s safety and sanity. Then, let the scampering begin!

The clouds generally won the battle with the sun throughout the afternoon, but couldn’t muster any rain and occasionally gave way to filtered sun as explorers attempted daunting rock climbing routes, examined tidepools and bounded up and through trees. (Note to self: Say everything you need to say to the boys BEFORE crossing the tracks. Once they see the stimulating possibilities at the beach, it’s tough to regain their attention!)

Before long. a check of the clock indicated it was time for reflection before our closing meeting, so we strung the boys out along a bluff overlooking theSalish Sea for a sit spot. The sound of the surf facilitated a quick connection to the wonders of this place as the sun struggled to assert itself for good. And as I gazed into the stiff, cool breeze coming off the water, I could almost see far enough into the future to catch a glimpse of these explorers at 21 years of age, strong and honorable men.

Our closing meeting in the now bright sun and on the beach (do you remember how hard it is to sit in the sand and not dig?) was notable because of Steve’s promise to provide a home-baked treat at our final outing in late May to compensate for the fact that he forgot our apples for this outing. Hurrah! 

We know groups progress in fits and starts and we shouldn’t count our chickens before they hatch, but thementors felt like the Barred Owlets moved forward with this outing. More respect towards their peers; better attention in circle; a caring attitude when exploring. A good outing - and a great launch point for our service outing on May 2 at Connelly Creek. We’ll continue our water curriculum as we work to restore the riparian habitat along the creek that is so critical to the health of salmon in the freshwater rearing and migration to spawning stages of a salmon’s life. Check here for the schedule. Oh, and here for the photos from our outing.