Collecting Data in Quill Canyon

Yesterday I went up to Quill Canyon again (just outside of Carson City) to help with another field trip. The Carson High School Honors Biology classes have been monitoring the site for the past four years and I think I've been a part of the project for that long too! They set up transects every 10 feet for 100 yards in designated areas and each year they photograph those transects and estimate the amount of coverage each plant or bare ground covers. They had to look up or guess at the types of plants (forbs, grasses, etc.) so they could watch change occur over time. The area was sprayed for invasive weeds and the students would plant native seeds in the fall.

The weather didn't look all that promising but it was mostly wind and a little rain.

Looking for signs of wildlife.

My portion involved walking the area looking for wildlife or signs of wildlife. Yesterday we saw a Prairie Falcon, Magpie, Scrub Jay, Mallard, Quail, Mule Deer, and Desert Cottontail. We also saw lots of deer and rabbit scat, tracks, an antler, a lizard, maybe leeches, and some insects.

Nevada Bugs and Butterflies, a non-profit group, was there too and they showed the students how they look for insects. They also identified what they found, including butterflies, leaf beetles, caterpillars, beetle nymphs, flies, and bees. I also asked them to talk about the pinecone galls that we were seeing on the willows.

Showing the students caterpillars and butterflies.

Today I'm going to an Education Working Group Meeting in the Carson River Coalition building. It's my day off but I wanted to go. I also could have gone to another field trip in Quill Canyon, since this is the last year it's happening, but I thought going to the meeting might be more beneficial since the agenda has a lot to cover!

And finally:

You might be a state park ranger if....

...you need to make a sign with sticky letters and can find all but one of what you need!