Thanks to everyone who have responded about this event. I'm going to go
ahead and set the date so that people can make plans. If you are
interested in this and can't make the date, let me know.
It seems like the weekend of Sept 21-22 is preferred, mostly
because of weather considerations as we get into Oct.(altho I suppose we
could do some wildlife tracking...) Timing should be good for the
migration at that point. We will do a trip on both days, one being
somewhat more robust.George Wooten (botanist and with the WA native plant
society) is conducting this with me. On both days we should be able to get
to areas of the burn that encompass wetlands, aspen meadow,old growth
Douglas fir and burned lodgepole pine; all of which have unique responses
to the fire and all having their own special set of winged friends.I would
suggest that folks not be overly concerned about physical conditioning-the
Olympics are over. There are several good spots to park yourselves and
bird/botanize/sleep while others roam around a bit.
I would suggest that this is an excellant time to do some owling
as well (it's about time for the 2nd annual boreal owl adventure-Andy,
Scott are you there?). The boreal owl nest boxes are along the #39 road
and the area is punctuated with open meadows surrounded in some spots with
some beautiful old growth. Small mammals are flourishing after the fire.
Seems right for a few hoots.
There is camping at both Long Draw campground and Tiffany Springs
campground and dispersed camping on the #39 road. I'll post times and more
specific directions as we get closer to the date.
Thanks again for all the interest. It's always a pleasure to share
a place like this with people who care about our unique landscapes. Again,
if this weekend doesn't work for you, let me know and I'll try to arrange
something to get you back there.