Narbeck Wetland Sanctuary

Narbeck park is a 42.76 acre built wetland in Everett, WA. This area was a mitigation project constructed by Snohomish County to offset safety projects at Paine Field Airport which had destroyed wetland habitat in the process of its construction. 8 years after the park was constructed and open to the public, the project was successful, Snohomish County received an award by the Washington State Department of Ecology.

The field trip to the park was a great experience and highly educational. Through the use of interpretive educational signage through out the trails, one could easily understand the importance of wetlands, how they work and what features were added to the park and why. I thought the use of the trails as leaky berms was a brilliant idea. I know about planted berms and bioswales used to trap water for plants but never thought about a walking trail beam used to trap water, allowing water to pond on one side and slowly seep and leak through to the other side of the berm.

Dominated by Alnus rubra the area is a classic riparian forest with scattered conifers such as Pseudotsuga menseizii, Abies grandis, Thuja plicata and Picea sitchensis. Understories with small trees and shrubs like Sambucus racemosa, Symphoricarpos albus, Cornus sericea, Salix lucida and Vaccinium parvifolium. I observed many bird species at the site the hooded merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus) were one of the many that stood out to me but the highlight of the field trip for me was seeing an American bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus) that was sitting in a tiny pool of water off the trail where a pipe was emptying water into. Could have been that the water flowing from the pipe was warmer than water in the other near by ponds. All in all, this field trip was a great experience and I am happy to see that we have the capability to transform landscapes into wetlands, because at the rate they are decreasing means that we will have to build more. 

Below is a picture of the park early after the completion of the project.

http://www.watershedco.com/images/sized/_uploads/images/projects/Narbeck/narbeck-aerial_1-715x355.jpg

Narbeck wetlands

the most interesting thing I learned I think would be related to the different types of wetlands and how they are categorized.  Wetlands such as swamps, marshes, bogs, have different types of vegetation and rates of water movement.  The fact related to the types of wetlands that is intriguing is how different areas house different levels of biodiversity, and unique species.  Some wetlands may contain more overall biodiversity which allows more inhabitants to prosper while other wetlands are perhaps less hospitable and harbor rare species.

Wetlands are essentially a bio filter, slowing down water movement which allows things to be broken down.  Wetlands are extremely productive ecosystems and have a lot of energetic activity within them.  Another very important feature is flood control.  Wetlands act as a barrier as well as a resivoir for excess water, giving extra water a place to stay rather than rushing into forests or cities.   One more feature is restoring ground water, which could relate to flooding.  Water is allowed to slowly trickle rather than rushing to the ocean.

There were multiple organisms that caught my interest.  The most captivating was most definentely the bull frog I stumbled upon.  Was hanging out in a pool of water near the forested area.  Although it is winter I was still able to find some fruits, not edible but fruits none the less.  They were snowberries, I typically think of fruit as something that occurs in the spring time dominantely but there is still plant reproduction happening during all seasons depending on the species.  I also found a single stinky robert weed that was flowering.  Very peculiar, perhaps it was the first of many to flower or had a mind of its own, but it really stood out to me.

Blog Post #6: Synthetic Sanctuaries

     Besides being a good excuse to get outside and take a nature walk, the visit to Narbeck Wetland Sanctuary Park was actually fairly informative to me. One new thing I learned that stood out to me was what "leaky berms" were, and how they were important to the structure of Narbeck Park. It's pretty fascinating how water can so easily travel in a wetland, yet still remain stagnant and undisturbed in the process.

     Also, this excursion did give me some appreciation for the importance and impact wetlands have on an ecosystem. Not only hosting a multitude of diverse species and populations of organisms, but also for the amount of Net Primary Productivity a wetland can exhibit, which I learned can equal that of even a tropical rain forest. Furthermore, the wetland system is so incredibly important for the health of our watershed. Being able to slowly take in heavy rainfall without flooding immensely is a huge support for the health of the surrounding environment.

     One thing I thought was intriguing about the Narbeck marsh itself was the variety of flora that I don't usually encounter in a more urban or even forested environment. Top highlights for me being probably the invasive Purple Loosestrife and the rather marshmallow-ey Snowberry. Granted I was searching more carefully than I normally would outside of class for interesting species, but their was definitely a noticeable influx that was quite cool to me.

Narbeck Wetland Sanctuary

Mergus merganser (common merganser), one of the animal species found in the park.

Alnus rubra (Red Alder) along a pathway.

The most interesting thing that I learned about wetlands is that their net primary production per acre is on the same level as the tropical rainforest. Primary production is the rate at which ecosystems capture and store carbon. This makes wetlands incredibly important for offsetting carbon pollution from human activity. Its interesting to think that we have these pockets of wild nature in our back yards, full of biodiversity, all working to save us from ourselves.

They are incredibly important to us in many other ways. Wetlands can act as buffers and reduce storm damage for coastal areas. They can protect against floods by slowing down the movement of floodwaters and holding excess water. Wetlands help filter out pollutants that run into our rivers, lakes, and oceans. They also recharge and replenish our groundwater, which in turn maintains streamflow as well as lake and reservoir levels that provide water for irrigation and drinking.

I found it cool that the marsh was a mitigated wetland. It is encouraging to know that people have realized the importance of wetlands and are taking action to keep them. It is also cool to think that this area is constantly changing. As secession continues we will see in different plants that will continue to change the environment. While walking around I noticed areas with tall trees that were too old to have been planted after the mitigation took place, giving a glimpse of what the area would have looked like before it was a wetland.

A species of the genus Typha (Cattail) surrounding a pond.

Northwest Trek

NW Trek was a very interesting place, and it was nice seeing all the cute animals! There was a lot of information about the different types of animals to gather and I was certainly pleased to have learned about them, thank you! My favorite animal was the wolverine as it was running around it's cage pleading to be let free, losing it's sanity in front of the paying customers who keep this prison from hell alive and running- because I can relate. Poor lad.

Flying Pupper

Spiky Pupper

???? Pupper

Cat

Overall the experience was neat, I am not one for animal enclosures but at least some of the animals were being kept well for the sake of their injured self. I liked learning about owls and how they can't move their eyes because they are too big, and that their ears are slanted for better focused hearing. Also learning about how you can tell how an animal eats and if their hearing is more dominant than their sight and vice versa. I sure do love me some nature!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Narbeck wetland!

    Going to the Narbeck wetland was very interesting, especially since I live a few blocks away from the Edmonds wetlands, learning more about their ecological importance was cool. One thing that I really appreciated about this particular field trip is that,  before attending this class,  I honestly would have merely seen a body of water with some shrubs and trees...Now,  having taken and almost completed this class,  I see a vast array of ecological diversity within our wetlands; something I would not have considered before.
     I was very intrigued to learn that there are many different types of wetlands, and that they serve different functions. From bogs to marshes,  they all serve invaluable roles within our planet, especially with regard to our oceans. Wetlands filter runoff from the cities and farms that can harm the ocean, they serve as a reprieve for birds during migration, and they are also a place where marine animals can mature before they go out to sea, among other things.
     I was interested to see and learn about the different plant species that thrive in the wetlands, one of which was the Snow Berry. The plant bares a white, small and round bulb that resembles a marshmallow. I also saw a tree that appeared to have been cut by a beaver, as well as some ducks, both male and female, as well as a Chickadee.
     Wetlands are such a vital part of our planet, and it is really important for the public to be aware of this importance. Too many people look at wetlands, marshes, bogs and such as just a nuisance that attract mosquitoes, or put a damper on their building projects. In truth, the world that we have created is even more dependent on wetlands, because of the pollution that we have put into our water systems. Without wetlands, the runoff and with it, pesticides and herbicides and fertilizer get washed into our oceans and cause severe damage.

Narbeck Wet(and cold!)lands

Alice L. - Yelp.com (I forgot to bring the phone that can take pictures)

Our excursion to Narbeck Wetland Sanctuary was an interesting and educational visit. I think I was most interested in learning how valuable these habitats are to raptors and also how adaptable certain organisms have to be to be a permanent resident of wetlands. This is because any organism that remains in these environments year-round have to be able to sufficiently benefit from the wetland's varying provisions through every season.

I learned more about how important of a role they play in flood protection as well as processing harmful chemicals and toxins from urban runoff. Much of this is due to their incredible absorptive properties and biodiversity. This also reminds me of the awesome fact that they have the same Net Primary Productivity (NPP) as Tropical Rainforests per acreage! If only our government knew about that before trying to rid us of every last one.

Lindsay - Blogspot.com

I thought the topographic features were pretty cool, especially how the berms would cause some areas to have lightly flowing water and other areas virtually no flow of water that gave it a glass-like quality. As far as animals, I enjoyed getting to watch the chesnut-backed chickadee work away right above me (Of course when I didn't have my camera phone). I  think the coolest thing I saw though was the Hooded Merganser -a really cool looking duck compared to the Mallard. I also saw a big bullfrog, but since it was another pair that told us where it was, I'll let them post about it!

Lophodytes cucullatus (Hooded merganser) - Peter Massas

Northwest Trek

      Northwest Trek is a Wildlife Park in Eatonville, Washington that houses a variety of northwest mammals. The park is over 700 acres, and the tram tour takes guests throgh over 400 acres of land in which American Bison, Roosevelt Elk, North American Moose, Black-tailed Deer, Mountain Goats, Bighorn Sheep, and Trumpeter Swan are able to roam free. Other animals in the park include Grizzly Bears, Black Bears, Red Fox, Gray Wolves, Coyotes, Barn Owls, Beaver, Fishers, Raccoons, Wolverines, Cougars, Skunks, Bobcats, Snowy Owls, Lynx, Turkey Vulture, River Otters, and even a Badger. The only animals we were unable to see were the bears, which were off exhibit. Inside the Cheney Family Discovery Center we also saw a few reptiles, including a Red-legged frog, Gopher snake, Western toad, and Rubber boa.


      I learned some unique facts about a few of the animals during the field trip. I most enjoyed hearing about the predatory birds. Turkey vultures start out with feathers on their heads, but lose them over time due to sticking their heads into bacteria-ridden carcasses. The shape of a barn owls head is actually to help them take in sounds and locate where they are coming from.

      Overall, the field trip was great. I loved getting to see so many great Northwest species up close.

 

Narbeck Wetlands

      One of the most interesting things I have learned about wetlands is that there are different types. A marsh always has water flowing in, which gives the plant life moist soil to grow in. A bog depends on rain or snow for the water it holds, and receives no water from streams or other sources, and also doesn't put out water into any other source as well. A swamp is a wet area that is able to grow many trees and shrubs. A slough can be a swamp, or lake system that has slow-flowing water that goes through it. Narbeck is classified as a marsh because of the water that is constantly flowing through it. This flow of water is what allows for the red alders we saw to grow in such extensive numbers, along with a variety of shrubs and other plants.


      Wetlands are incredibly important to the ecosystem because of the variety of functions they have. Wetlands are habitats for insects, fish, birds, and other wildlife to reproduce and exist comfortably. They also play host to some migratory species of birds. Wetlands are also capable of purifying water by way of holding excess nutrients and pollutants. Because of their ability to hold water, wetlands are also able to help with flooding by holding the excess water that comes down during a storm. These are just a few of the functions of wetlands that make them so important to the ecosystem. That is why when a company destroys a wetland, it is expected to replace it, as is the case with Narbeck.



      One of the things I thought was cool about Narbeck is how such an amazing and healthy ecosystem can exist in the middle of Boeing, Fluke Manufacturing, ITT, Snohomish County PUD, and other local businesses. I think that Narbeck is a really good example of how there can be some level of balance between human and nature productivity. We are perfectly capable of finding ways to preserve important natural areas while still managing to go about our daily lives. It definitely takes a lot of work to get these places in good shape for producing wildlife and growing such a wide variety of plants, but the end result is clearly worth it.

 

NW Trek

The field trip to NW Trek was by far the most fun field trip so far. I had a great time and also learned a TON of info about different species of animals. It was really cool to go on the tram and see the animals in their natural habitat, although most of them were just sleeping. My favorite animal was probably the skunk, she was adorable! Although it is really hard to pick favorites.


I think that one of the most interesting things I learned would have to be that owl's eyes touch the back of their skull, because of this, they can't move them and have to rely on precise head movements to track their prey. This is why owls adapted to be able to move their heads at such crazy angles. I was also interested in how much you could tell about an animal just by looking at its skull. Overall, the field trip was a lot of fun and I learn a ton about animals that I previously did not know.

Wetlands!

The field trip to Narbeck Wetland Sanctuary was a lot of fun (despite being extremely cold). I really enjoyed seeing the landscape and going on a 'hunt' for different species of both plants and animals.



The highlight of the field trip for me was finding a Downy Woodpecker. I've never seen a woodpecker before! I was also quite interested in the Paper Birch and what causes it to shed its bark. I learned a lot of information about how wetlands function and why they are so important but what surprised me the most was that they have close to equal NPP as compared to tropical rain forests. I also learned about different classifications of wetlands.

Blog Post #5: Birding by the Beach

     Going to the Meadowdale Beach trail was probably my favorite field trip so far. Mostly because the park itself is already really important to me personally and I kind of consider it a second home, but also because it felt like the first time we could examine more mammals and non-insects outside of our texts.

     Definitely the most interesting thing I learned about birds on the field trip, and honestly just an interesting activity in itself was how many different species one can identify from call/song alone. Something about being able to study and thoroughly understand more about an entire location's bird population without ever seeing one was fascinating to me.

     One thing I learned and that stuck with me was truly how many species can occupy even a single tree, let alone an entire ecosystem. It really speaks to how important and impacting they are to an entire ecosystem, because different species have to exist in so many different niches alongside each other.

     The Golden Crown Kinglet was one interesting species to me. I was not able to photograph it sadly, but some of its key characteristics are that they tend to dwell and forage in shrubs, they are usually one of the smallest fully grown species in the PNW, and they have a bright yellow crown atop its head as well as a grey/yellow body. 

Bird watching!

The bird watching hike last week has been my favorite field trip thus far.  I liked the hiking,  and the view from the water was amazing.  I also enjoyed seeing so many different types of landscape,  like the clusters of Red Alder and Spruce.

     The most interesting thing that I leaned was that crows use a unique,  and somewhat unexplainable communication system that allows them to actually describe a person's appearance and the behavioral characteristics of the person. While on the trip, we learned about the Pacific Wren. The Pacific Wren can be identified by a very short tail.  The bird is very small,  and occupies the understory  of the forest and its floor. They are brown, with darker stripes of color on the tail, wings, and brow. The Pacific Wren is very vocal and has both calls and songs in its repertoire. Dominant male Wrens can be very aggressive, especially during mating season.
         Birds are an important part of the ecosystem because they aide gymnosperms and angiosperms in the dispersion of seeds. Without birds, "mother" trees would be competing for resources with their "children".

The Pacific Wren and Crow

There are a few things that I found to be fascinating.

At the beginning if the field trip we started talking about the Crows and how they can remember faces, but not only can they remember faces, they can communicate to other Crows of which faces are a threat and which are a benefit. So basically if one Crow were to see you, they all can recognize you if the that particular Crow were to "report" you to their group called a Murder.

The second time we stopped we talked about how some birds flock together to scavenge for food. During that time of them takes lead and looks out for predators or areas where food is abundant. We mostly saw Pacific Wren. The flock of Wren's will forage from mostly lower surfaces, but keep a distance from each other so if there is a predator near by the whole flock will not be attacked. When foraging they call out to each other to make sure they are still some what close as well as communicating where the young are. One of their biggest identifiers is by their calls. It's usually a long high rapid tweeting sound and they usually hop around the lower forest floors.

meadowdale birding

The most interesting thing I learned about birds was hands down the anatomy of a woodpecker tongue.  I had no clue and would have never had guessed that they have separate sockets that curve around their skull to contain their extremely long tongue.

Birds are important for keeping insect populations in check, without them things might get out of hand.  Another very important function is seed dispersal and general nutrient cycling.  When berries are eaten seeds are usually included, and are deposited with a coating of bird droppings which gives the future plant a head start with a rich layer of compost.  Some seeds actually require digestion for germination, and would not germinate without this.

The Pacific Wren is an impressive bird, specifically because of the amount of sound comes out of such a small organism.  The small bird is not much larger than a golf ball, and has brown feathers and a dark brown beak.  Likes to hang out in the undergrowth, weaving through twigs and branches, landing for a moment and looking about before moving on as if combing through the undergrowth for food.

Lunds Gulch

Holes made by woodpecker

While on our field trip into Lunds Gulch at Meadowdale beach park, we learned about the importance of birds. Birds are a key element in nearly all ecosystems because of their importance in plant reproduction. Birds do this by filling the roles of pollinator and seed distributer. As with other animal families, birds help maintain population levels of their pray and distribute nutrients through the environment. Birds can also be keystone species. For example, woodpeckers create cavities that are later used by other species as nests.

I was interested to learn that crows can communicate some complex ideas to each other. Studies showed that crows in one area could recognize a human that had agitated crows in another area, causing them to swarm the agitator. Somehow, the crows were able to spread the word about the human looked like, to other populations. 

A Pacific Wren.

One species that we recognized was the Pacific Wren. This small, mouse-sized bird is solid brown with black barring on its wings, tail, and undersides. The bill is dark brown, the legs pale brown, and It has a short tail that it holds upright. Pacific Wren songs and calls are an elaborate series of high-pitched, varied, and rapid musical trills and chatters.

Bird Field Trip

I really enjoyed learning about birds and their various calls, I felt it was the most interesting part of the field trip and it's something I would love to learn more about. My family has always been pretty wildlife friendly and as a result we get a lot of different birds that come to our yard, I would like to get to a point where I can identify them by their different calls.

Birds are an important part of the ecosystem because they are carriers. Birds eat various fruits and seeds, and then carry those seeds and disperse them around their territory. Birds are also a prey species, and are an important food source to a variety of predators. Some birds, like woodpeckers, are considered keystone species. Woodpeckers create cavities in trees that are used by many other species.

An interesting species of bird that we encountered on the field trip was the Chestnut-backed Chickadee. They are a small species with a short beak, long, narrow tails, and short wings. They have black and white heads like other chickadees, and have a chestnut colored back (unlike other species of chickadees, which often have gray backs).

Post #5, Tuppence a bag

Nature Mapping Foundation - Northern Flicker

The importance of birds in the ecosystem can't be understated. They play several big roles; first of which being population control for bugs and rodents. Namely, the woodpecker, drills out bugs from the inside of a dying or dead tree's bark. There is a variety that has adapted to starting from the top of the tree -working its way down. Their beaks are actually curved upward to compensate for this reversal in direction. Another big role they play is seed dispersal; they consume a large variety of berries and nuts and this helps to increase a plant species territory. They also serve as great pollinators and recyclers.



I think the most interesting thing I learned about birds specifically was how long a woodpecker's tongue is (and that it even had/used a tongue for catching bugs), and that when the tongue retracts it splits into opposite sides of the woodpecker's cranial cavity.

Matt Orsie - Golden-crowned Kinglet

One bird that was a real treat to see and learn about was the Golden-crowned Kinglet. These are very easy to identify by sight as they have a chickadee-like body with a distinct yellow-orange patch along the top of their head. They stay in groups for survival and stick mostly to dense trees that hide their position. They are songbirds though so they can also be identified rather quickly by sound when you know what to listen for.

Special thanks to Dave!

Blog Post #4: Fungus Amongus

     For me, the most interesting part of the Fungi field trip was learning about how complex fungi actually are. For example, I never knew how expansive the mycelium network that stems from and connects other fruiting parts of fungi. Also, it was very interesting to learn about how such small details like a spore print can completely change classification of fungi.

     Fungi's importance to any ecosystem was real surprise for me. Prior to this class and this field trip, I mostly just knew that fungi decomposed and recycled living material in an environment. So to learn that they also work to circulate and draw nutrients and minerals across such a wide area, and to/from so many organisms, was quite eye-opening to me. Additionally, I guess I always kind of lumped all kinds of fungi into one over-arching category. This changed for me after learning more fungi can be parasitic as well as symbiotic, flourishing as well as specified to certain conditions, and clustering compared to individual.

     One species of fungi that caught my eye was Fomitopsis pinicola. This fungi is considered a polypore, and is characterized by multiple features. It has a dense, black crust on top of the mushroom body, which fades to a red-orange that lines a white growing margin. The underside of this fungi is typically white. Furthermore, this fungi very much resembles a shelf, and will be found growing outwards from a tree trunk parallel to the ground.