Cascade Volcanoes • Entered by Laurie Kerr on February 3, 2020
Steigerwald Trail Steward
February 1, 2020
Participants and Hours
| Pre Planning hours | |
| Post Admin hours | 0.5 |
| Activity Hours | 3.5 |
| Participants | 1 |
| Total Hours | 4 |
Key Issue: Wildlife Protection
Activity Type: Stewardship (monitoring, sampling, planting, etc.)
Key Partners: Environmental Priorities Coalition
Landscape/area: Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge
Measurable Outcomes
Outcome 1: Trail/land monitored (5 miles)
Short Description of Activity
A total f 50 visitors counted today with 45 adults and 5 youth. 11 visitor contacts were made.
One woman was about to walk her dog on the trail and I mentioned that she could take the dog down to the William Clark Park but she declined but then she left the dog in the car. She had two small children and I walked with the 5-year old for a while. She came because she was wanting to see the turtles; however, the turtles were now hibernating down in the mud. I showed her my binoculars and she viewed the tundra swans with enthusiasm and awe. We talked about the nutria, the restoration project, salmon, orca, and climate change. I was also asked by one visitor what the 3 ways he could do to best fight climate change. I told him: limit global airline flights, reduce carbon footprint, and plant trees! He says he was going to sign up with some of the nonprofit groups that I recommended in order to help fight climate change! Great! I was pleased to see the harrier, tundra swans, (3) GBH, buffleheads, hooded mergansers, and pair of bald eagles today. Mostly dry with minor sprinkling today!
Reflection/Evaluation
The more time I spend here the better it feels to educate visitors about the refuge and the restoration project and connect it to climate change. Time in nature is well-spent!