![\"A](\"https:\/\/dev-clm-blog.pantheonsite.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/20160609_100025-min.jpg\")
<\/a>A glimpse of the Wrangell range from Willow Lake in the Copper River Basin. From left to right: Mt. Drum, Mt. Stanford and Mt. Wrangell.<\/p><\/div>\n
The\u00a0two most recently visited field sites\u00a0happen to be accessed by the mere two roads into our park, Nabesna and McCarthy. Given that Wrangell-St. Elias is the largest park\u00a0and preserve\u00a0in the United States\u00a0with 13,275,799 acres, this presents a bit of a problem. The answer? Aviation. This park is\u00a0SO remote that we will be flying via bush planes\/floatplanes with frequency\u00a0to backcountry field sites inaccessible by\u00a0The Nabesna and McCarthy Roads\u00a0(I’m\u00a0quite excited about this).<\/p>\n
Nabesna Road was our first destination where we\u00a0convoyed\u00a0ATVs into\u00a0the backcountry to the Copper Lake Trail-Crew Camp. The trail is undergoing a serious rerouting project and we were there to\u00a0assess the habitat\u00a0damage during its construction and map potential sites for restoration and re-vegetation on unused or expired\u00a0off-road vehicle and equipment\u00a0trails. We even got our hands dirty cleaning\u00a0up light inhibiting\u00a0debris that was successfully choking out vegetation on many of these trails (see before\/after photos).<\/p>\n
<\/a>Mapping restoration plots on the Trimble GeoXT.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>First stage restoration\u00a0 – Before<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>First stage restoration – After<\/p><\/div>\n
In Alaska,\u00a0many environmental hazards exist that have the power to seriously harm or kill if unprepared. Whether it’s the wildlife\u00a0or weather (rain\u00a0and freezing temperatures), it seems that this rugged wilderness is always testing the most seasoned of outdoorsmen\/women. Despite these challenges, I’m convinced that insanity driven by mosquitoes is the most daunting obstacle in Alaska.\u00a0 Somehow the experience of\u00a0200+ tiny dipterans piercing their proboscises of\u00a021 micrometers in\u00a0diameter through a material layer and into the\u00a0flesh causes folks to lose their cool. The DEET-less summer is going to be more difficult than I ever imagined.<\/p>\n
After Nabesna area\u00a0our team visited McCarthy and the Kennecott Mines to scout more potential restoration sites along with a manual treatment of a Leucanthemum Vulgare population. From the mine are phenomenal views of the Kennicott Glacier, Root Glacier and Stairway Icefall.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Looking through the trees to Kennicott Glacier.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Lateral rhizomatous sprouts of Leucanthemum Vulgare<\/em> present quite the challenge for manual treatment.<\/p><\/div>\n In our spare time we have been busy botanizing, gardening, picking spruce tips and traveling outside the Copper River Basin. I arrived in Alaska during the\u00a0pasque flower bloom and was lucky enough to stumble upon a calypso orchid my first week here.<\/p>\n A striking Calypso bulbosa<\/em> growing in Sphagnum substrate of boreal forest understory in Copper River Basin, AK. Photo by Maura Shumacher.<\/p><\/div>\n Pulsatilla patens<\/em> is an anxious spring wildflower. For it’s brief period of flowering in Wrangell-St. Elias we found it most commonly on river bluffs and open patches of woodlands. Photo by Maura Schumacher.<\/p><\/div>\n Life is sweet in Alaska and I am learning something new every day. Truly\u00a0ecstatic to meet the other CLMs at training next week!<\/p>\n Hasta luego,<\/p>\n Jacob<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Greetings! I am happy to be reporting from the land of the midnight twilight\u00a0where I\u00a0have had a spectacular\u00a0introduction to the Alaskan wilderness. I came here to work with plants, but with the impact of bear, moose, salmon and mosquitoes on … Continue reading <\/a><\/a>