Observation #8

Date: 5.29.08
Temperature: 44f
Time:8:00
Wind conditions: none
Weather: its cold!!


Today was the last day of observations. There was basically the same as it has been for the last few days. The trees are getting much greener though. The aspen trees are getting there pretty green leaves and they are getting bigger as well. This morning I saw a brand new baby calf elk and the mom right in the middle of my observation area. It was sooo cute!! It was brand new and just barely starting to stand up. This project made me notice a lot more that goes on and changes every day that happen in the environment.

Observation #7

Date: 5.27.08
Temperature:
Time: 7:00ish
Weather: not to much of a breeze.
Wind conditions:

In my observations today there was not much change. I have noticed that the water level has dropped. In my last observation the water level was really high, due to all of the run off. Now it has dropped. I assume this is because there is no more snow to melt. When it was really high there was alot of snow that had been melting. Now there is little or no snow left to melt. There was also not many animals in my area today. The only thing that I saw was the osprey and a beaver. The beaver has been working on its damn lately. He/she has been dragging alot of willow and tree branches through the water, building up his damn. By creating a damn he is creating a environment for other animals and insects. The damn slows down the flow of the water and can make little ponds. This makes a habitat for ducks as well as bugs that like marshy places to live.

Works cited

Castagno, Steve. Personal interview 5.21.08
Garden guides 5.28.08 Demand media knowledge http://www.gardenguides.com/Default.asp 5.26.08

Washingtion department of fish and wildlife living with wildlife, Elk, 5.20.08
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/living/graphics/elk1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/living/elk.htm&h=589&w=750&sz=81&hl=en&start=1&tbnid=NUM56lE9FnxK6M:&tbnh=111&tbnw=141&prev=/images%3Fq%3Delk%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den
Photoseek 5.29.2008 Canadian rocky mountains http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.photoseek.com/01CAN-C2-31-Banff-aspen.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.photoseek.com/CanadianRockies.html&h=260&w=325&sz=63&hl=en&start=60&tbnid=Ki0fVpcl7QlOVM:&tbnh=94&tbnw=118&prev=/images%3Fq%3Daspen%2Btrees%26start%3D40%26gbv%3D2%26ndsp%3D20%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN

Flura report

The scientific term for a aspen tree is Populus tremuloides. Aspen trees are known for their round leaves. They are usually 9-16 cm. In diameter on a mature tree. They have a very flat stem, this makes it easy for them to flutter in the wind. On the very young trees the leaves are almost triangular. The bark of a aspen tree provides food for the larvae species. Almost all species of aspen trees grow in colonies. Each tree lives for around 40-150 years. They are considered to have a very short life span compared to other plants. The root lives a lot longer though. The tree its self will die off and the roots will sprout up new trees. Aspen also don’t do good during drought. Well not many trees do but aspen have a very low tolerance level for it. They need water very bad and don’t do good when there is a shortage of water. Theses trees also can not survive in temperatures below -38 degrees. Aspen spread by there seeds. They have little blue flowers or seeds. The greatest bloom is usually in Mid Spring, with fruit and seed production starting in the Spring and continuing until Summer. New leaves are grown each year.

Observation #6

Date:5/21/08
Time:6:45
Temperature:33f
Weather:very cold!! and snowing
Wind conditions: theres a breeze

My observation site looked very different today. But not because of changes in the grass, or plants, or animals.. but there is snow. There was about two inches on snow. But before it snowed there was a whit film on the river. I am not shure what it was though. There was alot of biodiversity today. There was elk on the opposite side of the road and there was a moose in the willows, a duck in the water, and a flock of geese flying around.

Fauna report Elk

I live north of Jackson in one of the largest migration routs of one of the largest elk herds in the world. This heard is called the Jackson Elk heard. The scientific name for a elk is a Wapity. The heard consists of approximately 13,000 elk. Elk winter in Jackson form October November through April. In the summer approximately up to 150 miles away in the lower part of Yellowstone. Elk have antlers. Not horns. The bulls or the males grow the antlers, the female do not. The antlers are shed or dropped each year and grown back each year. The first or older bull elk loose there antlers early march. It takes 140 days to regrow the antlers each year. Antlers can grow up to one inch each day. They can weigh up to 25 pounds per side, or 50 pounds per elk.
Bull elk generally live seven to nine years in the wild, and cows can live twelve to fifteen years. The oldest cow elk that has ever been on the refugee was twenty eight years old. How you can tell how old a elk is, is by looking at the wear on the teeth. Or take one of the teeth out after they die, take one of the teeth out, cut it in half and count the rings like you would a tree. Elk graze on grass the same as buffalo and beef cattle and have a four chambered stomach. And they chew there cud the same as beef cows. In the summer time a elk will eat up to 20 pounds of feed a day and in the winter 14-16 pounds a day. Elk also have one of the neatest teeth of any animal, they are made of ivory. The same as a elephant or a walrus tusk. Each elk, male and female, have only two teeth on the top in the front of their mouth.
As the elk leave in the spring, sometime after April, the calves are born, late may or early June. The calves are 9 month gustation. The cows generally have one calf per year but can have twins. Calves weigh 25-30 pounds at birth, and do not have any smell when they are fist born so the predators can not smell them. They are covered with spots to be able to hide in the vegetation. And within the first 2 weeks of their life they can run up to 30-35 miles per hour. They will stay with their mother the first year of their life or until the next calf is born.
Elk have one of the best meats for us as humans to eat, its one of the most healthy. This is because the meat doesn’t marble. The fat does not get into the meat. A male elk can weigh up to 800 pounds and females can weigh up to 600. That gives us a lot of meat to harvest. A wolf depends highly upon a elk heard. Each wolf will eat up to two elk per wolf per month.

Observation #5

Date: 5/19/08

Temperature: 68f

Weather: it is really nice out and there is not a breeze

Wind conditions: there is not really any wind

There has been many changes in the past few days. The bank that I first saw the beaver on is now totally covered with water... You cant see any of the bank. And it is not just in that one part, the river all along the banks have risen up a lot. It is very deep. There were two ducks swimming in it. I couldn't tell if they were the same ones that I have seen there before. Also there was one of the two osprey in the nest. The willows are beginning to Bloom. The buds are slowing turning into flowers.

Observation #4

Date:5/14/08
Time:7:00 pm
Temperature: 47f
Weather conditions: rainy and really cold!!
Wind conditions: there is a very cold breeze!!

Today in my observation area it was very very cold! And not to much was going on. There was about twenty or so elk across the river standing in the willows. The osprey's nest seams to be getting bigger and bigger. From what I can see they mainly use twigs. They were in the same place last year and there was a huge wad of twine hanging off of it. So far I have not seen to much of that. Plant life is the same as well... Everything is still trying to turn green. The soil that is really close to the river was not as moist today. I assume that this is because it was cold so the moisture was "frozen". But as you get further away it is still dry.

Observation #3

Date:5/13/08
Time:6:52
Temperature:49
Weather: sunny but sort of cold
Wind conditions: there is a breeze

Over the past few days I have seen changes. There is basically no snow what so ever, and everything is getting a lot greener. Also the river is started to flow a lot faster. This is due to all of the run from the melting snow. As the river comes to the corner it starts to go really fast. There also has seamed to be a rise in it. The willows are definitely started to change colors. On my first observation they were a very ugly brown and now they are starting to look really healthy and more of a pretty almost orange color. This observation there was less animals then usual. Usually there is a duck or two. But this time there was just one osprey.

Observation #2

Date:5/08/08
Time: 7:00 pm
Temperature: around 55*f
Weather: not over cast, but not sunshine
Wind conditions: a very slight breeze.

I have not seen a lot of changes but there has definitely been some. The snow that was there the last time that i looked is basically all gone. There is still small patches here and there but other then those few spots its all gone. Today I saw a beaver swim off of the bank and into the river. There was also two duck, a male and a female. The male had a bright green head and the female was brown. Also in the middle of the river there was about 40 head of elk. They were just standing in the middle of the river. I did not have my camera to take a picture but it was very cool. The flowers and other plants have gotten greener. The willows are starting to get little buds on them. I assume that within the next few days they will be blooming.

Observation #1 description of area

Date:5/06/08
Time: 7:12 pm
Temperature: 54*f
Weather: slightly over cast
wind conditions: there is a slight breeze.

My area is in Buffalo Valley road, Moran Wyoming (basically my yard). There is a lot of biodiversity in my area, deer, moose, elk, beaver, ducks, osprey, etc. The river that runs through here is called the Buffalo river. I assume the animals use this river as a main water ground. There is also a lot of room for them to roam around in. Also in this area there is a variety of plants. There's willows, Aspen , sage brush and pine trees. Some of the plant life here are little yellow and purple flowers (i am not sure what they are called though). The soil close to the river is very moist. And the farther that you go from the river the dryer that the soil gets. There is still about... 1/2 a foot of snow or maybe just a little bit more then that, but not all of the snow is gone. I predict that within the next few days it will all be gone. In some places the grass is starting to sprout out of the ground. The trees are also trying to turn green.