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Reflection at Reflection Lakes

7/30/2018

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Hi MeadoWatchers!

Temperatures are rising and biting insects are peaking. plenty to complain about while outdoors; I honestly
found myself getting a bit frustrated with the bugs a couple of times last week.

Last Wednesday, I hiked the Reflection Lakes trail. It was a pretty cool hike (compared to our recent
temperatures) and I didn't see too many people until I reached some of the upper plots. On this day, I felt a
sense of calm as I walked along the trail, slower than I normally do, collecting data and just taking in my
surroundings. This sense of tranquility followed me to the end of the maintained trail where I found a nice
rocky area to sit down, have lunch, and reflect on the summer so far. I've certainly thought about this before,
but in this moment I was able to reflect on how fortunate I am to have this internship this summer.

In April, after a dismal  interviewing experience with Seattle City Light and several rejection emails from other
government entities in the area I was starting to get nervous about the prospect of not securing an internship
this summer; something I needed for 1.) income and 2.) to fulfill the 400 hour internship requirement set in
place by the Evans School of Public Policy and Governance for their MPA candidates. I was nervous, but
marginally optimistic because I knew my dream internship for the summer was as far away from the office
building settings of the internships I had applied to up to that point. That dream became reality when a friend
told me about the MeadoWatch opportunity. I applied and here I am today.

While reflecting in my lunch spot on Wednesday, I thought about how grateful I am to be in this position; the
opportunity to participate in a program so closely aligned with my personal passions and and career goals is
not Iost on me. I have been gifted with an amazing opportunity that is allowing me to realize the trite phrase,
"find a job you enjoy and you will never work a day in your life," even if this job only lasts a few months.

I also reflected on the role that African-Americans play in environmentalism, the erasure of African-American
environmentalists from mainstream history, and the relationship many African-Americans today have with
the "environment" and outdoor recreation. As an African-American man, I thought about the widespread
belief among many of my peers that outdoor recreation and environmentalism are "white people activities".
I began to hope that my visibility in my current position, albeit a small one, and passion for the outdoors and
environmentalism can begin to change this belief that many of my peers have.

I know this blog is vastly different from the ones I have written so far, but I really just wanted to take the time
to express my gratitude for this program and everyone involved in it. I wanted to express how much it means
to me that I have the opportunity to participate in a program like this and I know it would be absolutely
impossible for me to have this experience without you, MeadoWatchers. After my reflection, I realized
characterizing the bugs as even a minor nuisance would be an overstatement.

I hope the MeadoWatch 2018 season has been as much of a joy for you as it has been for
me. As always, I hope I have the opportunity to see some of you all on the trails in the future!

All the Best,

Joshua Jenkins

Picture
                                                           My Lunch Spot on the Reflection Lakes Trail
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The Doris Duke Conservation Scholars

7/23/2018

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PictureScholars collecting phenology data!
Hi MeadoWatchers!

I hope y'all are enjoying the MeadoWatch season so far! We are
incredibly thankful for everything y'all do!

Personally, I'm loving my MeadoWatch experience and the
opportunities I've been given to engage with people
interested in and devoted to living a life rooted in conservation
and responsible environmental stewardship. This past Friday,
MeadoWatch had the pleasure of hiking and collecting
phenology data with the Doris Duke Conservation Scholars
Program (DDCSP) along the Reflection Lakes trail. The DDCSP at
the University of Washington is a "multi-summer, undergraduate
experiential learning experience that explores
conservation across food, water, climate, and ecosystems of the
Pacific Northwest
."

Friday morning, we were treated to a presentation on seed predation by some of the scholars. Then, we
drove to Reflection Lakes, split up into 5 groups of 4-5 people and embarked on our hike. It was a bit cloudy,
and the mountain was coy, but the cool breeze and mild temperatures made for a beautiful day on the trails!

On the administrative side of things, all plots are now snow free. Additionally, all plot markers (except for
plot 11 at Reflection Lakes) have been placed.

As always, happy hiking and I hope to see you on the trails!

All the Best,

Joshua and Your MeadoWatch Team


Picture
Taking a little break
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The Citizen Scientists from Mercer Slough

7/16/2018

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PictureCampers taking in the views!
Hi MeadoWatchers!

This past week, I was joined on the trails by some precocious campers from
the Pacific Science Center's Mercer Slough Environmental Education Center. 
These brilliant 6th, 7th, and 8th graders visited the Hille Ris Lambers lab
where they participated in their own mini-MeadoWatch orientation. We
talked about MeadoWatch's mission, citizen science, climate change, and
wildflower phenology. At the end, we even played a Kahoot! quiz game
(if you have school-aged children they're probably familiar with Kahoot!). On
Friday, the campers made the the trip to Mt. Rainier National Park where
they met me at the Glacier Basin Trail. We hiked, collected data, and had a
wonderful afternoon enjoying the beauty of the park. After we finished hiking
we relaxed by the Inter Fork of White River and took in the spectacular views!

On a more administrative note, after some thought (and discussion with the
campers from Mercer Slough) I decided that our plots along the trails would
be more noticeable if they were marked by the orange survey  markers
instead of the yellow ones. Because this conclusion was reached after the
Glacier Basin hike and before the Reflection Lakes one, the trail markers on
the Glacier Basin trail are still yellow.

As always, for updated trail status check out the Trail Status tables at the top of the Our Hikes page on our
website!  I hope the MeadoWatch season has gotten off to a good start for those of you that have already
started hiking and collecting data. I've already seen a couple of you on the trails already and look forward to
seeing more!

All the Best,

Joshua and Your MeadoWatch Team


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Two Trails, A Marmot, and Plenty of Snow

7/9/2018

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PictureGlacier Basin and Kianna
Hi MeadoWatchers!

With the 2018 orientation season behind us the 2018
MeadoWatch season has officially arrived! Last Thursday-Friday I
embarked on my first "solo" field work excursion, accompanied
by Kianna Dieudonné of the Doris Duke Conservation Scholars
Program. We drove to the park on Thursday morning and hiked
the beautiful Glacier Basin Trail. Conditions were perfect; clear
blue skies and comfortable temperatures made for a wonderful
outing. The Glacier Basin Trail is now completely melted out and survey markers have been placed at each of
our plots! For the Glacier Basin hikers, you should have no trouble navigating this trail the rest of the season.

After a decent night's rest we woke up early Friday morning brewed some coffee and set off for the
Reflection Lakes Trail. Clear skies and cool weather made for another gorgeous and enjoyable hike, even
if the trail provided challenges at some points. As those of you who have already hiked this trail know, much
of it is still covered in snow. The snow doesn't make the hike itself mechanically difficult (I do suggest bringing
poles and/or microspikes), but it does make the trail very tough to find in some spots. We were aided by our
GPS, but for those of you that don't have one I would exercise caution while hiking this trail at the moment.
Also of note, because there is still a lot of snow on the trail, most of the plots are still without survey markers
(if you're ever curious about the status of the trails/presence of absence of survey markers at our plots check
out this link: http://www.meadowatch.org/our-hikes.html). Despite the conditions, we were able to complete
the hike and were rewarded for doing so in the form of breathtaking views and wildlife companionship; the
wildlife companions being a fearless marmot in search of food (he taste-tested my microspikes and a
keychain on Kianna's pack) and a supportive hiking guide in grouse form (he literally helped guide us along a
section of the trail on our descent).

Overall, solo field work week number 1 was a success and I can't wait to get back at it this week. I wish you all
happy hiking; and hopefully I'll get to see some of you on the trails!

All the Best,

Joshua and Your MeadoWatch Team





Kianna and the Marmot
Lunch at Reflection Lakes
Steven's Canyon
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