People of the Big River 2026

 Met with Marlo at 9 am to help her gather data on the threatened plant, Pumus Moonwart of Bopu. We all lined up in a horizontal line by the road, about 10 ft away from each other, and slowly moved forward together to look for the plant. Last year, the previous group found 400, and I believe we ended up with 500 today.  The plant is super small; it thrives on Pumus from the Mazama volcanic eruption, and when I was helping look for some, I felt like either the area I was walking on had very unpredictable locations for the plant, or they were so small for my eyes.   It was also found on the three sister mountains and others too, which makes me wonder if you could possibly grow it outside of Oregon?  I had a hard time finding them; to me, it was like finding a needle in a haystack, but once you find them, you can spot the small differences from other surrounding plants.  Marlo Fisher has worked in botany for 15 years and started out as a firefighter, as well a...

 We went to the Warm Springs museum and got to listen to Louie and Alysia speak about their goals and the unwritten vs written laws.  After listening to them speak and the rights we have, it inspired me to push forward with helping the tribe, or a tribe. To hear how the environment is changing and how our cultural foods are slowly becoming more difficult to obtain, I want to make a difference in my own way, to bring balance to the current times.  After the museum, we went to Craine Prairie to set up camp and got some soil samples for that site.

  Today we had a full Sunday breakfast of bacon, scrambled eggs, and hash browns. Usually it’s cereal and something light, but I felt full after this morning. At 10:30 am, we stopped near the White Salmon River. I took a plethora of photos and was able to visit both sides of the river.  Additionally, I learned that the rocks near the flowing water were volcanic and help maintain a low temperature for the river. Then we went up a couple of miles to the trail where there were Ponderosa pine trees planted with the restoration project. When they grow, they can help provide shade to the river. The soil was so nice you could feel every texture, perfect for the salmon. During the trail we found a book called " Liminal: During the consciousness” and a notebook that different people wrote in. Then we took a break from the trails to eat lunch. After lunch, we went a couple of miles farther to a hidden-ish trail that led down near a cliff, where you could see the points where the dam or...

Had breakfast and left the camp at 8 am to Newberrry national park to tour the volcano and see all the views this area has. I have yet to take my geology class and don’t know much about geology, but I learned so much and had such a good time today learning about the different types of volcanic rocks and how the lava actually flowed out of the top.  Christine, a volunteer worker at the lava station, gave us a quick rundown of the types of rocks that can be found throughout the area, such as Basalt, a common rock. Obsidian,  igneous , cinder, and metamorphic. Obsidian,  igneous , cinder, and metamorphic. We got to feel and look at each rock as well. Hearing her talk about the rocks and geology inspired me to possibly pick it up and learn more.  Then we got on a bus to Lava Butte; the views there were amazing. Took some group photos, then walked the Lava Butte Trail that looped around to the parking lot at the top.  I learned that there are so many volcanic hills a...

  Woke up at 6 am once again, got prepared for the day, and left camp by 8 am to help with the restoration of riverscapes. We got to meet Janet, David, and Gerard, then left Glenwood for Mt. Adams. Janet is the watershed planner, David Lindley works for the tribe as the habitat coordinator, and Gerard Fuley is the habitat biologist. Janet said the land has been like this since the Cougar Creek fire started on August 10th, 2015, from lightning, and wasn't contained until mid-September. Before we went down to the river, we had to dust our shoes to make sure we didn’t bring in stuff to the river. It was a very busy day, we got there around 9:30 am, and my first task was to put on weighters and get into the river to lay down pine trees to mimic the work beavers do.  We first dug some dirt out to gather inside of buckets to increase the river level, and after laying down the trees, we had to put stakes in the middle and around the pine bed. Took a break at 12:30 pm to eat and get a...

 Got to sleep in today and got the most amount of sleep so far out of this trip. This morning we had a full Sunday breakfast of bacon, scrambled eggs, and hash browns. Usually it’s cereal and something light, but it was delicious, and I was full. At 10:30 am, we went down to the white salmon river. Got to walk to both sides of the river on the first stop, and also went down on both sides of the river. Additionally,  I learned that the rocks down near the river were volcanic, and they help maintain a low temperature for the river, which I found super interesting.  Then we went a couple of miles further down and found a spot with a trail. It had a bunch of lovely flowers, and the soil in the river was so nice, you could feel every bit of texture there was, perfect for salmon.  planted ponderosa pine trees, and when they fully grow, they can help provide shade for the river.  I’m usually in my room at home or don’t leave the house, and this has to be my favorite pa...