13 June 2018 Bears, Berries, and OTCs

Here Comes The Sun

The weather cooperated enough today that we were able to spend some time outside! We loaded up this morning to do berry counts on Mt. Slope, north of Toolik Field Station. We saw the camp fox on the way out (he was not feeling photogenic, however – I will get a picture another time!), and drove to the site. While the weather was cooperating, the bear population was not. They too, know where the berries are, and beat us there. So after a few photos, we went back to camp and left the bears to their meal.

The two bears who thwarted our berry counting plans. Photo by Matthew Simon.

After lunch, we loaded up 24 OTCs (open top chambers) to place on a site at Toolik. These OTCs are like small fiberglass greenhouses. By small I mean large and cumbersome to carry. Thankfully, they are not heavy in addition to being bulky. The hardest part was trying to figure out how to hold them to carry them along the boardwalk to the site. This was my first day traversing the tussocks on the tundra. The ground in the melting tundra is similar to walking on a wet sponge. The tussocks do make walking more difficult, and I can see why some of the researchers here have said that walking on snow covered tundra is easier. Once the OTCs were in place, we staked them in, and by the time we left, the greenhouses were already melting off more of the snow.

Toolik Field Station OTC site before all the chambers were set up. And after we set up 24 chambers.

This Pedicularis kanei (commonly known as woolly lousewort) was blooming beside the boardwalk. Tundra flowers are really beautiful!

Signs of warmer days to come...Pedicularis kanei (common name: woolly lousewort)

The Adventures Of Flat Cat

Today, Flat Cat is hanging out in Weatherport City. This is the area of Toolik where the researchers and their teams live.

Flat Cat hanging out in Weatherport City.