Wetland Mapping Field Day 10/13/2023
Wetlands serve many functions- from biodiversity hotspots, water storage and filtration, aquifer replenishment, wildfire breaks and more. However, wetlands are also notoriously tricky to map, and you can’t protect an ecosystem you don’t know is there! Join us as we gather data about soils, plants and hydrology to assist our wetland partners in mapping wetland areas on Mt. Hood.
Wetland field days are moderate to high physical activity days with plenty of stepping over logs, wading into wetland areas and pushing through shrubs. We’ll walk the boundaries of our wetland maps to verify if the boundaries shown on the aerial imagery maps match what we see on the ground. To do this, we’ll identify wetland indicator plants, create data points for areas that are more wet or dry than we expect and do a thorough soil sample. This data is then shared with our wetland scientist partner Kyla Zaret to help her update wetland maps in the Clackamas drainage basin. This data fits nicely into the larger goal of estimating water storage capacity of individual wetlands in order to further understand the effects of climate change on these sensitive ecosystems.
We will all meet in Portland, OR at 9 am, coordinate carpooling to the site location from there, and return in time to be at our meetup location between 5 and 6pm. Our final destination will be sent out via email prior to the volunteer day.
This is an in-person event and will follow Bark’s COVID-19 volunteer work safety protocol.
Before registering: Everyone interested in participating in Bark’s wetland mapping efforts is welcome! Please review Bark’s online wetland mapping training materials before attending a field day.
Questions? Visit Bark’s page on what to expect on a volunteer day and what to pack for a field day. For more information or email Meg, Bark’s Field Survey Coordinator, with additional questions.