Field Day Packing List

• Clothing Considerations
  • Scratches from branches and other plants: Since most of our fieldwork is off trail, we are often walking over downed logs, through shrubs, thick trees, or tall sedges and grasses. Wear long sleeves and pants to protect you from getting scratched by branches and other plants. Thicker clothes (like canvas pants) are more durable but can be too hot in the summer weather and can be heavy and cold if they get wet. Thin, lightweight clothes (like nylon hiking pants) will keep you cooler if it’s hot outside but can rip more easily when snagged by a branch. We do NOT recommend stretchy material such as yoga pants as they don’t protect from insects, scrapes or thorns, and tear easily.
  • Insects: We encounter ticks, mosquitoes, wasps, and other insects in all our fieldwork. Wear long sleeved shirts and pants to protect you from insect bites, bring insect repellent, and consider treating your clothing with permethrin (this must be done 2 days ahead of time to be effective). 
  • Cold and wet weather: Bring a warm hat, gloves (waterproof if it’s raining/snowing), and lots of layers of warm clothes. Hand and toe warmers can help a lot! Cotton clothing isn’t effective at keeping you warm when it gets wet, so choose wool, fleece, and down clothing items that will keep you warmer in wet conditions. 
  • Hot weather: Bring lightweight, “breathable” clothing that will keep you cool and protect you from too much sun. Wearing long sleeved shirts, pants, and a wide brimmed hat will help you stay cool. 
  • Sunny weather: This can include a baseball cap or wide brimmed hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen. It is important to bring sun protective items in the summer and winter (sun reflecting off snow is very bright). UPF (ultraviolet protection factor) hoodies can be a lifesaver on super sunny days!
  • Rain gear: Bring a rain jacket and pants. Many of our sites are at higher elevations where precipitation can be unpredictable! Plan to bring a raincoat no matter the forecast
  • High Visibility Clothing: Such as a blaze orange vest and/or hat to be visible to any hunters we may encounter. Bark will have hi-vis vests available during hunting season.
• Footwear
  • For surveys in wetlands:
    • When walking through wetlands, you will likely be in standing water, so rubber waterproof boots are best for keeping your feet dry and warm. 
    • Bark has some rubber boots to lend to participants. Please fill out the Boot Reservation Form. 
    • If it is particularly cold (under 40 degrees Fahrenheit) and rubber boots won’t be warm enough, bring spare dry socks to change into and  wear 1-2 layers of thick wool socks and toe warmers. 
    • In warm weather (above 70 degrees Fahrenheit), you can wear non-waterproof trail running shoes or hiking boots if you don’t mind having wet feet. If it is hot and sunny weather, stepping in cold water can be a great way to stay cool. 
  • For surveys in forests:
    • In cold, wet weather, choose shoes that will keep your feet warm and dry. Waterproof hiking boots are a great option. 
    • In warm weather, non-waterproof hiking boots or trail running shoes are good options. Because these are breathable, they will keep your feet drier and cooler than waterproof boots. 
• Lunch, snacks, and water
  • 2 liters of water is usually sufficient.  If it’s hot, bring extra water and an electrolyte mix. 
  • Plan to eat lunch in the field, away from your vehicle.
  • When in doubt, bring more food than you think you’ll need. High activity levels burn extra calories so extra snacks are always a good idea.
• Regular medications
  • If you have a history of severe allergic reactions (especially to stings or bites), please bring the appropriate medication and let someone in your group know how they can access it in case of an emergency.  If you have a prescription to epinephrin, please bring epinephrin. 
  • If you have asthma, please bring an inhaler. 
  • Any medical condition that may affect your field day, please come prepared and let the Bark staff know ahead of time.
  • Bark staff are all trained by NOLS in Wilderness First Aid and Epipen certified.
• As many of the “10 essentials” as possible
  • This includes navigation tools, extra food and water, extra clothing and an emergency shelter, fire starting materials, a first aid kit, a multi-tool, a flashlight or headlamp, and sun protection (like sunglasses and a hat).
  • Add a mask and hand sanitizer for COVID and hand and toe warmers in cold weather. 
  • Gaia maps is a great addition to Google maps for places without cell service.
• Vehicle safety items
  • Bark avoids taking people places where vehicles are likely to get stuck or damaged. However, forest service roads are unpredictable and it’s always good to be prepared.
  • Helpful items to bring include: spare tire, jumper cables.
• A notebook and pen
  • Bring a notebook and pen to use during Bark’s Land Acknowledgement Practice

What does Bark provide?

When groundtruthing, your packet of survey gear will include: 

• Clipboard with a data sheet and writing utensil 
• Compass 
• Map (for the survey and for the larger area) 
• Clinometer (for measuring slope) 
• DBH or Tree diameter tape (for measuring the diameters of trees) 
• Binoculars (for measuring canopy cover and looking at birds!) 
• First Aid Kit 
• Whistle 
• Walkie Talkie (for communicating with other groups while in the field) 
• Plant Identification guidebooks

When participating in a beaver habitat survey, your packet of survey gear will include: 

• Clipboard with a data sheet and writing utensil 
• Compass 
• Map of the survey area
• Clinometer (for measuring slope) 
• Measuring tape (to give you an idea of distance) 
• Binoculars (There are lots of birds in wetlands!) 
• First Aid Kit 
• Whistle 
• Walkie Talkie (for communicating with other groups while in the field) 

When participating in a wetland mapping survey, your packet of survey gear will includes everything listed above plus:

• Wetland Mapping data sheet 
• Additional resources for wetland classification 
• Soil auger or spade (for digging into the soil) 
• Washcloths for wiping hands after soil sampling

We usually bring this extra gear when the weather or season calls for it. 

• Clothing to borrow
  • Warm hats 
  • Puffy jackets 
  • Some rain gear 
  • Some mittens/gloves 
  • Wool socks 
• Guidebooks
  • We usually put one plant ID book in every groundtruthing packet but have a limited number of other books.  We will bring extra books on topics such as lichen, tree ID, mushrooms, and tracks and scat on the field day, so be sure to ask for something if you are interested in it. 
• Extra First Aid Equipment