Tuesday was the first day of Ms. DeMarco’s Summer Forestry Program. The program is funded by the YESS grant and Pacific Education Institute. Students will be introduced to Forestry and Natural Resources and get hands on field experience while earning their Science credit. We kicked off the program by heading to Taholah to meet up with our partners at the QDNR. They began their morning with a presentation on the history of Quinault Indian Nation, given by Larry Workman. Other QDNR employees spent time going over Safety and Forest Practices. Lia Frenchman (Tribal Historic Preservation Officer) gave a talk on the book “Gifted Earth”. Students spent the afternoon in a “Wetland” with Alexandra Slusher making observations and identifying components of the wetland as well as identifying plants, trees and grasses with Ryan Eide and Cavin Park. Our very own local Orlando Schimelpfenig was there to talk about what a day in the life of a forester looks like, some specific tools which are used for measuring and his own history in the forestry business. Wednesday, the learning continues with students diving into more Safety and First Aid for being out in the elements whether it’s working or pleasure. They dive deep into specific tree identification and native species with are planted and harvested within Quinault Reservation. Students also spent the later part of their day learning about invasive species, noxious weeds from Cavin and Fire Ecology with Mary Rollins. Special thank you to Alannah Cross for organizing the experiences with QDNR. The students will continue their field experiences OVER THE NEXT 6 weeks
