IMAG0813

IMAG0813
Originally uploaded by lexmiller_44

It's 10 o'clock...do you know where your DEDICATION is?

Arcata Community Forest and Smith River 7-29-11 thru 8-1-11

What a trip. First leg of the great adventure went through the Arcata Community Forest on 7-29. My team of junior explorers and I hiked the trail near the Campbell Creek. We found three Batrachoseps attenuatus in various spots along the trail. All specimen were weighed and measured and ranged from 0.5 grams to 1 gram and anywhere from 7 to 9 centimeters long. We only found one Ensatina e. scholtzii, and it weighed 1.7 grams and was 10.5 centimeters long.

The second leg of the trip I found myself snorkling in the Smith river. Over two days I found four very large larval Dicamptodon tenebrosus. No measurements were recorded, but they were fascinating as I have never found such large specimens. I think they were in access of 15 centimeters or more. I was surprised at how "at home" I was in the river. I stayed in the water for hours looking under rocks and observing wild life. I also saw a Northern Red-legged frog or two, and what I can only assume to be hundreds of Northern Red-legged tadpoles. The tadpoles were great to see. A greater concentration of tadpoles usually led to a discovery of one of the four D. tenebrosus I found. They seemed to follow the food sources. And let me note here that these creatures were all found in a swimming hole that was very crowded by people and dogs.

The third leg of the trip brought our group back to the Arcata Community Forest. Again we found several B. attentuatus, and one D. tenebrosus larva that was very young. The interesting thing about the D. tenebrosus was that it was found in drainage water from the nearby neighborhood, and not in the cold and clean stream that I usually find them in.

Once I find my camera(somewhere in my luggage) I will post pictures.

Nevada City/Grass Valley Area

I went to a football camp at Nevada Union High School and decided to take a little walk one night after camp was finished. Nice pictures, saw a family of ducks, but no herps to be found. I did see a species of fence lizard at the stadium sunning itself on the bleachers.