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Jul 23
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Jul 24
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10:00 AM
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03:30 PM
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Trout Lake, WA 98650
Trip description: This trip is part of a long-term and multi-partner effort to protect the majestic, old-growth ponderosa pines in a unique part of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest on the south side of Mount Adams. Forest stands in this area have become overgrown following decades of fire suppression-these particularly fire-prone areas are one of the few forest zones in the GPNF where thinning and prescribed burning are recommended as a viable management strategy for promoting ecosystem health. Currently, these mixed conifer forests are threatened by high-intensity fires and are also experiencing negative impacts from drought and disease due to heightened competition for water and nutrients. For the past three years, Mount Adams Resource Steward (MARS) crews have been working to reduce fuel loads, and CFC volunteers have been assisting in the pulling back needles, bark, and other ladder fuels that have accumulated under the ponderosa pines. Reducing these uncharacteristically dense fuel loads is just one of the phases of the project to help protect the old-growth trees from the impacts of future wildfires. The next phase, prescribed fire, is occurring this spring. This action will help restore these forests and improve their long-term resilience to fire, drought, and disease. The goal for this trip is to monitor conditions and survival after these restoration actions. What we find will help gauge the success of the treatments and inform future treatment strategies. * Please note: the dates of this trip may change and are dependent on when prescribed burning is performed. Prescribed burns are only conducted in highly specific weather conditions to limit the risk of spread and the impacts of smoke to nearby communities. Task: Using an iPad and forestry measurement tools to collect new data on how previously monitored old-growth trees fared after a prescribed fire. Trip difficulty: 4 out of 5 || This trip involves walking through dense forest stands, over downed logs, and on uneven ground. What you need: Sturdy hiking boots, rain gear, sun protection, day pack with food/water and other essentials, and camping gear (detailed list sent via email) Gear provided: Data collection equipment Lodging: Developed campground in the forest areas near Trout Lake Please visit our website for more information: https://www.cascadeforest.org/volunteer/
Date Posted: May 14, 2022
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Jul 9
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Jul 10
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10:00 AM
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03:00 PM
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Trout Lake, WA 98650
Trip description: Join our Policy Manager on this trip to collect on-the-ground information for the upcoming Little White Salmon timber sale. The data collected on this trip will help CFC pinpoint habitat features and priority areas of protection. Task: Walking through forest areas and collecting data using diameter tapes, clinometers, and iPads. Trip difficulty: 3 out of 5 || The trip entails walking over downed logs, through thick brush, and on uneven terrain. What you need: Sturdy hiking boots, warm layers, rain gear, sun protection, day pack with food/water and other essentials, and camping gear (detailed list sent via email) Gear provided: Data collection equipment Lodging: Developed campground near the Little White Salmon River Please visit our website for more information: https://www.cascadeforest.org/volunteer/
Date Posted: May 14, 2022
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Sep 10
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Sep 11
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10:00 AM
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03:00 PM
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Northwoods, WA 98616
Trip description: Come join for the assessment phase of a new aquatic restoration project to help salmon! We will be working with the Forest Service to assess on-the-ground conditions and design a long-term aquatic restoration project on Clear Creek and Clearwater Creek (tributaries of the Lewis River). CFC will be surveying and mapping the presence of invasive plant species to identify treatment locations for the overall restoration plan, collecting environmental DNA samples to survey for the presence and absence of various aquatic species, and carrying out wood count surveys along priority tributaries to quantify wood needs in areas of interest. The objectives of the overall restoration plan are to improve habitat complexity and diversity by increasing the size and amount of deep pools, increasing wood accumulations, increasing riparian vegetation, and increasing the amount of suitable spawning and rearing habitat for coho, spring Chinook, and winter steelhead. Task: Learning about identifying invasive plant species, collecting data on invasives and instream wood via iPad, and assisting with collecting eDNA samples. Trip difficulty: 5 out of 5 || This trip involves walking through dense forest stands, over downed logs, on uneven ground, and near stream banks What you need: Waterproof hiking boots or rubber boots, rain gear, sun protection, day pack with food/water and other essentials, camping gear (detailed list sent via email) Gear provided: Sturdy hiking boots, warm layers, rain gear, sun protection, day pack with food/water and other essentials, and camping gear (detailed list sent via email) Lodging: Developed campground near the Swift Reservoir Please visit our website for more information: https://www.cascadeforest.org/volunteer/
Date Posted: May 14, 2022
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Sep 3
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Sep 4
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10:00 AM
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03:00 PM
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Northwoods, WA 98616
Trip description: Come join for the assessment phase of a new aquatic restoration project to help salmon! We will be working with the Forest Service to assess on-the-ground conditions and design a long-term aquatic restoration project on Clear Creek and Clearwater Creek (tributaries of the Lewis River). CFC will be surveying and mapping the presence of invasive plant species to identify treatment locations for the overall restoration plan, collecting environmental DNA samples to survey for the presence and absence of various aquatic species, and carrying out wood count surveys along priority tributaries to quantify wood needs in areas of interest. The objectives of the overall restoration plan are to improve habitat complexity and diversity by increasing the size and amount of deep pools, increasing wood accumulations, increasing riparian vegetation, and increasing the amount of suitable spawning and rearing habitat for coho, spring Chinook, and winter steelhead. Task: Learning to identify invasive plant species, collecting data on invasives and instream wood via iPad, and assisting with collecting eDNA samples. Trip difficulty: 5 out of 5 || This trip involves walking through dense forest stands, over downed logs, on uneven ground, and near streambanks. What you need: Waterproof hiking boots or rubber boots, rain gear, sun protection, day pack with food/water and other essentials, and camping gear (detailed list sent via email) Gear provided: Data collection equipment Lodging: Developed campground near the Swift Reservoir Please visit our website for more information: https://www.cascadeforest.org/volunteer/
Date Posted: May 14, 2022
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Aug 27
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Aug 28
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10:00 AM
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03:00 PM
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Toutle, WA 98645
Trip description: Salmon and Pacific lamprey are in a state of peril and it will take a community of interested groups and individuals to bring these populations back from the brink. River restoration is a primary method to help make this a reality. On this trip, we will be working to complement larger-scale restoration efforts, such as the installation of large instream wood structures recently installed by the Lower Columbia Fish Enhancement Group. We are focusing on improving off-channel habitat in tributaries of the South Fork Toutle River. Volunteers will learn to use "low-tech restoration" techniques to build small instream wood structures using sustainably-sourced trees and branches. These structures will increase stream complexity, attenuate flows, and create deep pools-all of which are habitat improvements that will benefit salmonids and Pacific lamprey! In addition to the direct benefits we hope to see, these kinds of projects are also intended to help beavers re-establish themselves in these landscapes by creating anchor points that will attract them, offer protection from predation, and help them establish local populations so that they can extend the positive aquatic impacts far into the future. This low-tech restoration work extends restoration benefits higher up in the watersheds, offers critical habitat refugia for salmon, and improves overall aquatic health for fish, wildlife, and downstream communities. Task: Using handsaws, loppers, and clippers to gather natural material and then placing them in the stream in strategic locations (during and before the placement of larger wood pieces). Trip difficulty: 5 out of 5 || This trip entails full days of physical labor near and in creeks and ponds. Getting into shallow water will be required for this trip. Volunteers are encouraged to work at a comfortable pace. What you need: Rubber boots, rain gear, sun protection, day pack with food/water and other essentials, and camping gear (detailed list sent via email) Gear provided: Hand tools, gloves, safety goggles Lodging: Dispersed camping near the South Fork Toutle River. There will be no facilities (e.g. toilets/picnic tables/fire pit). CFC will supply drinking water, a handwashing station, and tables for cooking. Please visit our website for more information: https://www.cascadeforest.org/volunteer/
Date Posted: May 14, 2022
