Catching Up

Between being busy with science, packing up the lab, presenting to the NPS Yellowstone Center for Resources staff and a patchy/nonexistent connection to the internet we have been slow to post.

Wednesday we collected our 15N labeled soil core tubes and in between sampling at the Mudslide Creek remnant and the Stephens Creek exclosure we had 1.5h to wait so we went up to Mammoth Hot Springs. I haven't walked the whole area like we did Wednesday since 2005. It's amazing, but not surprising, how much it has changed. I'll upload a video when we get better internet access.

After we returned to the Lodge we extracted the samples with 2M Potassium Chloride to extract NH4+ and NO3- from the soil. These samples were then shaken, decanted then frozen and will be analyzed back at W&L. We then packed up the equipment and soils we would need in the lab in Lex ready to ship back for a Thursday departure. The rest of the lab ships out Friday.

Thursday AM was spent preparing for the lunch time presentation to the YCR staff and taping up the boxes for shipping. The presentation went well and it was followed by an hour of discussion about how to get rid of Alyssum most effectively so that the cover crops (barley and wheat) can get planted and eventually the native species. We went to lunch with Mary Hektner (she is in charge of the restoration) at a new restaurant in Gardiner the Cowboy Lodge. Good interior and so so barbeque. After lunch we headed back up towards Mammoth to Joffee Lake, which is a secluded little lake behind the vehicle maintenance building and near on of my old field sites. It is also a source of water for the park to fight fires.

We got a picture of the crew at the 45th parallel. See the sunshine and blue sky!

The Food Farm's phone was down so no credit cards or cash. So we went to the Rusty Rail to play pool and eat free popcorn and chex mix. After an hour we went back to the Food Farm and got dinner fixins.

This AM the final boxes are just about packed and we will be heading out for our tour of the park. Mud Volcanoes, Sulfur cauldron, Upper and Lower falls, Grand Canyon (of YNP),Lake, Old Faithful, and the Norris Geyser basin. Then back to clean up the lodge tonight.