Contents
Water Fleas – Living in the Extreme - Tuesday, Jan. 11
History of Skiing in the Olympics - Saturday, Jan. 15
Hurricane Ridge Open!
Olympic Discovery Trail Planning Update
Water Fleas – Living in the Extreme
A tiny crustacean found in the clear waters of Seven Lakes Basin provides opportunities to understand how life evolves in extreme conditions in unusual ways. Lacking the pigment melanin these water fleas still are able to thrive in an environment of extreme UV radiation.
Daphnia ("water fleas") from clearer ponds above the alpine treeline survive better under UV radiation in the laboratory than Daphnia from darker ponds below the treeline where there is less UV radiation. Therefore evolution in the clear ponds has allowed the animals there to become tougher and better able to survive in a stressful environment. Yet one of the results is puzzling: these animals do not have melanin pigmentation (a protective ‘sun-tanning’ mechanism) like most crustaceans from high-UV habitats.
Our speaker is Brooks Miner, PhD candidate, Department of Biology, University of Washington. His talk will be presented at the Olympic NP Visitors Center Auditorium at 7 pm next
Tuesday, January 11. This is one of the
Perspectives Series, co-sponsored by Friends, Olympic National Park and Discover Your Northwest.
History of Skiing in the Olympics
Jacilee Wray, Olympic National Park anthropologist, will tell the story of early skiing in the Olympic Mountains with historical pictures and first hand accounts from Park archives.
The Hurricane Ridge Winter Sports Club is hosting the presentation Saturday, January 15 at BarN9ne 229 West First Street in downtown Port Angeles starting at 7 pm. Admission is $5 at the door. All ages are welcome. Proceeds will benefit the Winter Sports Club.
The Olympics Mountains were a hot bed of skiing activity in the earliest years of skiing in North America. Similar to the present day, the impetus for skiing came from local enthusiasts who wanted a place to practice the emerging winter sport. Then as now, looking from the shores of the Strait to the snow capped mountains inspired people to get up to the snow.
Deer Park in the 1930’s was perhaps the best developed and most popular ski area in the state. The area boasted a mile long rope tow, lodges, ski trails, jumping facilities, and more. The Bremerton Ski Cruisers and other groups developed ski lodges elsewhere in the Olympics.
“I am excited to see the archival photos and hear Jacilee’s stories” said event organizer Greg Halberg. “I know she has spent a tremendous amount of time researching winter recreation including interviewing many of the principal characters. I hope anyone with an interest in local history or winter recreation will take advantage of this rare opportunity to open up the vault. We would especially like to invite anyone with memories of skiing in the early days before the new road to Hurricane Ridge was completed.”
Hurricane Ridge Open!
Hurricane Ridge Road and Visitor Center are now open 9 am to dusk, 7 days per week, weather permitting. For current conditions, visit the Park's
website or phone the recorded Road Hotline 360-565-3131.
Hurricane Ridge Ski and Snowboard Area two rope tows and Poma lift are open Saturdays and Sundays, 10 am to 4 pm. Downhill, cross country and snowshoe rentals, as well as food, beverages and restrooms are available in the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center.
All Points Charters and Tours offers shuttle service twice daily, Wednesdays through Sundays. Contact Willie Nelson 360-460-7131 for information and reservations.
Opening Ceremonies photo by Russ Veenema.
Olympic Discovery Trail Planning Update
Olympic National Park has proposed developing the historic Spruce Railroad grade into a non-motorized, multi-use trail from the Lyre River to the park's western boundary. The park is continuing to work on an Environmental Assessment (EA) that will fully describe and analyze a range of alternatives for two proposed segments of the Olympic Discovery Trail, located within park boundaries near Lake Crescent and the Sol Duc entrance road.
With public input received during the initial scoping period last year, the park has developed six preliminary trail development alternatives, including an alternative submitted by Clallam County. The EA will fully describe and evaluate the environmental effects of these alternatives.
The EA is scheduled for public review and comment during the summer of 2011; completion of the planning process is anticipated by fall 2011. More information on this project is available at the
Park Planning website.
