Out in the Fresh Air

 

I have a Biology degree and at one time, an active teaching certificate. But other than some stints as a substitute, the teaching career never panned out for me. I had done a variety of other jobs to make ends meet. When a summer job came available at the Cape Perpetua Visitor Center, it sounded ideal. I would be leading nature walks, giving campground presentations, and answering questions from the visitors. The job title was “Naturalist.” I was finally using my biology degree, and some of the teacher training as well. I loved that job. But it was a summer job.

When my boss John mentioned an opportunity for me, working with someone from the Ranger Station placing structures in streams, I was less than enthusiastic. It sounded like cold, wet, hard work.  I am a creature of comfort. I have endless respect for loggers, fishermen, and farmers etc., but I know I could never be one. It’s just not in me. Yet, I felt like this was an opportunity for me to keep working a few weeks more. I couldn’t turn it down. I soon found myself working with Ray. He got me outfitted with waders because we would be working in the streams and rivers. Our job was to place structures in the streams that would help protect fish. The structures in question were giant logs or boulders. Actually, someone else put the logs and boulders in the streams, presumably with a backhoe. It was our job to make them stay in place. We had large steel cable to attach logs together. For the boulders and some of the logs we drilled a hole in the bedrock and a hole in the boulder. We fixed the cable into the holes with epoxy glue. When we felt we had enough cables on a structure that it would not move from the force of the spring runoff, we could move on to the next one.

My initial assessment of the job was not wrong. It was cold and wet and hard work. Added to that were the mosquitoes and the no-see-ums. I realized early on that there were these nasty little biting insects that were so small you could hardly see them (that is when I realized: Oh, that’s why they are called no-see-ums. Brilliant.) Ray told me that vanilla extract repels no-see-ums. “Doesn’t work for mosquitos though.” I don’t know if there is scientific proof that vanilla repels no-see-ums, but we used it and it seemed to work. If nothing else, we smelled good. We still had to deal with mosquitoes, but you can’t have everything.

Did I mention the drilling into rock thing? Yeah, that’s not pleasant. We used a hammer drill. Think of it as a small jackhammer. It doesn’t take long for your arms to start aching. Then there is the noise. I asked about ear protection. Ray said, “oh yeah. You could absolutely use ear protection if you want.” But I noticed he never used it. After trying it without ear protection and experiencing headache and ringing ears, I decided I was going to find me some ear plugs. I never worked again without them. I wonder how Ray’s hearing is today?

Why does putting boulders and logs into the streams protect the fish? What I was told was that it provides a barrier against the extreme spring waterflows that can scour the stream and wash the small fry out into the ocean before they are mature enough for it. They also provide hiding places to protect against predators from above (birds). In addition to our work, the Forest Service was also engaging in planting trees along streams that had been denuded of most vegetation. This provides shade to cool the stream because eggs and fry are sensitive to elevated water temperature. As water temperature rises, dissolved oxygen in the water decreases.

Being out on the edge of a stream in the Oregon Coast Range on a cold clear morning does have its beauty.  The valleys often have tendrils of fog turning the background trees and shrubs into an impressionist painting. The trees lining the stream are thick and enclose the airspace above, making a protected dark green tunnel that you share with the birds and other critters. But for me, this did not make up for the fact that it is still cold, wet, dirty work. I am a bit of a nerd. I have been perhaps a bit too sedentary in my lifestyle. So, getting out of my comfort zone was a good thing. That does not mean I liked it.

In the end, taking this temporary assignment did lead to other assignments and new opportunities that I am glad I had the chance to do. My seasonal job turned into a year-round job. And that led to still more opportunities. I may not have fully appreciated it at the time, but I have never regretted it since.

Star Liner