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.
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