What is creosote?

            Creosote is the name used for many products, most commonly used in paving roads, roofing, and preserving wood. There are many types of creosote, but the type that is most widely used as a wood preservative is called coal tar creosote. Coal tar creosote is introduced to the water and soil via wood preservative industry. Coal tar creosote can dissolve into water and move through soil and enter groundwater. If it enters groundwater, it can take many years for it to break down.

            Coal tar creosote is found at the 3 crabs site out at Dungeness. Creosote is found coated on the pilings in the water left from the dock. It is also found on broken off pilings on the shore. The Salmon Coalition is working on removing 2 tons of beached creosote wood and 165 pilings. Creosote is a chemical that can build up in animal and human tissue. Handling creosote-treated wood in fences, bridges, railroad tracks or telephone poles can result in hazardous contact.
          
           Contaminated drinking water can also lead to creosote exposure.  Long-term exposure to coal tar creosote can cause skin damage, and it is probable that it leads to cancer. Short-term exposure to coal tar creosote can result in severe skin irritations and eye burns. If swallowed in large amounts it can lead to convulsions, unconsciousness and death. Studies have shown that the eggs of Herring can have a high death rate when exposed to creosote.
          
          Not only was Herring affected but so was the English Sole, which developed liver lesions. These fish are important to the food chain because they are the source of food for Salmon and Orca whales. The Salmon Coalition aims to remove the problematic creosote because of its adverse effects on the environment.

Citation and information found at:

http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaqs/TF.asp?id=65&tid=18#top
http://water.epa.gov/type/oceb/marinedebris/upload/creosote_cleanup_puget.pdf 

 

A Reflection of the Semester

            Every month, I meet with my Natural Resource Options class at Dungeness Spit. The class is run through Mr. Lieberman at the North Olympic Peninsula Skills Center. It is primarily a field-based class; you do a lot of hands-on things such as planting trees or picking up debris from the beach. Also, I do surveys with COASST, a citizen science project dedicated to monitoring marine ecosystems. At the end of the semester, I turn in a project journal. What is the project? In my case, I chose a question pertaining to the Dungeness Spit and implemented researching the question through the scientific process. It’s an amazing experience because I have had the opportunity to work with volunteers at the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge and receive a glimpse at the Natural Resources field.

            The experience has been similar with working with NOSC.  While COASST is dedicated to monitoring marine ecosystems, NOSC is more about the action in maintaining healthy ecosystems for salmon. In the class, my “project” with the student internship is assisting with the blog about the class and 3 Crabs Restoration Project. Like in my other class, I have picked up debris to habitats clean, and in the future I will be helping with tree planting with NOSC.

            I suppose the key difference between the two is that my Natural Resources Options class is more independent while the student internship has been more structured. When working on my project for Natural Resources Options, the project I choose is mostly up to me. My teacher, Mr. Lieberman, checks in on my project about once a month, but other than that I’m on my own. With the student internship, on the other hand, I meet every week to discuss the goals and expectations of what I am doing with the blog. Essentially, with the first one, I am learning to work independently and make my own timely decisions over a long period of time. With the other, I am learning how to work in the timely manner to complete the expectations of another in a shorter time period. Both are  great experiences for me, and I am happy do being doing them. 

Natural Resource Options and NOSC: A Comparison

              Back in September of 2013 I began my student internship for NOSC. My primary role: document the class experience and the 3 Crabs restoration project through a blog. Through the course of the semester I have spent 3 hours with a group of people every Thursday, getting to know them through helping with the 3 Crabs Project. In doing that, I have trudged through hip-high water, myself adorned with hip-waders, picked up debris at the demolition site of 3 Crabs, and sat in Kiwi’s Fish and Chips enjoying a free sample of chowder. Not only have I done so much more, but I've learned so much in the proce.

               One memorable moment was using the hip waders. That day, Jamie Michel, the project coordinator, took the class on a tour of the other side of the 3 Crabs beach. In doing so, we crossed over a metal post fence that divided the two. It was amazing to see how… untouched the beach looked. There was sea rocket (a sea-shore plant with waxy, thick, green lobed leaves and pale, lavender flowers) scattered amongst the beach; algae formed in big, dark heaps; there were tiny footmarks of birds imprinted in lines on the sand. It was so unperturbed! One single fence was the axis of the reflection of two beaches, one being a plethora of life and habitat, the other a place barren, lacking the ecosystem of the other. It was amazing being able to see the goal of the restoration.

                The student internship has been a fun, educational time for me. I have had the opportunity to strengthen my communication skills by interviewing people for the blog. Also, I have received hands-on experience with working with an organization like NOSC. I’m looking forward to next semester. 

Comparing COASST and NOSC

In addition to working with NOSC, I am an intern with Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey (COASST). COASST is a world wide survey team consisting of volunteers and paid workers. COASST monitors the beaches around the world in search of dead birds and garbage. The reason behind looking for dead birds on the beach, is that finding a dead bird is a sign of a weakened ecosystem. My work is teamed with a volunteer of COASST and another intern. Our routine of a day includes a two mile walk down the spit in search of any type of bird. When we find a bird, we identify it, tag it, record where we found it. The data we record is basically the wing length, the tarsus, the beak length, and how we found it. The aim of COASST is to submit their findings to a worldwide data base. COASST can then try to identify the glitch in the environment and decide to take action. This relates to The Salmon Coalition in many ways. The goals of The Salmon Coalition are to inform the public of their findings and take action in the habitat that affects salmon. The multitudes of each groups' values are numerous and each mean good virtue to their environment. Both groups, NOSC and COASST each know what to do with their time and how to support their cause. They go out in the field with a mission of success.