By Franklin Hanson
Upcoming Evening Talk: “ONRC Interns’ experience for the summer of 2019”
When: Friday, Aug. 16, from 7-8 p.m.
Where: Forks, WA at the Olympic Natural Resources Center in our Hemlock Forest Room. ONRC is located at 1455 S. Forks Avenue.
This summer we have had 4 interns and their supervisor spending time at ONRC and the LTEP sites at Hebo -USFS in southern Oregon along with a training day at our DNR/LTEP site at Sappho, WA investigating coarse woody debris data and processing lots soil samples for further analysis, seed collections, and always duties as assigned such as scooping out a place for future acoustic monitoring instrument placement.
The story of the LTEP is ongoing and is a unique in-depth long term study to help us understand what has happened in the forest over time and the effects on soil at the site. This year our intern program was overseen by Chloe May and supported by our ONRC /UW/ PHD student Courtney Bobsin. Chloe will be supporting our undergrad interns for their “Evening Talk” on their summer field experience here at ONRC. She will present her capstone project as a specific Evening Talk in the fall.
The interns are Alyson Bergomi, Tyler Fung, Kaitlin Huo, and Allson Phillips. Their summer experience is part of the 200 year Long Term Ecosystem Productivity Study comparing the effects of forest management techniques on ecosystem productivity, soil systems, and biodiversity.
The study was originally set up over 20 years ago by Dr. Bernard Bormann, Director of ONRC and others. The purpose of the LTEP was in response to questions of the 1990s on conventional methods of forestry. Questions began to develop: Can there be a balance between timber production and ecosystem health? What are the best management styles to manage our forest to maximize ecosystem services? This ongoing LTEP study is designed to help determine a better way of providing financial, recreational, and cultural values to the people on the Olympic Peninsula.
Alyson Bergomi is a junior double-majoring in ESRM and Law, Societies and Justice. She is interested in environmental policy. She is studying in Italy during the presentation, and her co-interns will present the information on her behalf. Tyler Fung is a senior majoring in ESRM and is interested in water conservation and watershed studies. A fun fact is that he has a twin. Kaitlin Huo is a senior majoring in art with a minor in ESRM, and she is interested in sculpture. A fun fact is that she has played lacrosse for 11 years. Allison Phillips is a junior majoring in ESRM and is interested in natural resource management. A fun fact: She did undergrad research on fossilized pollen.
Please join us!
Evening Talks at ONRC is funded through the Rosmond Forestry Education Fund, an endowment that honors the contributions of Fred Rosmond and his family to forestry and collegiate education for the Forks community. Refreshments will be served and a potluck of your favorite dessert is encouraged. For more information contact: Frank Hanson at 374-4556 or fsh2@uw.edu.
