Senior Culminating Projects
Options with Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
To learn more about or sign up for the following projects, please contact: Forks - Brian Mitchell 360-327-3246; Port Angeles/Sequim - Anita McMillan (Anita.McMillan@dfw.wa.gov).
A student can earn credit for any of the projects listed on this website through North Olympic Peninsula Skills Center Natural Resources (contact Dan Lieberman, 360-565-1892, dlieberman@portangelesschools.org).
A student can earn credit for any of the projects listed on this website through North Olympic Peninsula Skills Center Natural Resources (contact Dan Lieberman, 360-565-1892, dlieberman@portangelesschools.org).
Project Logistics - Forks
Number of Students: 1 - 4 students
Schedule: Flexible
Schedule: Flexible
Project Logistics - Port Angeles + Sequim
Number of Students: 1 - 4 students
Schedule: Flexible
Schedule: Flexible
Project Options - Forks
Recreation Area Maintenance
Work with WDFW staff and independently to perform maintenance, upkeep, and cleaning of public recreation areas in the Forks area.
Work with WDFW staff and independently to perform maintenance, upkeep, and cleaning of public recreation areas in the Forks area.
Project Options - Port Angeles/Sequim
Waterfowl banding
July through mid September WDFW plans on banding as many ducks as possible in the Dungeness Basin. The more assistants we have working on this project the more ducks we will be able to band. We need assistants who are good at problem solving with building and utilizing duck traps. If you are lazy and don’t want to get up at 3am to set the duck trap, then we need someone to design a trap door that can be set with a timer of sorts to open up per dawn so the early bird ducks can be lured into the traps. Handling of captured ducks involves properly identifying the duck species, sex and age; then taking samples for Avian Influenza testing and banding each duck with an individualized numbered band; keeping records during all of this and sending in the reports accordingly.
Searching for Elk sign on DNR, Forest Service and Olympic National Park Ownerships
DNR, Forest Service and Olympic National Park provide a land base in the Dungeness Watershed that has been utilized by elk decades ago. If the elk population increases and breaks up into several core herds we would expect the elk to reestablish some movement patterns into these ownerships. Historically there were herds that included alpine habitats in their summer range. The current elk use pattern in the Dungeness Watershed is almost entirely in the very low elevations, with little to no documentation of use in the alpine zones of the Dungeness watershed. Managers will benefit from observations and knowledge gained by citizens backcountry experiences. This is an opportunity where a student is encouraged to contribute.
Elk Viewing Location Website
Set up trial Elk Viewing Location Website where the public could find out where the current elk viewing opportunities are and how to get there; Establish specifics regarding when and where elk viewing opportunities will be reported to assure traffic safety and to not compromise management tools (e.g. only display viewing opportunties where there are not risks of traffic accidents or traffic jams; do not activate viewing opportunties during the hunting season to avoid conflicts with harvest goals).
Safe Elk Viewing Practices Education
Produce notices that specify safe elk viewing practices-available as brochures and signage. The Sequim Elk Habitat Committee has already produced a brochure that could be used as a starting point for this project.
Elk Viewing Tour Development
Develop a network of persons -volunteers or tour business entrepreneurs- that could be called on for mini tours including educational component; Identify areas where parking pullouts are needed for elk viewing and traffic safety. This project could be expanded to include other species including eagle nesting.
Recreational Vehicle Trails and Sequim Elk
Student would develop a draft strategy to manage recreational vehicle trails on the DNR ownership to insure that elk habitat values of the area are not compromised by the recreational vehicle use. Strategy would include a flexible footprint of open and closed trails/roads using best science collected by GPS radioed elk.
Identifying Parking Areas for Elk Viewing
With next to “real time” locations of the Sequim elk being identified through the GPS collaring work, there could be vehicle traffic hazards, as we have often already seen. This project would be to assess and report on where potential parking areas for elk viewing could be situated.
Waterfowl banding
July through mid September WDFW plans on banding as many ducks as possible in the Dungeness Basin. The more assistants we have working on this project the more ducks we will be able to band. We need assistants who are good at problem solving with building and utilizing duck traps. If you are lazy and don’t want to get up at 3am to set the duck trap, then we need someone to design a trap door that can be set with a timer of sorts to open up per dawn so the early bird ducks can be lured into the traps. Handling of captured ducks involves properly identifying the duck species, sex and age; then taking samples for Avian Influenza testing and banding each duck with an individualized numbered band; keeping records during all of this and sending in the reports accordingly.
Searching for Elk sign on DNR, Forest Service and Olympic National Park Ownerships
DNR, Forest Service and Olympic National Park provide a land base in the Dungeness Watershed that has been utilized by elk decades ago. If the elk population increases and breaks up into several core herds we would expect the elk to reestablish some movement patterns into these ownerships. Historically there were herds that included alpine habitats in their summer range. The current elk use pattern in the Dungeness Watershed is almost entirely in the very low elevations, with little to no documentation of use in the alpine zones of the Dungeness watershed. Managers will benefit from observations and knowledge gained by citizens backcountry experiences. This is an opportunity where a student is encouraged to contribute.
Elk Viewing Location Website
Set up trial Elk Viewing Location Website where the public could find out where the current elk viewing opportunities are and how to get there; Establish specifics regarding when and where elk viewing opportunities will be reported to assure traffic safety and to not compromise management tools (e.g. only display viewing opportunties where there are not risks of traffic accidents or traffic jams; do not activate viewing opportunties during the hunting season to avoid conflicts with harvest goals).
Safe Elk Viewing Practices Education
Produce notices that specify safe elk viewing practices-available as brochures and signage. The Sequim Elk Habitat Committee has already produced a brochure that could be used as a starting point for this project.
Elk Viewing Tour Development
Develop a network of persons -volunteers or tour business entrepreneurs- that could be called on for mini tours including educational component; Identify areas where parking pullouts are needed for elk viewing and traffic safety. This project could be expanded to include other species including eagle nesting.
Recreational Vehicle Trails and Sequim Elk
Student would develop a draft strategy to manage recreational vehicle trails on the DNR ownership to insure that elk habitat values of the area are not compromised by the recreational vehicle use. Strategy would include a flexible footprint of open and closed trails/roads using best science collected by GPS radioed elk.
Identifying Parking Areas for Elk Viewing
With next to “real time” locations of the Sequim elk being identified through the GPS collaring work, there could be vehicle traffic hazards, as we have often already seen. This project would be to assess and report on where potential parking areas for elk viewing could be situated.