Townsend's Chipmunks and Jumping Mice Serve the Land

This weekend concluded our month long stretch of service outings at Connelly Creek. Throughout this time  we have had all fifteen groups (169 Explorers!) come out and give back to the land in a meaningful way. For this final weekend of work our main tool provider and partner in the project, the Bellingham Parks Department, came out to join us. Ray Edwards from the parks department has helped us immensely throughout the course of this project; from providing tools and starts to detailed guidance and instructions on how best to target our efforts. For this outing the Townsend's Chipmunks worked closely with Ray to learn how to use some new tools and techniques for planting species.

In our opening meeting the parks department had the Townsend's Chipmunks do something that was almost unheard of in Explorers Club, they were asked to take a test. The boys hardly flinched and quickly completed a short questionnaire on different species around our area and what it means to participate in Service Work. Leaving Paper and Pencils behind We gathered around Ray as she instructed us on our tasks for the day. That day we had Several different species to plant including; Ninebark, Red Osier dogwood, and sitka spruce. The Townsend’s Chipmunks did an excellent job giving Ray their attention and really engaging with the information.

At This time the Jumping Mice showed up and we all began the work of preparing the ground for planting. We dug Blackberry roots, racked up Blackberry trimmings, and packed it all out in trash cans. While most of us focused our work on the blackberry removal some of the boys worked on putting up a circular wire fence that would protect our new starts from the grazing deer that frequent Connelly Creek.  All the boys worked really hard during this time and we accomplished a lot. After about an hour we were ready to plant. 

Everyone Grabbed the starts and we began digging holes for each start. It was hard work but also very gratifying to see what had been a patch of blackberries turn into the beginnings of a native habitat. It didn’t take too long to plant all the species and get a solid 6” of mulch spread around everything. Standing back we all admired our work.

Throughout the whole outing I was continually impressed by the boys ability to work together as a group and communicate with one another even while doing physically demanding work. It was a really good opportunity for many of the boys to become good leaders amongst their peers and really support one another in their efforts. 

With our time running out we decided to focus the last part of our outing on spreading more mulch throughout the site to leave it in a good place for the next days group. As the Townsend’s Chipmunks Peeled off for their closing circle the Jumping Mice worked to tidy up any loose ends and organize the tools.

Explorers thank you for all of your hard work this weekend. It truly makes a big difference. Parents be sure to walk through this site with your Explorer so they can show you what they have been working on. It is truly amazing what the combined efforts of all these boys can do. We also have more photos from the outing in the Jumping Mice photo gallery and the Townsend’s Chipmunks photo gallery.  

Connelly Creek service site transforming: Gray Wolf Pups & Townsend's Chipmunks

We shoulda taken photos (Check that - we did. Track the history of our service at this site by clicking on the “tag links” below: Connelly Creek). I wasn’t there, but I’m told that when the Boys Explorers first set eyes on the Connelly Creek service site a few years ago, the scene was dominated by Himalayan blackberry bushes and tall Reed canarygrass. Both are invasive, non-native plants that detract from the health of the creek. And, of course, the blackberry brambles hurt! Hidden in all that growth was an equally unpleasant discovery - trash. Apparently, the area had been used as a dump by people with nails, car parts, rusting wire, plastic, concrete and more to spare. The thing is, as an explorers club motto puts it, all things are connected. 

Himalayan blackberry was introduced from Eurasia. It often spreads over the top of other plants and crushes or smothers them. It can root at branch tips and spread from roots (suckers). Birds can spread the berries over long distances. It is a Class C weed in Washington State, which means it is already widespread. And, as the scratches on arms and legs will attest, it has a strong defense against well-meaning service workers.

Reed canarygrass forms dense, highly productive single species stands that pose a major threat to many wetland ecosystems. The species grows so vigorously that it is able to inhibit and eliminate competing species. According to the state department of Ecology, the species poses a significant threat to the state’s wetlands. 

Salmon, of course, need the ecological balance that these aggressive species will eliminate if not combatted. As I said, it’s all connected.

So, once each fall and spring, each explorers club (EC) group spends an outing working at the site to replace blackberries and canarygrass with native species. With guidance from Bellingham Parks and tools on loan from the Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association(NSEA), the boys devote their time and energies to clipping and uprooting blackberries and then stomping down canarygrass and covering it with bark mulch to deprive it of the sun on which it thrives. They’ve also planted trees and bushes to shade the area, providing a more permanent solution to the “problem” sun. In this way, the explorers, parks and NSEA are connecting and protecting, another EC motto.

I’ve been through two seasons of service outings now, and can personally attest to scores of bags of brambles and roots (and dozens of scrapes!). I’ve witnessed multiple groups of explorers cutting (which turned out to be the wrong strategy - encourages growth) and stomping down (better approach) canarygrass, and moving dozens of yards of bark mulch in buckets large and small to cover the grass. And I’ve supervised the removal of rusted nails, plastic who-knows-whats, and much more trash. (We shoulda inventoried.) The work was done willingly, even eagerly, as a rule. Despite the occasional bark battle, the irresistible tree waiting to be climbed, and the allure of the creek, the explorers keep at it, demonstrating again the EC motto - many hands make light work. 

So now there are young alders reaching for the sky and native shrubs such as ninebark restoring ecological balance to the area. Sounds good, doesn’t it? Read it aloud - it sounds even better that way...restoring ecological balance. Nice. If you’re interested, check here for information on native, non-invasive plants for your garden. Along the way, we liberated some trees that were being swallowed up and a fence that was hidden in the blackberries. Here’s a panoramic view (pardon my poor photography skills) of the site today. 



Saturday’s was our last service outing of the spring. We’ll be back at it in the fall, again with the collaboration of the Bellingham Parks and NSEA. Your final EC motto for the day - Everyone helps. Your boys are learning the importance of caring for the land. As they return twice a year, they’re excited by the progress they’ve made and can see the change they can affect. Sure, the creek is better off, but no more so that all of us who have the privilege of putting the blackberries and cararygrass in their rightful place. 

Gray Wolf Pup families, click here for the gallery of photos from Saturday’s service outing. Townsend's Chipmunk folks, click here.

The Gray Wolf Pups return to exploring on Sunday, June 7 with a traverse. Click here for further information on that outing.

The Townsend's Chipmunks are also back at it on Sunday, June 7 with a traverse (different place!). Look herefor the outing description.