Samoa Dunes and Wetlands Walk

Now that the pandemic has receded from most of our daily lives/considerations (or may actually be over?), ODCHC has been trying to have clinics do regular team-building activities, funded with a small stipend. The Arcata clinics arranged a guided dune walk on Saturday morning and, following the big storm, couldn't have picked a nicer (weather-wise) day for it!

Our guide, Iona, who is interning with the organization "Friends of the Dunes," walked us through the wetland area, first, explaining some of the plant and animal life that can be seen.   Iver loves going barefoot in sand.

Niall wasn't thrilled with walking, and still required a "ride."

Iver was keen to do "dune gymnastics."

When we reached the beach, it was surprisingly calm (not windy as it often is here on our coast!) and an incredibly clear day-- we could even see small patches of snow remaining on distant hills.

We walked back through the dune forest, learning about some of the trees that can thrive even with seawater spray as well as "reindeer lichen," which is usually found in alpine or Arctic tundra but thrives here in the dune forest floor. 

Our frog whisperer found what we think was a California red-legged frog (Rana draytonii), which is apparently pretty rare (it looked different than pet "Leafy," a Pacific tree frog).

He held it briefly but then released it.

What a lovely day it was on our coast-- it's so hard to believe it was snowing just a couple of days prior (and, twenty-four hours later, it's back to raining!).