Kopachuck State Park, Gig Harbor, WA. 2012/5/12
Kopachuck State Park, Gig Harbor, WA. 13:50.
It had been several years since I had last visited the State Park nearest my home in Gig Harbor. Kopachuck has offered me many special memories: camping, day-camp as a kindergartener, runs in physical education during middle school, and the occasional weekend visit with friends and family. This park is beautiful, and is also threatened by a lack of state funding for maintenance fees.
Fortunately, when I was in high school, one of my friends set up a volunteer system for the removal of invasive species, such as English Ivy (Hedera helix) and Dandelions (Taraxacum officinale). His efforts to my knowledge have held in legacy because the park currently looks to be in quite good shape. I only saw a few patches of English Ivy overall, but there were many Dandelions, but they were mainly in the man-made grassy picnic areas. It would be a shame to see the park be overrun with Ivy, and that is what could happen in the future if there is still a lack of state funding. Upon talking with an elderly couple who was enjoying the 70 degree weather, I learned that the State is looking at hiring people to clear out some of the diseased trees in the area. They claimed that many of the trees in the area, including Douglas Firs (Pseudosuga Menziesii) were afflicted with diseases that eat their roots. This leaves unstable, but healthy looking trees that are potentially dangerous to people in the park. I commend the government for thinking about putting resources aside for the park in an effort to keep it safe and enjoyable for the public. I was disappointed to learn, however, that there is no funding in the budget for the campgrounds, and that they will likely be closed indefinitely. This was a shocking blow to me, as I have fond childhood memories of that park. Perhaps even more concerning, is that if people are not buying supplies and supporting the park through camping, the park will have further budgetary limitations. They will never have the capacity of being profitable.
The park was beautiful despite these concerns, and as I made my way down the now-unkempt trails I was delighted to smell, hear, and see, and feel the forest of my childhood. There were a variety of trees including Western Red Cedars (Thuja plicata), Douglas Firs, Western Hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla), Bigleaf Maple (Acer macrophyllum), and Alder (Alnus). I saw a couple of Pacific Madrones (Arbutus menziesii) closer to the beach, but the variety of trees here is quite large. Without fires, I have heard that Madrones have a difficult time competing with other trees because of their natural advantage in post-fire successional stages (they are hard to burn and will usually still stand in a fire).
The understory in the area is mainly dense Salal (Gaultheria shallon) and a variety of ferns, including Licorice Ferns (Polypodium glycyrrhiza) and Sword Ferns (Polystichum munitum). There was also the occasional Pacific Rhododendron (Rhododendron macrophyllum), and several patches of Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) plant as well. It was really interesting to see the interaction between many of the trees and the Licorice Ferns as well. It appeared that they would somehow supplant themselves in the crevasses of tree bark on nearly all of the species of trees in the area and grow with wild abandon. They had to compete with some mosses as well, but they were up high and were difficult to identify.
I saw five different Chipmunks (Tamias), four of which were on trees, and one of which was scurrying along in front of me while I was walking. I saw a Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) being chased by an Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) as well, which was very exciting to watch! It was a beautiful day overall to be down at Kopachuck and I was lucky enough to be home for the nice weather over the weekend. It is my intent to go to Cutt's Island with my father and brother tomorrow. It should be exciting!
Species Observed:
Digitalis purpurea
Gaultheria shallon
Hedera helix
Polypodium glycyrrhiza
Polystichum munitum
Rhododendron macrophyllum
Taraxacum officinale
Acer macrophyllum
Alnus
Arbutus menziesii
Pseudosuga Menziesii
Thuja plicata
Tsuga heterophylla
Tamias
Corvus brachyrhynchos
Pandion haliaetus
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