Bats and fire, what an interesting combination. I recall being excited when hearing of this project back in May. Our mission was to set up some acoustic stations in and around areas burned by wildfire with the intention of discovering how bats are using these altered landscapes. In this post, I’m going to stick with the current theme and tell you more about my work in Yellowstone and my involvement in this project.
First, I will offer some background. As you may know, wildfire is a significant factor that shapes forest ecology and Yellowstone is no exception. Simply, animals are dependent on their habitats — think food, water, and cover. Fire influences plant community composition and structure; consequently, fire directly and indirectly influences how animals will use these altered habitats. For example, if fire destroys plant communities that attract insect species that bats prefer, bats will no longer have a suitable food source. Or, if fire decreases the density of cover, animals may no longer be safe from predators. These are two overly simplistic examples; however, they offer two valid hypothesis on why bats may be affected by wildfire.
For this project, the study area comprises of two recent burn areas, Maple Fire and Buffalo Fire. Both are two of the larger fires of the 2016 season. Maple Fire burned 45,425 acres in west Yellowstone and Buffalo Fire burned 12,693 acres by Slough Creek; both were started by lightning. In these burn areas, we deployed acoustic stations in areas determined to be in burn, edge burn, and out of burn areas. In each of these classifications, three replicates were set up. Monthly, we return to these stations to replace memory cards and batteries.
The acoustic stations required some effort to deploy. In the morning, we loaded the components and our daily field necessities into our packs. It took a couple days at each burn area to deploy all of the stations. We carried rebar, PVC piping, batteries, cables, acoustic recorders, and microphones for the multiple stations. Both areas included some respectable incline and deadfall. Buffalo Fire included an exciting river crossing. Using GIS, we had a relative idea where to place the stations but the final position was determined in the field.
Monday, July 17, 2017 — Eli, Chad, and I deployed the acoustic stations in Buffalo Fire at Slough. We started the day by fording the creek. For the past month, we’ve been waiting for the water to recede to a crossable depth. The act was actually quite enjoyable. Afterwards, the hike uphill was daunting. With the gear that we were toting, it really kicked my ass. I was comforted by Chad and Eli feeling the exertion too. Still, after two months, I’m still sucking air on the uphills. Once we got to the top, the day was much easier. The weather took a while to get hot and the scenery at Slough was beautiful. If I were to go horseback riding in Yellowstone again, I would look into a trip at Slough Creek. We finished earlier than expected and forded the creek again and headed back to the office.
In subsequent trips into the burn areas, I’ve observed the landscape more intently. The first time around, during deployment, I felt that I had a quick glance as I tired and caught my breath while setting up the stations. Revisiting the sites was a much easier endeavor — lighter pack and more acclimated to Yellowstone’s elevation. On our return, I noticed how the fire intensity varied throughout the burn. A year since the event, nothing grew in some places while wildflowers flourished in others. There are charred trees still standing and some that have been reduced to ash. In an area of edge burn, in densely packed early succession, we found thriving morel mushrooms. Although I have visited wildfire areas before, I was intrigued by this ecosystem and the questions that we were seeking answers.
We were dirty and sweaty as we walked over the scorched earth, primary succession — no life here. Each step kicked up a plume of dust and although the fire went out a year ago, the dead pines still smelled hot. We were in a wasteland. Then the wildflowers came and reminded me how life is resilient.
I recall during my interview, my supervisor asked me about my strengths and weaknesses. It’s an awkward question. In honesty, I said that a weakness of mine is that I get attached to these projects. Working these seasonal jobs, I discovered that it is hard to let go.