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Taku

Taku

Grizzly country

By Nico Shaffer (Westminster College)   Grizzly bears have a long troubled past with humans in the lower 48. A stretch of country grizzlies once spanned in its entirety, they have now been maimed and relocated from all but a…

Taku

The Nakina Trail, On the River

By Sawyer Hill (Westminster College)   “Twenty minutes until lunch,” comes the call as I grab a fishing rod and follow Nico upriver with promises to be back for lunch with a fish in hand. Clambering down the rocky embankment…

Taku

Grizzlies and Salmon on the Nakina River

By Joe Valceschini (Westminster College)   When reading through Round River’s website I was drawn to the Taku program for multiple reasons, the main one being the nine day backpacking trip along a traditional Tlingit trail to the Nakina River….

Taku

Fishing on the Nakina

By Drew Higgins (Carleton College)   On our second day camped on the Nakina River, I caught a Dolly Varden. Salvelinus malma. Or it could have been a Bull Trout, Salvelinus confluentus. The two species are difficult to distinguish. The…

Taku

Climbing Mountains

July 9, 2014 By Kassandra Arts (Northland College)   We have climbed mountains before, but now we are climbing them for science. As one of the few Midwestern flatlanders in the program, I saw this as an interesting change. This…

Taku

The Fellowship Begins

By LeRoy Christensen (Weber State University)   So there I was…on a ferry to Skagway with no solid way to get to Whitehorse. That is where the rest of the Fellowship was bunkered up. With a kind heart and an…

Taku

Species Profile: Gray Wolf (Canis lupis)

Species Profile: Gray Wolf (Canis lupis) Taku Conservation Program   By Ellen Iida (College of the Atlantic)   Wolves, the largest member of the canine family, can weigh 100 to 150lbs, and can grow up to 5-6ft of body length….

Taku

Species Profile: Kinnickinick (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi)

Species Profile: Kinnickinnick (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) By Hayley Weyers (Northland College)   This member of the Ericaceae family has had a long cultural history across the North American continent. Known scientifically as Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, kinnickinnick leaves have traditionally been dried and…

Taku

Species Profile: Mosquito

Species Profile: Mosquito By Cynthiann Heckelsmiller (Weber State University)   MOSQUITO A Spoken Word Poem To be read aloud, with bongos, if possible   Culicidae, illicit day ruiner I ID you within an instant and a slap And don’t need…

Taku

On Top of the World

August 2, 2013 By Ellen Iida (College of the Atlantic)   After 5 weeks of hiking, learning, and fun, we are in our final week in the Taku — but in between spurts of concentrated working time for a long…

Taku

They said it Couldn’t be done…

July 31, 2013 By Cynthiann Heckelsmiller (Weber State University)   Have you ever heard the wolf cry to the blue corn moon? Neither have I, depite our best efforts. In a mountain valley south of Atlin, we practiced our wolf…

Taku

There and Back Again

July 23, 2013 By Ari Blatt (Western Washington University)   Since ending our time on the Nakina River, there have been many a bittersweet moment. First off, there was the initial moment of leaving. Fairly early on the 17th, we…

Taku

Species Profile: Canada Lynx (Lynx canadensis)

Species Profile by Gioia Cabri (University of Vermont) Taku Conservation Program, 2013     The Canada Lynx is a secretive creature of the north. A rare sighting of this animal in its boreal habitat would be regarded as a memorable…

Taku

Immersion in the Watershed

July 22, 2013 By Hayley Weyers (Northland College) We’ve had quite an eye-opening week focused on the culturally and historically significant Nakina Trail. The Tlingit First Nations people frequented this trail in the past as a critical trade route. At…

Taku

Connecting to the Community

Connecting to the Community By Gioia Cabri (University of Vermont) It’s hard to believe that it’s already been over two weeks since we arrived here in Atlin. A sense of familiarity with this land is just starting to settle over…

Taku

Off to a great start!

July 2, 2013   From all of us, hello and happy (belated) Canada Day!   This past weekend, we backpacked into an alpine lake beneath Sentinel Mountain. After dropping our packs in the beautiful alpine meadow next to the clear…

Taku

Meet the 2013 Taku field crew

Hayley, Gioia, Ellen, Cynthiann and Ari on top of Ruby Mountain, near Atlin, BC.   To start things off, here are some brief RRCS student biographies:   Ari Blatt: Hailing from Corvallis, Oregon, Ari currently attends Western Washington University in…