Hat Creek Youth Initiative

Student Blog Post - Whisper Stanley

Hi, my name is Whisper Stanley and I will be a junior at Burney High School. I decided to work for Cal Trout this summer because its a great opportunity for future jobs and a cool way to show that I care for Hat Creek and the environment. An interesting part of work this summer was the Muskrat Mapping.

Muskrat Mapping is when we went out and measured the stream bank that had high damaged areas that the invasive muskrats have caused. We measured this by redlining, walking transects, and GPS. Redlining is marking on the GPS where the area was and transects is when we had a crew member walk a straight line down the middle of the muskrat  areas and count every hole in his path. The muskrats were originally used at the rat farm outside of McArthur to make fur boots and coats for the soldiers during World War 2, but after the war the muskrats were set loose and have traveled all the way to Hat Creek. Muskrats make their burrows along the stream bank, making the ground weak so that it erodes away, causing the river to grow wider which slows the speed of the river.

I enjoyed muskrat mapping because I got to learn things about the muskrats that I didn't know before, like how muskrats are invasive to Hat Creek and how they were used during WW2. I also thought it was fun when we had to choose a certain spot to map because our crew leader, Colby, had me spin in a circle three times with my eyes closed then toss a can behind my back in any direction. Where ever the can landed was the area we walked transects.

In conclusion, this summer has been rewarding. I learned many new skills during this job that I know will help me get a conservation job in the future. Also, it was fun meeting new people to work with while helping to restore Hat Creek.

Thanks,

Whisper