The Washington Section of AEG and the Pacific Northwest Chapter of AWG are pleased to announce the first of a two-part annual field trip series to the Olympic Peninsula in Washington. The dates for this year’s field trip will be Friday, May 14 through Sunday May 16, 2010. The field trip will be limited to 40 people, so please don’t wait to register! Current AEG/AWG members will be given first priority.

Field Trip Description

The first field trip will focus on the north and east side of the Olympic Peninsula. Vans will originate mid-morning Friday in Bellevue at the Red Lion Inn on Main Street with a south pick up at Tacoma Community College and an island pickup at the Hood Canal Bridge Park and Ride Lot. We ask that field trippers pack a big lunch to munch on as we make our way to the Olympic Peninsula the first day.

On Friday afternoon, Hurricane Ridge will be the first stop of the field trip. The general geologic framework of the Olympic Mountains will be discussed by Hank Schasse (Retired DNR) and a National Park Service representative will discuss the history of Hurricane Ridge buildings and the sinuous roadway that brings us from the shoreline to the ridge. When we travel down from Hurricane Ridge, we will go to Ediz Hook, a heavily armored spit that protects the Port Angeles Harbor, to hear Dave Parks (DNR) discuss the hydrogeologic setting and related issues in the Port Angeles and Sequim areas before hearing about the relationship between Ediz Hook and the Elwha Dams from Kristin Lee (UW PhD), Anne Shaffer (WDFW), and Dick Link (BOR). From here, the people staying in Port Angeles at the Downtown Hotel will check-in while the others will head to Salt Creek Campground, approximately 15 miles west of Port Angeles, to set up camp. Hoteliers and campers will congregate at the picnic shelter at Salt Creek for a great hearth fire and catered dinner before retiring for the evening.

Saturday will start with the hoteliers meeting the campers for breakfast at the Salt Creek Campground picnic shelter before disembarking to the Olympic Peninsula Visitor’s Center Theater in Port Angeles to hear a 45 minute presentation by Dean Butterworth (NPS) about the Elwha Dam Removal. The dam removal project is scheduled to begin construction in early 2011, so this will be the last chance to access the upper portion of the drainage by road through 2014. After the presentation, we will head to the upper Elwha watershed and work our way down the drainage through the course of the day with field trip stops focusing on the watersheds history, geology, Glines Canyon Dam area slope stability issues, Elwha Dam’s historic foundation stability issues with a power house tour, sediment transport studies, freshwater and marine ecology baselines and expectations, discuss a new, unique bridge spanning the lower Elwha River reach, and the near-shore marine geomorphology and ecological communities at the mouth of the Elwha River. The lunch stop will be at the Elwha Campground. The Saturday stops will be lead by Dean Butterworth (NPS), Dick Link (BOR), Jeff Duda (USGS), Joe Donisi (Clallam County Public Works), Steve Evans and Curtis Mathis (PanGeo), Anne Schaffer (WDFW), and Dave Parks (DNR). At the end of the Elwha watershed day, hoteliers and campers will congregate at the picnic shelter again at Salt Creek for another great hearth fire, a catered dinner, and a poster session by Marley Iredale, the Washington State Science Fair winner from Sequim High School, on her work identifying tsunami deposits around Discovery Bay before retiring for the evening.

Sunday will start with the hoteliers meeting the campers for breakfast again at the Salt Creek Campground picnic shelter before heading to the north shore of the Olympic Peninsula near Twin River to learn about the geology that makes this section of the north coast so susceptible to large landslides. These stops will be lead by Hank Schasse (Retired DNR), Isabelle Sarikhan (DNR), Dave Parks (DNR), Brian Beaman (Icicle Creek Engineers), Ken Neal (Kenneth Neal & Associates), and Bill Riley, Gabriel Taylor, and Doug Anderson (WSDOT). Hopefully we will have enough time for some fossil hunting at the Clay Pit! The field trip will wrap up with stops at Crescent Lake and Lake Sutherlin to discuss the geologic history of Crescent Lake and learn about the landslide that changed the direction of drainage for Crescent Lake and formed Lake Sutherlin. Isabelle Sarikhan (DNR) will lead these stops. The vans are scheduled to drop-off at the Hood Canal Bridge Park and Ride at 4 pm, Tacoma Community College at 5:30 pm, and in Bellevue at the Red Lion Inn on Main Street at 7 pm.

 Joint AEG/AWG Field Trip Registration Form

Field Trip Dates:                   Friday May 14^th through Sunday May 16^th, 2010

Registration Deadline:         Please RSVP by 5 pm on Friday, April 16, 2010

Base Trip Fee:                      $180

The base trip fee includes: All transportation costs from pick-up to drop-off points in Bellevue, Tacoma, and the Hood Canal Bridge Park and Ride; field trip log and guide materials; reserving a group picnic shelter, and 6 meals (2 catered dinners on Friday and Saturday, and breakfasts and lunches on Saturday and Sunday). The fee does NOT include camping/hotel costs.

Additional Camping Fee:    $20     (If camping; total trip cost is $200)

The additional camping fee includes: Friday and Saturday camping at reserved sites at Clallam County’s Salt Creek Recreation Area Campground (at least three people required per camp site). For more information, please visit their website at: http://www.clallam.net/CountyParks/html/parks_saltcreek.htm

 Hotel Lodging: If choosing to stay in the hotel, pay only the base trip cost of $180 and contact The Downtown Hotel in Port Angeles at 1-866-688-8600 to make reservations. Please indicate that you are with the AEG/AWG field trip. A block of single bed and double bed rooms (if you care to share) have been reserved for field trip participants at a rate of $45/night and $55/night, respectively. Please note that this is a euro-style hotel with a sink in each room and 4 full bathrooms at the end of the hall. Rooms with different amenities are currently available, so please visit their website for more information at: http://www.portangelesdowntownhotel.com

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How Do I RSVP?: To reserve a spot for the upcoming field trip, please email this completed form (below) to Kelly Ward at olympicfieldtrip2010@gmail.com. Our registrar will send an email back to you either confirming that you are registered and will provide payment instructions, or indicating that you are on a waiting list. Please provide the following information, especially a correct phone number and email address in case we need to contact you.

 Name:                                                              Affiliation:

Phone:                                                             E-Mail:

Please mark all that apply:       Presenter          AEG Member AWG Member Non-Member

For Transportation Planning, please mark one pick-up/drop-off location:

 Red Lion Inn, Bellevue            Tacoma Comm. College                      Hood Canal Bridge Park & Ride

 For Camping/Hotel Planning, please indicate your choice:   Salt Creek C.G.                        The Downtown Hotel

(Note: Those choosing to stay at the hotel are responsible for making their own arrangements)

For Food/Catering Planning, please indicate your preference:            

Omnivore                    Herbivore                    Please list all Dietary Restrictions/Allergies/Sensitivities

 Cancellation and Refund Policy: No refunds will be made after April 30, 2010. The exceptions to this refund policy are as follows: The registrant contacts the AEG/AWG organizers and a person from the waiting list fills their spot, or, if there is no one available on the waiting list, the registrant can find someone to take their spot for a full refund upon receipt of payment from their replacement.