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Robert Childs

March 31, 2020 by Backcountry Press 1 Comment

The Watercolor-Butterfly-Nature-Loving-Guy

Robert Childs recently retired from 30 years of teaching science including nine in rural Missouri and the rest at Eureka High School. His life-long goal is connecting kids and adults to the natural world and, when not doing that, he spends his time studying the sciences and exploring other countries. His wife Delores Haskamp, who also loves these interests and activities, is also a huge part of his life.    

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“Loved it. I don't know how Instagram knew to se “Loved it. I don't know how Instagram knew to serve me the ad for this series, but I turned to my wife during the presentation and said "these are my people."”
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YES!
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It’s an anonymous comment like that that makes all the hard work of piecing together this 10 part webinar series on the Natural History of the Klamath Mountains entirely worth it.
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I’m so glad we found each other, whoever you are! 😆
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This week is Part 2: Fire in the Klamath Mountains with Jeff Kane (with Part 3: Geology next week!).
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Here’s a plant well adapted to life with fire in the Klamath: beargrass (Xerophyllum tenax) is quick to regenerate on open serpentine slopes after a burn.
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Join us each Thursday through March 11 if you like at 7pm. All sessions are recorded so you can catch up on any you’ve missed!
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Tap LINK IN PROFILE to find your way there.
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#thesearemypeople #beargrass #fireecology #klamathmountains
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📷: @jefekane
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https://backcountrypress.com/klamath/webinar-series/
Next up in our Winter Webinar Series: Fire in the Next up in our Winter Webinar Series: Fire in the Klamath Mountains
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This session will be presented by Dr. Jeff Kane, Associate Professor of Fire Ecology and Fuels Management at @humboldtstate and Director of HSU’s Wildland Fire Lab.
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He shares these tidbits about fire in the Klamath to get us started:
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🔥 More than 80% of the area burned in the Klamath Mountains over the past 30 years was ignited by lightning
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🔥 Many plant species in the Klamath are adapted to fire, enhancing flowering, seed release, and germination
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🔥 Fire scars on trees tell the story of frequent fire in the Klamath, with many forests historically burning every 15 years
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🔥 Smoke-filled valleys during a fire cools water temperatures in fish-bearing streams and rivers of the Klamath
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Tap LINK IN PROFILE if you’d like to join us at 7pm on 1/14. All sessions will be recorded in case you can’t make the live broadcast.
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📷: @jefekane
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#fireecology #rxburn #oakwoodland #wildfire #klamathmountains #klamathknot
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https://backcountrypress.com/klamath/webinar-series/
Did you catch @justin.garwood ‘s tour of the Kla Did you catch @justin.garwood ‘s tour of the Klamath Mountains’ last glacier yesterday evening?!
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What did you think?
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WOW sums it up for me.
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(Thank you, Justin, and your research team! Incredible documentation work.)
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If you missed it, the recording will be posted Saturday!
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Already getting excited for Part 2: Fire in the Klamath Mountains with @jefekane next Thursday.
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Tap LINK IN PROFILE for all the details.
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#glacier #thisisscience #klamathmountains #trinityalps #webinarseries
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https://backcountrypress.com/klamath/webinar-series/
The Klamath Mountains webinar series kicks off Thu The Klamath Mountains webinar series kicks off Thursday evening and we’re feeling as excited as a . . .
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western forest scorpion in a rotting ponderosa log . . .
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or perhaps a checkerspot in a wildflower meadow. 
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Hope you can join us!
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Friendly reminder that we’re donating class passes to anyone who does education, restoration, or community building work in the Klamath Mountain region. Hit us up!
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Pre-registration is required. Tap LINK IN PROFILE to find your way there.
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#yesthereareforestscorpions
#klamathmountains #naturalhistory
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📷: Ken DeCamp
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https://backcountrypress.com/klamath/webinar-series/
Hey you! What’s that green stuff growing on thos Hey you! What’s that green stuff growing on those rocks?!?
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Look a little more closely... it’s not all moss.
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You may be looking at liverworts!
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The most simple way to tell the difference between a moss and a leafy liverwort:
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Most leafy liverworts will have leaves that attach to their stems in a flattened, 2D fashion.
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On the contrary, most mosses have leaves that spiral around the stem.
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#ancientplants #themoreyouknow🌈 #liverwort #moss #bryophyte #botany #botanist #plantidentification #pnw #pnwonderland #redwoodforest #redwoods
Cheers to the New Year! May 2021 be a bright one f Cheers to the New Year! May 2021 be a bright one for us all, and our planet!
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Since we could certainly all use a bit more fun in our lives, it was recommended to us that each session in the Klamath Mountains Natural History winter webinar series (which begins 1/7!) feature its own pairing -- food and/or bev.
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Brilliant. And why not. Thank you @salmonriveroutpost For the suggestion!
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I present to you the Glaciertini: a fine drink to accompany the first session in this 10-part series where Justin Garwood will tell the story of the Klamath Mountains' Last "tini" Glacier. 
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It also happens to be the signature cocktail of his research team. Per his and colleague Mike van Hattem's instructions:
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1. When setting out on your expedition, allow olives (3 per serving) to slosh marinate in vermouth over a 10 mile hike.
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2. Chill vodka, olives, and cup (titanium preferred) in a 34 degree glacier melt stream for 4 hours.
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3. Combine and sip responsibly on a chunk of granite while taking in a hard earned, grand alpine view.
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Granite Lake (as pictured above) in the Trinity Alps is an ideal location to experience a Glaciertini.
📷: Mike van Hattem
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Fun facts about the Klamath's Last Glacier:
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The ice beetle, Nebria praedicta, lives here and nowhere else on Earth!
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American pipits forage for insects on Grizzly Glacier.
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Grizzly Glacier is the lowest elevation glacier in the US south of the Olympic Peninsula.
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It's so cool on the slopes below Grizzly Glacier that spring flowering alpine shooting star (Primula tetrandra) do not bloom until September!
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There’s still time to sign up. Tap LINK IN PROFILE for the details.
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#glaciertini #trinityalps #klamathmountains
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#glacier #backpacking #naturalhistory #trinitycounty #humboldt #humboldtcounty #southernoregon #norcal #northerncalifornia #pnw #pnwonderland #pnwlife #ashland #ashlandoregon #wilderness #wildernessculture #pdx #corvallis #eugeneoregon #exploremore #optoutside #martini #backpackinglife #traillife #mountshasta #siskiyoucounty #shasta 
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https://backcountrypress.com/klamath/webinar-series/
> > > name needed < < < How shall we refer to this > > > name needed < < <
How shall we refer to this burly being? Have any ideas? We’d love to hear them!
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Our littlest suggested “Fred” but I don’t think it quite fits 🤔
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Will pick our fave from the comments and send you a free copy of “Conifer Country,” truly our first born and the book that started Backcountry Press.
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This old growth tree spirit/goblin/jester greets us each time along our favorite hike to do with our *actual* kids in tow: Hike #4 in Conifer Country.
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It was great to give a nice Hello to this being yesterday along the 4 mile loop through the majestic ancients! 🌲🌲🌲
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#redwoodforest #burl #oldgrowth #conifercountry #hikinghumboldt
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#redwoods #conifers #californianativeplants #humboldt #humboldtcounty #howihumboldt #redwoodcoast #theradwoodcoast #redwoodnationalpark #redwoodnationalandstateparks #prairiecreekredwoodsstatepark #delnortecounty #familyhike #optoutside #exploremore #treemagic #treespirit #bigtrees #treesofinstagram #forestspirit #forestmagic #pnwonderland
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https://backcountrypress.com/book/conifer-country/
⛰Subalpine Sky Islands... perhaps my favorite ki ⛰Subalpine Sky Islands... perhaps my favorite kind of islands.
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These climax communities of the Klamath Ranges are restricted to the highest peaks above 6,900’ in the Siskiyou, Marble, Scott, and Salmon Mountains, and Trinity Alps.
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Their peaks are crowned by two regionally rare conifers:
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1. whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) which is an outlier of a much broader range.
📷: Mount Eddy in the Scott Mountains
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2. Klamath foxtail pine (Pinus balfouriana ssp. balfouriana) which is an endemic.
📷: near 7-Up Peak in the Trinity Alps
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Learn more in our Winter Webinar Series beginning 1/7/21: The Klamath Mountains, a Natural History in 10 parts.
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Tap LINK IN PROFILE to register.
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#conifers #californianativeplants #skyisland
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#ourpnw #pnw #pnwonderland #pct #upperleftusa #exploregon #pdx #cascadiaexplored #humboldt #humboldtcounty #nature #optoutside #ashlandoregon #mountshasta #southernoregon #backpacking #trinitycounty #trinityalps #corvallis #shasta #norcal #botany #hsu #arcata #humboldtstate #redwoods #treesofinstagram
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https://backcountrypress.com/product/klamath-mountain-webinar-series/
If you love plants and have any plans to hike alon If you love plants and have any plans to hike along the PCT for a few months or even just a day, this is a must see:
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After two 2,650 mile thru-hikes botanizing the Pacific Crest Trail, Matt Berger @sheriff_woody_pct shares both the extraordinary and everyday plants along each region of the trail in this 5-part webinar.
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Five Tuesdays 7pm PT, 2/16-3/16.
All sessions will be recorded.
Pre-registration required.
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This series of presentations will take us on an armchair journey from south to north and highlight the rich biodiversity of plants along the way while weaving in stories from the trail — hitchhiking adventures, animal encounters, epic trail magic, and more.
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The trail passes through a remarkable assemblage of landscapes including subalpine sky islands above the southern California deserts, the famed Sierra Nevada, and the volcanic Cascades in northern California, Oregon, and Washington.
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The five presentations will each focus on a different region of the trail:
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1. Southern California Mountains and Desert (2/16)
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2. The Sierra Nevada of central California (2/23)
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3. The Cascades and Klamath Mountains of northern California (3/2)
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4. Oregon’s Cascades (3/9)
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5. Washington’s Cascades (3/16)
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In addition to hiking about 30 miles a day, Matt spent time documenting all the plants and uploading them to Calflora and iNaturalist for scientists to be able to use the data in studies and range maps. He will share how this process works so others can contribute to this data set.
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These webinars are being offered on a sliding scale with 50% of funds contributed supporting Matt’s botanical explorations, and 50% supporting these partners: @pctassociation @bigfoottrail and @californianativeplantsociety
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Tap LINK IN PROFILE to register.
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#botanizing #pct #biodiversity
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#botany #wildflowers #thruhike #thruhiking #thruhiker #backpacking @backpackermag #optoutside @outsidemagazine @sunsetmag @indefenseofplants #pnw #pnwonderland #cascadiaexplored #exploregon #sierranevada #californianativeplants #californiaadventure #mountrainier #mountshasta #ashland #ourpnw#portlandoregon #seattle #hikerlife 
https://backcountrypress.com/product/plants-pct-matt-berger/
🧚‍♀️ + 🦐 = the Spinytail Fairy Shrimp 🧚‍♀️ + 🦐 = the Spinytail Fairy Shrimp (Streptocephalus sealii)
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A sighting is an inimitable experience and one you will likely never forget it. Even if your pic is not quite in focus.
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Their transparent glacier blue color and elegant upside-down locomotion, powered by a series of undulating leaf-like appendages, reveal a tiny charismatic creature strikingly unique among other freshwater aquatic life. 
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I was so transfixed the first time I stumbled on hundreds of them at a small vernal pond in the Trinity Alps I thought I had discovered something entirely new—a naïve conclusion in a moment of wonder. 
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Fairy shrimp require temporary ponds to complete their complex lifecycles. Like other animals that thrive in the extremes of ephemeral waters, they benefit by having far fewer predators compared to most perennial waters.
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Ponds where S. sealii are commonly found in the Klamath Mountains are shallow rocky hard-pan or clay-lined depressions in meadows lined with conifers.
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Hear more about wonders of the Klamath Mountains in the upcoming webinar series, beginning 1/7. Tap LINK IN PROFILE for all the info.
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Do you do restoration, education, or community building work in the Klamath Mountains? We’d love to give a little something back by donating free class passes to you or your organization. Hit us up!
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#fairyshrimp #trinityalps #klamathmountains #vernalpool #biodiversity #backpacking #backpackinglife #ourpnw #cascadiaexplored #pnw #pnwonderland #humboldt #humboldtcounty #natureisamazing #northerncalifornia #southernoregon #pnwonderland #naturenerd #optoutside #exploremore
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https://backcountrypress.com/klamath/webinar-series/

Photo Cred: Justin Garwood
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