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Tectonic tremor has been explained as a swarm of low‐frequency earthquakes (LFEs), which are located on a narrow fault at the plate boundary. However, due to the lack of clear impulsive phases in the tremor signal, it is difficult to determine the depth of the tremor source with great precision. The thickness of the tremor region is also not well constrained. The tremor may be located on a narrow fault as the LFEs appear to be, or distributed over a few kilometers wide low shear‐wave velocity layer in the upper oceanic crust, which is thought to be a region with high pore‐fluid pressure. Lag times of peaks in the cross‐correlation of the horizontal and vertical components of tremor seismograms, recorded by small‐aperture arrays in the Olympic Peninsula, Washington, are interpreted to be S minus P times. Tremor depths are estimated from these S minus P times using epicenters from a previous study computed with a multibeam backprojection method. The tremor is located close to the plate boundary in a region no more than 2–3 km thick and is very close to the depths of LFEs. The tremor is distributed over a wider depth range than the LFEs. However, due to the uncertainty on the depth, it is difficult to conclude whether the source of the tremor is located at the top of the subducting oceanic crust, in the lower continental crust just above the plate boundary, or in a narrow zone at the plate boundary. Plain Language Summary: Tectonic tremor is a long, low amplitude seismic signal, with emergent onsets, and an absence of clear impulsive phases. It has been explained as a swarm of low‐frequency earthquakes (LFEs), which are located on a narrow fault at the plate boundary. It is therefore assumed that the source of the tectonic tremor is located close to the plate boundary. However, due to the lack of clear impulsive phases in the tremor signal, it is difficult to determine the depth of the tremor source and the distance of the source to the plate interface with great precision. The thickness of the tremor region is not well constrained either. The tremor may be located on a narrow fault like the LFEs, or distributed through a few kilometers wide low shear‐wave velocity layer in the upper oceanic crust, which is thought to be a region with high pore‐fluid pressure. In this paper, we show that the tremor is located close to the plate boundary in a region no more than 2–3 km thick and is very close to the depths of LFEs. Knowing the depth of the tremor source will help understand the mechanism that produces the tremor. Key Points: We use seismic data from small‐aperture arrays in the Olympic Peninsula, and tremor epicenters determined by a previous studyWe compute the depth of the tremor from S minus P times determined from stacking horizontal‐to‐vertical cross‐correlations of seismic dataTremor is located close to the plate boundary in a region no more than 2–3 km thick [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Upper‐plate faulting in the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State results from relative motion of crustal blocks within the Cascadia forearc and earthquake cycle processes along the Cascadia subduction zone. We reconstruct fault slip rates since ∼14 ka on the Sadie Creek fault (SCF), north of the Olympic Mountains, using airborne lidar and field mapping of surficial deposits and landforms and optically stimulated luminescence and radiocarbon dating. The SCF is a ≥14 km‐long northwest‐striking, subvertical, dextral strike‐slip fault with a subordinate dip‐slip component. Laterally, offset debris flow channels cut into Late‐Pleistocene and younger surfaces show dextral slip of 4.0–24.5 m and dip slip of 0.7–6.5 m. Re‐evaluation of fault slip on the adjacent Lake Creek Boundary Creek fault (LCBCF) shows similar dextral (4.5–29.7 m) and dip slip (0.8–4.6 m). A deglacial age of 14 ka paired with the largest—and presumably oldest—slip measurements produce a minimum dextral slip rate of 1.3–2.3 mm/yr and dip‐slip rate of 0.05–0.5 mm/yr. Similarities in geometry, kinematics, slip rate, and earthquake timing between the SCF and LCBCF suggest these faults represent one continuous geologic structure, the North Olympic fault zone. Geodetically constrained boundary element method models considering the effects of coseismic subduction zone stresses on upper plate structures produce comparable kinematics to those measured on the SCF and LCBCF, suggesting that the North Olympic fault zone acts as the main strain‐accommodating structure in the northern Olympic Peninsula and may be modulated by stress transferred from subduction zone earthquakes. Key Points: The Sadie Creek fault is characterized by a minimum post‐14 ka slip rate of 1.3–2.3 mm/yrSimilarities in slip between the Sadie Creek fault and Lake Creek Boundary Creek fault suggest these faults represent one continuous structure, the North Olympic fault zoneComparison of measured and modeled slip rates suggest crustal faults may be modulated by stress transferred from subduction zone earthquakes [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The figure of the Wild Man resides at the hinge where nature meets culture. In the Pacific Northwest, the Wild Man is known locally by different names and is interpreted through a variety of cultural and historical lenses. Settler colonialism in the region, for example, situated the Wild Man within wilderness and anachronistic spaces, aligning him with a bygone and romanticized indigeneity. Conversely, Coast Salish people invigorate new stories of the Wild Man as critique of the ruins of late capitalism. The Wild Man provides them with strength to assert their autonomy and authority in leading the restoration of the natural environment. This article explores monstrous entanglements between settler colonialism, indigeneity and the Wild Man on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Variations on the related ideas that: (a) the Makah people arrived on the northwestern Olympic Peninsula of Washington as recently as 1,000 years ago and (b) they displaced Quileute people who had previously held those lands have appeared on a few occasions during the last century. As offered, such claims rely heavily on ethnographic and linguistic arguments. A detailed examination shows that all of these arguments are flawed. The currently available archaeological data is not sufficient to address these ideas in an unequivocal way, but may still offer relevant insights. Doing so, however, requires some ability to recognize these groups in the archaeological record; this possibility is explored using the artifact and faunal assemblages from this region. Preliminary findings suggest that Makahs and/or other Wakashan speakers have been present for at least 3,000 to 4,000 years and that there is no credible evidence for an earlier presence of Quileutes and/or other Chimakuan speakers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rain shadow forests of the Olympic Peninsula exemplify a mixed-severity fire regime class in the midst of a highly productive landscape where spatial heterogeneity of fire severity may have significant implications for below and aboveground post-fire recovery. The purpose of this study was to quantify the impacts of wildfire on forest soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) pools and assess the relationship of pyrogenic carbon (PyC) to soil processes in this mixed-severity ecosystem. We established a 112-year fire chronosequence with nine similar forest stands ranging in time since lastfire (TSF) from 3 to 115 years prior to site establishment. At each site, we measured understory vegetation cover, overstory composition, physical and chemical attributes of surface mineral soils to a depth of 10 cm, and forest floor organic matter. Additionally, non-ionic resin lysimeters were buried over the winter and spring (7–8 months) at the interface of organic and mineral soil to collect O-horizon leached DOC that would potentially contact PyC particles on the forest floor. Nitrogen transformations were also monitored in laboratory soil incubations for a subset of sites. The TSF gradient was significantly correlated with PyC mass in the O-horizon ( r  = −0.4), O-horizon C ( r  = 0.4), total phenol content in both O-horizon ( r  = 0.4) and mineral soils ( r  = 0.2), and potentially mineralizable N (PMN) ( r  = 0.4). Recent fire sites contained higher mineral soil total N and inorganic available N, but were not correlated with TSF. Total DOC that accumulated on the non-ionic resins averaged 1.14 (SE ± 0.54) g DOC m −2 year −1 and increased with TSF ( r  = 0.52; p  < 0.0001). Over time, soils appeared to shift toward a more phenolic-rich organic and surface mineral soil, a higher PMN index, denser moss cover, and higher cover of Mahonia nervosa and Rosa gymnocarpa . Multivariate, non-parametric analysis of soil and vegetation factors showed a significant relationship with the TSF gradient between sites ( p  < 0.001), but not within sites. Soil characteristics were found to be less sensitive to wildfire disturbances than aboveground vegetation composition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Logging debris has the potential to benefit forest regeneration by increasing resource availability, modifying microclimate, and altering plant community structure. To understand potential mechanisms driving these benefits, we initiated research at a forested site on the Olympic Peninsula, WA that contained the invasive, nonnative competitor, Scotch broom ( Cytisus scoparius ). Immediately after harvesting the stand of mature coast Douglas-fir ( Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii ) in late 2011, two levels of logging debris retention were created on replicated plots: 18.9 and 9.0 Mg ha −1 , with debris depths averaging 32 and 17 cm, respectively. Within each plot, three herbicide treatments (aminopyralid (A), triclopyr ester (T), and A + T) and a non-sprayed control were applied to split plots in August 2012. Douglas-fir seedlings were planted in early 2013, and microclimate and seedling performance were monitored through 2016. During the growing seasons of 2012–2014, soil water content was greater and soil temperature was lower under heavy debris than under light debris. Survival of planted Douglas-fir seedlings declined an average of 45 and 11 percentage points after intense summer droughts in 2015 and 2016, respectively, but it averaged 7–10 percentage points greater in heavy debris than in light debris during this period. Douglas-fir stem diameter growth was consistently greater in heavy debris than in light debris, with the exception of treatment A + T where diameter did not differ between debris treatments. A reciprocal regression model ( R 2  = 0.55) predicted that total stem volume of Douglas-fir increased from 19 to 84 dm 3  ha −1 as Scotch broom cover decreased from 20% to 0% as a result of the logging debris and herbicide treatments. There were limited treatment effects on mineral soil chemical and physical properties, but forest floor mass and nutrient content were increased in the heavy debris treatment. Five years after forest harvesting (2016), logging debris mass in heavy debris differed little from that in light debris at study initiation, indicating a substantial reduction in fuels and the potential for severe wildfire. Results suggest that, on gravelly soils and possibly other droughty forest ecosystems in the Pacific Northwest, heavy debris will benefit planted Douglas-fir by improving growing conditions and by limiting abundance of nonnative competitors, such as Scotch broom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indigenous peoples, local communities, and other groups can use counter-mapping to make land claims, identify areas of desired access, or convey cultural values that diverge from the dominant paradigm. While sometimes created independently, counter-maps also can be formulated during public participation mapping events sponsored by natural resource planning agencies. Public participation mapping elicits values, uses, and meanings of landscapes from diverse stakeholders, yet individuals and advocacy groups can use the mapping process as an opportunity to make visible strongly held values and viewpoints. We present three cases from the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State to illustrate how stakeholders intentionally used landscape-values mapping workshops to amplify their perspectives in attempts to further political outcomes. We combine geospatial analysis with qualitative data to explore ways that landscape-values mapping were used as a political tool and how social scientists engaged in similar efforts can defend the scientific integrity of results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Landscape values mapping has been widely employed as a form of public participation GIS (PPGIS) in natural resource planning and decision-making to capture the complex array of values, uses, and interactions between people and landscapes. A landscape values typology has been commonly employed in the mapping of social and environmental values in a variety of management settings and scales. We explore how people attribute meanings and assign values to special places on the Olympic Peninsula (Washington, USA) using both a landscape values typology and qualitative responses about residents' place-relationships. Using geographically referenced social values data collected in community meetings ( n = 169), we identify high-frequency landscape values and examine how well the landscape values are reflected in open-ended descriptions of place-relations. We also explore the various interpretations of 14 landscape values used in the study. In particular, we investigate any overlapping meanings or blurriness among landscape values and reveal potentially emergent landscape values from the qualitative data. The results provide insights on the use of landscape values mapping typologies for practitioners and researchers engaged in the mapping of social values for PPGIS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We start with a vignette describing the movement of Pacific Rim, continental shelf peoples along the glaciated Northwest Coast, probably for generations, never seeing to the east anything but towering sheets of ice. Moving along the Olympic Peninsula ice fields, all of a sudden, no ice to the southeast. We reflect on what might have happened next, as a new species, human beings, first enter and begin to occupy the Second Earth—the American Continent. Our specific entry hypothesis is relatively new, following author Croes' remembering Northwest Archaeologist Alan Bryan, who suggested we look to the Chehalis River for evidence of first peoples. We also look at the still meager evidence of Clovis peoples movements into the Southern Salish Sea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the public dialogues used in the wilderness designation effort on the Olympic Peninsula, Washington state, USA, to either support or negate the designation. Conflict in the concept of wilderness sprouts from incompatible philosophies of broader human-nature relationships. The concept of “wilderness” in the USA, as embedded in the 1964 Wilderness Act, reflects how the pro-designation community interprets humankind’s relationship to nature and the physical landscapes protected under the Wilderness Act are managed to reflect that community's’ understanding of nature. Conflicts arise when other communities perceive their own understandings of nature to be threatened by the concept of wilderness and the constraints it places on activities in the protected area. Using this case study of Wilderness Area designation on the Olympic Peninsula, this paper demonstrates how different sides of a conflict over wilderness legislation use cultural narratives to dominate the public dialogues surrounding wilderness. Actors in the debate seek to create a story of powerlessness and use this as a tool to legitimize their claim that nature and heritage are at risk. The case study is placed within the broader literature on political ecology and the complex role wilderness plays in American identity and heritage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Past and future forest composition and distribution in temperate mountain ranges is strongly influenced by temperature and snowpack. We used LANDCLIM, a spatially explicit, dynamic vegetation model, to simulate forest dynamics for the last 16,000 years and compared the simulation results to pollen and macrofossil records at five sites on the Olympic Peninsula (Washington, USA). To address the hydrological effects of climate-driven variations in snowpack on simulated forest dynamics, we added a simple snow accumulation-and-melt module to the vegetation model and compared simulations with and without the module. LANDCLIM produced realistic present-day species composition with respect to elevation and precipitation gradients. Over the last 16,000 years, simulations driven by transient climate data from an atmosphere-ocean general circulation model (AOGCM) and by a chironomid-based temperature reconstruction captured Late-glacial to Late Holocene transitions in forest communities. Overall, the reconstruction-driven vegetation simulations matched observed vegetation changes better than the AOGCM-driven simulations. This study also indicates that forest composition is very sensitive to snowpack-mediated changes in soil moisture. Simulations without the snow module showed a strong effect of snowpack on key bioclimatic variables and species composition at higher elevations. A projected upward shift of the snow line and a decrease in snowpack might lead to drastic changes in mountain forests composition and even a shift to dry meadows due to insufficient moisture availability in shallow alpine soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The fisher was extirpated from much of the Pacific Northwestern United States during the mid- to late-1900s and is now proposed for federal listing as a threatened species in all or part of its west coast range. Following the translocation of 90 fishers from central British Columbia, Canada, to the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State from 2008 to 2010, we investigated the landscape-scale habitat selection of reintroduced fishers across a broad range of forest ages and disturbance histories, providing the first information on habitat relationships of newly reintroduced fishers in coastal coniferous forests in the Pacific Northwest. We developed 17 a priori models to evaluate several habitat-selection hypotheses based on premises of habitat models used to forecast habitat suitability for the reintroduced population. Further, we hypothesized that female fishers, because of their smaller body size than males, greater vulnerability to predation, and specific reproductive requirements, would be more selective than males for mid- to late-seral forest communities, where complex forest structural elements provide secure foraging, resting, and denning sites. We assessed 11 forest structure and landscape characteristics within the home range core-areas used by 19 females and 12 males and within randomly placed pseudo core areas that represented available habitats. We used case-controlled logistic regression to compare the characteristics of used and pseudo core areas and to assess selection by male and female fishers. Females were more selective of core area placement than males. Fifteen of 19 females (79%) and 5 of 12 males (42%) selected core areas within federal lands that encompassed primarily forests with an overstory of mid-sized or large trees. Male fishers exhibited only weak selection for core areas dominated by forests with an overstory of small trees, primarily on land managed for timber production or at high elevations. The amount of natural open area best distinguished the use of core areas between males and females, with females using substantially less natural open area than males. Although sex-specific selection has been suspected for fishers, we identified factors that distinguish the selection of core areas by females from those of males, information which will be valuable to managers planning reintroductions or providing suitable habitat to promote fisher recovery in the Pacific Northwest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the environmental and cultural aspects of archaeological sites on the shoreline of northern Olympic Peninsula in Washington state, including through referencing archaeological assemblages and lithic remains of Northwest Coast indigenous peoples. An overview of the sea level history of northern Olympic Peninsula, including the sea's higher than modern sea levels during the mid Holocene period, is provided.

ABSTRACT Recent declines in black-tailed deer ( Odocoileus hemionus columbianus) populations in Washington have been attributed partly to low recruitment. However, sparse information exists regarding fawn survival and factors affecting recruitment. During 2006-2009, we captured 228 fawns on the Olympic Peninsula, Washington, USA, to determine sources of fawn mortality, estimate survival rates, identify factors influencing survival rates, assess the influence of hair loss syndrome (HLS) on winter survival, and estimate population growth. We used known fate modeling in Program MARK to estimate survival rates to age 50 weeks and to 9 weeks by developing 2 candidate a priori model sets. We recorded 129 mortalities; predation was the leading cause (74%). Mountain lions ( Puma concolor) and bobcats ( Lynx rufus) were the most common predators. The survival rate to 50 weeks was 0.33 (95% CI = 0.24-0.43); survival differed between capture years and was age dependent, with fawns being most vulnerable to mortality during the first 9 weeks then again during the winter. The survival rate to 9 weeks was 0.65 (95% CI = 0.60-0.68), and our results suggested that an interaction between age and birth mass influenced survival. A posteriori modeling indicated that greater body mass and earlier birth date also influenced survival over the first 9 weeks of life. Fawns afflicted with HLS had lower survival rates than non-afflicted fawns ( P = 0.018) during winter. Poor body condition, based on femur marrow assessment, was a factor in 89% of fawns that died over winter. We estimated the growth of the population to be stationary at λ = 1.0. Estimates of lambda increased 3% when survival was modified to assume HLS was not a factor. We conclude that fawn mortality during the first 9 weeks followed by a significant increase in winter mortality, exacerbated by HLS, combine to limit black-tailed deer population growth. Inherent nutritional limitations in summer forage may have influenced survival of many fawns, pre-disposing them to mortality during the summer and winter. Wildlife managers can use this information to improve population modeling and management of black-tailed deer populations afflicted with HLS. © 2014 The Wildlife Society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to inform natural resource policy and land management decisions, landscape values mapping (LVM) is increasingly used to collect data about the meanings that people attach to places and the activities associated with those places. This type of mapping provides geographically referenced data on areas of high density of values or associated with different types of values. This article focuses on issues and challenges that commonly occur in LVM, drawing on lessons learned in the US Forest Service Olympic Peninsula Human Ecology Mapping Project. The discussion covers choosing a spatial scale for collecting data, creating the base map, developing data collection strategies, the use of ascribed versus assigned values, and the pros and cons of different mapping formats. Understanding the common issues and challenges in LVM will assist policy makers, land managers, and researchers in designing a LVM project that effectively balances project goals, time and budgetary constraints, and personnel resources in a way that ensures the most robust data and inclusive public participation.Environmental Practice 16: 138–150 (2014) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mode and tempo of forest compositional change during periods of rapid climate change, including the potential for the fire regime to produce nonlinear relationships between climate and vegetation, is a long-standing theme of forest ecological research. In the old conifer forests of the coastal Pacific Northwest, fire disturbances are sufficiently rare that their relation to climate and their ecological effects are poorly understood. We used a 14-700-year high-resolution sediment record from Yahoo Lake on the Olympic Peninsula, Washington, USA, to examine vegetation (landscape vegetation from pollen and local vegetation from macrofossils) and fire (landscape fire from total charcoal and local fire from charcoal peaks) in conjunction with independent records of climate. We hypothesized that the successional stage of the local forest will exhibit alternate stable states over a range of fire activity, that species turnover will increase abruptly above a certain level of fire activity and that both responses would be more gradual at the landscape scale than the local scale. Supporting these hypotheses, at the local scale, we found strong evidence for alternate stable states of late vs. early successional communities and inertia of species turnover to changing fire activity. At the landscape scale, vegetation responded more gradually to changing fire activity. From 14-700 to 7000 years ago, high landscape vegetation turnover occurred along with high landscape fire activity, especially during the warm summers of the early Holocene. In several instances, local species turned over completely following fire events but several centuries after climate change. In contrast, during the last 7000 years, the local forest composition was dominated by late-successional species with little species turnover, despite periods of moderate fire activity. We suggest that the relatively minor climate fluctuations of the past 7000 years were not sufficient to cause large-scale species turnover after fire. The Yahoo Lake fire and vegetation record of the early Holocene provides a model for dramatic ecosystem change following an anticipated shift to warmer summer temperatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A small fossil sand crab carapace collected from early Eocene shallow water marine strata of the Crescent Formation exposed at Crescent Bay, Clallam County, Washington State, represents a new genus and species, Sklallamia buchanani. The carapace of S. buchanani is nearly as long as wide, is almost equally convex when viewed anteriorly, posteriorly, or laterally with smooth carapace grooves and a low median ridge, has a narrow front with anterior margins that are broadly convex on either side of the lateral margins of the ocular sinus, with broad, short ocular spines and a broad, short rostrum. This is the first confirmed fossil record of the family Albuneidae from the Pacific Basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present evidence that the Seattle fault zone of Washington State extends to the west edge of the Puget Lowland and is kinematically linked to active faults that border the Olympic Massif, including the Saddle Mountain deformation zone. Newly acquired highresolution seismic reflection and marine magnetic data suggest that the Seattle fault zone extends west beyond the Seattle Basin to form a >100-km-long active fault zone. We provide evidence for a strain transfer zone, expressed as a broad set of faults and folds connecting the Seattle and Saddle Mountain deformation zones near Hood Canal. This connection provides an explanation for the apparent synchroneity of M7 earthquakes on the two fault systems ~1100 yr ago. We redefi ne the boundary of the Tacoma Basin to include the previously termed Dewatto basin and show that the Tacoma fault, the southern part of which is a backthrust of the Seattle fault zone, links with a previously unidentifi ed fault along the western margin of the Seattle uplift. We model this northsouth fault, termed the Dewatto fault, along the western margin of the Seattle uplift as a low-angle thrust that initiated with exhumation of the Olympic Massif and today accommodates north-directed motion. The Tacoma and Dewatto faults likely control both the southern and western boundaries of the Seattle uplift. The inferred strain transfer zone linking the Seattle fault zone and Saddle Mountain deformation zone defi nes the northern margin of the Tacoma Basin, and the Saddle Mountain deformation zone forms the northwestern boundary of the Tacoma Basin. Our observations and model suggest that the western portions of the Seattle fault zone and Tacoma fault are complex, require temporal variations in principal strain directions, and cannot be modeled as a simple thrust and/or backthrust system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following the installation of a new broadband seismic station near the Pacific coast of the Olympic Peninsula, Washington, the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network recorded elevated background seismic noise at periods exceeding 30 s. We observed power spectral density variations of about 15-20 dB in the horizontal-component seismograms between times of high and low noise, and differences of up to about 25 dB between the horizontal and vertical components during noisy intervals. The amplitude of the signal at long periods exhibited clear correlations with cyclic daytime fluctuations of air temperature and wind speed. Our observations provided measurable evidence that the variations of the local atmospheric pressure field associated with local wind systems represents an effective source of ground displacements and rotations. The rotational component of the pressure-field-induced motion is recorded by horizontal-component seismometers that, below their low-frequency corner, are sensitive to surface tilts. The response of seismometers to ground rotations is characterized by a transfer function, which we use to estimate the amplitude of tilt. We measured a pressure-field-induced surface tilt of the order of several tenths of μrad. Based on simple modeling, tilt contamination is expected to attenuate rapidly with depth and to become negligible just a few hundreds of meters below the surface. Removal of this unwanted effect from seismograms remains a challenging task as the details of tilting depend on the nonstationary character of the pressure field, the compliance of the near surface to pressure variations, and the design and construction of the seismic station. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The plotopterids (Aves, Plotopteridae) were a group of extinct wing-propelled marine birds that are known from Paleogene-aged sediments (Eocene to Miocene), mostly around the Pacific Rim (especially Japan and the northwest coast of North America). While these birds exhibit a strikingly similar wing morphology to penguins (Spheniscidae), they also share derived characters with pelecaniform birds that are absent in penguins and exhibit apparently superficial similarities with auks (Alcidae: Charadriiformes). Despite quite an abundant fossil record, these birds have been little studied, and in particular their functional morphology remains little understood. Here we present osteological overviews of specimens from the northwest coast of Washington state (USA). We give an amended diagnosis for the well-represented North American genus, Tonsala Olson, 1980, describe a new large species, and examine the functional morphology of plotopterids showing that the ratio of humeral strength to femoral strength is quite low in one well-represented species Tonsala buchanani sp.nov., relative to both extant penguins and alcids. While the femoral strength of Tonsala buchanani is 'penguin-grade', its humeral strength is more 'alcid-grade'. These results have implications for understanding the mode-of-locomotion of these extinct marine birds. Although not related to Spheniscidae, our descriptions and functional results suggest that Tonsala buchanani sustained similar loads in walking, but slightly lower humeral loads during swimming, than a modern penguin. This suggests a swimming mode that is more similar to living alcids, than to the highly-specialised locomotor strategy of living and fossil penguins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An essay is presented on how to fish for bass. The author describes his experience of being an English professor who goes on a morning fishing trip at his sister-in-law's house on Mason Lake in the Olympic Peninsula of Washington state. He discusses his capture of a bass that is nicknamed Walter by his sister-in-law, Candy, and an embarrassing errant cast of his fishing lure.

Western redcedar (Thuja plicata Donn ex D. Don.) is an important North American tree species, but little information is available on its long-term responses to silvicultural treatments. Stand responses (mortality, ingrowth, basal area and volume growth, and distributions of trees by diameter and height classes) were followed for 25 years after thinning and fertilization treatments (alone and in combination) were applied to a naturally regenerated, low site quality western redcedar stand on the Olympic Peninsula in western Washington, USA. Mortality was low overall, but the densest stands experienced competition-related mortality. Thinning resulted in additional stem recruitment; after 25 years, the number of ingrowth trees exceeded the number of trees in the cohort left after thinning. Fertilization (with nitrogen and phosphorus) flattened size distributions and skewed them to larger size classes. Thinning plus fertilization resulted in the largest individual trees and the most large trees, but also many trees in a wide range of diameter classes. The recruitment of a second cohort did not result in a two-storied stand. Fertilization without thinning resulted in the greatest stand basal area and volume, as well as trees with fewer live lower branches. Le thuya géant (Thuja plicata Donn ex D. Don.) est une espèce d'arbre importante en Amérique du Nord, mais peu d'informations sont disponibles concernant sa réaction à long terme aux traitements sylvicoles. Les réactions à l'échelle du peuplement (la mortalité, le recrutement, la croissance en surface terrière et en volume, ainsi que la distribution des arbres par classes de diamètre et de hauteur) ont été mesurées pendant la période de 25 ans qui a suivi l'application de traitements d'éclaircie et de fertilisation (seuls ou combinés) dans un peuplement de thuya géant naturellement régénéré sur une station de faible qualité de la presqu'île Olympique dans l'ouest de l'État de Washington, aux tats-Unis. La mortalité était globalement faible, mais les peuplements les plus denses ont subi une mortalité induite par la compétition. L'éclaircie a provoqué le recrutement additionnel de nouveaux arbres; après 25 ans, le nombre d'arbres recrutés dépassait le nombre d'arbres de la cohorte laissée après l'éclaircie. La fertilisation (avec de l'azote et du phosphore) a aplani la distribution de la taille des arbres tout en l'étirant vers les classes constituées des plus gros arbres. La combinaison de l'éclaircie et de la fertilisation a produit les plus gros individus et la plus grande quantité de gros arbres, mais aussi plusieurs arbres distribués dans une large gamme de classes de diamètre. Le recrutement d'une deuxième cohorte n'a pas créé un peuplement bi-étagé. La fertilisation sans éclaircie a produit les plus grandes valeurs de surface terrière et de volume de même que des arbres avec le moins de branches vivantes dans le bas de la cime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Conserving the natural ecology of an area through environmental restrictions has become increasingly common. The harvest limitations on national forests in the habitat of the Northern Spotted Owl in the 1990s are a well-known example. The controversy that ensued with this listing quickly became framed as one of jobs versus the environment, a contention that often characterizes conservation efforts. This contention is closely tied to export-based economic theory which assumes that a rural area''s natural resource commodity base is the most important factor in economic development and community well-being. However, other factors could impact well-being including a prior period of industrial restructuring, the presence of minorities, and mitigating factors such as increasing educational attainment, retirement migration and commuting patterns. Focusing on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State, I use panel regression to examine the power of indicators of these different factors to explain poverty and unemployment rates on the peninsula in 2000. Industrial restructuring and the presence of minorities are the only significant explanatory variables for poverty. The presence of minorities is the only significant variable for unemployment rates. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Flowering sex ratios of dioecious plants are commonly male-biased but rarely female-biased. While greater costs of reproduction from females have been repeatedly demonstrated and explain male biases, male reproductive costs almost never exceed female costs, making the origins of female biases enigmatic. I investigated the seagrasses Phyllospadix scouleri and P. serrulatus (surfgrasses), which have some of the most extreme female-biased sex ratios documented (>90% female), to identify the mechanisms driving sex ratio bias. I developed sex-linked amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers and applied them to three P. scouleri life stages at four sites to determine when during the life cycle sex ratio bias arises. Sex ratios were even among seedlings but became more female-biased at later life stages, indicating that sex ratios were driven by male-biased mortality. To identify when during the life cycle sex ratio bias developed, I examined sex differences in survival among seedlings and three aspects of reproductive costs that could potentially generate biased sex ratios under field conditions. No differences in seedling survival between the sexes were detected, and there was no evidence of substantial sex differences in costs of reproduction. I found no support for a trade-off between current and future reproduction or between reproductive investment and growth. Thus, costs of reproduction appear unlikely to drive sex ratio bias in surfgrass. Instead, small sex differences in growth and survival spread across the life cycle appear to be responsible for female-biased sex ratios and suggest that life history trade-offs other than reproductive costs drive sex ratio bias. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Midcanopy layers are essential structures in “old-growth” forests on the Olympic Peninsula. Little is known about which stand and tree factors influence the ability of midcanopy trees in young-growth forests to respond to release; however, this information is important to managers interested in accelerating development of late-successional structural characteristics. We examined basal area growth response of midcanopy trees following variable-density thinning in an effort to determine the effect of thinning and local environment on the release of western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.) and western redcedar (Thuja plicata ex. D. Don) on the Olympic Peninsula in western Washington. Release was measured as the difference between average annual basal area growth over the 5-year prior to thinning and the 3-to-6 year period following thinning. Results indicate that while growth rates were similar prior to thinning (5.4cm2 year−1in both thinned and unthinned patches) midcanopy trees retained in a uniformly thinned matrix grew significantly more (8.0cm2 year−1) than those in unthinned patches (5.4cm2 year−1) for western hemlock and for western redcedar. Crown fullness and crown crowding affected the release of western hemlock in the thinned matrix. Initial tree size, relative age, local crowding and measures of crown size and vigor affected the release of western redcedar in the thinned matrix. Our results indicate that midcanopy western hemlock and western redcedar retain the ability to respond rapidly with increased growth when overstory competition is reduced and the magnitude of response is related to neighborhood variables (intracohort competition, overstory competition, and tree vigor), thus suggest that variable-density thinning can be an effective tool to create variability in the growth of midcanopy trees in young-growth stands. We expect that this rapid response will produce even greater variability over time. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article focuses on a study which examined the effectiveness of smokewater as a restoration tool in germinating beargrass (Xerophyllum tenax). Beargrass is a herbaceous perennial that produces a club- or cone-shaped inflorescence of white flowers. Conservation of beargrass and restoration of its habitat on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington has been a project of the Olympic National Forest staff with the help of Skokomish and Quinault Indian Nations which reintroduced anthropogenic burning. Results of the greenhouse study revealed that higher germination rates were recorded for Quinault seeds soaked in smokewater and after undergoing stratification.

The Saddle Mountain fault, first recognized in the early 1970s, is now well mapped in the Hoodsport area, southeastern Olympic Peninsula (northwestern United States), on the basis of light detection and ranging (LIDAR) surveys, aerial photography, and trench excavations. Drowned trees and trench excavations demonstrate that the Saddle Mountain fault produced a MW 6.5- 7.0 earthquake 1000-1300 yr ago, likely contemporaneous with the MW 7.5 Seattle fault earthquake 1100 yr ago and with a variety of other fault and landslide activity over a wide region of the Olympic Peninsula and Puget Lowland. This near synchroneity suggests that the Saddle Mountain and Seattle fault may be kinematically linked. Aeromagnetic anomalies and LIDAR topographic scarps define an en echelon sequence of faults along the southeastern Olympic Peninsula of Washington, all active in Holocene time. A detailed analysis of aeromagnetic data suggests that the Saddle Mountain fault extends at least 35 km, from 6 km southwest of Lake Cushman northward to the latitude of the Seattle fault. A magnetic survey over Price Lake using a nonmagnetic canoe illuminated two east-dipping reverse faults with 20 m of vertical offset at 30 m depth associated with 2-4 m of vertical displacement at the topographic surface. Analysis of regional aeromagnetic data indicates that the Seattle fault may extend westward across Hood Canal and into the Olympic Mountains, where it terminates near the northward terminus of the Saddle Mountain fault. The en echelon alignment of the Saddle Mountain and nearby Frigid Creek and Canyon River faults, all active in late Holocene time, reflects a >45-km-long zone of deformation that may accommodate the northward shortening of Puget Lowland crust inboard of the Olympic massif. In this view, the Seattle fault and Saddle Mountain deformation zone form the boundaries of the northward-advancing Seattle uplift. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is little information available on the long-term effects of managing western redcedar (Thuja plicata Donn ex D. Don). In a 15- to 20-year-old naturally regenerated second-growth redcedar stand on a poor site on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington, we tested crop tree (largest 250 trees·ha–1) response to precommercial thinning and fertilization in a replicated study. Fertilization treatments were N or N+P applied at study installation and year 13; precommercial thinning occurred at installation. Precommercial thinning without fertilization produced a sustained increase in periodic individual-tree basal area (BA) growth rate from years 3 through 25 posttreatment. However, through year 12, higher BA growth rates resulted from fertilization. During years 13 through 25, when intraspecific competition increased, the highest BA growth rate resulted from the combination of fertilization and precommercial thinning. Compared with the unthinned–unfertilized control, fertilization without thinning increased year-25 crop-tree height by 34% and BA by 137%; thinning without fertilization increased height by 11% and BA by 91%. Height to live-crown base was decreased by thinning but increased by fertilization, while thinning significantly increased stem taper on the lower bole. Treatment responses and foliar analyses indicate crop tree growth was substantially limited by nutrient availability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We compared summer stream temperature patterns in 40 small forested watersheds in the Hoh and Clearwater basins in the western Olympic Peninsula, Washington, to examine correlations between previous riparian and basin-wide timber harvest activity and stream temperatures. Seven watersheds were unharvested, while the remaining 33 had between 25% and 100% of the total basin harvested, mostly within the last 40 years. Mean daily maximum temperatures were significantly different between the harvested and unharvested basins, averaging 14.5°C and 12.1°C, respectively. Diurnal fluctuations between harvested and unharvested basins were also significantly different, averaging 1.7°C and 0.9°C, respectively. Total basin harvest was correlated with average daily maximum temperature ( r2 = 0.39), as was total riparian harvest ( r2 = 0.32). The amount of recently clear-cut riparian forest (<20 year) within 600 m upstream of our monitoring sites ranged from 0% to 100% and was not correlated to increased stream temperatures. We used Akaike’s Information Criteria (AIC) analysis to assess whether other physical variables could explain some of the observed variation in stream temperature. We found that variables related to elevation, slope, aspect, and geology explain between 5% and 14% more of the variability relative to the variability explained by percent of basin harvested (BasHarv), and that the BasHarv was consistently a better predictor than the amount of riparian forest harvested. While the BasHarv is in all of the models that perform well, the AIC analysis shows that there are many models with two variables that perform about the same and therefore it would be difficult to choose one as the best model. We conclude that adding additional variables to the model does not change the basic findings that there is a relatively strong relationship between maximum daily stream temperatures and the total amount of harvest in a basin, and strong, but slightly weaker relationship between maximum daily stream temperatures and the total riparian harvest in a basin. Seventeen of the 40 streams exceeded the Washington State Department of Ecology’s (DOE) temperature criterion for waters defined as “core salmon and trout habitat” (class AA waters). The DOE temperature criterion for class AA waters is any seven-day average of daily maximum temperatures in excess of 16°C. The probability of a stream exceeding the water quality standard increased with timber harvest activity. All unharvested sites and five of six sites that had 25-50% harvest met DOEs water quality standard. In contrast, only nine of eighteen sites with 50-75% harvest and two of nine sites with >75% harvest met DOEs water quality standard. Many streams with extensive canopy closure, as estimated by the age of riparian trees, still had higher temperatures and greater diurnal fluctuations than the unharvested basins. This suggests that the impact of past forest harvest activities on stream temperatures cannot be entirely mitigated through the reestablishment of riparian buffers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Eocene-Oligocene Makah Formation and subjacent middle Eocene Hoko River Formation of the northwestern Olympic Peninsula, Washington, yield mollusks, crustaceans, foraminifera, and early neocete whales; their age has never been precisely established. We sampled several sections; most samples showed a stable single-component remanence held largely in magnetite and passed a Class I reversal test. The upper Refugian (late Eocene) and lower Zemorrian (early Oligocene) rocks at Baada Point correlate with Chron C13r (33.7.34.7 Ma) and Chron C12r (30.33 Ma). The Ozette Highway section of the Makah Formation spanned the early Refugian to late Refugian, with a sequence that correlates with Chrons C15r-C13r (33.7.35.3 Ma), and a long reversed early Zemorrian section that correlates with Chron C12r (30.33 Ma). The type section of the Hoko River Formation correlates with Chron C18r (40.0.41.2 Ma). The area sampled shows about 45. of post-Oligocene counterclockwise tectonic rotation, consistent with results obtained from the Eocene-Oligocene rocks in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marine benthic invertebrates living in dense, intraspecific aggregations are important community members because they provide structural habitat for other species. Here, we determined the mechanisms that facilitate gregarious larval settlement and promote group living. Using suspension-feeding oysters (Crassostrea gigas) residing in large assemblages (‘reefs’), experiments were conducted under laboratory conditions that simulated critical aspects of natural estuarine habitats. Oyster larvae were attracted to the scent of their conspecific elders. In still-water trials, they moved downward and settled after contacting a waterborne, adult chemical cue. Yet, mortality of larvae placed in the adult pallial cavity was very high (mean of 91.3%). This seeming paradox of larval attraction to adult cannibals was resolved via laboratory flume (2 cm/s and 6 cm/s flows) experiments. Suspension-feeding activity did not significantly affect flow speeds or directions. Moreover, weak (mean of 1.65 mm/s) adult ciliary currents effectively entrained phytoplankton but rarely captured larvae. In fact, only a small percentage (≤4.6%) of settlers was cannibalized in flume trials, even when they passed within 1 mm of the inhalant opening, or ‘gape’ (a narrow slit between two valves). Larvae cued by conspecifics potentially attach to any portion of the shell surface, but there is a low probability that they will land in or near the inhalant opening. On juvenile and adult oysters, for example, the mean ratio of gape to shell surface area was only 0.025. Furthermore, in surveys of juvenile/adult oysters at nine field sites (Hood Canal and eastern Olympic Peninsula, Washington, USA), the gape was ≤5.2% of the total plane surface area of the reef. Thus, an oyster larva settling onto a reef of suspension-feeding adults is unlikely to be cannibalized. Given this low mortality risk at settlement, future fitness payoffs (e.g., improved fertilization success) may drive the evolution of a gregarious settlement cue that promotes group living. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper documents the existence and character of a little known fire-maintained anthropogenic ecosystem in the southeastern Olympic Peninsula of Washington State, U.S.A. Due to cessation of anthropogenic burning, there is no longer an intact example of this ecosystem. We present evidence from Skokomish oral tradition, historical documents, floral composition, tree-ring analysis, stand structure, and site potential to describe former savanna structure and function. We believe this system was a mosaic of prairies, savannas, and woodlands in a forest matrix maintained through repeated burning to provide culturally important plants and animals. The overstory was dominated by Douglas-fir ( Pseudotsuga menziesii). Bear grass ( Xerophyllum tenax) likely was a dominant understory component of the savannas, woodlands, and prairie edges. These lands grew forests in the absence of anthropogenic burning. Wide spacing of older trees or stumps in former stands and rapid invasion by younger trees in the late 1800s and early 1900s suggest a sudden change in stand structure. Shade-intolerant prairie species are still present where openings have been maintained but not in surrounding forests. Bark charcoal, fire scars, tree establishment patterns, and oral traditions point to use of fire to maintain this system. A common successional trajectory for all these lands leads to forested vegetation. These findings suggest that frequent application of prescribed burning would be necessary to restore this ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Marbled Murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus) is a high profile, federally threatened seabird, but no reliable estimates of population trends at inland breeding areas exist for this species. We conducted land-based radar studies of Marbled Murrelets at 3–7 sites on the Olympic Peninsula, Washington, in 1996–2002 and 2004 to estimate population changes and to examine relationships between our counts and oceanographic conditions, murrelet productivity, and regional at-sea counts of murrelets. Morning radar counts of murrelets varied significantly among and within sites but did not decline from 1996–2004, suggesting that the inland breeding population of murrelets is stable in this area. A retrospective power analysis indicated that we had a 25% and 56% chance of detecting 2% and 4% annual declines, respectively. Thus, if relatively small annual declines did occur during our study period, there is a high probability that they would have gone undetected, even though they could add up to a biologically important decline over time. It is unlikely that murrelets on the Olympic Peninsula declined by ≥6% annually, however, because retrospective analyses indicated that power to detect such declines was >88%. There was no significant relationship between radar counts and at-sea counts or productivity of murrelets in the nearby San Juan Islands during the study period. We also did not detect a relationship between radar counts and mean sea-surface temperatures or the Northern Oscillation Index, suggesting that variation in oceanographic conditions (e.g., the strong 1998 El Niño event) was not associated with variation in morning radar counts of Marbled Murrelets. A prospective power analysis indicated that small (2%–4%) annual declines could be detected with reasonably high power (≥80%) with the current radar sampling design by extending the study to 11–15 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We assessed the effect of campgrounds on American crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) populations on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington, USA, because crows are potential nest predators for marbled murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus). We measured resource use, home range, relative abundance, and reproduction for 39 crows in 13 campgrounds that varied in size and proximity to other sources of anthropogenic food. Campgrounds concentrated crow populations and individual resource use. However, campgrounds did not provide optimal conditions for reproduction. Instead, reproduction was highest for crows that accessed exurban areas surrounding campgrounds. Concentration of use in exurban lands by 6 crows that nested >5 km from camprounds or human settlements confirmed the far-reaching effects of human activity in this area on crows. We concluded that human settlements fueled crow population growth on the Olympic Peninsula, and remote campgrounds absorbed this growth through colonization. As exurban crow populations expand, campgrounds likely will experience increases in local abundance of crows. Our observations do not suggest that rising crow populations will reduce the nesting success of other birds near campgrounds, but crows may indicate the suitability of campgrounds to other human commensals. Managing food resources within campgrounds may be insufficient to curtail crow population growth. Instead, regional cooperation is needed to identify and reduce food sources at broad spatial scales to target source populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a case study of the restoration of prairie ecosystems in the Olympic National Park and the surrounding region of the Olympic Peninsula using Native American traditional ecological knowledge and practices. Background on a major factor connected with the decline of prairies throughout the West; Importance of Pacific northwest prairie ecosystems to biocultural diversity conservation; Information on the creation of prairie ecosystems through natural and cultural processes.

Studies the cross-valley profiles from the west slope of the Olympic Peninsula, Washington to investigate the relative effects of fluvial and glacial erosion on valley formation. Complication of the global comparison by data from different settings; Models for the development of valleys; Area of conduction of study; Use of spatial distribution of glacial moraines; Normalization of comparisons of valley morphometry.

Examines the significance of habitat conditions within river drainages on the Olympic Peninsula, Washington to marbled murrelet activity during the breeding season. Identification of a potential nesting habitat at a landscape scale using a consistent classification; Comparison on the number of murrelets using drainages of varying sizes with varying amounts and patterns of potential nesting habitat; Evaluation of annual variation in murrelet counts.

Investigates disturbance events and changes in the composition of riparian forests on a small section of the Queets River floodplain in Olympic Peninsula, Washington. Impetus to the increase in Alnus rubra Bong; Account of the fires occurring in the region; Effects of floods and fire on riparian forests.

Reports on the use of radar to measure the daily, monthly and annual patterns of marbled murrelet abundance and movements in the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State. Comparison of mean flight speeds of marbled murrelet targets between landward flights and seaward flights; Daily timing of movements; Accuracy rate for identification of murrelets with radar.

Abstract 1 We expanded the island biogeography paradigm to test whether mammalian communities of the heavily fragmented temperate rain forests of the Olympic Peninsula were influenced by local environmental conditions, biogeographic factors (fragment area and isolation) and characteristics of the surrounding landscape. 2 We used live-trapping, sign surveys and infra-red triggered cameras to compare distributions of non-volant mammals among fragments and between fragments and other principal landscape components (continuous old-growth, riparian corridors, second-growth forest and clearcuts). 3 Of the 24 species of non-volant mammals detected during our studies, 18 occurred in at least one fragment. 4 Species richness of old-growth mammals was not significantly correlated with fragment area or isolation, per se, but was significantly and positively correlated with the amount of old-growth fragments and old second-growth (41–159 years) in the surrounding landscape (r2 = 0.95, P < 0.005). 5 Distributions of three old-growth dependent species [shrew-mole (Neurotrichus gibbsii), Douglas squirrel (Tamiasciurus douglasii) and Trowbridge shew (Sorex trowbridgii)] were significantly associated with local environmental conditions within the fragment, with geographical isolation from continuous old-growth and riparian corridors, and with the amount of old-growth and old second growth in the adjacent matrix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]