A softer shock to the system than springing forward, the end of daylight saving time last week has still thrown my sleep cycle off. Now I’m up an hour “earlier” while still going to bed at the same time.
As we hurtle headlong toward winter, there are some outdoors events that will help bring some light to a dark time of year.
Razor digs set
A week-long razor clam opening on Pacific Ocean beaches begins Monday.
The upcoming dig is for the following dates and low tides:
• Monday, 5:51 p.m.: 0.1 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis
• Tuesday, 6:27 p.m.: -0.3 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks
• Wednesday, 7:03 p.m.: -0.5 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis
• Thursday, 7:41 p.m., -0.6 feet: Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks
• Friday, 8:22 p.m., -0.5 feet: Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis
• Saturday, Nov. 16, 9:08 p.m.: -0.3 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks
• Sunday, Nov. 17, 9:59 p.m.: -0.1 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis.
A high-powered lantern and always keeping an eye to the surf are key pieces of advice for diggers to follow during these evening digs.
Paddlers meet in Sequim
Kitsap County native John Kuntz will discuss his 1,250-mile kayak trip along the entirety of the Columbia River during August of 2018 at Wednesday’s meeting of the Olympic Peninsula Paddlers.
The group will meet from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Sequim’s Dungeness Valley Lutheran Church, 925 N. Sequim Ave.
Kuntz will share his story in words and video as he describes running whitewater rapids, dodging lightning strikes and forest fires, crossing long stretches of open water, portaging around 14 dams, enduring a five-mile hike around the U.S. border and more.
The event is free.
For more information, call 360-461-7008, email info@olympicpeninsulapaddlers.com or visit www.olympicpeninsulapaddlers.com.
Park series set
The area premiere of “When Goats Fly,” a short film about the relocation of non-native mountain goats from Olympic National Park to their native range in the Cascade, opens Olympic National Park’s Perspectives Speaker Series on Tuesday.
The series will be held at 7 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month from November through April at the Port Angeles Library, 2210 S. Peabody St.
Eliza Goode, a Park Ranger and Visual Information Specialist for Olympic National Park and the park’s Wildlife Branch Chief, Pattie Happe, will be on hand for the film.
Happe will hold a question-and-answer session following the film.
The series is sponsored by Olympic National Park, the Friends of Olympic National Park, and the North Olympic Library System. This season’s topics are:
• Saving the Dark with David Ingram of the International Dark Sky Association on Dec. 10. Saving the Dark explores the need to preserve night skies and ways to combat light pollution.
• Comparing Two Rain Forests on Jan. 14 with Syria Lejau, international volunteer-in-park at Olympic National Park.
A park guide for over 20 years in Gunung Mulu National Park, Borneo, Syria recently volunteered at the Hoh Rain Forest.
• Wolves in Washington with Julia Smith, wolf coordinator with the state Department of Fish and Wildlife on Feb. 11.
Smith will provide the history and background about wolves in Washington, discuss wolf biology and natural history, give information about the department’s conservation and management of wolves, delve into resources for coexisting with wolves and hold a question and answer session.
• An Update on Glaciers with scientist Bill Baccus of Olympic National Park on March 10. Baccus will discuss how the park is monitoring changes in high alpine glaciers and the trends they are observing. He will break down the science and what it means for the future of Olympic’s watersheds.
• Park biologist Patrick Loafman will present “A Big (3) Year(s) in Plants” on April 14.
Loafman will share some adventures of his three-year quest to photograph every plant found in the state’s Coast Range.
Learn about the challenges of creating a simple key to allow plant enthusiasts to more easily identify plants.
Birds flocking to area
Migratory birds have arrived on the North Olympic Peninsula, according to Quilcene’s Ward Norden, a former fisheries biologist and owner of Snapper Tackle Co.
Widgeons by the hundreds were spotted at the Three Crabs area near Sequim on Wednesday and more have taken up temporary residence along Hood Canal.
“Those ‘northern birds’ I mentioned last week arrived early this week,” Norden said. “Thousands of new widgeon and pintails have joined our local birds. My partner and I went out on the kayaks for a quick hunting foray on Tuesday but a strong north wind came up, driving the birds out of reach and making paddling back a serious challenge. Lesson learned.”
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Sports reporter Michael Carman can be contacted at 360-417-3525 or mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.
