Thursday, Aug. 18, Norman Wells

A peek through the window shades when the alarm beeps at six confirms yesterday's forecast--rain, wind, and a low, gray cloud ceiling that hides the mountains. At least its not snowing though you can bet that it is up on the high slopes.

After breakfast, Jason, our guide from Ducks Unlimited, drives us over to the regional wildlife agency office in a massive and well-worn double-cab pickup. The walls of the wildlife offices are covered in maps produced here through their top-of-the-line GIS system--maps of past forest fires, maps of land planning designations. There's a ten-foot by ten-foot satellite imagery map of the river and surrounding areas. I'm thankful that so much of this baseline work has been done now, before the decisions are finalized for pipelines and other industrial development.

Around noon it begins to clear and Richard takes us on a worldwind driving tour of the Shell Oil lease--the industrial oil production complex on the north end of town. A burn-off flame dances orange from the top of a tall smokestack. Silver and red pipelines draw oil from thirty-foot tall black oil pumps that remind me of massive hammer heads. Near the river we are looking over the manmade islands when an American Kestrel dives into the grass and comes up with a small brown vole. On the way back from the tour, an Eastern Kingbird crosses the road--late for a bird that's headed to South America for the winter. A few hours later while we are waiting at the airport another South American winterer--an American Golden Plover--flies over. A few Barn Swallows course over the runway.