Mount St. Helens: Eruption's Effects on Wildlife

Eruption's effects on wildlife

An estimated 4 billion board-feet of timber was blown down in the eruption of Mount St. Helens, enough to build about 300,000 two-bedroom homes.
Killed in the blast were 7,000 deer, elk and bear; all birds and most small mammals; 12 million chinook and coho salmon fingerlings in hatcheries and an estimated 40,000 young salmon in the wild.
The Toutle River got so hot that witnesses reported seeing fish jump out of the water to escape the heat.
More than five tons of insects are blown onto the mountain every summer to help build up the nutrient-poor "tephra," volcanic ash and dust. Mount Rainier gets about 10 tons per year.
Some scientists believe life on earth began in volcanoes. Examples of one of the most primitive forms of life, the Archaea bacteria, have been found in and around Mount St. Helens.
The first birds to recolonize the most devastated areas around St. Helens weren't your typical Cascade avian residents. They were Great Basin desert birds like meadowlarks, rock wrens and American pipits.
The debris avalanche created by the eruption contained two-thirds of a cubic mile of material. The official Web site of the United States Geological Survey notes that it would be enough to cover all of Washington, D.C., in 14 feet of ash and mud.
Not that anyone is advocating such a thing.
Additional information:
A public forum on "Mount St. Helens: Lessons and Stories 20 Years Later" will be offered May 13-14 at the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument.
May 13, at the Johnston Ridge Observatory, leading scientists will speak from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on various discoveries and research findings in ecology, biology and geology studies of the volcano.
May 14, at the Mount St. Helens Visitors Center at Silver Lake, survivors of the eruption will share stories of their experiences between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Monument fees are $3 for adults, $1 for children. The forum is sponsored by the Mount St. Helens Institute. Information: 360-891-5095 or e-mail to mshi@teleport.com.