Headwaters Junior Explorer Activity Book 1
Headwaters Junior Explorer Activity Book 2
Headwaters Junior Explorer Activity Book 3

Welcome, Junior Explorer!

This Field Guide belongs to:

Directions to Elk River Trail

The best place to explore the Headwaters 

Forest Reserve is the Elk River Trailhead, 

6 miles from Eureka. Take the Elk River/

Herrick Rd. exit off Highway 101 at the 

south end of Eureka. Drive inland on 

Elk River Road approximately 6 miles 

to the Headwaters parking area.
Headwaters Junior Explorer Activity Book 4

The activities in this book will help you explore the Headwaters Forest 

Reserve’s (Headwaters) history and natural wonders. Headwaters was 

set aside by Congress and the President in 1999 to protect old-growth 

redwoods that provide habitat for threatened and endangered species 

such as the northern spotted owl, marbled murrelet and coho salmon. 

You would be lucky to see these species, but are more likely to see a 

winter wren, hear the high pitched sound of a varied thrush or watch a 

garter snake basking in the sunlight. 

Work through the activities on your own or ask a brother or sister, 

friend, parent or adult you know to join you. You can also record your 

observations on the journal page.

Say the Junior Explorer pledge on Page 31, sign the certificate, and you’re 

on your way to exploring and caring for America’s public lands. Have fun!

What is a Junior Explorer?

•	 Junior Explorers explore the environment around them

•	 Junior Explorers care for plants, animals and the land

•	 Junior Explorers encourage others to care for the land and its 

inhabitants

This Activity Book Belongs To:

___________________________________________

Welcome, Junior Explorer!
Headwaters Junior Explorer Activity Book 5

Public Lands Belong To You!

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is a federal government 

agency that takes care of more than 245 million acres of land. 

Most of these lands are in the western part of the United States. 

These public lands belong to all Americans. 

The BLM manages public land for many uses. These lands 

supply natural resources, such as coal, oil, natural gas, and other 

minerals. Public land provides habitat for plants and animals, 

and contain evidence from our country’s past, ranging from 

fossils to Native American artifacts to ghost towns.

Headwaters Education Center, Elk River Trail
Headwaters Junior Explorer Activity Book 6

It all begins with me, a drop of water 

hitting the ground, joining other 

drops of water until they meet and 

form the Elk River.

Deep in the heart of the Headwaters 

old-growth forest is the beginning, 

“head” of Elk River. That’s how 

“Headwaters” got its name!

As I journey through the valley, 

I provide water for the residents, 

animals and vegetable gardens. I leave Elk River and find 

myself in Humboldt Bay, 

traveling over plants like 

pickleweed and saltgrass.

I move across the land and pick up sediments, 

minerals and pollutants. These end up in our 

waterways. Good neighbors treat the land with 

care, making Elk River a clean and healthy river.

The ocean is the end of my journey, where I mix with thousands 

of other water droplets. I may also be lifted up by the clouds 

in evaporation, only to be deposited as a rain drop once again.

How

Headwaters

Got Its Name

Pacific Ocean

Where 

does your 

drinking 

water come 

from?
Headwaters Junior Explorer Activity Book 7

A “Quest” is a treasure hunt. This treasure might be a wetland, town, forest 

or perhaps the remnants of human activity (mill site, house foundation, etc.)

Discover the habitat and home of Headwaters, its past residents, creatures 

great and small. The town of Falk now lies beneath the bushes and brambles. 

Travel back in time to the 1880s when this lumber town flourished.

There are 10 stops on this quest. For each stop, your activity guide contains 

two clues and two questions. Write down the answer to the first question and 

check your answer at the BLM Arcata Field Office for a special prize. Check 

your answer to the second question at the back of this book.

1 mile

1 hour

.25 mile down Elk River trail— 

gravel path to the right.

At the end of the pavement.

Welcome to the

Headwaters Quest

Length:

Time: 

Begins:

Ends:

Quest Stats

4

1

2

3

5 6

7

8

9

10

Parking Lot

Trailhead Headwaters 

Education Center

0

Legend

Stop number

Building

Trail

Elk River

N

S

W E

 

Do you want to do a

Quest?

The Headwaters Quest 

starts a quarter mile down 

the trail from the Elk River 

Trailhead parking lot. 

There you will see a box 

marked “Quest”. Follow 

the gravel path to the right 

and discover the clues and 

treasures with delight.
Headwaters Junior Explorer Activity Book

8

Creatures and people called this place home. Discover their habitat 

where the fir trees grow. Veer right down this gravel trail, walk into 

the shade. Take 50 GIANT steps, look left and high to the nest 

that was made.

See that pile of debris in the notch of the tree? Why that’s a home 

but not for you and me. Far overhead a spotted owl hovers, while 

a little wood rat burrows for cover.

Wind your way through the woods, skip past the path to the right. 

Follow the hill past the hairpin, listen to river sounds delight. Take 

a right turn and behold Elk River in sight.

Now look for signs old and new. To your left a chicken coop, 

ahead the salmon cycle renewed. In the river, salmon and 

steelhead make a nursery called the “redd”. When the fish 

mature, wildlife will be fed. What was once the backyard of 

Loleta and Charlie Webb, is now a web of life where the habitat 

gets ahead.

Backtrack to the path and then turn right, prepare your feet for a 

rather short hike. Look back in time, many years back, imagine 

the click clack of trains on the track. Merge right on the main trail, 

walk an 1/8 of a mile. Keep an eye out for a Train Barn, go ahead 

and stop for a while.

This restored barn once housed a train. Over the decades it has 

weathered wind and rain. In 1937, the mill shut down, its residents 

up and left the town. For years this building stood deserted and 

forlorn. Within someone’s mind an idea was born: “Let’s move 

it and make it a learning place, for all who wish to share this 

space.” The barn is again new, inside the Falk stories accrue. Stop 2 Stop 3 Stop 1

The light print are movement clues 

The bold print are learning clues

Quest Instructions

Dusky Footed Wood Rat Loleta and Charlie Webb Train Barn
Headwaters Junior Explorer Activity Book 9

QUEST-TIONS

Questions for stop #1

1. How many wood rat nests did you see on your fifty 

giant steps?____________________________(AFO)

2. Look at the forest floor, name the cone that fell from 

the wood rat’s tree._______________________

_____________________________________(AK)

Questions for stop #2

1. What signs do you see of human activity?__________

____________________________________(AFO)

2. What do down logs provide for salmon?___________ 

__________________________________________

______________________________________(AK)

Questions for stop #3

1. Go towards the sand shack, look at the signs and find 

out where this barn once stood._________________

_____________________________________(AFO)

2. Look at the sign in the sand shack. Where did the sand 

come from?_________________________________

______________________________________(AK)

(AFO) = Check answers at the BLM Arcata Field Office

(AK) = Check answers at the back of this booklet

Check Your Answers
Headwaters Junior Explorer Activity Book 10

Walk further upstream with the river on your right, through a 

wooded area that blocks the sunlight. Look to your left and to your 

right, point to stumps within your sight. Notice the stumps on both 

sides of you; notice the sprouts on them, both old and new. Pause at 

the sign on your left hand side, notice the burl drawing it provides.

Burl is for the new sprouts to unfurl. These sprouts tell a story 

all of their own; each one is a tree clone. A perfect copy of a 

mature redwood tree, though it will be many years before we 

can see it. 

From the redwood stump where new sprouts nestle, walk 1/8 mile 

down the trail past the picnic bench, toward the site of an old train 

trestle. Sit on the bench by the trail, look up river to see evidence 

of a rail. 

The train moved logs to the mill and lumber to 

the bay, returning to Falk at the end of the day. 

Train logging gave way to tractors and trucks, gravel roads 

replaced rails to move logs to the mill.

Look to your left as you walk up the trail, you may see an old 

logging road on the side of the hill. Continue until the trail makes 

a bend that is dramatic. You can view a drainage cleared of silt, 

making salmon quite ecstatic. 

In the early 1900s trains used tall bridges or trestles to avoid 

winter muck. By the 1920s, the piles of dirt and wood that you 

see supported the weight of logging trucks. These “Humboldt 

Crossings” filled the river with dirt. For spawning salmon, 

muddy water can hurt. In order to correct a harsh situation, the 

“Humboldt Crossing” was removed by tractor excavation. The 

drainages are now restored to their natural shape, increasing 

spawning salmon’s landscape.

Elk River Falk Gypsy

Stop 5 Stop 6 Stop 4

Burl Tissue
Headwaters Junior Explorer Activity Book 11

Questions for stop #4

1. Look as far as your eyes can see, how many stumps with 

sprouts do you see?_______________________( AFO)

2. Look for evidence on the stump behind the sign of 

springboard notches. How many do you see? ________

_______________________________________(AK)

Questions for stop #5

1. At this space look up the river at a tree with no branches 

and a piece of wood nailed to it. This is part of the train 

trestle that has fallen down against the bank. Count 

the milled wood that you see that had been part of this 

historic rail.____________________________ (AFO)

2. Above the ripples, down below, a nesting habitat grows. 

What threatened species are born here and find their 

way to the ocean?____________________________

______________________________________(AK)

Questions for stop #6

1. Look for a prehistoric plant that resembles horsetails. 

Find its Latin name at the parking lot kiosk and write it 

in. ___________________________________(AFO)

2. Why is it important to restore the watershed after 

logging. Who does it serve? _____________________

_______________________________________(AK)

QUEST-TIONS
Headwaters Junior Explorer Activity Book 12

Travel around the bend and up a slight grade, beneath the maple 

boughs providing cold shade. Continue down the trail, but please 

don’t lag until you reach the prominent snag. You will see a rather 

tall stump, what used to be a tree, look at all the life growing on 

it abundantly. 

This snag is covered with plant diversity. Count the species that 

you can see. Licorice fern, leather fern, huckleberry and salal: 

These are a few of the plants, but not all. The pale lichen is both 

an algae and a fungus, rather small compared to the snag that 

is humongous. Lichen’s algae contains chlorophyll, providing 

photosynthesis. Fungus keeps algae moist, which by itself 

would shrivel and crisp. This primitive plant species is millions 

of years old, existing long before the story of Falk could be told.

Go upstream, walk past the green mossy tree. Bigleaf maple is 

my name, you see. Today we continue on feet where a bend in 

the river we will soon meet. Peer through the maple branches 

into the shaded pool, that protects young salmon by keeping the 

water cool.

In the dark, murky waters young salmon feed upon insects 

and spiders that fall from the leaves. Salmon come home to 

this river from out in the ocean, laying their eggs safely in the 

river’s swift motion.

Follow the path once again into history where the forest around 

you holds a mystery. Stroll through a hundred years in time. 

Town activity bustled all around you. Above the heads of loggers 

marbled murrelets (now threatened) once flew. Round the 

curve and to the left, stop at the sign, see Falk’s early years while 

you rest.

The blacksmith’s home housed a family of four where Evande 

Miller looked out her door. Over the lumber stacks Evande 

would peek, at the boys of the town playing hide and go seek.

Take 10 giant steps toward the town of Falk past the sign. Look 

behind a metal pipe. You should see a treasure box. Sign in, 

EXPRESS YOURSELF, take something and leave something 

behind.

Salmon Eggs Marbled Murrelet Town of Falk

Stop 9 Stop 8 Stop 10 Stop 7

Lichen
Headwaters Junior Explorer Activity Book 13

Questions for stop #7

1. Can you find evidence of a cut on this snag? How far 

up the tree from its base?_______________________

_____________________________________(AFO)

2. Something happened to this tree to make it a snag. 

Look for clues on the bark and the top of the snag. 

What traumatic event happened to this tree?________

_______________________________________(AK)

Questions for stop #8 

1. Can you see the pile of lumber to your left as you face 

the sign? What purpose did it serve during the time of 

Falk? _______________________________________

______________________________________(AFO)

2. This is the only place that you can go down to the river 

on the trail. Why do you think approach is limited? 

___________________________________________

_______________________________________(AK)

Questions for stop #9

1. One hundred years after Falk, Headwaters is now 

protected public land. What threatened species was it 

protected for? ________________________________

______________________________________(AFO)

2. Notice the large metal pipe. Can you find evidence of 

this pipe in the Falk picture? What building was this a 

part of? _________________________________(AK)

QUEST-TIONS
Headwaters Junior Explorer Headwaters Junior Explorer Activity Guide Activity Book 1414

Plant your feet firmly on the ground. 

These are your roots. Wiggle your roots.

Raise your hands in the air. Your arms 

are branches and your hands are leaves. 

Let your leaves blow in the wind.

Turn your leaves toward the sun. Can 

you feel the warmth? Absorb as much as 

you can, you have sunbeam catchers in 

your leaves.

Just like you, trees need clean air. Take a 

deep breath and let it out. Spread your leaves wide to catch

a raindrop. Your leaves direct the rain

to the soil around your roots. There is 

also water stored in the soil. Wiggle 

your roots to take a drink.

Breathe the air, feel the sunlight, 

drink the water. STAN

D

UP

YOU ARE A TREE!
Headwaters Junior Explorer Activity Book 15

Name that

Tree!

or

Flat, feather 

like needles

Coastal 

redwood

Sequoia 

sempervirens

Needles circle 

around the stem

Flexible, 

soft

to the 

touch

Sharp, 

rough 

to the 

touch

Douglas-fir

Pseudotsuga menziesii

Sitka spruce

Picea sitchensis

Leaf, soft, white,

velvet underside

Leaf has 

rough edges

Bigleaf maple

Acer macrophyllum

Sitka willow

Salix sitchensis

Leaves are

ovate and 

have a 

curl at the 

end

Leaves

are large

and have 

five

lobes

Red alder

Alnus rubra

NEEDLES LEAF

Can you find an example of each of these trees?
Headwaters Junior Explorer Activity Book 16

What happened to the town? 

By the 1930s the company couldn’t afford to pay 

its workers and the mill shut down. By the 1970s 

the buildings were dangerous so the lumber 

company burned and bulldozed them.

What’s left of the town of Falk? 

Archaeologists are putting clues together about 

the people who once lived in Falk. Scattered 

in the woods are the remains of old shoes, 

perfume bottles, tools and dishes. It’s important 

to leave these artifacts in their place, thereby 

protecting the past.

What was the town of Falk? 

Falk was a mill town from 1884 to 1937, located 

deep in the heart of the Elk River watershed. 

The Long Gone but Not Forgotten

Town of Falk

Headwaters Junior Explorer Activity Guide 16

California 

becomes a state

Falk is 

established

Falk mill closed

Falk is burned

Headwaters 

Forest Reserve 

is established

1850

1884

1937

1979

1999
Headwaters Junior Explorer Activity Book 17

Who was Maggie?

Maggie was the logging camp cook and much more.

When was Maggie born?

The picture above was taken approximately in 1911, when Maggie 

was about 25, making her birth year about 1886. She is on the 

right in back.

Where was Maggie from? 

Researchers found that Maggie’s last name Biord, has Dutch origins. 

Her married name was McNeill which is of Irish heritage. During 

the time Maggie was born, many immigrants came to the U.S. 

in search of work. A lot of Falk employees were from places like 

Sweden, Canada, Italy, Ireland and New England, where people had 

already learned to log trees and had grown used to lumber camps. 

What was a typical day for Maggie? 

Maggie got up at 4 a.m. and joined her kitchen crew in making 

breakfast for the loggers. They made eggs, potatoes, ham, fruit, 

pancakes, and lots of coffee. After the loggers ate, the kitchen crew 

carried the big heavy dishes back to the kitchen, washed and dried 

all of them, and got ready for dinner. Maggie loved making desserts; 

sometimes 30 to 40 pies at a time.

BLM and Humboldt 

State students 

conducted an 

archaeological field 

study at Maggie’s 

camp. This may 

have been Maggie’s 

alarm clock.

Meet

Maggie

from the long gone

Town of Falk
Headwaters Junior Explorer Activity Book 18

Today I visited Headwaters 

Forest and I saw...

The Past: Can you Dig It?

Archaeologists are specially trained to uncover clues to human history. Like a book, archaeology tells a 

story. Artifacts left behind by those that came before us provide the pages of the book. Removing artifacts 

from public land is like tearing out pages of a book, removing that piece of the story forever. By keeping 

the archaeological site intact, you and future generations can enjoy the story again and again. Look at 

the pictures below and circle those actions that you can take to protect clues to America’s past. Draw an 

X through actions that would harm those clues.

Draw graffiti Paint a picture Write a story

Spray paint Take a photo

Bike across Walk on walls Take objects home
Headwaters Junior Explorer Activity Book 19

Magic Windows

1

2

3

Raise your hands.

Put your thumbs and pointer fingers together.

Draw three things that you see.
Headwaters Junior Explorer Activity Book 20

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13 14

15

17 16

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

27

26 28 30

32

34

33 35

31

29

I am a

Marbled Murrelet:

A small threatened sea bird that nests in old 

growth conifers, like the ancient redwoods

My chick must travel many 

miles from our tree and 

make it all the way to the 

ocean on its first flight

I dive deep to 

catch my food

Herring

Krill Anchovy

Squid

Too many corvids mean 

my eggs and chicks are less 

likely to survive

Don’t leave food scraps such as 

apple cores behind. These attract 

ravens, crows and jays (corvids) who 

are predators on chicks and eggs.

How Can You Help?

Artwork and activity by Sabra E. Morin as her 

Girl Scout Gold Award Project, March 2013

Threatened and Endangered Species: 

Marbled Murrelet 

Headwaters Forest was set aside for public 

land and to provide habitat for threatened 

and endangered species such as the marbled 

murrelet. 

What is a threatened and endangered species? 

A threatened or endangered species is a 

species that is in danger of becoming extinct.

Approximately 25% of the marbled murrelets 

nesting activity in the southern Humboldt region 

may occur in Headwaters.
Headwaters Junior Explorer Activity Book 21

Headwaters Forest Reserve

Threatened And Endangered Species

DOWN

1. They actually don’t fly, they glide.

2. This fish goes out to sea after living in Elk 

 River for a couple of years.

3. Favorite food of the marbled murrelet.

4. Sea bird that nests in old-growth trees.

5. Salmon eat these creatures, usually found 

 under rocks.

 7. These rodents eat Douglas-fir needles and are 

 food for the spotted owl.

 8. These birds can be predators for marbled murrelet 

 chicks and eggs.

10. Stages of salmon life between six months to 

 three years in their native river before 

 becoming smolts.

ACROSS

 6. Flying squirrels eat these berries.

 9. This bird primarily eats rodents.

11. These creatures build nests made out of sticks, on 

 the ground, or in the trees.

12. May contain 5,000 eggs covering 30 square feet.

1

5

7

8

9

10

11 12

2

6

3 4

Headwaters Junior Explorer Activity Guide 21

WORDS

Northern Spotted Owl 

Huckleberry

Woodrat

Redd

Caddis Fly Larvae

Corvids

Flying Squirrels

Coho

Anchovies

Marbled Murrelet

Parr

Red Tree Vole
Headwaters Junior Explorer Activity Book 22

Headwaters Headlines

Established March 1, 1999

1986

First Headwaters 

demonstration in response 

to increased logging.

1990

Thousands of activists 

rally to protect remaining 

ancient redwoods.

1986

Counter-demonstrations 

by truckers/loggers begin. 

CA Supreme Court stops 

two logging plans.

1996

 1,033 people arrested 

at rally in Carlotta. 

1997/1998

Congress and 

California approve a 

joint $480 million to 

preserve Headwaters.

1999

7,472 acres 

purchased for the 

Headwaters Forest 

Reserve.

2000

Restoration of 

Headwaters begins. 2004

 BLM and California 

Department of Fish and 

Game adopt Headwaters Management Plan based 

on 3 themes — Restoration, 

Research and Recreation.

Pro-logging demonstration, 

Brandi Easter

Headwaters Rally, Nicholas Wilson

Headwaters Rally, Eric Slomanson Headwaters protesters

 Recontoured hillslope post-restoration Headwaters newspaper article
Headwaters Junior Explorer Activity Book 23 My Words: Cecilia Lanman Why did you decide to stand up for trees in Headwaters? When we realized that the ancient redwoods were being cut down three times faster than they were before, we knew we had to take action to stop the destructive logging. I began working on saving Headwaters in 1986 and continued through 1999 when the State of California passed a law that permanently protected Headwaters forest and placed it in BLM’s care.

What Would You Stand Up For?
Headwaters Junior Explorer Activity Book 24

Water falls as rain or snow. Place a drop 

of water on a flat sheet of wax paper. 

Does it run off the paper? If water falls 

on the flat surface, it may not run off 

or drain.

In what direction does water flow? Raise 

one end of your sheet of wax paper and 

drip water from a cup onto the paper. 

It should flow downhill. Did it flow 

downhill? 

How are watersheds divided? Fold your 

wax paper in the center into a tent. Drip 

water from a cup onto the peak. Down 

which side does the water drain, left or 

right, or both? The peak represents the 

boundary between two watersheds, and 

the water flows down whichever side it 

falls on. Watersheds are divided at their 

highest points.

Are large watersheds made up of smaller 

watersheds? Loosely crumple your 

wax paper. Drip water onto the peak 

again. Does the water follow a crease 

or line as it flows? Does it pool into 

spots? What watershed features could 

these represent? Large watersheds may 

contain many smaller watersheds, each 

with several streams and lakes.

1

1

2

2

3

3

4

4

in your home

make a 

Watershed
Headwaters Junior Explorer Activity Book 25

Write down your observations here

Listen to the sounds that nature makes. 

The world is not only a visual one, it 

supplies us with a wealth of sounds, 

smells and physical sensations as well. 

Here are some things to look out for 

on your walk:

•	 Squirrels and woodrats

•	 Insects and banana slugs

•	 Salmon spawning

•	 Rabbits

•	 Unusual stones or rocks

•	 Leaves that are brightly-colored or 

funny shaped

•	 Trees that are different, including 

bark, trunks, shape, etc.

Learning 

from 

Nature

Describe your forest adventure using 

words, phrases, pictures, photographs, 

or anything else that will help you 

remember your visit.
Headwaters Junior Explorer Activity Book 26

BE A POET

“Poetry is what gets lost 

in translation.”

—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Write down your poem here

Write a 5-7-5 Poem. A 5-7-5 follows the 

structure of a Haiku. It has three lines. The 

first line has 5 syllables. The second line has 7 

syllables. The third line has 5 syllables again. 

Try to create your own nature haiku.

Nature Haiku Poem

(Example)

The bees are buzzing.

Beautiful flowers are here.

The flowers smell good.

Forest Poem

(Example)

Trees

Green and Tall

Grow and Whisper

Quietly and Majestically

OR TRY THIS!

TRY THIS!

List one noun (thing) that has to do with 

the forest (i.e. trees, air, deer, soil).

List two adjectives (words that describe 

things) that have to do with the forest (i.e. 

green, tall, cool).

List two verbs (action words) that have to 

do with the forest (i.e. grow, live, whisper).

List two adverbs (words that describe 

verbs, other adverbs, or adjectives) that 

have to do with the forest (i.e. slowly, 

quietly, majestically).

Now select and arrange nouns, adjectives, 

verbs and adverbs to make your poem.

1

2

3

4

5

[

[

[

[
Headwaters Junior Explorer Activity Book 27

Name that Tree!

I am the tallest tree in the world, growing 

up to 350 feet. I have been on the earth for 

60 million years. That means dinosaurs also 

saw them!

They call me a pioneer species that fixes 

nitrogen; taking nutrients out of the air 

and putting them back in the soil. Native 

Americans use my bark for dying nets and 

basket reeds. I grow quick, but don’t live 

long (80 years). 

When a forest has been cut, I grow in large 

numbers because I love the sun. My latin 

name has the word “false” in it. Red tree voles 

like to nest in my tree and eat the needles.

I have the largest leaf in Headwaters and you 

can make syrup out of my sap. I like to grow 

along rivers and creeks, shading the water, 

making it cool for the salmon. 

I grow from Kodiak, Alaska to Fort Bragg, 

California. Salt spray doesn’t bother me and I 

can live close to the beach. When my needles 

drop, the soil becomes acidic making it hard 

for other plants to grow underneath me. 

I bloom between April and May and my 

flower is long and is called a “catkin”. My 

seeds blow in the wind resembling white fur 

during the months of April and May. 

1

2

3

4

5

6

Draw a line from the description to the picture it describes.

Coastal redwood 

Sequoia sempervirens

Douglas-fir 

Psuedotsuga-menziesii

Bigleaf maple

Acer macrophyllum

Sitka willow

Salix sitchensis

Red alder 

Alnus rubra

Sitka spruce 

Picea sitchensi
Headwaters Junior Explorer Activity Book 28

Animals

Bat 

Bike

BLM 

Coho

 Egg

Elk River

Explorer

Falk 

Fun

Fungus

Habitat 

Headwaters 

Home

Key

Lily

Maggie 

Word Search

R E D N A M A L A S

E W A T E R S H E D

D S I M S G G E B S

W A F A L K A L I R

O L U G I P E K K E

O M N G L L L R E T

D O A I Y S T I C A

E N K E Y P T V T W

S K C O R O E E W D

T O B E A T N R E A

J E E R T T S E N E

T R U C N E I O R H

R E W O O D R A T F

A D I H E O X L A U

I D L O P W L I T N

N O D R B L M A I G

B A T E M O H R B U

A N I M A L S T A S

R E R O L P X E H E

N R R E D A L D E R

Nest 

Nettle 

Newt 

Red Alder 

Redd 

Redwood

Rocks

Spotted Owl 

Trail 

Train Barn 

Tree 

Salamander 

Salmon

Watershed

Wild 

Wood Rat

Search the puzzle for the words on the list.

Cross out each word as you find it. There are no diagonal words.

After finding all of the words, start at the top left corner and go through the puzzle, circling each letter you did not

cross out in the order that you find them (as you would read a book). Write the letters in the space below.

Headwaters Forest Reserve

1

2

3

Directions:
Headwaters Junior Explorer Activity Book 29

Redwood Forest Web of Life

An arrow indicates that an organism is eaten by another. For example:

dead plant

organism

herbivore carnivore or 

omnivore

carnivore or 

omnivore

A Simplified Forest Food Web

Remember that the organisms depend on light (energy) from the sun, minerals and water. 

In this simplified food web, not all organisms or connections are drawn. Nutrients released 

by decomposers are used by plants.

millipede

(decomposer)

dead organisms

bear

banana slug

wood rat

Draw an arrow from these 

organisms to the matching 

empty circle on the left

Matching Activity

hawk
Headwaters Junior Explorer Activity Book 30

Career Profile

Julie spends most of her time patrolling the 5 miles of Elk River trail. She 

talks with visitors and answers questions about the natural environment, 

length of the trail, rules and regulations. She also does minor trail work, 

clearing vegetation from the trail, and trimming back red alders and berry 

bushes in the summertime. Local schools go on field trips where Julie 

leads as many as 90 school children through the forest teaching them 

about Headwaters and local history. Sometimes she plays the camp cook 

(pictured below) from the long gone town of Falk. She is also trained in 

first aid and is prepared to help hikers in need. 

Julie Clark

Park Ranger

Headwaters Forest 

Reserve

Julie has a bachelors of arts degree with a minor in history, a teaching 

credential in art and a masters degree in social science. Her art degree 

and teaching credential help her teach local history (the town of Falk) 

and nature journaling at the Headwaters Education Center. She has 

worked in the natural resources field for over 20 years, in such jobs 

as a wilderness ranger in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, a park aide at 

Hearst Castle, and a trail worker in Mammoth. When she was younger, 

she wanted to be a horse jockey and actress.

Julie enjoys teaching students about the environment. She believes 

that young people should know about their public land and what 

it is to be great stewards. She also loves teaching about the local 

history because it connects individuals to their past and creates 

more of an understanding about their local community.

Julie at the BLM office in 

Arcata, California

Education

Something to Think About

WHAT SHE DOES

You Get Paid To Do This?

Julie offering a bananna slug for 

someone brave to kiss it.

Julie playing Maggie the 

camp cook from Falk.

Headwaters Junior Explorer Activity Guide 30
Headwaters Junior Explorer Activity Book 31

As a Bureau of Land Management Junior Explorer, I promise to:

•	 do all I can to help preserve and protect the natural and cultural 

resources on our public lands,

•	 be aware of how my actions can affect other living things and 

the evidence of our past,

•	 keep learning about the importance of our heritage, and

•	 share what I have learned with others.

JUNIOR 

EXPLORER

Bureau of Land Management

Date Staff Signature Explorer Signature

Place for Official Stamp
Headwaters Junior Explorer Activity Book 32

Word Search Answer Key

Crossword Answer Key

Quest Answers

Animals 

Redd

Elk River 

Egg

Wood Rat 

Fungus

Falk 

Nest

Coho 

Newt 

Spotted Owl 

Trail

Maggie 

Explorer

Red Alder 

Home

Redwood 

R E D N A M A L A S

E W A T E R S H E D

D S I M S G G E B S

W A F A L K A L I R

O L U G I P E K K E

O M N G L L L R E T

D O A I Y S T I C A

E N K E Y P T V T W

S K C O R O E E W D

T O B E A T N R E A

J E E R T T S E N E

T R U C N E I O R H

R E W O O D R A T F

A D I H E O X L A U

I D L O P W L I T N

N O D R B L M A I G

B A T E M O H R B U

A N I M A L S T A S

R E R O L P X E H E

N R R E D A L D E R

Lily

Bat 

Wild 

Headwaters 

Tree

BLM 

Rocks

Train Barn 

Bike 

Habitat 

Fun

Salamander 

Salmon

Key

Nettle

Watershed

Headwaters Forest Reserve I S A

 P L A C E T O B E A J U N I O R

 E X P L O R E R 

1

5

7

8

9

10

11 12

2

6

3 4

H u c kle b e rr y

n o r t h e r n s p o t t e d ow l

wood ra t r edd

C

O

O

C

R

V

i

d

s

P

A

R

a

n

h

O

v

i

e

s

M

A

B

L

E

D

M

U

r

e

l

e

F

L

Y

I

N

g

s

q

U

i

r

e

l

s

c

a

d

d

i

s

f

l

y

a

r

v

a

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R

e

d

t

r

e

v

o

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1. Douglas fir

2. Shelter

3. Humboldt Bay

4. Three

5. Coho salmon

6. Clean watershed is healthy for fish 

and clean water for people.

7. A storm or a fire.

8. Too many trails to the river cause 

erosion and too much dirt in the 

river, harming fish habitat.

9. Falk Mill

Name that Tree! Answers

1. (Coastal redwood- Sequoia sempervirens)

2. (Red alder- Alnus rubra)

3. (Douglas-fir- Psuedotsuga-menziesii)

4. (Bigleaf maple – Acer macrophyllum)

5. (Sitka spruce-Picea sitchensi

6. (Sitka willow – Salix sitchensis)
Headwaters Junior Explorer Activity Book 33

Pick up the King Range National Conservation Area 

and California Coastal National Monument Junior 

Explorer activity books at the BLM Arcata Field Office

or the King Range Project Office. Once you complete

all three books, bring them back to one of the offices

and receive some new exploration tools! 

http://blm.gov/t9kd

http://blm.gov/v9kd

Find other public lands to explore in Humboldt County 

by visiting: www.outdoorscool.com 

Extra Assignment: Watch the Headwaters 

Outdoors Cool video and answer this question:

What activity is the boy doing in the video? 

______________________________________

______________________________________

______________________________________

______________________________________

______________________________________

READY MORE?

Use your smart phone to scan 

the QR code and find out 

more about outdoors cool!

Collect All 3!

for

1

2

Cover art by Winky Whalec | Back cover and marbled murrelet graphic by Gary Bloomfield. | Graphic art by Josh DeWare
Headwaters Junior Explorer Activity Book 34

For Further Information

Bureau of Land Management

Arcata Field Office

1695 Heindon Road

Arcata, CA 95521

707-825-2300

www. blm.gov/ca/arcata