End of the Year Project

Maya just finished her end of the year project. She has been diligently working on the writing portion for three months at school. Please read her report below and comment on how smart she is. She is in fourth grade and writes better than I do!

Oh, and there is also a very cool poster that goes along with this that she made. It has sand glued on the bottom with real starfish, fake (but real looking) ferns growing on one side, moss and many other fascinating items from her place of choice in Washington.....enjoy.


Olympic National Park
By Maya

So you want to know how get to Olympic National Park? Well I know how to get there. But you have to promise me one little thing...to have fun!

There are many ways to get to Olympic National Park, but how do you get there from
Puyallup? First, get on Hwy 512 going west. When you get to Olympia take exit 104 to Hwy 101 North. There is another way to get to Olympic National Park, take I-5 North to Seattle and take the ferry to Bainbridge Island, cross the Hood Canal Floating Bridge and get on Hwy 101 to Port Angeles. Hurry get driving up to Olympic National Park! Pack your bags! Fun is waiting!

What is the best feature at Olympic National Park? Well I think it is the Hoh Rain Forest. In the Hoh Rain Forest the trees get up to 200 feet high! Sometimes trees grow over trees that have fallen and when the fallen tree rots away there is a little space under the tree. You can walk under its roots. They call it the Moss Halls because at the Hoh Rain Forest you can walk across moss that is all around you. I hope you want to go to the Hoh Rain Forest as soon as you can! What? Why would you want to go to Olympic National Park? I`ll tell you why! Keep on reading.

Most National Parks don`t have as many different places as Olympic National Park does. Olympic National Park doesn`t just have rain forests it has ocean beaches and large mountains. Kalaloch and Ruby beaches are fun and good family beaches. Mt. Olympus, the tallest mountain in the Park, gets over 200 inches of rain and snow each year. There are over 2,000,000 acres of land to camp, hike, and backpack in. I don`t know anybody who couldn`t find something to do in Olympic National Park.

There are many animals at Olympic National Park because of the different habitats . In the mountains you can see coyotes, Roosevelt elk, cougars, and striped skunk. In the Rain Forest watch out not to step on any banana slugs, long toed salamanders, or Pacific tree frogs! In the creeks and rivers in the park you can find 37 spieces of salmon and Olympic mud minows - which are found nowhere else in the world! My favorite animals are found at the beach like anemones and starfish. Sandollars and razor clams can be found by the bucketfuls. Sea lions, elephant seals, orcas, and humpback whales swim in the water right off the beach. Animal lovers love Olympic National Park!

Olympic National Park was founded by the government . It is run by the National Park Service and the Forest Service. But who owns the Park? We all do! Money from our taxes pays for upkeep and Forest Rangers that work at the Park. One time at Kalaloch beach I got sit and listen to a park ranger talk about different kinds of whales. There are Ranger stations at the Hoh Rain Forests and Hurricane Ridge. You can learn a lot from Park Rangers.

I hope this gives you many reasons to go to Olympic National Park. Its one of my favorites and could be one of yours.