Climbing down the ladder to the chip hopper. Hey, what is that black thing?

I’m working on a presentation that I’m giving at the Redwood Region Logging Conference on Friday.  I wanted to put some new photos into my Power Point presentation.  My favorite view of the mill site is from the top of the chip hopper at the Pole Plant.  It gives a great overview of the entire complex, so I took my shots and climbed down.  I normally post lots of pictures of wildlife around the mill site, but I haven’t shown much of the complex.  By just looking at the wildlife pictures from my category called “Wildlife At The Mill“, one would think this place was a wildlife refuge.  In a way it is.  The wildlife here is accustomed to living next to and amongst the mill site.  No one bothers them and they have adapted to their environment.  It is truly amazing how adaptable nature is.

Mt Shasta rises in the background of the pole yard and the log decks. Mt Shasta is the second largest mountain in the Cascades at 14,179 feet.

The Otter Pond is surrounded by the sawmill, co-generation plant and pole yard. The otters don’t seem to mind.   You can see the otter post Otter, Up Periscope.  The tower with the osprey nest is just visible in the upper right corner.  The osprey posts are, Osprey Remodel, Osprey Love, and Here Come The Osprey.

The Pole Plant.

Looking down the chip conveyor.