Vernal: A Spring Photo Project (Day 61 through Day 70)

To this point I've shared two months worth of spring photographs.  As of today (June 21st) spring has reached its end, but I have a months worth of photographs still to share.  Here are the photos from day 61 through day 70.  To see the previous set of images follow this link.

Day 61 (19 May 2019) - Plum flowers

We have a plum tree right outside our back door.  It rarely produces much fruit, but every spring it is absolutely covered with blossoms.  I photographed these flowers after a light rain covered everything with water and softened the light.

Day 62 (20 May 2019) - Audubon Woods Creek

Another rainy day.  This image was taken in a light drizzle at the Chippewa Watershed Conservancy's Audubon Woods Preserve.  The CWC owns 23 separate properties, but Audubon Woods is my favorite because of the mature trees.  The center of the preserve can often feel ten degrees cooler than the edge.  The water trickling over these rocks helps add moisture to the air cooling it even further.  Even the color of the woods feels cool as the mist in the air diffuses the light making everything glow green as the sunlight penetrates the forest canopy.

Day 63 (21 May 2019) - Dandelions 

Spring wouldn't be spring without dandelions.  Homeowners may not love them, but the bees and other pollinators do.  Some people are taking notice - the Ziibiwing Center of Anishinabe Culture has adopted the policy of not mowing until the dandelions have gone to seed.  I photographed this dandelion bloom in the lawn at the Isabella Conservation District office.

Day 64 (22 May 2019) - Forest Ecology Studies 

Most of the programs that I do are in the classroom out of necessity, but every year I take students from Winn Elementary out to Audubon Woods to explore forestry and forest ecology.  In this photograph the students are measuring the distance from a stake (representing the center a 0.1 acre plot) to a tree in their study plot.  If the tree is within 37 feet of the stake (the radius of a 0.1 acre plot), they will then get an azimuth to the tree, measure the diameter of the tree, and record all of this date on a map of their plot.  I keep copies of all this date in the hope that it can be used to record changes in the forest over time.

Day 65 (23 May 2019) - Look up...

May 23rd was another day of forest ecology studies at Audubon Woods.  I think actually took more photographs of students on this day than I did on the 22nd, but my favorite photo of the day was taken when the students had gone back to school for lunch.  Looking up, I spotted this combination of blue sky, white clouds, dark branches, and yellow-green leaves.  With the sun lighting up the edge of a cloud formation I couldn't resist this photograph.

Day 66 (24 May 2019) - Honey Locust Thorn 

This photograph was taken right outside my back door.  We have a large honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos) growing only a few feet from the house.  This tree provides lots of shade in the summer and a home for many species of birds and insects (not to mention squirrels).  The most interesting thing about the tree is the large thorns that grow from a few branches.  The honey locust originally developed these thorns as defense against ice age mammals - now they are just a reminder of a time when elephants walked the tundra and forests of North America.

Day 67 (25 May 2019) - Fern Frond 

Another photograph from home.  This fern covered with a layer of fine spider webs was photographed in the garden on the side of the house.  This image has been cropped to a square from its original format.

Day 68 (26 May 2019) - Home, Sweet Home

On May 26th we drove about forty-five minutes from home to visit my parents near Laingsburg, MI.  At one point I took a few minutes to walk around their property looking for something to photograph.  As I walked past this nesting box in a wooded area, a wren popped its head out of the box.  It's not grand architecture, but it's good enough for a wren.  If you look close you can see the wren's toes gripping the entrance hole.  The bird looked at me for a few seconds and then flew off into the underbrush.

Day 69 (27 May 2019) - Iris

When we moved into our house eight years ago there was already a patch of irises planted on the south side of the house.  I think these are Siberian iris, but am not certain.  I love the nectar guides on each large landing pad of a petal directing pollinators toward the nectar (and pollen).  The large serrated leaves in the background belong to cut-leaved coneflower (Rudbeckia laciniata).

Day 70 (28 May 2019) - Wild Columbine 

My final image from this set of photos was taken at the Chippewa Watershed Conservancy's Williams-Blackburn Preserve.  Wild Columbine (Aquilegia Canadensis) is one of my favorite late-spring wildflowers.  It's very photogenic when the flowers are fully mature (like this one), but I often miss out on finding them so it's always exciting to find a perfect bloom.  One really interesting thing to me about these flowers is how hairy they are.  Look close and you can see that the petals, stem, and leaves are all covered with minute hairs.  I like being able to peer in and see that level of detail.

Why nature?

Why nature?



Let me explain that better.  Why should people care about nature?

With technology it is possible to instantly connect with people around the globe, but people alive today are more disconnected from nature than at any previous point in human history.  This disconnection is unfortunate, because exposure to nature has been proven to be good for people.


Scientists are just beginning to measure the positive effects of nature on our well-being, but available
research indicates that it has the following effects:

It reduces stress,

 
reduces heart rate,

increases concentration,

 
improves learning,

 
and improves the retention of knowledge.

I currently sit on the board of directors for two organizations that know all about the value and power of nature.

The Chippewa Watershed Conservancy (CWC) protects natural habitat and open space in the counties of the Chippewa River watershed.  The CWC currently protect over 600 acres of land on twenty-two preserves in Mid-Michigan.  These preserves protect woodlands, wetlands, and river frontage throughout the Chippewa River watershed.  With the exception of a couple of preserves that have limited access, these preserves are currently open to the public. 

The Michigan Alliance for Environmental and Outdoor Education (MAEOE) has the goal of promoting environmental literacy through education.   To achieve this goal, MAEOE hosts an annual environmental education conference, certifies teachers in environmental education, gives environmental education grants to its members, and offers online education resources.

Aquatic Ecology with Shepherd Elementary students

Last week I spent two days at the Little Salt River with students from Shepherd Elementary students. 

Why were we at the river? 

The students were collecting and identifying aquatic macroinvertebrates. 

Shepherd 5th graders use a dip net to sample aquatic macroinvertebrates from the Little Salt River

What exactly is an aquatic macroinvertebrate? 

Let's break that into parts.  Aquatic means that a plant or animal lives in or around water.  It comes from the Latin word aqua which means "water".  The word invertebrate comes from the Latin root word vertebra which means "joint" - normally refering to the joints of the spine.  Invertebrate means that an animal lacks a spine.  The prefix macro- means large or large scale.  It comes from the Greek word makros meaning "large or long".  Therefore, a macroinvertebrate is a large animal that lacks a spine - large in the sense that it is big enough to see without magnification.  Add it all together and an aquatic macroinvertebrate is an animal that lives in water, lacks a spine, and is large enough to see with the naked eye.

This crayfish is an aquatic macroinvertebrate.

So is this gilled snail.

Why were students trying to collect aquatic macroinvertebrates?

Many aquatic macroinvertebrate species have varying tolerances for water pollution.  The absence of certain species may indicate low water quality.  The presence of a wide range of species usually indicates higher water quality.

Students complete a biological monitoring sheet to determine water quality

Overall the students found a wide variety of aquatic macroinvertebrates including mayfly larvae, caddisfly larvae, gilled and pouch snails, damselfly larvae, dragonfly larvae, scuds or amphipods, crayfish, freshwater clams and mussels, leaches, and midge larvae.  Vertebrate lifeforms collected included fish and tadpoles.  The wide variety (and number) of animals collected indicated that at this site, the Little Salt River has excellent water quality.

Here are a few more photos of the students sampling...

Are you a scientist?

Me explaining the components of soil to students at a local event

Every once in a while a student will ask  question that I have no idea how to answer.

Specifically, they ask "Are you a scientist?"

I struggle with how to answer that question.  What exactly does the word scientist mean?  When I look online for a definition of the word I get lots of different answers.

Merriam-Webster defines the word as "a person learned in science and especially natural science :  a scientific investigator".

Dictionary.com says that a scientist is "an expert in science, especially one of the physical or natural sciences".

The Oxford Dictionary defines scientist as "a person who is studying or has expert knowledge of one or more of the natural or physical sciences".

As adults we tend to think that scientist is a job; that scientists are paid for their work.  While this is often true, there is nothing in any of those definitions that says a scientist is someone who is paid for doing science.  

Heather Shaw (a biologist) collects data during a wildlife study

For most of history, scientist was not a paid job.  Science was something that people did during their spare time as a hobby.  Many people still do science as a hobby - today we use the term citizen scientist to differentiate them from professional scientists who are paid for their work.  Citizen scientists include people who collect data on weather, bird watchers, butterfly counters, etc.. Professional scientists often use the data collected by citizen scientists to piece together larger ideas.

Citizen scientists collect data on native plants at the CWC's Hall's Lake Natural Area

I am not a professional paid scientist.  I don't really consider myself a citizen scientist - I am not systematically collecting long term data on a single subject or site.  A friend who works as a biologist (a professional scientist) once referred to me as a "well versed naturalist".  

According to the Oxford Dictionary a naturalist is "an expert in or student of natural history".  Dictionary.com defines a naturalist as "a person who studies or is an expert in natural history, especially a zoologist or botanist".  Merriam-Webster says that a naturalist is "a student of natural history; especially :  a field biologist".

Like the word scientist, naturalist has been turned into an occupation.  I know several people that work as naturalists at nature centers or parks, paid to interpret nature to the public.  I don't really consider myself a naturalist.

Me explaining the zones of a wetland to 6th grade students.

Kids tend to think in different terms.  To them anyone that knows a lot about science or studies science is a scientist.  Their idea of a scientist is close to the dictionary definitions of the word.  So the next time a student asks if I am a scientist, I am going to say "Yes, I am a scientist".  

But, here is the big secret: the kids are scientists too.  

You don't need a lot of fancy equipment to be a scientist.  You just have to be able to use your senses to observe the natural world.

Student scientists measure a forest canopy

You need to be able to ask questions about what you observe.

Students observing aquatic macroinvertebrates that they collected from a local pond

You need to be able to conduct experiments to answer the questions that you come up with through observation.  An experiment is often just a more careful observation focused on answering your questions.

Biting a lump of clay?  Nope, that student is conducting an experiment.

Some people are paid to be scientists.  Some do it out of love for learning about the world.  The truth is that we are all scientists if we follow our natural curiosity about the world. People only stop being a scientist when they chose to ignore that part of themselves that wants to learn more.  Get out there and be a scientist!

Bobcat Population Tracking

Yesterday I got to ride along in a truck with my friend and colleague Heather Shaw for a few hours.  Heather is the wildlife biologist for the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe and she is currently working on a survey of Bobcat (Lynx rufus) populations in Isabella County.  A graduate of Central Michigan University, Heather has previously worked as a wildlife technician for the the Wyoming Department of Fish and Game and as a biologist for Ducks Unlimited in both Michigan and North Dakota.  In addition to working for the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe, she is also completing work on her masters thesis at CMU (expected defense coming up this fall).

Heather Shaw, wildlife biologist for the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe, fills out a bobcat survey data sheet

Why monitor bobcat populations?

Bobcats are notoriously secretive and often have widely dispersed territories.  I have seen several road-killed Bobcats, but have never seen a live one in the wild.  Even wildlife biologists rarely see them except by chance.  It is very difficult to know exactly how many bobcat can be found living in a given area.

So how do you monitor a population like that?

Heather is using a series of scent stations situated along roadside transects in likely bobcat habitat.  What this means, is that along a selected path (a transect) she was setting up a bed of sand to record footprints and baiting it with a scent tablet to attract bobcat (and other predators).  When an animal investigated the scent tablet, their footprints would recorded in the sand, enabling Heather to build a picture of the locations where bobcats can be found.
 

This map shows the location of the bobcat survey transects in Isabella County (and penciled in near the corner, the location of an Amish bakery - biologists love baked goods)

The locations of these transects has been chosen by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) based on models that predict possible bobcat habitat.  Each transect is three miles long and has a scent station located every 1/3 mile along the transect.  This is the second year that Heather has been conducting this survey in Isabella County - she also has one transect located in Midland County (the next county to the east).

One of ten scent stations located along Rolland Road

Why is this monitoring effort important?

Heather is not the only person setting up these stations and recording data.  Other biologists around the state are recording the same type of information.  This information is used by the Michigan DNR to set seasons and bag limits for bobcat hunting and trapping.  Bobcat hunting and trapping are currently allowed in the Upper Peninsula and northern Lower Peninsula, with Isabella County included in the the hunting/trapping zone.  Isabella County is one of the most southern Michigan counties where bobcat hunting and trapping are allowed.

What did we find?

We followed two of the transects that Heather had set up earlier in the week.  Both of these transects were located in the southwest corner of Isabella County.  The first transect was located on a gravel road that sees very little traffic.  The second transect was located on a relatively busy paved road.  These transects are set up along roadsides so they are easy to check.  In addition, many animals including bobcats will use roads as travel corridors, to these stations were likely to be found by any bobcat traveling through the vicinity.

This station along Gilmore Road had several tracks, but none belonged to a bobcat

Many of the scent stations that we visited were completely undisturbed, but we did find tracks from domestic dogs, house cats, raccoon, coyote, fox (possible), white-tailed deer, and birds.  At a station established where Rolland Road crosses the Pine River, we found a set of bobcat tracks.

This station along Rolland Road finally yielded a bobcat track

At each station, Heather measured and recorded any bobcat tracks and recorded all of the other tracks that we discovered.  Then, if necessary, she "reset" the station by smoothing out the sand and replacing the scent tablet if needed.

Heather photographing a bobcat track

Heather measures a bobcat track

Heather "resets" a scent station by smoothing the surface

This survey is almost done for the year.  In addition to the scent stations, Heather set up several trail cameras along the transects.  Her next step will be to sort through all of the trail cam photos - she expects a lot of car pictures.  I can't wait to see if any bobcats were "captured".

Saginaw Chippewa Academy students at Audubon Woods

This time of year I deliberately schedule most of my programs to be outside.  Whenever possible, I like to get students out into the woods or into a wetland so they can get a hands-on experience that is impossible in the classroom.  My favorite place to do this is the Chippewa Watershed Conservancy's Audubon Woods Preserve.  This wooded forty acre preserve is located in southwestern Isabella County on the corner of Wing Road and Gilmore Road.  Unfortunately, it's too far away for most schools to easily visit.  I take students from Winn Elementary once or twice a year to study forestry and forest ecology - some of them have now made 5 or 6 different visits to this preserve in the past three years.  Yesterday I was joined by 3rd grade students from the Saginaw Chippewa Academy.  This was the first time any of these students (or the adults with them) had ever visited Audubon Woods.  Because this was their first visit, I only planned one activity for them to do - tree measurement.  The rest of the time I left available for them to explore on their own.

Here are a few pictures from their visit.

SCA students hard at work.

Students computing tree diameter - they first measured the circumference and then divided by pi (3.14).

It turned out to be a beautiful sunny day.

Downy Yellow Violet adds a pop of color to the forest floor.

The long streak continues - every year, students find (and remove) at least one tire from Audubon Woods.

One sharp-eyed student spied a pair of morel mushrooms on the forest floor.

Wood Frogs are a common sight at Audubon Woods

Plants along the trail include ferns and Long-spurred Violets.

Most of the students went down to check out the river's edge.

 

Making the long climb back up from the river

My favorite picture of the day was one of the first ones I took.  While measuring a tree, a group of students noticed a Grey Tree Frog (Hyla versicolor) clinging to its bark.

Grey Tree Frogs usually blend in well with their surroundings.

Answering emails...

One of the favorite  parts of my job is answering questions from kids.   Over the weekend I got this email from a student here in Mt. Pleasant. 

Hi Mr. LeValley,

This is Hannah P., and I was wondering if I could ask you some questions. I am doing a project for my church youth group about someone I know and what their job is. I have chosen you because your job interests me a lot. If you could please answer the following questions for me, that would be great.

1.       What kind of responsibilities do you have?
2.       What training and/or education did you have to obtain?
3.       What contributions do you make to society in your work field?

Thanks!

Hannah P.

I know this young lady both from school programs and from several public programs that her family has attended.  Everyone in her family has a keen interest in science and nature and it has been a pleasure to talk with all of them at these public events.  If it is the path that she chooses to pursue, Hannah has a great future in the natural science.

Here is the reply that I sent:

Hi Hannah,

I am happy to answer your questions about my job.  The answers are a little long, but I wanted to be thorough.  If you have any other questions just let me know.



1.       What kind of responsibilities do you have?
My job consists of several areas of responsibility.  First, I am responsible for creating education programs and making sure that those programs meet State of Michigan education standards.  The state standards are undergoing a change right now so I have to make sure that my programs meet both the old and new standards.  Sometimes presentations don’t work out very well (too long, too hard to understand, too boring, etc.) and I have to find ways of changing them that will make them better.
Another aspect of my job is scheduling – I work with several dozen teachers at schools throughout the county and it takes some work to fit multiple programs into their schedules.  I have over 400 classroom programs scheduled for this school year.  Sometimes I am able to do the scheduling over the phone or through email, but it is often easier to meet face-to-face with teachers so we can look at my calendar and the school calendar simultaneously. 
I also have to be flexible with scheduling.  Schools often have last-minute events that make it necessary to reschedule.  Add in snow days (and the rare days that I take off due to illness) and my schedule can change quite a bit from what was originally set at the beginning of the school year.
Planning is another important aspect of my job.  Much of my summer is spent planning for the presentations that I will give during the school year.  This includes developing new materials and ordering supplies.  I also plan for our annual environmental education day.  Planning for this event takes several months.  I have to coordinate presenters; reserve the location; make arrangements for tents, tables, chairs, and other materials; order supplies; create a schedule; invite classrooms; and a make sure of a great number of other small details.
A fourth aspect of my job is the part that everyone sees – giving presentations.  Between school and public presentations, I will spend approximately 500 hours per year in front of people.  My goal is for everyone that sees me give a presentation to learn something new about nature or the environment. 
Because I give programs on a diverse variety of subjects, I need to have an almost encyclopedic knowledge.  I get asked questions all of the time by students and adults.  There are always questions that I don’t know the answer to so I am constantly doing research to increase my knowledge.  I do this both by reading lots of books and articles on the internet and by spending as much time in the field as possible to gain first-hand knowledge.  I also try to attend several professional conferences and workshops each year.  There is always something new to learn.
A final important responsibility that I have is securing funding for my program.  The environmental education program is 100% funded by grants.  Every year or two I have to write a proposal asking for more funding. 


2.       What training and/or education did you have to obtain?
A person looking for a job like mine typically needs a college degree in one of several fields: natural resources, education, environmental education, or outdoor recreation.  It normally requires course work in biology, ecology, and interpretation.  It is also helpful to have a background in earth science (geology, meteorology, astronomy) and even history.
Another possible path to a job like mine is through experience.  Many people gain experience and knowledge as an interpreter through either volunteering or internships.  A lot can be gained by studying and learning on your own.  It is also valuable to connect with other environmental education professionals at workshops and conferences.
Like many people in the environmental education field, I have a combination of formal and informal training.  I earned a teaching certificate through Central Michigan University.  I learned a lot about local plants and animals while working for the Mt. Pleasant Parks Department.  I also volunteered as a nature guide for several years at the Forest Hill Nature Area before being hired for my current job.

3.       What contributions do you make to society in your work field?
I hope that I am increasing both people’s knowledge of and their appreciation for nature.  It is hard to care about something if you know nothing about it.  By increasing knowledge, my goal is that students and adults will do something to help their local habitats (clean up litter, clear trails, donate money to conservation, plant native plants, etc.).  I hope that by increasing knowledge I am helping people make more informed decisions about how they treat the land and water, and the species that reside there. 
At the very least I want students (and adults) to come away from one of my presentations with a sense of wonder and excitement about science and nature.  Who knows, maybe this will start someone on a path towards a career in science or conservation!