Monday, Back to Work!!

Hey everyone, after a nice weekend seeing the sights of Halifax and Kejimkujik National Park we’re back working hard at our new sight called East Port Medway where we’ll set mice and vole traps, as well as a different type of trap called a camera trap. We’ll also do a number of scat quadrants to see how many larger mammals are in the area such as deer, snowshoe hare, porcupine, and coyote. I can tell this is going to be a busy and exciting week so make sure you’re staying up-to-date with the challenges!!

History of the Water Vole: Before I tell you about our new sight I want to give you a little background information on the water vole. The water vole was a very common animal in England about 20 years ago. When people walked near bodies of water they frequently heard plopping sounds of the water vole jumping in and out of the water. Within the last couple of years however, people started to notice the absence of water vole signs. More scientists started to investigate and found the water vole to be virtually extinct! More studies were done and field biologists came to the conclusion that increased water pollution and the introduction of the American mink lead to the destruction of the water vole’s habitat therefore killing the animal. But what had people and scientists more alarmed was that an entire species virtually disappeared in under 20 years almost completely undetected. Keep this information in mind as you read the rest of this entry.

East Port Medway is actually a brand new sight that has not been surveyed or researched. It is about 10 miles south of our residence at Cherry Hill and next to the land of Dr. Newman and Dr. Buesching. Studying this area provides our researchers with a new climate. Our previous sight at Cook’s Lake was about 40 miles from the coast while East Port Medway borders the Ocean.

Challenge:
Name 2 ways that being near a coast affects climate and possibly the animals living there.
Why do you think scientists would want 2 areas to gather information from?

With its coastal climate, East Port Medway provides us with a chance to observe and trap different types of animals such as the flying squirrel and rock lemming. This sight is also in between an area that is expected to significantly develop with new homes in the next 5 years.

Challenge:
Why do you think it’s important to study an area before it is developed and continue studying the same area during and after a development boom? (hint… refer back the information on the water vole of your are stuck)

Note on Comments: Thank you to those of you who are writing comments, I've really enjoyed them!! Also, please make sure you are writing your initials and the class hour so I know who sent them. One question from the comments what why I don't give the answers on my blog. That is a great question and the answer is because I will be collecting your journals to grade when I get back and will be going through the answers with you all :)
Thanks again for all of the great comments and keep up the great work!!