A new research site!
Cook's Lake Research Site
Trapping in the grassland!
Today the team moved to a new research site. The land is owned by Dr Christina's family and is about 40 miles from Cherry Hill. The site is called Cook's Lake. It is a unique site because there is a great deal of grassland but there is also a great deal of forested region. We have actually put ten of our traps in the forested region and 10 of our traps in the grassland (see video). I am hoping that Team B does better this time! Tomorrow we will return back to Cook's Lake and do some more work with our traps as well as some field maintenance. Chris and Christina depend on the volunteers to help them keep up with maintaining the trails and repairing bridges, etc.
My questions are:
1. In the video, I was trying to hide my trap for obvious reasons. Why else do you think I needed to cover my trap with lots of grass?
2. Do you think I am more likely to find mice in the grassland region or the forested region?
On our walk to the site, Dr. Christina stopped and talked with us about some mammals which have/do call the site home. I have included a picture of one of the skeletons which we talked about.
My questions are:
1. What animal do you think it is?
2. What is the difference between horns and antlers?
posted by Erika Metz @ 5:19 PM
5 Comments:
Hey Mrs. Metz! Rachel Mc. again. I think it is really cool Dr. Cristina owns some of the land you work on. I also think it is cool how you camoflauge the traps. I'm rooting for Team B to win the "how many mammals can we capture and mark" game. I know, it is a very long name. :^P. Be sure to blog when you win, or lose, but hopefully win. And I would like to know how manny of the animals you captured are estimated to be in that area.
Your Student Rachel Mc.
Mrs.Metz is that animal scary to you? Me i think it looks freaky lol.
-Kayla H.
Hey Mrs. Metz!!! Ive looked at the pics. of your trip and everything is so pretty! I think that would be a fun place to travel!Can't wait to here more about your trip on Monday! well enjoy the rest of your trip:-)
-Ali-
Kayla-The animals are very cute and have not been scarey to me at all. It is just fun to be working with them!
Ali-Thanks for taking a look at things on the blog. It is VERY beautiful here! It is a wonderful place to travel, but you really have to love the great outdoors!
All classes-
Here are the responses to questions I received from Mrs. Fricke.
Brandon: Is there a large number of endangered animals there? If so,
what are they?
All of these answers are courtesy of Dr. Chris. I actually sat on the kitchen floor while he was cooking our dinner and asked him all of these!
A: There are not too many endangered species here. The ones which have been identified as endangered thus far are the moose, lynx, whale species, southern flying squirrel.)
Bryce: What is the exact purpose of the research being conducted?
A: The study here is to see how the major mammalian ecosystem operates today and see how distribution and abundance of these key mammals changes over time. The scientists are looking specifically how human impact, climate change, and land management are affecting these mammals and their ecosystems.
Miles/Grant/Russell: In your mark/recapture study, how do you
distinguish between re-captured voles….and, if only the hair is being
trimmed to mark them, won’t the hair just grow back?
A: Indeed, the hair will grow back, but during the winter. The voles only lose their hair twice and year and it won’t grow back over the course of the study period (spring-summer).
Nick: What are some additional reasons (besides the climate idea) the
vole/mice populations are going down in Nova Scotia? (i.e…what’s their
major predator…)
A: Major predators-birds of prey, foxes, raccoons, skunks-will dig up nests, bobcats. The voles also rely on thick cover and if there is not thick cover in areas such as open prairies deer also become a predator.
Rachel: What got Dr. Chris & Dr. Christina interested in studying wildlife?
A: Dr. Chris-liked to be outdoors and in the countryside. He also likes to try to understand the world we live in and what makes it works. Geology/Earth Science are two other areas which also interest him. He originally was going to go to Cambridge to do work on dinosaur fossils, but he decided that he wanted to look at species which were alive instead of long gone! He is EXTREMELY INTELLIGENT and VERY WITTY!!
Dr. Christina is more interested in how animals behave. For example, she wants to understand what goes on in their heads, how they behave, how can we look after their welfare.
All classes: Even if a change in breeding patterns is found, how can
you be sure it is caused by climate and not the many other
uncontrollable variables in the ecosystem?
All classes: Even if a change in breeding patterns is found, how can
you be sure it is caused by climate and not the many other
uncontrollable variables in the ecosystem?
A: To some degree, most things in ecosystems are controlled by variables. Variables are interactive, though. Dr. Chris explained to me that there is a statistical way to tell you how important other variables are in your study. He also explained that climate change is not exclusive. Climate might affect things like the number of parasites, food supply, vegetation, etc. Climate is never cut and dried! For example, if it is too warm there may be a large number of parasites. These then attack the voles. Usually when the weather is cold, the parasites die off, but if winters are getting warmer, parasites are living longer, attack more voles, causing more to die.
All classes: What are your favorite and least favorite experiences so
far?
A: My favorite experiences have definitely been the interaction with other teachers from all over the U.S. I have learned so much from them but have also made some great friends. Also, I have to say that I have loved seeing another place in the world. This area is so clean and relatively undisturbed. People here have a real sense of preservation and respect for the land around them. It is refreshing to see this!
My least favorite thing would have to be counting skat. I have to say it forced me to get over my germ-a-phob ways and do something I would not have ever done before. However, I can still honestly say that I did not like doing it at all! Ick!
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