This study is really trying to understand the population density of any mammals in a section of area of Nova Scotia. In this case we are trapping mice and voles. The idea is that these scientists can make some determinations about how healthy and strong the population is and how it is affected by changes in climate. You see, when the climate changes, it affects the timing of mammals and their habits. An example is that if Spring weather is erratic the mice may not be prepared for this in how they store their winter cubbards and therefore could be unprepared and die off more. Studies like these take years to see a pattern and create graphs that tell a story.

Another good point that we learned in tonight's lecture is that if the climate warms, then less snow is accumulating, which allow the dear to populate the area more, which allows them to spread (not intentionally of course) the brain worm to the moose. If harsher winters existed more, the deer wouldn't do as well as the moose. The moose has evolved to handle snow better in that it is very tall. The deer of course are small and lean and wouldn't do so well with a lot of snow.

So you see, climate plays an incredible role in how mammals interact and react!

Sometimes the mice and vole traps attract a chipmunk or squirrel. These fellas will bite hard, so our scientist leader got it out of the trap. I released it to the wild again.

Mr. Hull's Class: I wanted to be sure to address your specifics. I suspect that others are thinking the same!
. Are you shaving every day? Nahh, every couple of days. A couple of the team members are having a race to a beard, but alas, not me.
2. Are your students being nice to your substitute? Well, I think so. I hope so. But that is a question for Mrs. McNulty.
3. About how many mice per square mile do you think are about your area? I just spoke with Dr. Buesching about this question. She said it is really difficult to tell yet. Here's the thing. On Friday we will have collected data for three days. After that, we'll have a good handle on estimations. As for your earlier question as to whether the mice population is decreasing overall, she said it is really too early to tell. Studies like this take years. After maybe ten years of data, those bigger generalizations can be made. So think about this: maybe some of you could come on an Earthwatch expedition to Nova Scotia and continue the work and data collection that we are doing right now! The badger studies that these two scientists are doing in England have gone on for about twenty years. That's some good data collecting! Of course, the more data you get, the closer to the truth you get and the more accurate your predictions of future events would be.
4. Do you think if the mice are dying, that many of the other animals higher on the chain will die, or their population get smaller? Great, thoughtful idea here. Naturally, there are only so many resources available to any one species. If the mice population explodes, they might eventually put a strain on the seed and insect population (they are omnivores). If they do this, then eventually they won't have enough food to support their numbers and begin to put a strain on their population. Babies will die, few will survive winter. Furthermore, the more that are out and about, the more that will become prey to fox, coyote, snakes, and birds of prey. So, we'll naturally see cycle. The big question is: are there changes in these cycles due to pressure from climate change that could potentially eradicate a species altogether.

Check this out: the coyote here in Nova Scotia is really a hybrid (what's that?) of an American Wolf and coyote. The some time the wolf moved north and didn't have wolves to breed with. So, since they are the same species (remember that only like species can have babies) they bred with coyotes. These mix pups moved toward Nova Scotia, and their larger size and strength was the perfect adaption to this environment. They are strong hunters and because of their larger size they can handle the cold better. So, the coyote that is here, is a coyote, but it is special. It's bigger than our coyotes. These are more like a large dog. We've analyzed and seen a lot of coyote poop. You see hair and bones in it. Otherwise it looks similar to dog poop. Neato.
5. Do you miss Schubert's Ice Cream? Funny. Dr. Newman loves icecream. So every evening after dinner he gets about five cartons of Nova Scotian made ice cream out. To be honest, I don't eat a lot of icecream and I haven't even tried it. Maybe I'll try some just for you! So no, I don't really miss Schubert's.

Sincerely,
Mr. Hull's 5th Graders Thanks guys!!! Keep thinking!


Here is the release of our captured chipmunk. He was a little angry and anxious to get out of the bag!


Here