New Celebration

It was bitter cold outside. The wind was biting at my face, and I was seriously regretting my decision of not wearing a hat to work. I hugged my jacket closer to my body and trudged on through the snow and slush.

I was walking home from work, about a ten minute walk home through parking lots and across roads. I had clocked out at 3am. I was exhausted. I already really despised working that late, and then I found myself walking through a raging blizzard in order to get home and get to bed. Needless to say, I was not happy with Mother Nature.

Most nights I don’t see anything on my way home; it is normally a very quiet walk. But, that night amidst the heavy falling snow, I found myself accompanied by an unexpected stranger.

I was watching the ground and treading slowly in order to avoid slipping and making my night even worse, when something struck my peripheral vision. I abruptly looked up. Nearly two yards in front of me, was a doe.

We both just stood there, locked in each other’s gaze in the middle of the parking lot. The hazy lights flickered as the falling snow passed over.

I don’t remember how long we stood there, looking at each other. But there was a tension between us that seemed to be communicating that neither of us really belonged there at that moment. We were both out of our element, she belonging in the nearby woods; I belonging snuggled up in my bed.

She finally turned slowly and trotted off toward the trees, and I walked home. But in that moment that doe and I were frozen in time, completely understanding one another’s purposes. That understanding, that moment, was worth a celebration. 

Quadrat (Journal #10)

Our quadrant had mushrooms. Bright. Red. Who has been eating tomatoes out here?
No, don't eat those tomatoes!
The grasses next to them were waxy green. The kind that you would make whistle out of. Thick grass.
We had other mushrooms too. They grew on the stick. They had ruffled edges, like pretty little pastries.
There were brown, crinkly leaves lying on the floor of our quadrant.
An ant scurried over them.
A slug slowly shifted from on edge to another. Its slimy body curling with every move.
The shadows danced on our quadrat. The sun warmed certain spots.
Our quadrant was bright, and dull. Alive, and dead. Smooth, and rough.
The paradoxes abundant. Creating the space. It's own rich and robust little ecosystem.

Presque Isle Blog (Journal #9)

The Presque Isle Park is home to many different species that thrive within its rich ecosystem. It is a beautiful are to walk through, but also observe the vast variety of life within it. Within the park there are many examples of symbiotic relationships. 

While I did not get a picture, and could not find one in the public domain, I was able to spot parasitism on a living tree, termites were feeding. The termites were benefiting from the food, and the tree is being harmed.

Commensalism, I found between moss and a tree. In the picture below, you can also see lichen, which is a mutualistic relationship between algea and fungus, but at the base of the tree, there is moss. The moss is benefiting by having a place to live. While the tree is not being harmed, or benefited. 

An example of mutualism can be found between squirrels and trees. The squirrel benefits by getting food, the acorn. The tree benefits from its seed being scattered, and in place to reproduce. 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/suneko/95130114/

An example of interspecific competition can be found nearly everywhere you look in the park. As pictured below, different species of trees are competing with one another for sunlight. The picture shows the smaller oak tree shaded underneath the overbearing pine. 

Intraspecific competition is also prevalent within Presque Isle. Deer compete with one another for food. They also compete for mates.

Photo credit: Sarah Day

Just like all living things, deer have a niche in the Presque Isle ecosystem. Deer live in tall grasses, in order to hide themselves from prey. Deer are herbivores and eat plants, fruits, and nuts. Carnivores, like coyotes prey on deer.


An example of a decomposer is a mushroom! Pictured below are several mushrooms growing on a birch tree. 

Micro-habitats are small areas within a larger vicinity (like Presque Isle Park) that have different characteristics than its surrounding area. A micro-habitat could be found within a long hollowed out fallen tree. This habitat would be home to small mammals like a fox, or a skunk. It would also house insects. Its characteristics would be different from the area around it. It would be dark and damp. A great place for bacteria to thrive. It would receive barely any sunlight, so it may be cooler than the surrounding area. 

The examples that show the biogeochemical cycles at Presque Isle are abundant. The carbon cycle is prevalent in the vast among of plant life in the park. These plants photosynthesize and respire, cycling the carbon in the air. The water cycle can be heard from the roaring waves of Lake Superior that surround the park, or in the dew that forms as droplets in the early morning. The water evaporates, condensates, and precipitates. Also, nitrogen is being passed from decaying trees, and other life into the soil, which enriches it and provides the important chemical for the next user- other plants or animals. This cycle is the nitrogen cycle. Below is a picture of a decaying tree that, as it decomposes into the soil, will pass its nitrogen onward. 

The Odyssey (Journal #8)

After reading and reflecting on one of Aldo Leopold's essays from his Sand County Almanac, we were asked to look at another essay called Odyssey. In Odyssey, Leopold takes us on a journey in which we view from the perspective of X. What Leopold does in this essay is show firsthand, through X, the biogeochemical process. First, X is marked in stone (geo). X, is then pulled up into the roots of a tree (bio). Within this tree X helps make a flower, which becomes an acorn, which is eaten by a deer. The deer is then eaten by an Indian. The acorn, deer, and Indian all had X within them, and transferred through them. X is transfered then through many other living things and soil. X, then finds itself within another Indian, who passes near a riverbank. The bank collapses, and X, is pulled out to sea. 

Below, is a picture of the nitrogen cycle, part of the biogeochemical process. The resource listed below is a great source for students to search for more information and application of the carbon, nitrogen, and water cycles. 

This is a great resource!

Think Like a Mountain (Journal #7)

The essay we were assigned to read out of the Sand County Almanac, Think Like a Mountain, begins by retelling a memory of Aldo Leopold's. Aldo Leopold and, presumably a group, were eating lunch near a river, when they thought they saw what was a deer emerge from the water. However, it was not a deer, but a wolf. Apparently, at the time it was better to kill a wolf then not, as wolves caused problems with the local farmers and ranchers, as cattle would be prey. So, Aldo and his constituents took their aim, and fired.
I have always been taught that we do not hunt and kill animals unless they are providing food for our table, or in self-defense. So, when I read the Sand County Almanac Essay Think Like a Mountain, it disturbed me to picture the massacre upon the wolves and wolf pups, that were causing no trouble. It seemed like such mindless shooting and careless killing. It made me sad and uncomfortable to picture the wolves injured by the inhumane actions. Not only did the group shoot the wolves unnecessarily, they killed them without proper aim, inflicting pain upon the animals; rather than, at the very least, taking them out of their misery. 

After the retelling of this memory in Think Like a Mountain, Leopold goes on to say that he has seen the affects of killing of the wolves. Since the ecosystem in which the wolves live(d), is interdependent, as the wolves died, or were killed, the ecosystem was thrown awry. The deer became overpopulated, as the they had no predator to keep the population down. Resulting in much more consumption of the low lying trees and bushes on the mountain. This range taking generations to regrow. 

Another consequence of the wolves dying out within the ecosystem, as Leopold states, was the crowding on the range where the cattle roamed. Although the farmers saw a loss from an attack on their cattle, the failed to realize that the wolves kept their ranges within healthy numbers. 

When I think about this and put it in terms of the Marquette area, I think of what a disaster it would be to lose the precious wildlife and forestry that surrounds us. By affecting on species, we affect all of the species directly and indirectly. By thinking like a mountain, looking at the long term affects of species extinction or interactions, we can make sure that we are preserving the nature around us. 

Bog Walk (Journal #6)

In class last week, we ventured out the the Presque Isle Bog Walk and Nature Trail. I had never been to (or, been consciously aware of being to) a bog. So, I really had no prior knowledge of what it would be, or what I would observe. The Presque Isle Bog Walk is great because it has so many informative plaques along the path and walkways that contain information about how bogs are formed, their characteristics, and what can be found there. 

Bogs grow in cool, moist climates and interestingly prevent the total decay of plant material. Bogs were formed by glaciers which formed shallow lakes. Along these shallow edges, bogs were formed. 

Bogs are highly acidic and are low in oxygen beneath the surface. Bogs also lack many nutrients within the soil. 

 Pictured above, is the pitcher plant. A pitcher plant is unique because it is a carnivorous plant. I had no idea that we had carnivorous plants in our area, until going on this field trip. Pitcher plants have dark red flowers and red-veined, cupped leaves that fill w/ rain water. When insects crawl into the pitcher plants cup, they are digested by enzymes secreted by the plant. Thus, providing the plant with nitrogen. 

Above, is my group for MSED 251, Life Science. We explored the trails and made observations along the way. We were also asked to develop a scientific, testable, and important question. This exercise was to help us understand the concept of a scientific, testable question.

Here, shows a plaque and a sign describing and explaining different parts of the bog. The sign on the right talks about the restoration of the wetland that is in process within the Presque Isle Bog Walk.

Lake Superior

DHMO (Journal #4)

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hazard_general.svg

Below is a link to a video that talks about the dangers of DHMO. Watch the video and think about whether you would ban DHMO or not:
DHMO Movie
*everything in this movie is entirely factual

Not enough information?
This website on DHMO, is very informative on exactly what DHMO is and information on the controversy that surrounds it!
*everything on the website is entirely factual

After doing some research, what do you think? Would you ban DHMO? Is it safe for our environment? Is it safe for us?
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----Don't scroll down until you decide!----

Here are some pictures of an adorable panda for your distraction purposes:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Xiao_Liwu_im_San_Diego_Zoo_-_Foto_3.jpeg

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If you decided YES to ban DHMO: you just banned water.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Caniveau.JPG
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:TauTropfenGerbera1.JPG
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Drinking_water.jpg

We did this activity in class. Several people said yes. "Sure! We care about our environment and do not want anything to hurt it!" I was skeptical because I did not have enough information. (We did not get the link to the website about DHMO until after we voted, in risk of us using Google to see what it was). So, I voted no.

Many people fell for the trick; perhaps I would of if I would have received more information. Overall, I think this activity reminds us to get more information about scientific facts before we make decisions about future outcomes. It is easy to be deceived in our world with the mass amount of media we receive each day. But, with our scientific minds, we should look for appropriate resources and ask many questions.