Field Trip Dates and Time UPDATES Week of July 30th

Here is an update of what promises to be a good week!

This week, if anyone is interested in heading out into our black ash lowland forests, please email me with a request for one or more of the following dates and times at bcbiocollins@gmail.com

Here is the schedule:

July 31 from 5:30 to 8:00 PM,  Rice Beds Creek State Wildlife Area, Meet at Unity Schools Parking lot at 5:30 PM.
August 1 (Part 1) from 8:30 to 11:30 AM, Governor Knowles State Forest, Eureka Twp, Meet at Unity Schools Parking lot at 8:30 AM
August 1 (Part 2) : Cancelled
August 2 Changed: 8:30 AM to 11:30 AM, Governor Knowles State Forest, Eureka Twp, Meet at Unity Schools Parking lot at 8:00 AM or 8:40 AM (I'll be making some pick-ups with the van in that time).

Ideally, please email to let me know if you are interested.  For this week's crews, we will meet at the Unity Parking lot.  This works out pretty well for anyone who hasn't had a chance to let me know in advance, but I can't promise available room in the school van.  You may always call me at 715-557-0706 to find out if there are availabilities.  I didn't answer my phone much last week, as I was at EAA Airventure and was in a realm of much constant noise. If my cell phone was on, I usually didn't hear it when it rang (thanks to the P-51 mustangs and similar aircraft). 

I'll be at Unity today at 5:30 with field gear ready.  Please do wear long pants, old shoes, and bring long sleeves.  My previous crew will tell you that these are much needed to fend off the wood nettle stings, the mosquitoes, the blackberry thorns, the black flies, deer flies, and other reasons these forests remain wild!  If you are allergic to bee stings, please bring your benadril or epi-pin.  We have encountered stinging insects once already! 

Hope to see you soon!

Sincerely,

Brian Collins

First Day a Success!

23 July 2012

This will be short, and I'll update more with data and pictures in about a week. 

Good News!  Six students joined me today in the Rice Beds Creek State Wildlife Area, braving wood nettle, blackberry brambles and bee stings (game over, time to go home) to collect nearly 300 vital statistics on the ash trees and their associated community of tree species.  It was a great day, and we'll all keep some pretty awesome memories.

"Marco!"  
"Polo!"
"Meow!"

These were the things heard echoing through the forest as we attempted to keep our transect lines and stay in contact with each other.  It was fun watching this bright crew of students begin to develop the fieldwork culture that will make days fun and the work results most excellent!

Students learned to use the Garmin GPS units very, very quickly.  Tech geniuses!  And they got the tree species down to tested science in a hurry too!

Thanks, crew, for a great morning.   Great Work!  


Sincerely,

Brian Collins

Unity Biology Field Season to Begin!

Following a brief delay, we will begin the Black Ash Bioblitz on July 23rd.   I was summoned to Jury Duty this month, causing some unexpected delays in organization of the field season.  My bird field season ran a little long, too, and I returned from the Flambeau River State Forest on July 2.

I will be assembling small field crews to investigate the health of black ash trees in Polk County and the vitality of ecosystems associated with these amazing trees! 

Crews will assemble at Unity High School on the following dates and times.

July 23rd from 8:30 AM to 11:30 AM (or slightly later)
July 30th from 5 PM to 8 PM
July 31st from 5 PM to 8 PM (Pending cancellation of Jury Duty, I may run a morning crew)
August 1 from 5 PM to 8 PM (Pending cancellation of Jury Duty, I may run a morning crew)
August 2 from 5 PM to 8 PM (Pending cancellation of Jury Duty, I may run a morning crew)
August 20 from 2 PM to 5 PM (Hours are flexible and may be adjusted later or slightly earlier)
August 21 from 2 PM to 5 PM (Hours are flexible and may be adjusted later or slightly earlier)
August 22 from 2 PM to 5 PM (Hours are flexible and may be adjusted later or slightly earlier)
August 23 from 2 PM to 5 PM (Hours are flexible and may be adjusted later or slightly earlier)
August 28 from 4:30 to 6:30 PM
August 29 from 4:30 to 6:30 PM

Black Ash trees dominating the canopy of a Polk County lowland forest

Veery: A common and secretive bird of Polk County's lowland forests.  While it may not carry a stunning plumage, it delivers a rich, mysterious and etherial song.

White spruce and Blackburnian Warbler: Biological communities are often dependent upon a dominant land form or dominant species.  What is the role of the black ash tree?

With Emerald Ash Borer (now nicknamed EAB) detected in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, the exotic pest is knocking on our door.  We aim to describe the ecosystems centered around black ash trees as completely as possible and monitor the health of these swampy forests. If EAB arrives in Polk County, we hope to have an early alert and, in the worse case scenario, a high-quality database of information that will help us all to understand how the loss of ash trees changes Polk County's lowland forest ecosystems.

I hope you will join me for at least one of these days afield.  In addition to field experience, you will have the opportunity to learn some basic biological statistics and some very cool lab preparations of specimens collected!

My email to be used in conjunction with this site is bcbiocollins@gmail.com
My cell phone is 715-557-0706
Students must obtain permission from parents/guardians to attend!  Adult chapperones must fill out a chapperone form in the Unity School District Office.

Field Crew sizes are limited to 6 students.  I'll do my best to make this available to you, and I may be able to add other survey times as requested!

See you soon!

Brian