Today was a good day to hash out any worries or questions we had about our proposals. I was able to finally pinpoint what my hydrology project will be over. I will mainly be using the cameras and we got them in today (YAY!) which means next friday we will be setting them up when we go back out to the sites as a class. Aside from that I feel like one of the most important factors when it comes to looking at a wetland is its responsibilities with absorbing nutrients (mainly looking at nitrogen, more specifically ammonium). So, I will work with Josh and Kyle on collecting water samples of ammonium, but also collecting my own samples to get a more clear picture of how the ammonium in the system fluctuates as the winter season ends and the spring season begins. Like Grace said previously, mainly the next steps that need to be taken are looking up tons of peer reviewed articles to figure out broader impacts, and to help give us a solid starting point when it comes to working on our proposals that are due next week.
My main goal before class next wednesday is to get a solid methodology for hydrology and find as many articles as I can that relate wetlands and ammonium and road development to each other.
Friday, January 31, 2014
Week 3
Grace Kellner
Date: 1/31/14
Location: UCA
Today as a class we went over everybody’s proposal outlines and hashed out what was good and what needs to be worked on for them. Everybody will presumably be working on their proposals over the weekend and early next week. Over the weekend I will be looking for peer-reviewed literature that I can use for background support of my hypothesis, as well as support for my methods in quantifying tree taxa richness. I think most of us will have to go back and find information on wetland mitigation. I have a solid understanding of conservation banking, but not so much on wetland mitigation. We’ll also have to look at the broader impact and intellectual merit of each of our projects so that we can include that in our proposals. For the broader impact, we’ll probably be looking at a lot of different topics but we’ll need to get some literature on the impact of roads on wetland functions. For me, I’ll need to apply the impact of roads on tree biodiversity in wetlands. I think we all have a better handle on what we’re doing and where to go from here, as well as potential complications on data gathering and analysis from our discussions today. Overall, it was a productive day in the lab.
Date: 1/31/14
Location: UCA
Today as a class we went over everybody’s proposal outlines and hashed out what was good and what needs to be worked on for them. Everybody will presumably be working on their proposals over the weekend and early next week. Over the weekend I will be looking for peer-reviewed literature that I can use for background support of my hypothesis, as well as support for my methods in quantifying tree taxa richness. I think most of us will have to go back and find information on wetland mitigation. I have a solid understanding of conservation banking, but not so much on wetland mitigation. We’ll also have to look at the broader impact and intellectual merit of each of our projects so that we can include that in our proposals. For the broader impact, we’ll probably be looking at a lot of different topics but we’ll need to get some literature on the impact of roads on wetland functions. For me, I’ll need to apply the impact of roads on tree biodiversity in wetlands. I think we all have a better handle on what we’re doing and where to go from here, as well as potential complications on data gathering and analysis from our discussions today. Overall, it was a productive day in the lab.
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Possible Group Chat Options
I took the liberty of looking up a couple of options that would make group chatting a little easier (and more efficient than one-on-one texts or emails).
Skype
So the first one that I figured the most people would be familiar with is Skype. Skype is a very popular video-chatting program that also has group messaging. I've used it before and it works pretty well, even for sending files back and forth. It's used for both professional and personal types of communications, and so it would likely serve our purposes fairly well. It also comes in iPhone and Android apps, as well as Windows, Mac, and Linux. So really anybody can use it. The main drawback from Skype would appear to be that it doesn't have in-browser options, so you have to download the apps or programs, and that in order for Skype to be useful, you have to be signed in at all times, which for some may either not be possible or may not be desirable.
Some useful links:
Skype Download (computers)- http://www.skype.com/en/download-skype/skype-for-computer/
Skype Download (iPhone)- https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/skype-for-iphone/id304878510?mt=8
Skype Download (Android)- https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.skype.raider
GroupMe
I've only recently discovered GroupMe, and to be honest to some degree I find it less invasive than Skype. Like Skype, GroupMe allows a group chat in which you can see what each member is saying, and also allows one-on-one messaging. Also like Skype, it comes in iPhone and Android flavors, but it also has an in-browser option for people that do not wish to download anything (or people that just need to access it when they aren't near a device that is capable of using the apps). The apps are pretty simple and run in the background so you will tend to forget they're even there unless you are using them. They act much like text messaging, sending you a small notification when somebody replies to the group chat (which may have the potential for being annoying if for some reason you want to ignore the group chat, but I imagine there are ways to silence it). Another useful feature is that this app seems to store everything that is sent in their logs, so if a new member joins the group, they can see everything that has been said since the group was created, which is good for adding any of our professional contacts, as well as for passing the project on to the next class that takes over. It could also potentially be useful for interacting with the various groups involved. So far, the main drawback to this option is just that I haven't had time to get familiar with it, and so I don't know what all it can do or can't do. So far it seems solid and I hear that a number of UCA RSOs and even teachers and classes are using it, so that may be a good indicator of the usefulness of the apps. Either way, I'll drop a few links for them below as well.
Some useful links:
GroupMe (Online)- https://groupme.com/
GroupMe (iPhone)- https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/groupme/id392796698?mt=8
GroupMe (Android)- https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.groupme.android
If anybody else knows of some good, free apps or programs that compete with these, or if you want to weigh in on your opinions of either one (or if you know more than I do about GroupMe, which shouldn't be hard), please comment and let us know. For now, my tentative vote is for GroupMe, just because I think it has a lot of potential.
Skype
So the first one that I figured the most people would be familiar with is Skype. Skype is a very popular video-chatting program that also has group messaging. I've used it before and it works pretty well, even for sending files back and forth. It's used for both professional and personal types of communications, and so it would likely serve our purposes fairly well. It also comes in iPhone and Android apps, as well as Windows, Mac, and Linux. So really anybody can use it. The main drawback from Skype would appear to be that it doesn't have in-browser options, so you have to download the apps or programs, and that in order for Skype to be useful, you have to be signed in at all times, which for some may either not be possible or may not be desirable.
Some useful links:
Skype Download (computers)- http://www.skype.com/en/download-skype/skype-for-computer/
Skype Download (iPhone)- https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/skype-for-iphone/id304878510?mt=8
Skype Download (Android)- https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.skype.raider
GroupMe
I've only recently discovered GroupMe, and to be honest to some degree I find it less invasive than Skype. Like Skype, GroupMe allows a group chat in which you can see what each member is saying, and also allows one-on-one messaging. Also like Skype, it comes in iPhone and Android flavors, but it also has an in-browser option for people that do not wish to download anything (or people that just need to access it when they aren't near a device that is capable of using the apps). The apps are pretty simple and run in the background so you will tend to forget they're even there unless you are using them. They act much like text messaging, sending you a small notification when somebody replies to the group chat (which may have the potential for being annoying if for some reason you want to ignore the group chat, but I imagine there are ways to silence it). Another useful feature is that this app seems to store everything that is sent in their logs, so if a new member joins the group, they can see everything that has been said since the group was created, which is good for adding any of our professional contacts, as well as for passing the project on to the next class that takes over. It could also potentially be useful for interacting with the various groups involved. So far, the main drawback to this option is just that I haven't had time to get familiar with it, and so I don't know what all it can do or can't do. So far it seems solid and I hear that a number of UCA RSOs and even teachers and classes are using it, so that may be a good indicator of the usefulness of the apps. Either way, I'll drop a few links for them below as well.
Some useful links:
GroupMe (Online)- https://groupme.com/
GroupMe (iPhone)- https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/groupme/id392796698?mt=8
GroupMe (Android)- https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.groupme.android
If anybody else knows of some good, free apps or programs that compete with these, or if you want to weigh in on your opinions of either one (or if you know more than I do about GroupMe, which shouldn't be hard), please comment and let us know. For now, my tentative vote is for GroupMe, just because I think it has a lot of potential.
My On-Site Photos (The 6 "Best" of the day)- Kell Sullins
I can't figure out how to make it so that you can either make the smaller images bigger, or how to hide the bigger images behind some sort of "spoiler alert" type of device. So I settled for the XL images (original size is about 4x the XL image). If anybody knows how to fix that, let me know.
White Oak Bayou Impressions (Day 1)
Kell Sullins
Date: Friday, January 24, 2014,
Location: White Oak Bayou three sample sites
Time spent on site: 1:45-4:30
Team members: Scott Owen, Sally Entrekin, Environmental Practicum Class (2014)So my very first thought about the White Oak Bayou: "So this road just dead ends here? Wait...Oh." I'm a bit slow sometimes. But I came prepared for a cold day out, and by prepared I mean the usual cold weather gear plus an unusually large camera. I intended to take numerous photos of the White Oak Bayou (WOB), but unfortunately very few turned out that great. Specifically the animals in the area seemed to have a sense for when I was about to snap the photos, and they literally moved at the last second to prevent me from getting any good shots of them. There were some deer in the distance, birds in the tops of the trees and passing overhead (there is something very cool about seeing a large shadow before you see the bird it belongs to), and signs of other animals as well.
There were also signs of people, such as crushed beer cans, a destroyed and abandoned couch, and some sheet plastic discarded near the entry site (Ali took up the task of collecting as much trash as she could along our journey, an admirable effort to say the least). It may be something to consider to include park sized trash cans and/or recycling bins (perhaps some like the dual purposed ones UCA uses) in both the degraded area and at the accessible areas of the construction site once the road is underway. Another thing that I am pleased with is how much of the area stands out perfectly in my memory. Anybody that knows me knows I have no sense of memory, and yet I can recall almost perfectly what each area we went to looked like. I can even remember the distinct smell of methane near pre-impact site 1, with the frozen dragonfly and the beautiful trees nearby. Frankly, half of the pictures I should have taken were so mesmerizing that I forgot to use my camera.
I honestly can't wait until the weather warms up and I get a chance to hear and hopefully see the amphibians that are my focus in the project. I look forward to working alongside Scott, Dr. Entrekin, and the rest of the class (and anybody else that happens to join in).
Professional meeting opportunities
Arkansas Academy of Science, April 4-5th at Harding University in Searcy http://arkansasacademyofsci.ipage.com/aasmeetings.html
American Fisheries Society Meeting, February 26-28th, Rogers, Arkansas
http://www.sdafs.org/arkafs/AFS/index.html
Lake Conway Watershed Meeting, February 25th, 6pm, Conway, Arkansas Natural Resource Center
American Fisheries Society Meeting, February 26-28th, Rogers, Arkansas
http://www.sdafs.org/arkafs/AFS/index.html
Lake Conway Watershed Meeting, February 25th, 6pm, Conway, Arkansas Natural Resource Center
White Oak Bayou - Day 1
Date: Jan. 24th 2014
Location: White Oak Bayou
Time: 1:30-4:30
Members: Scott Own, Sally Entrekin, Environmental Practicum Class
Friday we met up with Scott Owen and got the chance to visit so of the sites we will be studying in the White Oak Bayou. We learned about some of the different vegetation that makes up the bayou, some of the biological life living there such as beavers with really alter the hydrology of the watershed. We also learned about fun ways that the middle school students in the area are learning about the wetlands and basic lab materials for testing things such as water quality. I took some binoculars to the first sight to try to spot any birds that would be using the watershed. One of the first birds I saw when I arrived was a yellow-belied sapsucker which was exciting enough because it was too early in the day and also late in the afternoon to experience to much avian activity. The second site we went to was a little more open and wet and Scott showed us what a soil profile of the wetland should look like. Before leaving, Scott gave us his information and said that he needed to talk to a friend from the Audubon Society to get more information about the bird activity in the wetlands. There is not a lot of research on wetland birds in Arkansas or how habitat fragmentation effects them; so this should be a great learning experience.
http://ar.audubon.org/
Date: Jan. 24th 2014
Location: White Oak Bayou
Time: 1:30-4:30
Members: Scott Own, Sally Entrekin, Environmental Practicum Class
Friday we met up with Scott Owen and got the chance to visit so of the sites we will be studying in the White Oak Bayou. We learned about some of the different vegetation that makes up the bayou, some of the biological life living there such as beavers with really alter the hydrology of the watershed. We also learned about fun ways that the middle school students in the area are learning about the wetlands and basic lab materials for testing things such as water quality. I took some binoculars to the first sight to try to spot any birds that would be using the watershed. One of the first birds I saw when I arrived was a yellow-belied sapsucker which was exciting enough because it was too early in the day and also late in the afternoon to experience to much avian activity. The second site we went to was a little more open and wet and Scott showed us what a soil profile of the wetland should look like. Before leaving, Scott gave us his information and said that he needed to talk to a friend from the Audubon Society to get more information about the bird activity in the wetlands. There is not a lot of research on wetland birds in Arkansas or how habitat fragmentation effects them; so this should be a great learning experience.
http://ar.audubon.org/
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Day One in the Field:
Alyson Stepina
Scott met us at the White Oak Bayou to show us the sites that we would be working at and answer any questions we had. The first site that we went to was more of a degraded site that had trash, 4 wheeler tracks, and a power line. The next site was a good example of how much the water line changes and how much canopy cover there is in some places. While we were at this site Dr. Entrekin also suggested that I also look into insects that use wood for laying their eggs. We also used our time with Scott to brainstorm ways that we could teach the middle school students and learn a little more about what equipment they currently have. Next we drove to the other site and saw how there can be different types of wetlands very close together. We looked at a possible site but we did not get to explore due to lack of time. Scott also showed us a trick to determine if we were in a wetland using the soil. Going to wetland and seeing the actual sites gave us more prospective as to what we are actually doing and how it will help them once the road is built.
Date: Friday, January 24, 2014
Location: White Oak Bayou
Time spent on project: 1:45-4:30
Team members: Scott, Dr. Entrekin, and all of the class members
Scott met us at the White Oak Bayou to show us the sites that we would be working at and answer any questions we had. The first site that we went to was more of a degraded site that had trash, 4 wheeler tracks, and a power line. The next site was a good example of how much the water line changes and how much canopy cover there is in some places. While we were at this site Dr. Entrekin also suggested that I also look into insects that use wood for laying their eggs. We also used our time with Scott to brainstorm ways that we could teach the middle school students and learn a little more about what equipment they currently have. Next we drove to the other site and saw how there can be different types of wetlands very close together. We looked at a possible site but we did not get to explore due to lack of time. Scott also showed us a trick to determine if we were in a wetland using the soil. Going to wetland and seeing the actual sites gave us more prospective as to what we are actually doing and how it will help them once the road is built.
Monday, January 27, 2014
View of sites visited
I looked a the sites visited with Scott on Google Earth. It helped put it all in perspective. Here is jpeg, but I suggest you all look at the sites via go
ogle earth and go back through the history to see the remarkable change.
Saturday, January 25, 2014
First Day in Field
Grace Kellner
Date: Friday, January 24, 2014,
Location: White Oak Bayou three sample sites
Time spent on project: 2:00-4:30
Team members: Entire class was present for this
field day.
Details: We went out into the field yesterday for
the first time. Actually being out there made the semester’s project more tangible
and real to me. It was a beautiful day, although pretty chilly. Scott came down
from Montana and gave us a tour and overview of what we’d be doing, what we
should look for, and some interesting information. He showed us the difference
between upland soil and wetland soil. Upland soil is a brown-red color and the
wetland soil is gray because of inundation and the formation of an anaerobic
environment. Without oxygen, iron is reduced and the soil becomes hydric and
turns gray. When we opened up a chunk of soil we saw the inside was an orangish
color indicating the presence of oxygen by oxidized iron. Using the soil we
were able to determine more clearly the boundaries of the wetland.
For
my portion of the project, classifying canopy cover, I realized the extent to
which I will have a difficulty identifying trees without leaves. I realized the
extent to which Allyn Fuell’s master’s thesis will come in handy when we
collect our data. This project will build on her research and previous Environmental
Practicum class research, increasing the value of our future data collection.
First day out to sites with Scott Owen
What we talked about
Scott showed our Spring 2014 group around the wetlands on 25January. He would like us to gather data to inform how a bypass running through the impounded riverine wetland will affect the structure (plants, water quality, bugs) and function (how much water it holds, about of N that can cycle, etc) so another wetland of higher quality can be preserved, or the city will pay money towards a mitigation bank that will preserve and/or restore or enhance another wetland. Because wetlands are often impacted by development, mitigation of wetlands is big business and legally contentious. Soil type (eg. gray mottled vs orange oxidized (see Ali's post below)) and plant type (facultative vs obligate) indicate if the wetland is a wetland since they typically are dry for most of the year.
Where students can sample
The students have the opportunity to sample a couple of sites that will be directly impacted by the road (this is where we talked for a long time and the site with the observation deck), an already impacted site where the powerline runs, and a site well removed from the impact of a road (we didn't actually go into that site but we looked at how to get in there from the road).
How to move ahead
Alyson asked if they would be going into the field before the proposal is done and i said no, but I think I was wrong. Students can, anytime, go ahead and get a trimble unit from me (i can show them the basics of how to use it or they can go into GIS lab and get help from Grace or Mary Sue Passe-Smith) and go find their sites and get GPS points and start looking at the map. I think we can find a data layer for the proposed road. I need a student to keep on me about this.
What students will measure
Scott was enthusiastic about all of the things students plan to measure. Josh and Kyle will need to do a little research on why they may want to collect just inorganic nitrogen (nitrate and ammonium) or also total nitrogen. I need to work with them to contact someone at Audubon. Kell and Gray are going to be working with Jason Thronberry, but they should be finding resources that describe how to estimate amphibians and identifying the habitat for the amphibians. Grace, Ali, and Alyson are working on plants, macroinvertebrates, and hydrology. Ali was going to actually estimate HGM, but now it seems like just getting hydrology is really critical to all of the projects, as there will be no habitat for anything without water and understanding the extent of area that will no longer wet after the road comes in is extremely important. She also notes an interest in soils. I encourage her to think about quantifying other functions using the HGM method, like nutrient cycling or flood retention. These two things are extremely important and use extent of inundation in the equations.
I think because hydrology is so important and needs to be quantified ASAP even before students complete their proposals. The entire class should work with Ali to set up the cameras. Let's get this done as soon as we can get the cameras from Scott.
Scott showed our Spring 2014 group around the wetlands on 25January. He would like us to gather data to inform how a bypass running through the impounded riverine wetland will affect the structure (plants, water quality, bugs) and function (how much water it holds, about of N that can cycle, etc) so another wetland of higher quality can be preserved, or the city will pay money towards a mitigation bank that will preserve and/or restore or enhance another wetland. Because wetlands are often impacted by development, mitigation of wetlands is big business and legally contentious. Soil type (eg. gray mottled vs orange oxidized (see Ali's post below)) and plant type (facultative vs obligate) indicate if the wetland is a wetland since they typically are dry for most of the year.
Where students can sample
The students have the opportunity to sample a couple of sites that will be directly impacted by the road (this is where we talked for a long time and the site with the observation deck), an already impacted site where the powerline runs, and a site well removed from the impact of a road (we didn't actually go into that site but we looked at how to get in there from the road).
How to move ahead
Alyson asked if they would be going into the field before the proposal is done and i said no, but I think I was wrong. Students can, anytime, go ahead and get a trimble unit from me (i can show them the basics of how to use it or they can go into GIS lab and get help from Grace or Mary Sue Passe-Smith) and go find their sites and get GPS points and start looking at the map. I think we can find a data layer for the proposed road. I need a student to keep on me about this.
What students will measure
Scott was enthusiastic about all of the things students plan to measure. Josh and Kyle will need to do a little research on why they may want to collect just inorganic nitrogen (nitrate and ammonium) or also total nitrogen. I need to work with them to contact someone at Audubon. Kell and Gray are going to be working with Jason Thronberry, but they should be finding resources that describe how to estimate amphibians and identifying the habitat for the amphibians. Grace, Ali, and Alyson are working on plants, macroinvertebrates, and hydrology. Ali was going to actually estimate HGM, but now it seems like just getting hydrology is really critical to all of the projects, as there will be no habitat for anything without water and understanding the extent of area that will no longer wet after the road comes in is extremely important. She also notes an interest in soils. I encourage her to think about quantifying other functions using the HGM method, like nutrient cycling or flood retention. These two things are extremely important and use extent of inundation in the equations.
I think because hydrology is so important and needs to be quantified ASAP even before students complete their proposals. The entire class should work with Ali to set up the cameras. Let's get this done as soon as we can get the cameras from Scott.
Friday, January 24, 2014
Today we went out and looked at the White Oak Bayou sample sites for the first time. It was good to be in the field and see firsthand where we will be conducting our studies. Today I learned that soils vary greatly depending on the type of wetland. The soil can have a gray coloration which means the wetland has non oxygenated iron, and when the wetland becomes wet again, the soil will start to turn red because the iron becomes oxidized. Soil quality in wetlands is one of the best ways to classify a wetland and it could be a good assessment for me to quantify.
First Look at the WOB
When: 24 Jan 2014 1400-1630 CST
Where: White Oak Bayou (3 sites)
Who: Entire Class + Scott
It was a good first day out in the bayou. Being onsite definitely helped to make sense of the scale of the area and scope of our project. I'm definitely looking forward to warmer weather! There was quite the diversity of birds on the south side of Devoe Lake, especially relative to the northern side (by MMS/MHS). Conducting a census should be fun!
Obtaining water quality data collection looks like it might be a little bit of a challenge in certain parts...I love a challenge! I was tasked with a new parameter: quantifying reactive nitrogen (N) & phosphorus (P). It looks like it's time to hit the web for research into those elements.
The pieces of the WOB puzzle are starting to fall into place, at least conceptually. I was glad to be back out the field...indoor classrooms are great & all, but outdoor classrooms are best! More to come as we get more active.
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