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/
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
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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