Volunteer Opportunity-Arkansas Audobon

The Knitty Gritty:

Alyson Stepina
Lab 1/31/14 Outline Presentations
Location: Lewis Science Center 025
Time: 1:00-3:30
Members: Dr. Entrekin and Environmental Practicum Class

In lab today we were all able to talk through and hash out what exactly we are doing. I picked a method for how I am going to collect my data. Josh and I are going to use the same three places for samples at each site and do the same amount of replicates (4 or 5). I am going to use a D-frame dip net to collect the data hitting the ground 3 times during each replicate to keep them constant. We plan to take most of our sample where there is think vegetation and the water is around 3 feet deep but we are considering taking sample from other places in the wetland for a greater variety.  I think that today was a very productive day for getting a better grasp of what I am actually doing. All of the pieces are finally starting to come together now that we have been to the site and we have a plan and method for the next steps. On February 14 we are going to the site to start collecting data!   

Ali's thoughts

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.

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.