By Erin Cymrot The fog is rolling in tonight. The tundra is already a quiet place, bereft of the noises of typical civilization. The hum of cars driving by, the soft laughter of a family member in the other room, the bustle of a more crowded place. The fog makes the tundra feel even more remote. Gone are the expansive view of wetlands and treeline, and in its place is a forced contemplation of one’s immediate situation. This seems appropriate for our last night in Churchill. Today was a day of hard work, but also a day of reflection for all of us. We are leaving this remote, pristine wonderland and returning to our “regularly scheduled programming.” None of us are ready to go.
We spent a final morning collecting data in the wetlands. A well-oiled machine now, we completed work in four ponds before lunch. Just a few days ago, finishing two ponds before lunch was an impressive feat. The nine of us have become a single unit, we know our tasks and complete them with new-found confidence. We support each other with lab work and data entry, we share an easy camaraderie that makes our impending departure much more bittersweet. Our final pond, Lindy, was that favorite spot we started in just last week. A bit of unintentional symmetry, to finish where we started. LeeAnn thoughtfully gave us a moment of reflection when our work was done for the day. She told us to take a quiet moment and look out across the tundra to just contemplate our time, what we’ve accomplished, and what we are taking away from this experience. We will leave this place with a renewed sense of purpose, as teachers, and as humans on this planet. In the afternoon, LeeAnn finished our climate change lecture from yesterday, too big a topic to fit into just one session. Her enthusiasm for her work, for this place, and for our plant, is evident in everything she does and her spirit is contagious. We cleaned up our lab space, we put away our waders, boots, and bug nets, and we spent our final evening sharing our ideas for lesson plans and community projects that have been inspired by our work here. All of us are forever changed by this experience and we go out to our respective worlds, ready to share our knowledge and our passion for taking care of our planet. Look out Arizona, California, New Hampshire, Florida, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, and South Carolina, here we come!
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By Carla Yawney As we gathered today for our morning briefing, there was a deep realization that our stay in Churchill would soon be over. The Churchill Northern Studies Centre had become our temporary home, the Earthwatch team members were our extended family, the researchers were our mentors and cheerleaders, and LeeAnn had become our role model and “den mother” of sorts. After the briefing, we headed to the ponds. The first two ponds were relatively shallow, but the third pond was a pond designed to meet the desires of those looking to do some underwater rock climbing, blended with that all-time favorite- navigating in the boot sucking muck. I quietly heard the pond whisper a challenge to me. The voice said, “Let me see you pull out of this muck without falling.” I did come close to slipping a couple of times, and I could have sworn that I even heard the sedge start to giggle, as I wobbled like a top, then start to tip over. Yet my partner and guardian angel Tammy, was not going to let that happen. She reached out a steady hand and allowed me to leave that pond victorious (and upright)! During our almost two week stay, more than one pond had caused a well-meaning Earthwatcher to take a spontaneous and unintended “dip in the pool.”
We returned to CNSC to complete lab work and data entry. LeeAnn introduced us to the wonders of the Dino-Lite Microscope, where we saw a Tadpole Phantom Midge, among other pond life samples, up close and personal. The details were so clear that we felt like super heroes with x-ray vision! Afterwards, LeeAnn told us about the integrated design process used to plan and build the Churchill Northern Studies Centre. From the planning stage to the completion of the project, sustainability was the overarching goal. The tour included the water filtration system, ventilation system, physical design (including the slanted walls), Rocket Greens Project, and that all time favorite- the waste management end of things, if you will forgive the pun. It was a fascinating tour, to see how a building of this size in such a remote location could meet the diverse needs of the community, yet remain focused on conserving resources. LeeAnn then gave a Climate Change presentation, explaining how human influence is the dominant cause of the global warming. She shared data which explained influences causing climate warming to occur. Data showed that although our climate is warming, the warming is not happening equally across the continent. The rapid change in the Arctic has changed the most in the last 30 years. An explanation of the Milankovich Cycle followed, explaining that the orbit of the Earth is not perfectly cyclical and discussing the interplay of the three cycles- Eccentricity, the Tilt of the Earth, and Procession. It was surprising to find out that electricity and heat were responsible for more global warming effects than those of transportation. We ended the day with Katrina helping us clarify directions and act as a sounding board for our Earthwatch community project ideas. We were all excited to begin working on our projects and anxious to share our ideas with one another. Tomorrow is our last full day as citizen scientists. We will be holding on to every minute! Deb Berlin Day 8
After an exhilarating Canada Day and Bay Dip, the Teach Earth team woke up to the pitter patter of rain on the tin roof of the Churchill Northern Studies Centre. Over a breakfast of coffee, oatmeal, and french toast with blueberries, we discussed the evening’s events - how agile our colleagues were, how much of a physical shock cold the water was for the swimmers, and how their bodies responded. We’re beginning to realize just how soon we’re leaving, and we’re trying to savor every moment - this entire trip has been one incredible experience after another, and we are already sad to leave. I will never tire of these views of vast, hummocky landscapes full of ponds and tree islands, and of Hudson Bay with its sea ice. In our morning briefing, it became clear that it would be a damp morning, but the forecast was looking hopeful for sun later in the day. Because the weather can change so dramatically so quickly, planning each day requires some flexibility. Today’s three sites were close together. I was on the dip net team, which involved trudging through the site’s pond for ten minutes while using a dip net to collect specimens. After the timer goes off, we dump the contents of our nets into pans. We then begin inventory: how many brook and ninespine stickleback? How many wood frog and boreal chorus frog tadpoles and adults? How many predaceous diving beetles? Did we see any leeches? Mayfly larvae? Caddisfly larvae, with their interesting houses? Reddish copepods, my favorite, with their rhythmic swimming? It was a soggy day out in the field, and I still loved it. Many of us slid on rocks into the peat and were saved by the layer of permafrost underneath. We came back in time for lunch damp, cold, and happy. After lunch, many of us headed into town for some kayaking and beluga viewing. We donned our “skirts” and sat down in our yellow double kayaks, excited for another adventure. Navigating our kayaks through the river was surprisingly easy, and it was a lovely, relaxing way to spend an afternoon. Thick fog gave way to cool sunshine as we paddled through the river, staying mostly by the Port of Churchill. As we sat and sang and laughed and tapped our fingers against the sides of our kayaks, belugas swam up to us, wanting to check out what’s going on. We were visited by hundreds of belugas. The weather was beautiful and warm, and the water rocked us as we took in the sight of these beautiful mammals up close. Some of us even experienced the belugas surfacing and exhaling just inches from our kayaks. Quick tangent for something I learned about kayaks at the Itsanitaq Museum on our day off: they’re originally an Inuit invention - we get the word kayak from Inuktitut qajaq, and they were once found all over the north. They were originally used for hunting, but have since been adopted by many cultures for recreation. We ended our day with some data entry and another teacher workshop. A few days ago, we defined challenges we were facing when approaching environmental work in our classrooms and communities. Today, we worked together to brainstorm solutions together. I so appreciate these times with my colleagues: having a room of like-minded teachers working toward the same goals as me makes me feel so supported and validated in my work and challenges. By Melinda Lang Happy 152nd birthday to our neighbor to the North!
July 1, 2019 Our group started off the morning by sharing thoughts and impressions about Chasing Ice, the film we viewed last night. This 2012 documentary follows the efforts of nature photographer James Balog and his Extreme Ice Survey team (EIS) to document and publicize the effects of climate change through some very challenging conditions. There were a lot of ohhhs and ahhhs from our group during the viewing last night. Although we are all ecologically minded - it was quite an eye opener! We then discussed the field data that has been collected and recorded by our groups. LeeAnn said things looked pretty well done and in place. Hooray for us! Next, Dani followed with an additional briefing on using the YSI, so … we hoped for a better day in the field with this instrument. Hot tip: make sure probe stays in the water until all the data is registered. LeeAnn let us know that we would be visiting five ponds today - three by the coast and two by the Centre. We then packed sack lunches, as the kitchen was semi-closed due to the Canada Day celebration in town. Just as we were heading out, our friend the fox made his appearance outside the kitchen windows! It was a fun sight to see and we hope he will return again before we leave CNSC. The ponds near the bay are my favorite so far! The dramatic, rocky landscape surrounding the ponds along with the gentle waves crashing beyond was simply stunning. Although we had three ponds to get through, we were really in the groove and functioned like a well-oiled machine! It was apparent that everyone felt more confident and comfortable with their jobs, and therefore were completing tasks at a quicker pace. We took a short lunch break to catch our breath and then headed out for our last two ponds of the day, which quickly became known as “Sucky Pond” and “Even Suckier Pond”.The muck really challenged us today - but we prevailed! We returned to the center to watch the live feed of the NASA Wear announcement. With fingers crossed, we listened to host’s endearingly nerdy science banter as we wiggled in our seats, waiting to see if Katrina’s class would be selected as one of the five middle schools for the award in the WEAR (Wearable Equipment for Averting Radiation) challenge. The suspense continued as they named off four schools - it was down to the last name - and then - YES - they got it! We went wild as her school was named! Tears and hugs were shared all around. What an honor for Katrina and her students, and a delight for us to share that moment with her! After the excitement, it was time for data entry, equipment cleanup, and packing the crates for the next day. Dinner was perfect - warm, creamy Mac and Cheese - which really hit the spot. But, our exciting day did not end there. Now it was time to pack into the CNSC bus and head into town for the Canada Day Bay Dip. Loads of people from the Centre were there to represent. We even had some Earthwatchers that gave it a go! Whether you were participating by “dipping” or cheering - a great time was had by all. We even had seals and belugas looking on at the festivities from their vantage point near the shore. The bus was festive and noisy on our return, full of energy that kept the chills at bay. Once back at the Centre, hot showers and hot drinks of choice were an appropriate ending to another wonderful day here on the Arctic’s Edge. By Sarah Blomberg It's raining, it's pouring, are the EarthWatcher's still snoring? After a day of surreal sites, viewing Beluga Whales, and a late night in town playing an intense game of trivia we awoke to the sight of rain. Due to the extra H2O we did not head directly into the field after our morning briefing. Instead the team was given an amazing workshop by our Senior Fellow, Katrina. She talked all about community impact and challenges in each community to bring awareness to our student's and those in our neighborhoods about climate change. I cannot speak for the others but initiating a discussion of climate change can often begin a heated debate in the already warm metropolitan of Phoenix. However, that is not why I am here, personally. I do not feel that it is my job to change the views of others. That change is one that must occur within one's self. As a teacher and educator it is my job to provide information, data and facts. Those numbers speak for themselves. As a hot button topic climate change can stir the pot to boiling levels if we are not too careful, negating the actual information we are trying to share. Instead, I focus on how I can teach my student's to treat our Earth. At the end of the day we must all coexist here together. We should all take care of our Earth. Regardless of what we believe our Earth provides us with our resources to live each day. Sharing the information of these resources, our impacts and the challenges our environment faces will help an individual view their impact of daily life. As a whole we recognized that one of the many challenges in a community is the need for convenience. Our lives at this time are certainly ones of ease. We do our best to maintain a level of never before utilized comfort. With the creation of apps such as Uber, UberEats, Grocery delivery services and many, many single use plastic products there can be a harm to our environment. Educating communities and schools about these harms is part of our job as EarthWatcher's, teachers and human beings living in this time. As a person who is still learning about these processes each day I am thankful for the enormous amount of education already gained at the CNSC facility. After our workshop the weather had cleared and presented us with time to head out to the wetlands! I was once again on the dip net team. Our job on the dip net team is to actively find samples of the many, many creatures living in the wetlands. After trudging through the wetlands many days earlier and assuming there was not much life in the waters I am still amazed at the amount of life found in each pond. These tiny creatures play a vital role in the wetland systems and their biodiversity. As my students know each creature is part of a larger food chain, depending upon one another to exist. By far my favorite part of dip netting is viewing these critters and then releasing them back to their homes. Some of them did come home with our glorious tech Kabryn and she is taking wonderful care of her "babies". We also had the misfortune to encounter the blood sucking insects of the north. As the weather cleared it was very warm and there were massive amounts of mosquitoes. LeeAnn had warned us that some would be more bothered by the sound of the buzzing and I do believe I fell into that category. I had to sing to keep myself distracted and we can all tell my son that I won his prize for being the worst singer all the way in the arctic! After yesterday's Beluga experience, working with the kindest individuals, watching the Snowy Owl release and helping in imperative research I keep pinching myself to make sure all of this is real. I excitedly look forward to tomorrow's research and the impact our data will have on our Earth. -Sarah Blomberg EarthWatch Team 2 By Tammy Drazkowski It has been a week of wonders - one of discovering a new land and new passions within ourselves. We have done much learning peppered with some work. And as it is in most cases, the work makes you appreciate the play even more.
Today, day 5 was our "play day" here at the Arctic's edge. We started out with a restful morning. A sleep-in for some, shopping, writing or reading for others - definitely free time for all. It was a time to reflect on all we have done and learned so far- to look at pictures, to deepen friendships, to spend quiet time with ourselves and to anticipate the afternoons events. Finally, the morning was over and another delicious lunch finished. The nine of us "fellows" and two research assistants (Alex and Kaybryn) headed into the booming metropolis of Churchill (population about 500). Along the way we stopped to look at some of the local sites including the Polar bear holding facility, also know as polar bear jail - a place where the furry frequent visitors go to spend some time before being escorted out of town. We saw some awesome murals painted throughout the town, including one on the side of "miss piggy", a crashed airplane. Then we payed a visit to Fort Churchill and Cape Merry before having an hour in town to get a warm coffee and visit some shops. At 4:45 it was time to visit the Belugas with Sea North Tours. After donning extra clothes and life vests, the eleven of us boarded a zodiac boat with our guide Brook. We could see a couple other boats and lots of white figures in the distance as we started off. The next couple hours were a bit surreal. As we took photos and videos and squealed with delight, I think deep down we all knew that the pictures would never be able to truly capture the feelings of awe we experienced as we watched these incredible white whales swim, feed and play all around us. It is definitely one of the memories embedded in each of us that we will always cherish along with many others up here. The end of our day was certainly not a let down as we gathered at the Tundra restaurant for dinner and trivia night. Our two American teams did quite well against the locals seeing as Canada was a theme in a couple of the categories. After another wonderful day, we got back into the van, feeling even more like a family with shared memories and headed "home". "The Edge of the Arctic" To the edge of the Arctic where the ice -sheets flow where the terns chase owls and the north winds blow To the edge of the Arctic where the Polar bears swim and the northern lights dance when the stars go dim To the edge of the Arctic where Belugas play where the tundra meets water and the reindeer moss lay To the edge of the Arctic where the ghost fox roam We have gathered together and found a new home Tammy Drazkowski By Kadeine Peterson The thing I love most about taxonomic naming is its literal nature. For example, the Delphinapeterus leucas translates from Greek to mean “white dolphin without fin”, a perfect description of the beluga whale. Day four of our Earthwatch program began with an informative lecture on these charismatic toothed-cetaceans. Emma, an undergraduate student in marine biology, spoke about the research being done on particularly, the ~50,000 strong Western Hudson Bay population of belugas, with large contributions from the citizen science project called Beluga Bits. The goal of this research is to elucidate the natural history of the Hudson Bay pod, which includes information regarding age, sex and group size. Beluga Bits is of particular importance because a huge barrier to beluga research is the difficulty of identifying individuals using known techniques applied to other whales. The patterning and scars evident on more distinctly colored cetaceans are similar to fingerprints on humans, in that no two whales will have exactly the same combination of markers. Belugas lack of a dorsal fin combined with their unique white coloration and molting behavior, renders their “fingerprinting” difficult. This is where citizen science comes into play. People from across the globe are able to access the live feed of belugas in the Churchill River estuary from July to August and snap pictures of the curious whales as they swim into frame. After a quick and basic anatomy lesson on belugas, they are able to sort the images into stacks based on number of individuals, age, distinct markings and the “bits” mentioned in the project name. To me, female beluga genitalia resemble the Greek letter Psi(ψ) and male genitalia is a hyphen(-). I think we were all excited at the prospect of using this tool in our classrooms as a way to get our students involved in citizen science as well as contribute to the growing pool of knowledge regarding these magnificent whales.
After the morning lecture, we had a change of plans and headed off to see a large patch of sea ice that had come ashore the day before. As we all bundled up into the van to drive to our destination, the excitement was audibly tangible; but then again, I am not sure that we haven’t had this level of enthusiasm since we arrived in Churchill only three days ago. This is where I wish I had more vocabulary to describe the experience of walking on sea ice. All I can come up with is that this has got to be one of the coolest (pun intended) things I have ever done. Guess what? Ice IS actually that blue up close. We briefly ventured into town for a “snack and beverage” run, before returning to CNSC in preparation for our first afternoon collecting samples in wetlands. LeeAnn explained to us the importance of this multi-year research in determining the environmental impacts of climate change on the Hudson Bay area. We were split into four teams with tasks that will rotate over four days. These teams were environmental/water quality, trap collecting, dip net sampling, and the physical nature of the pond. LeeAnn took the time to explain to us our jobs, the equipment needed and the expectations for collecting good and useful data. I think this is the moment it became clear to us that we were here to DO ACTUAL RESEARCH. *Happy Dance* For many of us on this expedition, our time in Churchill will mark the first time that we can say that yes, we do have field research and lab experience and what a wonderful thing to be able to bring home to our students. We ended the day with an informative session on polar bears, Ursus maritimus (Latin for maritime bear because...duh), given by LeeAnn. Though I loved learning about these hypercarniverous bears, in particular the sows’ ability to undergo delayed implantation of embryos, I quickly got an appreciation for just how powerful and potentially dangerous they could be. They are after all, the largest non-aquatic predator. I think I left that session with a greater appreciation for our dedicated bear guards and LeeAnn’s 30 years of living/working in this environment. Today was packed to the core with experiences and as I keep saying to my husband in our nightly talks from 1500 miles apart, “...and it’s only day 4!” By Erin Cymrot Day three continued our Wood Frog work with Tom, a master’s student from Appalachian State. Yesterday’s successes in using the GPS has made us Tom’s new best friends and we got to continue marking locations at a site aptly named Strange and his favorite site, called Lindy. It was easy to see why Lindy makes the top of Tom’s list, the landscape here is vast and open, and really it’s clear we are just visitors here. I don’t want to speak for everyone, but as someone who’s lived her whole life in urban settings, this is a new experience for me. I’m used to green spaces being designed and controlled by humans, where we are the ones allowing nature to accompany our lives, rather than the other way around. Here, the landscape is boss, and humans are here to study and enjoy, but not to control. I can see why the scientists who live and work at CNSC fall in love.
We walked through a bit of boreal forest on our way to the wetland area. It was interesting to see the changes in ground cover, from hard packed and sandy with a beautiful covering of moss and vegetation, to the bouncy squish of the hummocks, and finally the soft, sinking, wet mud of the wetland itself. The trip through the boreal forest also gave our Principal Investigator, LeeAnn a chance to show us some of the many types of berries that grow up here, including cranberries, blueberries, cloudberries, and many others. And much like teachers always have a side gig, LeeAnn does too, making jams and jellies from the berries! When we completed our work with Tom, we had the opportunity to hear a lecture from Owen, a research technician, here at the CNSC. He studies tree islands and worked closely with an Earthwatch team that came earlier in the summer. It was really fascinating to hear and see what the other Earthwatch teams worked on and learn more about the treeline and tree islands. Owen’s work focuses on understanding the conditions that allow tree islands to form, and the implications and impacts of their growth here in the tundra. After another lovely dinner, we had a chance to do our first “teacher workshop” led by our Lead Fellow, Katrina. We learned about the concept of Permaculture, which is a way of thinking about the world that moves beyond sustainability and into resilience. There are three principals: earth care, people care, and fair share. How can this set of tools help us change the way we think about, and operate in, the world around us? How will we will push our students and our communities into facing environmental challenges and move towards positive changes? This is our Earthwatch mission. By Arjun CollinsPlains, planes, trains and Introduction Day behind us, our Team (2) of EarthWatchers began Day 2 learning about the ways in which we’ll interact with the landscape before us. The Edge of the Arctic—as described in our Expedition Briefing— is both a boreal and subarctic zone, facilitating a complex interaction between organisms despite the extreme nature of its ecosystems.
By Katrina RoddenberryFor several of us, our rendezvous day began bright and early at the Winnipeg airport. After several delays to our flight, six Earthwatchers hopped aboard our aircraft anxious to make it to our final destination and rendezvous point, Churchill, Manitoba.
We took a quick stop in Gillam where many of us experienced our first landing on a dirt/gravel runway! After refueling the aircraft, we were on our way to the Churchill airport. We were all very excited to meet the Principal Investigator for our expedition, Dr. LeeAnn Fishback who graciously picked us up from the airport and transported us all safely to the Churchill Northern Studies Centre (CNSC), our final destination. We enjoyed a tour of the CNSC where we met two other team members who have traveled from Winnipeg to Churchill by train. We all got settled into our rooms before enjoying an amazing dinner in the dining hall and a lively overview of our upcoming experience and background information on the studies being conducted at CNSC. We have the good fortune to be spending the next ten days at this unique and special place. |
Carla Yawney4th Grade Teacher Deb BerlinMiddle School Science Teacher Melinda Lang2nd Grade Teacher Sarah Blomberg7-12 Science Teacher Tammy DrazkowskiMiddle School Science Teacher Kadeine PetersonHigh School Biology Teacher Erin Cymrot5th Grade Math and Science Teacher Arjun CollinsHigh School Biology and AP Environmental Science Teacher Katrina RoddenberryEarthwatch Senior Fellow and Middle School Science Teacher ArchivesCategories |