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. |
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 |