September 25, 2008
After the 9/14 flash flood...
Note the concrete pillar that once supported the boardwalk.
The deck tables were all pushed against the downstream railing.
The cabin had about 2 feet of flood water.
The barn/office space also received about 2 feet of water.
Large debris above the stream bank.
The creek bank was deeply eroded.
Posted by ejones at 11:29 AM | Comments (0)
September 09, 2008
Burning Buildings
I originally posted this in the K-12 Learning channel at BrightHub:
"My fiancée once posed a question to me: ‘If you were standing between two buildings, both on fire, with your loved ones in one building and a thousand strangers in the other, and you could only make it to one building in time who would you save?’ Many people would argue that you have an obligation to save the greatest number of people, even if it results in the death of your loved ones. She argued the opposite, that you have an obligation to your loved ones, but she took it a step further. She said that the other building would take care of itself if everyone felt and acted in the same manner. There’s definitely a logic to that, and it appeals to my sense of personal responsibility (even if part of me does wonder about those in the other building). Furthermore, when it comes to problem-solving, those experiencing a problem generally have a more practical and realistic sense of what constitutes a successful resolution than those totally unconnected with it.
I think the same principle applies to ecological restoration (and environmental issues, as well). It’s easy to garner widespread support for polar bears, coral reefs, giant pandas, or mountain gorillas, and that support is valuable. However, one of the problems with flocking to global issues is that it leaves no one addressing the local ones. No, they might not be quite as glamorous, but they’re every bit as critical. More importantly, though, if a community isn’t looking after its own environmental interests, who will? Even more significantly, in an era of many challenges, we need to start seeing nature as part of the solution to those challenges rather than something to be fixed.
Those who live in a particular area should have far more knowledge of (and far more stake in) how a given environmental issue is affecting them than a remote decision-maker. Take streambank erosion, for instance, a problem that is very serious here at LREC. It’s easy to make a blanket statement that total channelization would take care of that problem, but such a move would also impact the species that live in the riparian corridor, as well as make Deer Creek even “flashier” than it already is (one inch of rainfall in an hour can raise the water level about six feet). It interferes with groundwater recharge and speeds the creek up, worsening erosion problems elsewhere. I think that the situation would be far better than it is if we all did what was best for our section of the creek (modest slopes, plenty of vegetation to provide habitat & promote better water infiltration, trees to shade the creek from the sun, and runoff control to decrease the water flowing from impervious surfaces) and took care of the whole in due time. Further, I think we’d get a lot of satisfaction and a lot of benefits from that process. We need to- all of us should have a basic understanding of our immediate environment and, a relationship with it beyond that of a consumer. Hopefully, with exposure, we’d appreciate nature and ourselves more; eventually, I’d like to think that we’d come to be a community again, a group of organisms looking to themselves to meet their critical needs before looking outward. A key part of community is interdependence, and we’ve lost that somewhere along the way. I think it’s past time to get it back.
I see ERC as an opportunity to allow you to learn about your surroundings and even do something to improve them- what do you want it to be?"
Posted by Sean Fears at 01:10 PM | Comments (0)
Fall Migration article
**You get double points for sighting a whale!**
Source: NatureWatch at eNature.com (National Wildlife Federation)
Please follow this link to an article that highlights fall migratory animals.
Fall Migration Article
Posted by ejones at 11:14 AM | Comments (0)
July 15, 2008
ERC Day 7
Maddie R.- "Today, the high temperatures are estimated to climb into the 90s, so we decided to do our outdoor restoration work- removing Japanese hops- in the morning when the heat wouldn't be so unbearable. We met Jennifer at the glass house and got suited up in long-sleeve shirts, heavy-duty gloves, and bug spray. After briefly discussing methods to exterminate invasive plants, we waded out into the 5-6 foot prairie to unwind the Japanese hops vines from native forbs. The work was sweltering and sweaty, only intensifying when we moved from the prairie to a bank on the side of the creek. There, the Japanese hops was much hardier and more convoluted, making it nearly impossible to pull up the entire root. All in all, we were all very glad to break for lunch in the air conditioning, but also proud of the amount of the nasty vine we had helped remove. It felt good to make the native eco-system healthier and know that we were a part of Litzsinger's ongoing progress. After lunch, Jennifer showed us a powerpoint on the spread of invasives, equipping us not only with removal tactics but sslo with preventative measures. We rounded out the day with more vine pulling, leaving us hot and tired, yet satisfied."
Posted by Sean Fears at 03:23 PM | Comments (0)
July 14, 2008
ERC Day 6
Edward D.- "Eddie Jones came and talked to us about the ecological restoration projects happening in the various jr. highs and elementary schools. I thought it was wonderful that LREC could organize this kind of project with schools. During Mr. Jones' slide show, we talked about how we can change the surroundings of those schools.
In the afternoon, we visited the McGrath elementary school and other schools near the ecology center. Mrs. Becky, a nice lady, introduced us to the accomplishments in restoring the native plants around the McGrath School. A few years ago, the front yard at the school was a mess.Then she and other volunteers assisted to plan out and grow a variety of beautiful native plants and trees. Like McGrath elementary, many other schools are doing the same to enhance their schools' environment via restorations of plants. LREC did many many things to help accomplish these great projects, and the ERC is contributing our part to these wonderful community projects.
Posted by Sean Fears at 02:20 PM | Comments (0)
July 09, 2008
ERC Day 3
Maddie R.- "We started the day out early by arriving at LREC at 7:30. By 8:00 everyone and everything, including, most importantly, the granola bars, were packed into the van and on the road to Shaw Nature Reserve in Gray Summit, MO. Forty-five minutes (and a good nap) later, we met James, the restoration biologist at the reserve. He quickly started us on seed cleaning, a task which none of us had realized would be so tedious. Finally, after giving up and stomping on the plants to force out the remaining seeds, we took a break for lunch (in which the granola bas came in handy). Afterward, Sean instructed everyone in the use of the GPS units, and we split up and hiked around the area, trying to identify prairie and woodland species with the field guides we had brought. James met up with us again about mid-afternoon and took us out into the prairie to collect seeds from sedges. Although the sun beat down mercilessly and the uncut vegetation was uncomfortable to wade through, hunting down seeds gave us all a sense of satisfaction and brought us closer to the endangered eco-system. Unfortunately, some people had to leave early, but before the rest of us could ge too lonely, the pizza arrived from Domino's for dinner. We chowed down, famished and thankful that we had agreed to order jalapeños on the side and not actually on the pizza. As boredom set in after the eal, Helen, the ever-friendly Shaw receptionist/shopkeeper, came to tell us about a night hike she had led to the gravel bar on the Meramec river. After inspecting the route on the map, we decided to give it a try. The one -mile trek was rather wet and muddy, but the gravel bar was verty peaceful, and we spent awhile a while skipping stones on the river and watching the sunset. We returned to take showers and go to sleep in our comfy cabin under a darkening sky. Although we battled waves of ticks under the hot sun, our adventure at Shaw Nature Reserve was really fun. We got to learn more about the prairie eco-system, manual restoration work, and each other, bringing us all closer together.
Posted by Sean Fears at 10:29 AM | Comments (0)
July 08, 2008
ERC Day 2
Edward D.- "Today we continued our study of ecology. We went out to the front prairie to get acquainted with some wildflowers (coneflower, "popular plant" or wild bergamot, etc.,) and plants (cup plants, sedge, Kentucky blue grass, etc.). On the way back to the cabin, we were asked to identify some of the trees near the driveway. Eastern redbud, white oak, and several other oaks were among them. Compound and simple as well as opposite and alternate leaves were the "critical hints" to find the corresponding one in the Missouri tree identification book.
When the clock ticked 10:30, we were on our way to the Shaw Natre Reserve (SNR). Katie, a SNR staff emmber, welcomed us warmly as we entered the magnificent cabin. (I wouldn't say it's better than the LREC's, but it had a whole lot of space!) Then she introduced us to the cabins that we are going to stay the next day. These houses, according to Katie, were originally moved from other plaes. I thought whoever did this had done a nice job. The houses looked in good shape despite the fact that they are old ones.
Wetlands and larger prairies were our next destination. Katie told us that the plants living in the wetlands have an amazing growth rate- a few days ago they were below your knee, and the next thing you know they are going to outgrow your height. Compass plant and other plants were new, too, and many interesting shapes of them will definitely help in memorizing those specimens.
Well, this had been a long day for all of us, epecially for the two instructors- Sean and Leslie. And thanks for Claire's idea at a little interactive game "ice breaker" which helped us to know a little bit more about each other. The next day we will be staying in this absolutely beautiful place in SNR and I'm looking forward to it, definitely."
Posted by Sean Fears at 10:10 AM | Comments (0)
