The Joker

Some thoughts

Dear Jr. Rangers

I was sitting here making books today when it struck me how very lucky I am in my work, it's something I do with great joy.  Every day is a gift and a blessing that is the people with whom I share this work, share the load, the love, the responsibility of protecting this fragile little piece of Nantucket called the UMass, Nantucket Field Station.  Dr. Oktay, UMass Boston, and the Nantucket Conservation Foundation all hold your service in the highest regard.  Your work has won high praise from the hundreds of people that you've taken for walks on this property. You have my profound thanks and appreciation for a job well done. You are friends and more than that, you are heroes because you did a hard job for the love of the work that needed doing. 

Bravo, Jr. Rangers.

Orion

Molly

Raymond

Henry

Anjali

Sonia

Clyde

Francis

Leland

Eliza

Nick

Benjamin

Holly

Avery

Claire

Mack

Gigi

Nicholas

Sawyer

Beck

Bravo!

    

Sesarma Reticulatum by Nicholas M.

Sesarma are a species of crab that are also called the purple marsh crab or marsh crab. They are nocturnal but sometimes will come out at daytime. Like the name suggests they are purple and have a carapace that grows to 1 inch long. Their carapace has a notch that goes along the middle. Their favorite food is marsh grass, which is why they are such a danger. The marsh grass is what is holding the marsh together and if it is eaten it could kill the marsh and the animals in the marsh. They are also known to occasionally prey on fiddler crabs. The marsh crab lives in burrows that they make in the mud of the marsh. One way to tell if there are marsh crabs around is if there is marsh grass missing in certain areas and lots of holes in the mud. The marsh crabs are dangerous because of how they disrupt the ecosystem of the salt marsh by eating at the marsh grass. If the ecosystem is disrupted populations of other animals can rapidly rise and fall. If the natural predators of the marsh crab are preying on it then it will be fine but if the predators are removed by a different animal such as humans the population of the marsh crabs can go out of control and destroy the ecosystem. The marsh crab can help the ecosystem or be a menace to it. If we take care of the ecosystem by limiting hunting and fishing then everything will stay in balance but if we do not limit the killing of animals for sport then we are disturbing the balance of the ecosystem which can have catastrophic results.

Good Art by H. P. Lovecraft

“Good art means the ability of any one man to pin down in some permanent and intelligible medium a sort of idea of what he sees in Nature that nobody else sees. In other words, to make the other fellow grasp, through skilled selective care in interpretative reproduction or symbolism, some inkling of what only the artist himself could possibly see in the actual objective scene itself.”

– Letter to Woodburn Harris (25 February-1 March 1929), quoted in “H.P. Lovecraft, a Life” by S.T. Joshi, p. 487

- See more at: http://disinfo.com/2014/08/remembering-h-p-lovecraft/#sthash.dhbmJ3Bw.dpuf

Sesarma Crabs by Flano

sesarma crabs are like any other

except for the fact that they are quite a bugger

munch munch munch they go

eating away the marsh to and fro

borrowing down deep in their holes

tunneling around just like moles

these crabs may seem harmless enough

they aren't really big or buff

but if green crabs aren't around

our beautiful marsh will no longer be found

out they come as the sun goes down

filling the marsh with their own kind of town

these purple creatures get eaten by predators

which for the marsh is better

but if the predators get eaten or die

the marsh will not survive

1st day re-cap by Macknoodle

On my first day as a Jr. Ranger I arrived at 9am.   Mom  wrote  her  phone  number  in  my  journal  in case  of  an  emergency.  Then, Claire arrived.  After Claire, Anjali and Sonia came.

We all went on a walk with Len. Anjali and Sonia lead the walk.  We saw lots of plants and Len helped us identify some of the plants.

After our walk we drew pictures of what we did and funny things.  I drew a pictures of my brother Henry eating poison ivy.

After we drew pictures, Len told us to go down to the beach and collect shells.

Len snuck up on us on the beach and looked at the shells.

We went back to the garage and ate snacks.  After snacks we went back to the beach to swim.

Our moms came to pick us up at 1 o'clock and we went home.

My first day at the Field Station was awesome.

GIANT DEATH WASP by Raymond M.

     

THERE ONCE WAS A MAN NAMED LENNY. HE WAS A SCIENTIST

WHO EXPERIMENTED ON CROSS SPECIES GENETICS. LENNY IS ALSO MARRIED TO A SCIENTIST WHO IS A BIOCHEMIST.

HER NAME IS SARAH WHO ALSO iS A VERY GOOD SCIENTIST. SHE ALSO IS THE ONE WHO ALWAYS CLEANS UP WHEN LENNY EXPLODES SOMETHING. NOW THESE SCIENTIST ARE ALSO IN CHARGE OF An ELITE GROUP OF KIDS CALLED THE JR. RANGERS. THE JR. RANGERS ARE THE EXPLORERS AND SOME ARE Scientist's TOO. THEY WORK  FOR THEM TESTING, and Exploring THE UNKNOWN LANDSCAPE CALLED THE FIELD STATION. THE FIELD STATION IS PART JUNGLE PART OCEAN WITH MANY PONDS AND ALSO PART MARSH. THIS GROUP HAS  SEVERAL LEADERS SUCH AS 

CAPTAIN RAYMOND

CAPTAIN MOLLARD

LIEUTENANT LELAND

LIEUTENANT  CLYDE

LIEUTENANT ORION
Sgt. Holly

THESE ARE THE EXPLORERS.

BEFORE, LENNY HAD COME UP WITH A FORMULA THAT COULD TURN WASPS INTO GIANT CREATURES OF UNKNOWN POWER,

BUT SADLY THE FORMULA GOT STOLEN BY A EVIL SCIENTIST NAMED SWEDGN COCKERPOODLE. HE TOOK THAT FORMULA BACK TO HIS LAB AND ADDED RADIOACTIVE MATTER WHICH TURNED THESE WASPS INTO GIANT KILLING MACHINES AND THEN HE BRED A SPECIAL KIND OF WASP, WHERE IF A HUMAN WAS STUNG BY ONE AND NOT TREATED IN THE NEXT 24 HOURS THEY WOULD PERISH. THEN HE UNLEASHED THE ARMY ON THE FIELD STATION. THESE WASPS DUG CAR SIZED HOLES IN THE SAND AND ANY CREATURE THAT EVEN CAME CLOSE TO THE HOLE WOULD PROBABLY BE GRABBED AND DRAGGED INTO THE HOLE AND GET EGGS deposited ON THEM.

THE NEXT DAY THE JR. RANGERS SET OUT ON THEIR HUNT TO EXPLORE THE HOLES THAT THE WASPS HAVE DUG. BEFORE THE JR. RANGERS GO, SARAH TELLS THEM SHE HAS SOMETHING THEY WILL NEED ON THE EXPLORATION. SARAH COMES OUT WITH THESE SUPER SUITS THAT CAN WITHSTAND THE WASPS POTENT STING. SHE ALSO OUTFITS THEM WITH TRANQUILIZER PISTOLS THAT CAN SUBDUE THE WASPS LONG ENOUGH TO ESCAPE, THEN THE JR. RANGERS SET OUT TO EXPLORE THE WASP NEST. AT THE FIRST ONE THEY SEE, THERE IS SOMETHING SUSPICIOUS. THERE IS NO WASP GUARDING  THE NEST SO THE JR. RANGERS JUST WALK RIGHT IN AND ALL OF A SUDDEN DOZENS OF WASPS COME SWARMING OUT WITH TREMENDOUS FORCE TO ATTACK THE JR. RANGERS AND BY THE TIME THEY WAKE UP THEY ARE ALL IN THE EGG LAYING CHAMBER OF THE NEST WITH EGGS ON TOP OF THEM. THEY SEE THAT LENNY AND SARAH HAVE BEEN TRAPPED TOO SO THEY GET THE EGGS OFF THEMSELVES AND TRY TO GET OUT BUT IT JUST TAKES THEM DEEPER.THEN THEY SEE THAT ALL THE ANIMALS THAT HAVE BEEN STUNG HAVE SUPER SIZE AND THEY SEE THAT THEY ARE IN A CHAMBER FILLED WITH GIANT ANIMALS. THEY REALIZE THAT IT WAS A BIG MISTAKE, BUT WHEN THEY HEAD FOR THE ENTRANCE THEY REALIZE THE ANIMALS HAVE TAKEN THEM HOSTAGE, BUT LUCKILY THE SUPER SUITS HAVE A DRILL. UNFORTUNATELY THE DRILL CAN NOT CUT THROUGH THE SAND WITHOUT IT COLLAPSING IN ON THEM SO THEY GET ANOTHER PLAN TO USE ONE OF THE GIANT ANIMALS TO DIG OUT. THEY GET ON  A VOLE AND DIG INTO THE TUNNEL AND THEN THEY SEE THE WASPS ARE WAITING FOR THEM AND START ATTACKING BUT THE JR. RANGERS PULL OUT THEIR TRANQUILIZER GUNS AND TAKE THEM DOWN IN MINUTES.THEY COLLECT PLENTY OF SAMPLES AND GET BACK AND FIND SWEDGN COCKERPOODLE STEALING IMPORTANT DATA THAT THEY RISKED THEIR LIVES FOR. ALL OF A SUDDEN - ROBOTS ATTACK THEM, BUT LUCKILY THE JR. RANGERS AND SCIENTISTS KNOW KARATE  AND BEAT THE ROBOTS, BUT SWEDGN COCKERPOODLE HAD ALREADY GOT AWAY.  LUCKILY SARAH HAD A ANTI EVIL SERUM THAT CAN TURN SWEDGN COCKERPOODLE GOOD AGAIN SO THEN CAPTAIN RAYMOND TOOK THE SERUM AND PUT IT IN A DART AND GOT SWEDGN COCKERPOODLE AND TURNED HIM BACK TO NORMAL AND THEN THEY USED THE DATA TO DEFEAT THE Giant DEATH WASPS, AND THEY ALL CELEBRATED.

Sesarma Reticulatum- The Purple Marsh Crab, Aliens and the fall of Humanity: by Sawyer

     According to humans the purple marsh crab is an Earth evolved, carbon based life form, of the Kingdom Animalia. Sadly for Earth, humans are wrong. the "crabs" are not actually crabs, but small alien drones from Gliese 581 d. These aliens have had an over population crisis on their home planet and are looking for another habitable planet to bring the queen. Unfortunately humans think not enough predators are eating the purple marsh crabs, well in truth the queen is simply sending more drones. Once the number of crabs is uncontrollable, they will go through a sort of transformation much like that of a pupating insect. After three days the drones will emerge. They will begin to exterminate dangerous life forms and keep the rest as food. The queen will then land and start laying eggs. This could be prevented by exterminating every last purple marsh crab, but humans are simply to ignorant to believe this passage.

Sorry humans.

Thursday at the FS

Thursday 8/21 and the field station is humming.  Molly, Clyde, Orion, and Raymond took these folks on a nature walk.  Check back here later for all the details.  

The Rangers are interested in the varied bug life that crawls all over the Golden Rod.  Might the galls on the PI have any connection?

The first to ID this plant wins a Jr. Ranger patch.

Ditto

Cover Art for the new book

Still a work in progress

On the workbench

Silence in the marsh by Beck B.

      After mucking about in the marsh I kayaked out into a corner of the pond.

I stopped, put my head back and listened to the many sounds of the field station. 

The rustling of the grasses, the call of the egret,

The sounds of planes flying overhead.

The whistling wind, the ripple of water, 

And as I lay there, the warm sun ran up my body and sent me into a period of deep relaxation.

It's times like this when you can forget all the negative thoughts and troubles of everyday life and let the water hold you. 

And I was in this period for a long time, until I heard a familiar sound from Flano.

"Becky G singing in the shower! Dancing in the mirror!"

That's not a relaxing sound and it brought me back, but if you need a place of retreat then just find a quiet spot and lie for a bit. It grounds you in the most relaxing way possible. 

But we all have our Flanos.

Flano with glove on head.

hbhplc

*From Wikipedia

Howard Phillips Lovecraft  - August 20, 1890 – March 15, 1937) — known as H.P. Lovecraft — was an American author who achieved posthumous fame through his influential works of horror fiction. Virtually unknown and only published in pulp magazines before he died in poverty, he is now regarded as one of the most significant 20th-century authors in his genre.*

Many of our Jr. Rangers are huge fans of the man and his work.  Today we'll celebrate his influence on our writing by looking for things with tentacles and fangs. 

Joe The Squid by Clyde K.

            Hello, my name is Joe and I’m a squid who lives in a tank at the Field Station, bored out of my mind. Let me tell you my story:

            I used to live in a creek, swimming peacefully and going wherever I wanted, whenever I wanted. I lived like that for years until a messenger shrimp started knocking on my Eelgrass apartment door. Uh-oh, I thought when I saw the shrimp’s scrawny little turned-out face. It was Bob, the emergency messenger, the guy who mailed the important stuff.

            It was a warning that The Wild Leonard had reunited with the Wild Junior Rangers! Luckily, we had already had our armies set up: the Moon Jellies that could sting, the pinching crabs, the biting Deerflies and Mosquitos, we thought we were set. BIG mistake. When the Deerflies bit, the Wild Leonard stuck them to the Hat Of Death! Mosquitos, bug spray. Moon Jellies, simply avoid them (they don’t move so great). Crabs, shoes. 

            The Wild Leonard and his Wild Junior Rangers stuck, sprayed, and dodged their way over to the creek. The first one there was a Wild Junior Ranger who looked very sure of himself. At this point, I tried to hide, but he saw me first. “Hey, Lenny,” said the Wild Junior Ranger, “I want to catch that squid!”. “Sure, Raymond”, said the Wild Leonard, who had just caught up. “Go catch some squid.*Hissss*”.

 

            To be continued (Dun dun dun…)

So, back to how I ended up in this dump of a tank; I was running away from a psychopath of a Wild Junior Ranger called (sly) Raymond(o),who was gripping a fiendish extraction device called a “net”. All of the fish neighboring my apartment were all safe inside their homes of seaweed and looking at me like, Sorry, dude. You’re on your own!

            Meanwhile, the Wild Leonard and his Wild Junior Rangers were launching their plans about how they would catch me, which I didn’t notice until later. “Use poison,” a Wild Junior Ranger called Captain Mollard said.  “No, no you fools!”, said the Wild Leonard. “the Evil Antibiologist Sarah wants the beast alive! I sure hope you like to seine.”.

            As I swam for my life, I tried to lose Sly Raymondo by making the giant of a boy fall down. I weaved and zig-zagged around until Sly Raymondo slipped and fell flat on his face! I didn’t waste my chance. I scurried up and inked him!

“AAH! MY EYEEEEEEES!” , he said as the ink stung his face, dying it black. As I chuckled to myself, feeling rather clever, Captain Mollard and Leland the Vicious jumped out from behind the Island ‘o’ Death (a sandbar) and started lumbering after me. Hmm, they’re moving pretty slowly, I thought as I darted away, and they are splashing a ton. I realized that it was a trap one moment too late. Just before I fell in the seining net, I vaguely saw the Wild Leonard and his minion Wild Junior Ranger ‘o’Ryan Orion.

            Then, I (along with a few Silversides) got pulled onto the beach where the Wild Leonard and his Wild Junior Rangers observed me cruelly until I blacked out and woke up in the horrid tank I told you about. So, yippee for me and my grand old life.

                                         THE END

Marsh Walk and Ripe Blackberries

Kendrick St. Blues a great way to start the day.

It's Blackberry time!

Clyde,Joey, And Raymond.

The Mollard.

Field Station Nature Walk- Future by Clyde K.

Hello, welcome to the UMASS Field Station. Here we have 943,023,471 square ricinths (5.453 square miles, 46.874 square werts, 671,209,675,391,039,472,340 cube inchletmini10s) of conserved land. To the right we have Red Cedar, used to make tea, gin and bandcop. Also, growing on it is eraperash ivy, evolving from the rare and elusive poison ivy. Eraperash ivy senses heat, and if a living thing touches it, it’ll wrap around the living thing and give it an excruciatingly itchy rash that can be fatal if itched too much. Also, it never intends to let go. It had a cousin called Virginia Creeper, but that went extinct. Up here, we have a troublesome plant called Fox Grapes because the first person who looked at it thought its leaves looked like a fox head. It is troublesome because it would’ve outgrown everything here if we hadn’t fenced it off. I will resume your private tour later, in which you will learn about the Wild Leonard, a hostile humanoid creature.     

 Alright, step right up if you want to continue your tour

so I can finally tell you about the rare Wild Leonard. The Wild Leonard is an extraordinary creature that can be seen running around, drooling and hissing uncontrollably around the property, capturing Wild Junior Rangers. It does this by whacking the Wild Junior Ranger upside the head and then bringing it back to its cave, where the Wild Leonard robs the Wild Junior of its Reese’s Creme Pie and Italian Ice.

Then, the Wild Leonard goes off to look for more Wild Junior Rangers after devouring the pie. We think that the Wild Leonard used to be a guy called Lenny. Apparently, Lenny used to be in charge of the Wild Junior Rangers. Supposedly, the Wild Junior Rangers stole his Reese’s Creme Pie and he was so annoyed, he went crazy and turned into the Wild Leonard.

Also, around here you will find the carnivorous Goatium (its favorite food is goats) evolving from Codium. It can grow up to 34 tets or 4 feet long. Also, we have Cobragrass (it looks like a Cobra) which evolves from Eelgrass. It’s so big, it can eat a Bluefish whole!

We will finish your tour here after lunch. 

             

Wednesday and Thursday in Pictures

The Jewel Weed is in bloom

Sweet Pepper Bush too.

The Wednesday crew goes on a nature walk

Dr, Boyle's students from UMass Boston at work in the lab.

Marsh Wren

Jr Ranger checklist by Flano

What you need to bring to the field station

A Smile- A smile goes a long way

A good attitude- only show up if you want to not because you are forced

Water- This is a necessity, you are going to spend five hours there

Towel- It is always good to have, otherwise you will freeze after getting out of the water

Bathing Suit- Wear it to the field station, you never know when you are going to get wet

Lunch- Something big enough to hold you off till one

Water shoes- Because we go to the marsh, the beach and go in kayaks

Notebook- To write stuff down and for beautiful drawings

Writing utensil- Pen or pencil, pens are better because no need to sharpen

Closed shoes- For if you have to do work or go in the lab

Monday Avacado and Seeweed trained our newest Jr. Rangers

Seeweed, Mack, Claire, and Avacado on a plant ID walk,

Gathering shells from the beach 

Correct ID wins you a Jr. Ranger patch

Ditto

Mack

Claire

Why You Bugging? by Len

Sit down to sketch

That which is framed

By the mood you’re 

In

Around the shoreline

Manmade pond

Walk

A moment or two before sunrise

Avian murmur aligns with the spinning hum of the

Almost syncopated not quite rock and roll

Dance

The morning light reveals flags unfurled

Hundreds of spider webs dappled

Dew and insect

Sing

Box on a pole

With a hole

At water’s edge

Babies stuffed like Cannoli  

Beaks smearcaked with bug bits

Sprinkle

By midmorning all but one will fledge

Out of the frying pan and

So it goes

Blue and white

A tree sparrow

Wings its way straight at you

Duck

A Cormorant

Great and Snowy Egrets perched

Circles in the sand

At water’s edge

Blue Gills nesting

Deer Fly

Swat

Thursday - A Walk in the Blue

Mollard and Raymondo take Joey and his dad for a walk this morning.

We met some friends on the way.

Exploring Folger's Marsh

Francis, Beck, Sawyer, and Nicholas take a close look at one of the collection devices used by the research scientists from UMass. Boston.  

Sketch books in hand the Rangers draw what they see.

Scientists busy collecting samples. 

Biology class from UMass. Boston.