More Eel data

Eel # 2 trapped by the Jr. Rangers today, 6/27/14.  18 1/2 inches long, circumference 1.884.  Data gathered by Nick D., Henry F., and Beck B.

A great first day

My day at the Field Station, Thursday June 26, 2014, by Nick D.

First I was driven to the Field at 9:30 am to be greeted with Lenny and Molly.

Then Lenny asked us to paddle out on the canoe and kayak and set some eel traps and told us how they work. After we were done setting the traps and taking pictures we went back to Lenny and he told us to go to the marsh. When we were at the marsh I got on a single kayak an Eliza and Molly took a double. It took about five minutes to get Eliza and Molly in the water on their kayak. After we were done getting everybody in the water we went to get an eel trap in which I found out how slow Eliza and Molly are when they kayak together.

After we got the trap and went back to Lenny we had lunch. I had some bread and butter pickles from Lenny. After lunch we took Lenny’s dog to the beach. After that we finished the day off with separating moths and mosquitoes for a test.  It was a great first day!

Be it Zombie Apocalypse - by Sawyer P.

Being a Junior Ranger would be a great experience.  I would like to be a part of the UMass Field Station on Nantucket.  I would like to be a Jr. Ranger because I am interested in science and the natural world.  Flora and fauna are both so amazing.  The way animals and place interact with each other and their habitat compels me.  The Field Station is full of life, life I would like to explore.

            Another thing that intrigues me is plant remedies.  Natural medicines, in my opinion, are a good thing to know.  There are a lot of plants with medicinal uses at the Field Station, many of which I don't know.  I suspect that being a Junior Ranger would bring many of these plants to my attention. In the long run this would help with wilderness survival.  Be it Zombie Apocalypse or plane crash, it would help.

            I hope to be a Junior Ranger, and expand my knowledge of the natural world.

Sawyer P.

Swegen by Claire M.

Swegen is a dog and he likes to fetch sticks.  He has big brown eyes that you can almost see smile. He also has a huge dark brown nose and curly light brown fur.  When I take a pen or pencil out of my bag I’ll start to write about Swegen. Swegen and I like to swim in the harbor together and Swegen will drop his stick on the shore then I pick it up and throw the stick also he’ll go and get it. But sometimes I have to get him a new stick because Swegen and I break it and boy I have learned lots of things about nature on my first day of Junior Rangers.

Nick Day One

            Nicholas M.

 

                                                                             6-25-14

                                                                             Junior Rangers

          The first day back at Junior Rangers was wonderful. The Junior Rangers that I had been working with for the first day were Raymond, Anjali, and Sonya. For the fist day I was checking traps the majority of the time. But before that we had to check the beach to get rid of any seaweed that had washed up. While we were wandering along the beach we saw a gigantic swarm of hermit crabs. After that we went to check the eel traps.  The first trap was on the trail you go down to enter the field station. When we lifted the trap out of the water we found a baby snapping turtle. The next trap was much harder to reach since it was out at the end of the saltmarsh. Raymond and me would have to take the kayaks to reach the trap. After a long kayak ride we found the trap and lifted it up out of the water. It had trapped a crab, a fish, and most importantly an eel. When we had brought the trap back to land Lenny opened it to show what it had caught to some people who were visiting Nantucket. We got rid of the crab and put the eel in a tube so we could determine its length. Then we had to bring the trap all the way back into the salt marsh. After that we went back to the beach for some fun. I spent my time on the beach by digging a hole that was constantly caving itself in over and over. Then when the time to leave came I packed up everything I had brought that day and went home. The first day of Junior Rangers was very successful.

Eel days at the field station

Dr, Oktay asked that the Jr. Rangers help to continue some Eel research begun this year by students of The Nantucket Semester.  Raymond and Nicholas have some data boated.

As we prepared to process our findings a family group stopped by for a look see.

The trap placed at the Life Saving Museum end of the marsh had this beauty inside.  13 inches long and a 1/2 inch wide. She was released that same morning back into the marsh 

We placed a trap where the pond empties into the marsh.  This snapping turtle is now a summer resident of our fresh water exhibit in the field station laboratory. 

Come take a walk at the field station - Lots to see and do.

Guided Nature Walks

UMass. Nantucket Field Station

180 Polpis Rd.

Daily M-F at 10 AM – gather in front of the laboratory

Other times by appointment

Free and open to the public

Come learn some of the history of the field station, its varied habitats, and inhabitants on a walk with the NCF/UMass Jr. Rangers.

For more about the field station and our programs please contact us:

(508) 228-5268

Or

www.umb.edu/nantucket

Plant Galls

Molly inspects Galls along the path walked this past Tuesday.  The first are Midge Fly galls you'll find on Fox Grape. The last picture is a Spiny Rose gall that harbors a wasp.  Molly will be writing about this and other Jr. Ranger activity on Thursday.

Making Books

Seeweed, Avacado, Mollard, and Cate make books.

Mollard will be editing the blog page this year and co-edit this years book.

Clyde - Our Newest Jr. Ranger

Our newest Jr. Ranger, Clyde helped gather data during a recent horseshoe crab survey.