Slideshow of pictures

Our Earthwatch Expedition--Monitoring Small Mammals

Working in a variety of habitats, from forests to meadows and from wetlands to beaches, we monitored and observeed the behavior of small mammals in the area to determine the impact of climate change and other environmental changes. Drs. Christina Buesching and Chris Newman trained us to establish locations of dens, monitor wildlife trails, and use trapping grids. We also explored how Nova Scotia's wilderness ecosystem copes with the impact of climate change and how it affects the forestry, hunting, and tourism industries so vital to the local economy.

Read about our adventures on an Earthwatch expedition, the Mammals of Nova Scotia

Watch me "scruff" a bog lemming and then "release" it!

Homeward Bound!

What a wonderful experience--I am truly amazed at how much I learned not only from Chris and Christina, but also from my fellow Earthwatch volunteers. Although I am looking forward to going home and seeing my friends, family, and students; I will truly miss my friends family, and students, I will truly miss my friends in Nova Scotia!

The Earthwatch "bus"

The Second Week

voleshrewmouse

What’s the difference?

• Voles—are vegetarians (eat grass mostly)
• Shrews—are insectivores, have long pointy noses and short tails, smaller than voles and mice
• Mice—are scavengers and hunt (will eat almost anything), have bigger ears and eyes, and are agile

Lycos

Green Bay!

Deer tracks
Amy setting traps

A pregnant bog lemming

A tree frog that we caught!


Day 8—Saturday October 6, 2007--Kejikujik National Park

Today was another beautiful day and we were lucky enough to travel to Kejimkujik National Park. “Keji" (which means 'Our Place" in the Mi'Kmaw language) has been designated as a national historic site and is 22 square kilometers of protected wilderness on the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia. Keji plays an important part in the history of the Mi’Kmaq people with its rock carvings—also called petroglyphs—that tell about their culture. I particularly enjoyed our walk through the hemlock forest--look at how tall they are!


Day 9--Sunday October 7, 2007

In the morning, the team analyzed the data that we collected the first week. Chris gave us a crash-course on the “Jolly Seber” method of calculating the population of mammals in the land we surveyed. We used this equation:

(N+R) / R x M = P

(New mammals found + Recaptures) / Recaptures x Mammals marked = Population

Here are the number of animals that should be in the area, according to our data:
White-tailed deer—30
Meadow voles—33
Bog lemmings—at least 3
Short-tailed shrews—at least 3
Mice—at least 1

Chris and Christina were surprised (as we all were) at the small number of mice that were trapped and we discussed the factors that might have effected our count (a cold winter in 06-07, or a late spring thaw are possible reasons).

This afternoon, we drove to Cook’s Lake and once again prepared and set 100 traps, but this time in a forested area. We are interested to see if we will find more or less animals in the traps and what types they will be.


Day 10--Monday October 8, 2007

After taking bets again on how many animals we would find in our traps, we set out for Cook’s Lake after breakfast (estimates ranged from 7 to 14). There were a lot of empty traps this morning and we only found a total of 6 animals all day! We did see a new type of vole, the Red-backed Vole that lives primarily in the forest. We also caught 2 bog lemmings (1 had a remarkably short tail!) and, although slightly disappointed, we know that the following days should be more fruitful.

(Of course we have to rest once in a while....this is a picture of Bob & me soaking up some sun after lunch!)

This afternoon, we split into teams and I helped a group clear a new path so that future groups will be able to navigate the forest easier. Finally, what would a day be without looking for scat? I was very successful again and found deer, porcupine, and even some snowshoe hare poop to add to our data.


Day 11--Tuesday October 9, 2007

Back to checking traps today, but the weather was noticeably cooler! Some rain this morning and the ground was a little muddy. We have been VERY lucky with our weather (last week was65-75 degrees each day!), but this week calls for highs in the 40s. Good
thing I brought a fleece! We also collected our camera traps to see what
had been recorded. Camera trapping provides a limited view of certain animals in their natural habitat that are more difficult to observe in person. The special cameras that we used are triggered by movement and equipped with electronic lighting to record these animals’ activities. Trapping larger mammals can pose the threat of injury to the animal, so camera "traps" are the least invasive option.

Day 12--Wednesday October 10, 2007

The last day in the field turned out to be a wet and rainy day. This morning, we collected the traps and checked one last time for any "friends". Our team (me, Amy & Bob) had 5 closed doors, but 5 empty traps! After watching our fellow volunteers "scruff" their voles and bog lemmings, we went to collect all 100 traps and clean them, since we are the last team for the season. The next tasks were doing a botanical survey of the trees in specific areas and taking down the gazebo. One last "Survival Skills" session and our days at Cook's Lake were over........so sad!
Chris treated us to a geology seminar this evening and I certainly learned a lot about how this area of Nova Scotia was formed (and also about Chris' extensive knowledge of the topic!)

Day 13--Thursday October 11, 2007

This morning we used the data that we had collected while trapping in the forest to calculate how many animals SHOULD be in the area we've been working in......
Red-backed voles--20
Meadow voles--2
Bog Lemmings--10
It was once again surprising that we found NO mice in the area (the only mice that we've trapped this week were in our own yellow house!)



The Yellow House

Some information about the animal that we saw most often this week........red-backed voles are small rodents that have limited hearing and vision, and freeze when they see predators. For these reasons they often become prey for foxes, weasel, bobcat, coyote, owls, and raptors. How do they survive as a species? They rely on protection from the underground, and loose fitting skin that allows them to turn around when caught and bite their predators on the nose. The skin of their tail can break off if a predator grabs it and it will not grow back.

The First Week

Day 1—Saturday, September 29, 2007
We arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Met our fellow Earthwatch volunteers at the airport and waited to be picked up. After a 2-hour ride to our house in Cherry Hill, we ate dinner and got to know one another a little better.

Our Expedition Team

• Drs. Christina Buesching and Chris Newman—Principal Investigators, University of Oxford
• Jennifer Griffith—2nd Grade Teacher, Chicago, IL
• Amy Andrews—3rd Grade Teacher, Chicago, IL
• Bob Minoff—5th Grade Teacher, Long Island, NY
• Sharon Avis—Bank Compliance Manager, England, U.K.
• Carole Bradley—Retired Music Teacher, Richmond, VA
• Elaine Clubley—OR Technician, England, U.K.
• Lyman Davenport—Radiologist, Providence, RI
• Karen Elder—Telephone Co. Compliance Manager, England, U.K.
• Catherine Harkness—Physician, England, U.K.
• Cheryl Liddiard—Midwife, England, U.K.
• Jane O’Shaughnessy—Civil Servant, Ireland, U.K.
• Joan McBain—Retired, Hartford, CT
• Lycos—Chris & Christina’s dog and team mascot

Day 2—Sunday, September 30th
This morning, we had an introductory talk about Mammal Monitoring Science by Dr. Chris Newman. He informed us of the research that has taken place in Wytham Woods, England for the past 20 years. We learned about why it is important to monitor mammals* and characteristics of mammals*. He went over the list of animals that we will be looking for at Cook’s Lake beginning tomorrow:

• shrews (3 types), mice (2 types), voles (2 types), porcupines, chipmunks, bog lemmings, deer moose, snakes (4 types), skunks, bobcats, marmots, showshoe hares, owls, woodpeckers, eagles, beavers, otters, badgers

This afternoon, we went on an 8-mile walk beginning at Broad Cove and ending at Green Bay. We were very excited to find quite a bit of “scat” (or “poop”) that we are learning to identify. (Recognizing important “Field Signs”, such as droppings and footprints are indirect methods of studying animals when direct methods aren’t available.)

• “Scat” that we saw today--porcupine, muscrat, otter, deer, and raccoon
• Tracks that we saw today--bobcat, deer, and raccoon.
• Animals that we saw today--deer, a worm snake, and harbor seals (look and listen to the video below)

Day 3—Monday, October 1, 2007

Today we went to Cook’s Lake and learned about the history of the land from Christina. She took us on a tour of the area and showed us many interesting field signs, such as a porcupine latrine (full of porcupine “scat”) and the remnants of a porcupine that had been killed by a fisher. Nearby, we saw porcupine tracks and scratch marks on a tree.

The BIG find of the day were fresh black bear tracks! Christina pointed out that the varied paw and footprints meant that there were 2 different bears, most likely a mother and a cub. Tomorrow we will set camera traps and hope to get some video of them!

This afternoon, we set our small mammal traps (100 of them!) and split up into 5 teams to place them systematically into the area of the “grassland” that has been set aside for our team. Amy, Bob, and I set our 20 traps and hoped for the best!


Day 4—Tuesday, October 2, 2007

We were so excited to check our traps this morning……at breakfast, I took bets on which team would have the most closed traps and how many total living mammals we would have as a team. Our team (Team E) was very proud to have 4 of the 16 total traps that had closed doors (meaning something was inside—at least we hoped!)

Christina taught us how to safely check the trap, “scruff” the vole, shrew, lemming, or whatever we might have caught, and then we were each able to take a turn. In all, we had 11 live mammals (and one dead shrew L). We learned how to “clip” the mammal (cut a small section of the guard hair in order to mark it in case of recapture) and then returned the live animals back to their exact spot of capture.

After resetting the traps, we went on a “Scat hunt” (literally looking for poop!) I have to say that I was VERY good at it and found the most of the group—I was awarded an honorary “Poo H.D.”

Why look for “scat”?

1. It is evidence that an animal has been there which helps us monitor that animal’s population

• For example, too many deer can destroy a particular habitat for other animals—eating too much vegetation can deplete the protective covering and food source for meadow voles, mice, shrews, squirrels, etc. and make it difficult for plants to regenerate

2. Education about particular animals:

• It tells what the animal has been eating
• Shows where the animals live since “scat” marks an animal’s territory
• Helps us identify and monitor diseases (such as the brainworm in deer), DNA, and hormones in animals

After lunch, we set camera traps in strategic locations, hoping that over the next 5 or 6 days we’ll get pictures of some mammals while we aren’t there. Again in the afternoon, we checked our traps and were delighted to find 5 more live mammals as a group, for a total of 16…..not bad for the first day!

Day 5--Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2007
We checked our traps again today and found 5 traps with doors closed. When we emptied them, we had caught 4 meadow voles (one sneaky critter had escaped through the "shrew hole!) After lunch, the team divided into 2 groups and worked on helping clear new paths for Cook's Lake.

Day 6--Thursday, Oct. 4, 2007

After our last check, we brought in all of the traps (they weren't that easy to find!) and counted up how many animals we monitored over the 3 days.

Out of 100 traps set, we caught:

• Day 1—11 live mammals
• Day 2—14 live mammals
• Day 3—17 live mammals

(unfortunately, we did find a few dead shrews)

After lunch, we went to the nearby town of Liverpool to take in some sights, do laundry and use the internet!

I am so sorry that I haven't been able to write in my blog for a few days........we're in a VERY remote part of Nova Scotia! I'll have better access to e-mail later in the week and I promise to post all of the wonderful pictures that I've taken and information that I'm learning. We're working hard, but having a wonderful time!
I miss my class, but will be able to teach you so much more when I get back!

Love,
Mrs. Griffith

I'm Here!

I arrived in Halifax safely and can't wait to tell you more about what I'll be doing......it's a beautiful day! More later!

Getting Ready!

I'm getting ready to leave (only 6 more days!) and there's too much to do......it's going to be hard to leave my 2 dogs, 21 students, and (of course) my husband. But I can't wait to get to get started on my adventure!
I'll be gone from September 29th-October 12th, so check back often to see what I've been up to!