Week 3 (I couldn't think of any clever title)

So I went a little longer than a week to post this.  That is why I put in my first blog that I would "try" to post every week.  It has been a pretty busy week and weekend, hence, not having time to post on here.  I was busy trying to figure stuff out for this program that I am running and then the weekend was jam packed with trying to figure out the call of one bird.  Finally figured it out though; it was the house wren.  Now I can sleep at night.  Well lets get to the point on how the week went. 

As you may recall from last week I mentioned that Montezuma NWR and Montezuma winery were teaming up to host an event called "Wildflowers and Wine".  If you did not go, you missed out.  Thanks to my parents who came out to support me and allowed me to take them on a tour of the meadows. My official job there was to man one of the booths.  I gave people information about the refuge and tried to entertain them with my delightful personality.  I encouraged kids to go on a scavenger hunt on a mile long trail even though clearly their parents did not want to go, but they gave in.  I mean how can you say no when your kid wants to get invovled with nature while also getting a good workout.  I don't blame them for not wanting to go though.  That wine was good.  I was supposed to do a bug sweep event with the kids too (or adults if they were really interested), but no one wanted to partake. That was pretty much the entire day with a little bit of add ons that are of no importance here.  I got to enjoy some time off afterwards then started the work week back up with a little time in the marsh. 

                                                                Day 1: Hand-pulling frogbit

After my "weekend" I started off again getting my hands dirty in the marshes of Montezuma.  I made the mistake of opting out of using the canoe and going in the waters with old sneakers and shorts. and yes I was wearing a shirt, too. I can't even count the number of times I sank down in that muck over my knees.  That is probably because I wasn't keeping count anyways.  There was a couple times I had to grab someones hand to pull me out.  We were out pulling frogbit again in the main pool.  For those of you that don't remember, frogbit is a tiny lily pad-like invasive species that creates a mat on the surface of the water.  The picture to the left represents the lily pad.  If you are interested in looking up the fogbit, google.com is a great site for that. So I eventually broke down and used a canoe out there to get me around after sinking in so many times.  I was much smoother sailing after that.  We ended up pulling about 225lbs of frogbit today.   

Day 2: Project assignment
I am to create a program for the general public and educate them on stuff.   I have no idea what I am going to do.  Actually I know exactly what I am going to do now, but I want to make it sound like I am typing on this exact day.  So I didn't mention it for Day 1, but the afternoon was spent reading a book to help teach me and give me some insight about environmental interpretation.  Now today I need to get things ready and put my ideas on paper.  I now have a basic idea of what I am going to.  My plan is to take people out for a nice canoe trip and explore the lands around Montezuma.  I made flyers and prepared some other paperwork for this event, but it is still a work in progress. 

Day 3: Explore
So before I can take anyone on a paddle through the waters, I need to explore things first myself.  So that was my day.  I went kayaking on the canal for about 5 hours.  It felt great to get outside too.  The weather was perfect, the sun was shining, and the temperature was not too hot.  I had belted kingfishers flying all around me, I had eagles spook off branches and sore right above me, and I got to see a large snapping turtle up close and personal; it was dead.  Oh and I got to walk through a patch of poison ivy without even noticing. Luckily I don't get bothered by it (that is for now).  So the day was pretty eventful.   I got some paperwork done in the office and did what I needed to for other projects going on. I will definately need to go out again though to see more.

Day 4: Frogbit again

So another day out on the marsh pulling frogbit.  We went to a different pool this time and the majority of the work was done from the canoe.  We did have to get out of the canoe a couple times though to pull this stuff.  It was refreshing getting out of the hot sun and into the cool water.  The sun was blazing on us the whole time and we were paddling through thick cattails.  There were times that we had to put the paddles down and pull ourselves through. So that water was a nice break.  We also got mobbed by black terns.  I didn't lose an eye or anything, but they would not leave us alone until we were far away from their nests. Life is dangerous out in the backwaters of Montezuma.  So far to date, we have handpulled about 1000 lbs of frogbit from the pools and more expected to follow.

So you might be wondering, how come no Day 5, and my answear is because I didn't put day 5 on here.  So in closing for the week, it was awesome.  I got to experience a lot and enjoy the sights, all while at work.  After three weeks, I am starting to get in the swing of things and learning new stuff.  I am so happy to be working here over the summer and I am hoping that everyday is as enjoyable as the last. Tune in for next weeks blog which should be coming up soon because I am already going through week 4.  You might enjoy that one.  I got some good stuff to tell.  Bye!!!

Oh, species list:

Rose-breasted grosbeak, gray catbird, cedar waxwing, yellow warbler, spotted sandpiper, killdeer, American Bald Eagle (Mature), Yeti, American crow, barn swallow, osprey, bufflehead, pied-billed grebe, green heron, great blue heron, brown headed cowbird, common grackle, brown thrasher, red-bellied woodpecker, belted kingfisher, eastern wood peewee, polar bear, savannah sparrow, stripped skunk

Biologist for a week

Ok, so I was not actually the biologist for the week, but you can imagine what it would be like if I was. I did get to work with the refuge's biologist as a tech though. What fun I had doing this. Imagine walking through a cattail marsh in chest deep waters wearing your nice work clothes and hip boots. Now picture a mature bald eagle with its brilliant white head and razor sharp talons circling over head while you are navigating your way diligently through the thick cattails trying not to step in that black hole. You watch and you follow the eagle as it circles directly under the sun. You cuss, but when you finally get your vision back, you witness this eagle swoop down so gracefully and silent as to not scare his prey. He reaches in and grabs an unsuspecting fish from the waters and carries it off to the trees where he enjoys a hardy breakfast overlooking the cattail marsh. This is just something I get to enjoy while out at work in the marshes of Montezuma.

But it wasn't just about sitting back, relaxing, and enjoying the view. I was out there getting my hands dirty, sweating out the water I just drank, and getting slapped in the face by cattails ready for pollination. I was losing weight, but gaining it back once the waters came over the hip boots. But I knew it was for a good cause. I was protecting and conserving habitat for the wildlife that we all value in one form or another. The entire week was focused on the removal of invasive plant species that cause harm to our native plants. I also got to help out with a black tern survey that was both productive and not productive all at the same time.

Day 1: Removal of Canada thistle
It was rainy and miserable the entire day. I wore my wet suit, but I still felt water dripping down my back. We got the weed whackers ready with the saw blades attached and loaded up the DR mower onto the trailer. We drove out to the site where we had seen most of the thistle and began to cut. It was still raining. We tried the mower, but it kept bogging down because it was clumping up underneath. It was useless. The rest of the day was weed whacking our way to victory. We finally got to our last sight and there sitting in the marsh is a juvenile bald eagle waiting for his prey. What a beautiful creature he is. He spots us and flies off to another area. We continue to on our trek. Again, still raining. 4 o’clock rolls around and we decide to call it for the day. As we shut the doors to the truck and begin our ride back to the office, the sun pokes through the clouds to say hi and the clouds begin their travels to another place. Go figure, huh??

Day 2: Removal of Frogbit
Nice beautiful day. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping and I have to weed the marsh. Some took the canoes; I chose to take the hip boots. This is where we had to navigate through the cattails and I just happened to hit that one hole that sunk me down to my britches. We had to hand pull this frogbit that was spreading everywhere, shading out the undergrowth. It brought me back to the days when my parents had us weed the asparagus garden in the hot sun and the plant tickling the back of my neck every time. But here it seemed like every time I bent over to pull a weed I would catch a cattail stalk to the eye. It was all fun though.

Day 3: Black Tern Survey

I got my kayak ready for some hard work. Ok, this day was the day of relaxing. We were going out in the waters to locate black terns and their nests. In the briefing we received before hand we were told that if we are near a nest we will get mobbed by black terns. We were to record the number of terns and move on. I said heck with that and told them I was leaving. So I launched my kayak to go count terns in the main pool of Montezuma. Those cattails are like an endless maze that....has no end. I paddled through areas that are not visible from the main land. I scared up ducks that scared me. I hit unsuspecting European carp with the front of my kayak and with the paddle. It was so awesome out there. Like I said earlier, it was productive and not because we did not find any sign of black terns out there. However, I did get to experience a heck of a lot while paddling that marsh.

Day 4: Removal of Swallow Wort

I am all suited up and ready to go. I have my non breathable tyvek suit on, black rubber gloves and a 50lb pack of toxic chemicals on my back. It is about 86 degrees without a cloud in the sky. Good news: there is shade. Bad news: it’s nowhere near me. But I am on a mission to kill this nasty weed. I spray until I am empty and then refill. I spray again. I walked through thick weeds with the cleavers sticking to my suit. I tripped over so many logs it wasn't funny (at least not to me). I refilled 6 times before calling it a day. Afterwards, however, I felt so accomplished knowing the good I was doing. Well, that is if I got the chemical mixture right.

Day 5:
Back to the visitor center.

I feel like I wrote too much on this post already so I am going to end this shortly. So with that being said, in conclusion, I had an amazing week out in the field and I learned so much. I would not trade these experiences for anything in the world. I hope that I get the opportunity to get back out there and help the biologist out for another week or so. I hope you all enjoyed my babbling. Have a great day.

PS. If you are in the area and you read this tonight, you should head out to Montezuma winery for their "Wildflowers and Wine" event. I will be working a booth out there.


Species list: Moorhen, Canada goose, GBH, ruby-throated hummingbird, blue bird, tree swallow, purple martan, pied-billed grebe, black tern, great egret, marsh wren, osprey, juvenile bald eagle, gray cat bird, eastern peewee, killdeer, trumpeter swan, coot, wood duck

                                     
     

The Start of a Great Summer

This is my first time setting up and using a blog so bare with me on this one.  This "Gawn Wilder" blog is set up to tell you folks about my experiences at Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge while working as a summer intern with the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).  I applied for this job through the Student Conservation Association (SCA) and was accepted for the Visitor Services Intern about a week later.  I am now a little over a week into the job and I am loving every bit of it.  I know I started late on this, so this post will set the stage for you and I will continue with weekly posts from here on out.  I will even throw in a species list of all the wildlife species I have spotted throughout the week, so if by chance anyone wants to head out to the refuge, you will know what to look for. 

It all starts in the little town of Weston, Massachusetts in the dorms of Regis College.  I got checked in to my room about two hours early and awaited the rest of the crew to show up from the airport.  We (all SCA interns) had to meet in Weston for a week long orientation before we were sent off to our field stations.  What a great experience this was.  Of course we had the typical powerpoint lectures with some fun little activities thrown in there to keep everyone alive and awake.  But we got to experience what the USFWS was all about with introductions in law enforcement, biological studies, visitor services, and maintenence.  We even got the opportunity to work with the biologist to collect data on blandings turtles (an endangered species) and hand pick water chestnut (an invasive species) while canoing.  This may not sound fun to some of you, but this is fun to me.  And just think, this is part of there job.  Not many people can say that they went canoing for work or played in the water.  And it amazes me how a week with people you have never meet before turns into an experience that one will never forget.  I met and talked to some great people while I was there including the regional director and members of the USFWS, the president and members of the SCA, and people that I could be working with in the future.  So all in all, this orientation was a great time and I learned a whole lot.  Not to mention, I have never been to Boston and I was only 30 minutes away.  So of course I did some site seeing starting off at the New England Aquarium and ending the day at the one and only Sam Adams Brewery.  The aquarium was great, but if you really want to see a bigger aquarium, go to Baltimore, MD.

After we said our goodbyes I headed back home to start my summer at Montezuma.  It was a little slow getting into the swing of things at the refuge.  I am meeting new people and I am learning the lay of the land.  My supervisor and I spent the entire day touring the refuge.  She showed me areas that visitors cannot access and I was able to see some amazing wildlife.  I have been to Montezuma about four or five times before and I saw more in that one day than I have ever seen before.  I never realized how big the refuge was.  If anyone I know wants to head out to this area, I can show you some good spots.  I am also officially first aid/CPR certified so now I can save lives and I can legally drive the government vehicles.  So definately not a bad first week of work.  

Like I said this first post is to kindof set the stage for my Montezuma extravaganza.  I will be posting weekly of everything going on and wildlife that I see.  Please stay tuned for future post and, as promised, here is my species list in, no particular order:





Eastern cottontail, red fox, mink, ruddy duck, rinkneck duck, wood duck, mallard, common merganser, coot, common moorhen, black tern, great blue heron, osprey, bald eagle (juvenile and adult), green wing teal, snow goose, white tailed deer, purple martin, red wing black bird, barn swallow, tree swallow, greater yellowlegs....So that is all I can think of right now.  I forgot to write all these down in my journal so I wasn't able to remember everything.  Until next time, you stay classy New York.