Kick-netting

It was a raining, cold day; the we (campers) went to a creek to learn and find macro-invertebrates. We all have to wear our rain coats and water shoes, and get our hands, feet wet. At first the counselors taught us about macro-invertebrates, which are small organisms, but visible to the human eye, and without a spine or backbone. They also taught us to recognize the organism and to do identify them so we can find out if the creek is healthy and clean or dirty and unhealthy. The way it worked out was like this, every person have to go with their project group and a net, we have to find a place in which we could possible found macro-invertebrates, then we set the net and after a while get the net out of the water and with some twirler pick the organisms and put it in a bucket of water. Then we have to identify the organisms and sum all of the type of organisms between the other group.

Nighthike

Yesterday evening we took our vans to pymetuning state park to start a nighthike. Before going in the dark forests the ranger explained the dam nearby and showed us the steel logs which can handle how much water flows in the river. After sunset she presented different kinds of felt and traps in the wood. We didn't find any deers or hawks, but if you were quiet you can hear all type of interesting animals.

Catching salamander rivene

After an awesome presentation on amphibians and reptiles by April Claus and some real live experience of different species, we, the campers, had the chance to catch species which live close to water just behind our dorm. Getting on some water or creek shoes, we jumped right into action because we were already familiar to searching for salamanders which we had done earlier the first week. We quested for cray fish, salamanders and larva for an hour, nonetheless, a myriad of aggressive and biting mosquitoes was kind of constraining our work ability. Our actual assignment was to look for salamander, though, and tell April how many we found. The major specie we identified was the 'Dusky'. After a little while, most campers' attention shifted more and more to abuse the environment of the amphibians by getting each other wet. However, one needs to explain that this was the very last activity we Creek Campers had scheduled. Subsequently, the increasing excitement for the upcoming fancy dinner and pool party was obvious.
At this point, I think I can speak for all campers if I say that we all enjoyed the two weeks very much and we want to thank the staff for picking outstanding activities for our stay.

One of our trophies

Herb Programm

On Friday, the first of August, we listen after lunch to an very interesting presentation by April Claus.
She told us a lot about the different kinds of nativ amphibians and reptilians in Pennsylvania.
So April shoed us different kinds of frogs, like the big bullfrog salamanders.
Also she shoed us the different turtles, from the big snapping turtle to the small musk turtle.
Also we was able to see a lot of different snakes, we could watch how they eat and were able to hold them.
It was really interesting and we all enjoyed it a lot!!!

Abandoned Mine Drainage and creeks

On Monday afternoon, Rebecca Holler from "Trout Unlimited" visited us in Edwards House. She explained to us the consequences of Abandoned Mine Drainage (AMD) in creeks. With the aid of a simple experiment with iron pyrite and lime (from limestone), we demonstrated the chemical reactions that occur in creeks which are polluted by mines. Of course, we also learned about techniques to clean these creeks. Huge ponds were built there for cleaning the water. We are all excited about the work of "Trout Unlimited" because they do a really good job to help the wildlife in and around creeks.

Today we visited the Bayer Material Science Headquarters in Pittsburgh. We were lead by Marquis Johnson who led us all around Bayer's facilities. First when we arrived we presented our research projects to Bayer executives and were able to demonstrate what we learned. Then we were able to tour around Bayer and see several different labs all around Bayer. We even got to hold Styrofoam cups that were just in a 880 degrees Celsius.  Overall it was an extremely fun and educational day for everyone.

Kayaking

Today we went kayaking at Goddard State Park in Lake Wilhelm. We were led by a DCNR (Department of Conservation and Natural Resources) officer. He discussed the plants, water qualities, and resource management. We went under a bridge in interstate 79 and saw birds, such as the bald eagle. It was a relaxing and fun trip.

Fish Hatchery

Today we visited a fish hatchery. Thousands of fish are bred and released to stock lakes and rivers all over Pennsylvania. Also, we discussed how the hatchery's receive no funding from the state and make all their money from selling fish senescence. Unfortunately, this has caused most hatcheries to close.

On Sunday,  July 27th, we went to the Wooden Nickel Buffalo Farm.
There we learned a lot about buffalos.
This animals live only in america and can weight 2000 pounds. They can run about 45 miles pro hour.
In Europe live also a kind of bison, called european bison. But this buffalo isn't as big as the amerikan one.
The information was really interesting.
After listening to Edinboro, we were able to eat a burger with bison meat!!!
This was delicious.

Casey's

Sunday afternoon after a meal at the buffalo's farm, we drove back to Allegheny College in the most severe thunderstorm German people have ever seen in America. Everybody was tired mostly due to the uncomfortable weather or the limited space in the two vans instead of three, we have gotten used to. There was no improvement in sight until the vans reached Casey's, Meadville's local ice cream store. Having put on our raincoats, we rushed into the sacred place, smelling the tasteful flavors already several feet away. Inside, we got to choose from various kinds of ice cream which was a hard choice to make. Some of the outstanding flavors were Meadville Mud, which incorporates simply every kind of chocolate you can even think of, Oreo (for the cookie's lovers) or Frog, which has nothing to do with the amphibian we find in the creek. Some odd ice cream were for example Hanna Banana, which had such a bright yellow color that I had to blink several times until finally registering it fully, or Cotton Candy, which might have got A LITTLE BIT of blue artificial color. Moreover, a nice alteration to the cake cones, one is used to, Casey's offers sugar cones and even provides homemade waffle cones.
All in all, although it had got cold outside, I think everybody enjoyed the sweet and sugary refreshment.
The weather did not get any better, but at least the Crew arrived at the college with a smile.

Pymatunig Spillway

Today we went to the Pymatunig Spillway to feed the birds and fishes. There were hundreds, possibly even thousands of fish gathered at Pymatunig to be fed bread by people. Many gathered to throw bread and watch the fish and birds contend for the food. In a
sense, it was natural selection at its finest.

The little Bluebirds

On Thursday after lunch, we got a wonderful and really inspiring presentation from Harry Schmeider about Bluebirds, who likes them a lot! As a small child, he began to love the nature and enjoyed watching birds, as he told us. At first he started explaining us the 3 different kinds of the American Bluebird – the Mountain, the Western, and the Eastern Bluebirds. He especially said a lot of facts about the Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis).It lives in the Pennsylvania region and has a red back, a red chest, and a white stomach. The top of many interesting facts was the “Bluebird-dance” (which Harry tried to show us ;) ). It was so funny! This dance is made by the male birds to call the attention of their ‘own birdhouse’ for the female birds. If this dance was successful the female birds start to build the nests into the birdhouses which they choose. This house has to be safe against raccoons and other animals, therefore the predator guard was invented. Through this safety the small family can grow up and become a big one from 7 up to 9 members. But Harry didn’t just teach us details about Eastern Bluebirds, his biggest wish was that we learned how to treasure the nature.                                                                             

So in the end it was an impressive speech about the little Bluebirds. I think we all had great fun!
 

The different eggs of the Bluebirds

The Birdhouse with the predator guard

Harry and us

Jennings...

On Friday, the 25th of July, we went to the Jennings Environmental Education Center.
It is one of several state parks specifically dedicated to providing environmental education and interpretation to the community. A variety of programs that increase knowledge and awareness of the beauty and importance of our natural resources are available for children, teachers and the general public. Prairies are extremely rare in Pennsylvania. They are usually found further to the West and across the Midwest. The prairie at Jennings Environmental Education Center is the only protected prairie ecosystem in Pennsylvania.

 

           Miranda Crotsley

Miranda Crotsley teaching us how to catch and measure a venomous snake

FISHIES!!

Fishing was really adventurous because there were a some people that we had to teach how.  There were a few people that wouldn't touch the worms that we used for bait so they had to have others put it on the hook. We also had fish steal our bait right off the hooks.We had very little luck in the beginning but in the end we caught a few along with a few bushes and trees.

Wildlife

Today we took part in a public show presented by the Erie Zoo, which was a combination on explaining something about wildlife and seeing national animals out of the zoo in action. First the woman showed us a non venomous snake that was not native to Pennsylvania. She told us that the eyes were milky because the snake was getting ready to shed. Then she put the snake away and took out an adorable opossum. The zoo keeper took the opossum around and let us get a closer look. The last highlight was seeing a sleeping skunk.

Grove City

Today we went shopping at the Grove City outlet mall. This was more of a fun thing to do, since may of the international campers requested to go shopping from a souvenir from America. The outlet store had widely renowned brands, such as Gap or American Eagle, and more localized treats, such as Peace, Love, and Little Donuts (the Cookies and Cream Donut was incredible). Although seemingly unrelated to nature, the Grove City outlet mall had its own wildlife twist to it. The mall was set up in rows with outdoor space in between so that plants were able to grow along the middle. All in all, we were all happy to have the opportunity to take it easy and shop for a bit.

Jennings Research Project

On Friday, 25^th July 2014 we went to Jennings Environmental Education Center. Jennings Environmental Education Center is one of several state parks specifically dedicated to providing environmental education and interpretation to the community. While raising awareness of the beauty and importance of our natural resources, we continued our Deer Browse Research Project. Going into our groups and carrying measuring tapes, a plant identification index, and a data sheet, we kept searching browsed and unbrowsed plants and deer scat.  

Tamarack wildlife education and rehabilitation center

Today we were at the Tamarack wildlife center and learned more about different regional bird species around Meadville, PA. They do a great job in taking care of injured birds and other animals, so that they can  live in nature again. With this, they save regional bird species from their extinction.
We saw differnent birds, which were too injured to live in nature again.These birds are now used as education birds.

The last bird is a special one, because he has leucism.Unlike albinism, it is caused by a reduction in all types of skin pigment. 

After that we could look at the bones and the structure of birds. These dead birds died because of their injuries.

It was awesome and more people should inform them about regional birds.And aren't these the cutest owls you have ever seen =)

Bats

On Thursday night, we met Terry who is an expert in the different species of bats seen in the state of Pennsylvania. We listened to a lecture about the different bats and their behavior and spent the night with Terry. We also got the opportunity to see bats soar out of the bat houses that Terry managed. This was an enriching experience that we will never forget.

Cameron

Today we met Cameron who told us a lot about his experiences. He grew up in Meadville and was a student at Allegheny College. He spent one semester of college studying abroad in Cologne, Germany. For his masters degree at John Carroll University, Cameron studied salamander populations on islands of the great lakes. In addition to this, he spent time studying deer habits in Pennsylvania with transmitters and grizzly bear movements in southwestern Alberta by collecting hair samples with barbwire fencing. I think he has a pretty interesting life!

On the left you can see Cameron and on the right Dr. Venesky. 

Dr.Venesky

Today we got the opportunity to meet Dr. Vensesky, who is a biology professor at Allegheny College. He began to explain the importance in population in humans and nature.He mentioned the bio diversity which was the different amount of life in an area and how it affected humans and nature. After that he introduced the group into this specie known as "Salamander". His partner showed us some Salamander as he was talking which got us a head start to the activity he had planned for us. When it came time for the activity we we're split up into two groups and each one was in different areas. It was fun to be able to look for some on our own with a partner and be able to get our hands on and not just sit around. After we were done both groups came back together and shared how many we had found and see which group got to find more. Overall, it was such great experience to be able to get our hands on!

Purple martins

Wednesday noon, after a boat trip on the Environaut, we listened to a presentation by Bob Aeppli.
He told us a lot of interesting facts about purple martins.
We learned that the purple martin, which is the largest North American swallow, has its name by the coat of the male martins, which gleams purple in the sunlight. The female birds have a black or dark-gray coat and a white front.
Bob Aeppli told us also that these birds prepare to be close to humans; they do not like to live in the woods. Also he reported that he has built special nests, to patronize the squabs, which could be attacked by other birds.
The purple martins eat insects, like dragonflies.
After this presentation we were able to watch the birds close by using binoculars.
This was really interesting.
But the best part was, when he showed us the young (baby) birds and ringed five of them!!!

Moonbots

Wednesday afternoon, our "Crew" went to the Tom Ridge Environmental Center. Right there, "The Electronic Dreamers", a group of five students who live about 12 miles from Erie, introduced us to their robot project they are currently working on for a national competition. Their job was to design and program robots which could be able to make life on the moon possible. However, the task was way harder because they themselves had to think about the possible problems and challenges one potentially faces living on the moon. The scientific group helped us to get into this issue by a practical experiment. Namely, by considering challenges like food production or energy management, we had to construct solutions to these problems using more creativeness than intelligence. You can see some of our engineering attempts below. The German students of our camp felt a little bit more comfortable because one of "The Electronic Dreamers" was actually German. He lived in the US to attend high school the preceding year and was communicating with us through Skype this time. After presenting our modest models, we felt a little bit intimidated by seeing the robot the US students designed. Some of its special features is that its upper part can spin by 360 degrees. Besides that, two of its wheels roll longways and the other two roll sideways, so it may change its motion direction extremely quick and can even roll diagonally if necessary. Since the junior genius did not finish their project completely by the time we were at the TREC, we all are excited to check out their process at a later time this week. After the Moonbots presentation, we took advantage of an another advantage at the Environmental Center, namely the incredible observatory where one can overview part of Presque Isle, the bay of Lake Erie, which is one of  the US Great Lakes.

Our engineering attempts:

The robot of The Electronic Dreamers:

Forestry

Today we ventured to the Chief Corn National Forest. We learned a great deal about many different plant species. For example , we discussed the species called Hemlock, and how it is facing extinction due to a parasitic bug. Also, we learned about the Amish Logging Crew that harvested the trees in certain regions, and how a horse team causes much less environmental damage than machine operated teams who use skid loaders. It was a very educational trip and we learned a lot.

Environaut

Today, the Creek Campers went to Lake Erie to go on a boat known as the Environaut. The campers learned about the processes and protocols of research on the ship. After sailing into the lake, the activity was split into three stations. The first station was about plankton collection and microscope viewing, led by Camille. The next station was led by Cory, a worker on the Environaut, who demonstrated filtering through substrate on the lake bottom.. The last station was led by Dave, who showed varieties of tools and general data collection necessary for research on the boat. The campers learned a lot about research in beautiful freshwater lakes such as Lake Erie.

Sara's Restaurant

After a long day of work and plans, the best part of all was the dinner. The food was delicious, the place was amazing and after the food we got ice cream! Sara's place is one of the best places to eat hamburgers or hot dog and have a good time with friends. Each of the camper had different taste of food, but at the end we all got satisfied. Some of us chose the popular hot dogs made of pork and meat, others decided to eat a good plate of salad and some went with the delicious hamburgers, with a tasty meat and a delicious bread. The best part of all was the ice cream, it was refreshing, big and delicious. I particularly liked the vanilla/chocolate ice cream,  it was the best. We also got to take some pictures and get to know each other better!