Day 1
On Friday, October 4, 2013, John Carroll students from Aquatic Resources traveled to Old Woman Creek National Estuarine Research Reserve (NARR). NARR is part of a NOAA associated network of 28 coastal reserves that are spread throughout the country. Old Woman Creek is located in Huron, Ohio near Cedar Point.
Friday evening we went out and collected plankton tows and observed them under a microscope. We found cynobacteria (Merismopedia and Apranizomenon), zooplankton (Daphnia), diatoms (Fragilaria crotonensis and Aulocosira granulata), green algae (Pediastrum), cryptomonads (Cryptomonas), and dinoflagellates (Peridinium and Ceratium).
Day 2
Saturday morning we woke up bright and early. We headed out on a canoe trip to explore the estuary of Old Women Creek. While canoeing we encountered many species that inhabit the estuary. These were Blue Heron, Bald Eagle, Great Egret, Lotus, Cormorant, Cattail, Red-winged blackbird, Bryozoans (Lophotrozoan), Osprey, and
Phragmites.
Phragmites is an invasive species that was found throughout the estuary and is threatening to take over the area. The DOW are trying to battle the problem by removal and restoration. Throughout the estuary there were hydrology stations. They are used for long term data collection to measure multiple parameters including temperature and depth. This data is being collected to track any potential changes in the estuary. Also while canoeing we collected plankton by using a plankton tow.
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| Hydrology station |
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| Canoeing |
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| Having a ball |
After our canoeing adventure we sampled fish using a seine net. This process is done where two people are holding the net on either side. Three to four people are in the water scaring the fish to move them forward into the net. Once the fish are near the net the two people holding the net come together to wrap the net around the fish. After this process, we examined the fish that were collected. What we found were mostly Emerald Shiners (Cyprinidae) and one Round Goby (Gobiidae). Next, we collected aquatic invertebrates using dip nets. We collected a variety of taxa using this process.
After our long day in the outdoors, we went inside to the lab to identify what we found throughout the day. We split into groups to look at invertebrates and algae simultaneously. We identified numerous taxa. We also took a tour of the facility and looked at the bird collection. The bird collection is one of the first in Ohio. We then got an amazing tour of the behind the scenes of what they do at the facility. The most interesting thing we learned was how long drugs such as caffeine can be stored in sediments without breaking down.
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| Check out that sweet bird collection!!! :D |
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| Dragonfly Larvae |
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| Damselfly larvae |
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| Dr. Johansen IDing that algae like a boss |
Day 3
Sunday approached us very fast and it was time to go home. On our way home we stopped at two lovely wetlands. The first wetland we visited was Sheldon Marsh. There we again saw
Phragmites australis overtaking the marsh. Another potential threat we noticed was the close proximity of a golf course. Golf courses can have negative impacts on wetlands by filling them with herbicides and excess nutrients. Other inhabitants of the wetlands were arrow leaf, mallard ducks, red-winged black birds, and herons. As we continued on the trail we encountered a beach. On the beach we observed washed up shells of thousands of zebra mussels. We went to the leeward side of the spit and came out to a barrier beach. Barrier beaches are areas of shore that are protected from wave action by a projection of land. There the waves were calmer, because of that we saw different plant species than the other beach. Those included purple sand grass (
Triplasis
purpurea) and cocklebur (Xanthium
strumarium). We then left and went to Magee Marsh. There we went on a short nature hike after eating a pleasant, relaxing outdoor lunch. We saw two brown snakes, an apple tree with delicious apples, and a giant mantid. After an awesome weekend we piled into the maxi van and we boogied on home. I'd say this was a very successful weekend!!!
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| Purple sand grass |
Saturday morning we woke up bright and early. We headed out on a canoe trip to explore the estuary of Old Women Creek. While canoeing we encountered many species that inhabit the estuary. These were Blue Heron, Bald Eagle, Great Egret, Lotus, Cormorant, Cattail, Red-winged blackbird, Bryozoans (Lophotrozoan), Osprey, and Phragmites. Phragmites is an invasive species that was found throughout the estuary and is threatening to take over the area. The DOW are trying to battle the problem by removal and restoration. Throughout the estuary there were hydrology stations. They are used for long term data collection to measure multiple parameters including temperature and depth. This data is being collected to track any potential changes in the estuary. Also while canoeing we collected plankton by using a plankton tow. 
After our canoeing adventure we sampled fish using a seine net. This process is done where two people are holding the net on either side. Three to four people are in the water scaring the fish to move them forward into the net. Once the fish are near the net the two people holding the net come together to wrap the net around the fish. After this process, we examined the fish that were collected. What we found were mostly Emerald Shiners (Cyprinidae) and one Round Goby (Gobiidae). Next, we collected aquatic invertebrates using dip nets. We collected a variety of taxa using this process.
Sunday approached us very fast and it was time to go home. On our way home we stopped at two lovely wetlands. The first wetland we visited was Sheldon Marsh. There we again saw Phragmites australis overtaking the marsh. Another potential threat we noticed was the close proximity of a golf course. Golf courses can have negative impacts on wetlands by filling them with herbicides and excess nutrients. Other inhabitants of the wetlands were arrow leaf, mallard ducks, red-winged black birds, and herons. As we continued on the trail we encountered a beach. On the beach we observed washed up shells of thousands of zebra mussels. We went to the leeward side of the spit and came out to a barrier beach. Barrier beaches are areas of shore that are protected from wave action by a projection of land. There the waves were calmer, because of that we saw different plant species than the other beach. Those included purple sand grass (Triplasis
purpurea) and cocklebur (Xanthium
strumarium). We then left and went to Magee Marsh. There we went on a short nature hike after eating a pleasant, relaxing outdoor lunch. We saw two brown snakes, an apple tree with delicious apples, and a giant mantid. After an awesome weekend we piled into the maxi van and we boogied on home. I'd say this was a very successful weekend!!! 
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