Happy Fourth of July!
Today reminded me of my days watching Sesame Street and their letter of the day…. Today was F.
Fabulous – we awoke to a fabulously clear day. It was perfect weather for pond research, cool with a slight breeze enough to keep most of the bugs away. The ponds were located along the coastal area. As we did our research the bay was visible, and the water was a deep blue. The Ithaca could be seen from two of the location. The Ithaca is a ship that ran aground in the 1960s. It was carrying Iron Ore. Due to costs, only the cargo and the engines were removed. The wreck remains a landmark of sorts here in the Churchill area.
Frogs – The pond were not as fruitful today. The frogs managed to allude us. These ponds usually have frogs and our most sought after tadpoles, but today we collected none. The research of the teams were successful at collecting data. I was on the trap team today with Ryan. At one of the ponds, two of the traps probably a hundred fairy shrimp. They are fascinating little creatures to watch!
Fish– Today two of the ponds contained Nine-Spine Stickleback fish. It was the first time I had found fish in any of the ponds. Although this too was a bit of a let down. The first pond was expected to multiple fish, yet we found only one. Today like many days, we are finding it hard to find both the fish and tadpoles. They are excellent hiders and when combined with lower water levels, our task is a bit more than challenging.
Flowers – After our day of research work, Dr. Fishback aka LeeAnn, lead some of us on a new fun-filled adventure….. Flower collecting! The goal was to collect enough petals of the Hedysarum to make jelly. The fields of flowers are spectacular out here. It is interesting that the dominant colors are purples and yellows…. wonder if there is a connection to the temperature and soil conditions. From collecting, we sorted then cooked the petals to make jelly. It was a fun way to end the day!
Festivities – Can`t end the day without talking about our Fourth celebration. Ella made a wonderful American meal for us! The most delicious B-B-Q chicken with homemade sauce, potato salad, and corn bread were my personal favorites and were only surpassed by the homemade Apple Pie with ice cream!
Friends – As we wrap up our time here in Churchill, I would be remiss if I didn`t add friends to my list. We started off as strangers, and ending as friends. I know I will continue to stay in touch with many of my new friends here in Churchill and from the Earthwatch team.
Hoping tomorrow is a P or B day (for Polar Bears!!!)
~Monica Ward
climatechangeatthearcticsedge 