Field Trip Day One
Yesterday we went on a field trip. I haven't been on a field trip in years. It was for the Geography of Great Lake Eerie class that Andy and I are taking together over intercession (the time between spring and fall semester). It is a three day class and each day we go to different parts of Lake Eerie.
The first day was pretty good. We went to the Inland Seas Maritime Museum in Vermillion, OH. They weren't ready for us when we got there so we went down to the shore and had a little lecture about the shorelines. While on the banks of Lake Eerie we saw a few dead fish and a dead Sea Gull. Kind of sad, but it does happen. We also saw some Zebra Mussels which are a non-native invasive species to the Great Lakes.
When they were ready for us we went to the museum. It was interesting enough. Our tour guide, the museum's director, was a bit long-winded and we ended up running over our time and had to cut our lunch break short. While we were there we learned about ship building, ship wrecks and battles on the Great Lakes - of course, focusing on Lake Eerie. And Andy got to ring a huge bell which made him very happy.
After the maritime museum we went to the town of Huron to have lunch. Our choices were limited since the only things there were McDonalds, Subway, some local deli, or Burger King. We went to Burger King because it is the most vegetarian friendly of all of the choices listed. (Yes, you can get a veggie sub at Subway, but neither of us enjoy a sub made with just lettuce, peppers and some tomatoes.) Burger King has a veggie burger and a bunch of sides that are vegetarian - none of which are very healthy, of course. We're definitely brown bagging it next time.
Our next stop was the Old Woman Creek National Estuarial Nature Reserve. Here we went on a little hike to see the different plant life growing along the trail and to talk about the estuary (which is the part of a river that meets the sea and the waters mix together - sea does not have to be salt water). There are two nesting Bald Eagles that live there, but we didn't get to see them. Bummer. When we went back to the main building we had a little presentation on estuaries and how to save them. After the presentation they set out some free stuff for us to take. I took a little rubber bracelet that says "wild ohio" on it, some temporary tattoos of local birds and fish, the entire set (24) of Ohio fish trading cards(!!!), and some booklets that told about Ohio's fish, butterflies/moths, amphibians and reptiles. Very nice collection of free stuff.
I also saw on their calendar that they are having a thing next Saturday where they will be hiking 2 miles to find salamanders to tag! If next weekend wasn't so busy (parents visiting and dog adoption fair for Rose's Rescue) then I would so be there. I would also have Amy go with me because we would have fun and I know she would love it too. Maybe next year?
The next stop on our trip was the Sandusky Fish Research Unit - Division of Wildlife. It is a place where they study the local fish and keep track of them. They do things like radio transmitters on fish and they do some catch (but no release) to study how the fish are doing and what they are eating. Through their research they set limits on what type and how many fish a person or business can catch. It was pretty interesting really.
After that we packed up and headed home. Pretty good day.
The first day was pretty good. We went to the Inland Seas Maritime Museum in Vermillion, OH. They weren't ready for us when we got there so we went down to the shore and had a little lecture about the shorelines. While on the banks of Lake Eerie we saw a few dead fish and a dead Sea Gull. Kind of sad, but it does happen. We also saw some Zebra Mussels which are a non-native invasive species to the Great Lakes.
When they were ready for us we went to the museum. It was interesting enough. Our tour guide, the museum's director, was a bit long-winded and we ended up running over our time and had to cut our lunch break short. While we were there we learned about ship building, ship wrecks and battles on the Great Lakes - of course, focusing on Lake Eerie. And Andy got to ring a huge bell which made him very happy.
After the maritime museum we went to the town of Huron to have lunch. Our choices were limited since the only things there were McDonalds, Subway, some local deli, or Burger King. We went to Burger King because it is the most vegetarian friendly of all of the choices listed. (Yes, you can get a veggie sub at Subway, but neither of us enjoy a sub made with just lettuce, peppers and some tomatoes.) Burger King has a veggie burger and a bunch of sides that are vegetarian - none of which are very healthy, of course. We're definitely brown bagging it next time.
Our next stop was the Old Woman Creek National Estuarial Nature Reserve. Here we went on a little hike to see the different plant life growing along the trail and to talk about the estuary (which is the part of a river that meets the sea and the waters mix together - sea does not have to be salt water). There are two nesting Bald Eagles that live there, but we didn't get to see them. Bummer. When we went back to the main building we had a little presentation on estuaries and how to save them. After the presentation they set out some free stuff for us to take. I took a little rubber bracelet that says "wild ohio" on it, some temporary tattoos of local birds and fish, the entire set (24) of Ohio fish trading cards(!!!), and some booklets that told about Ohio's fish, butterflies/moths, amphibians and reptiles. Very nice collection of free stuff.
I also saw on their calendar that they are having a thing next Saturday where they will be hiking 2 miles to find salamanders to tag! If next weekend wasn't so busy (parents visiting and dog adoption fair for Rose's Rescue) then I would so be there. I would also have Amy go with me because we would have fun and I know she would love it too. Maybe next year?
The next stop on our trip was the Sandusky Fish Research Unit - Division of Wildlife. It is a place where they study the local fish and keep track of them. They do things like radio transmitters on fish and they do some catch (but no release) to study how the fish are doing and what they are eating. Through their research they set limits on what type and how many fish a person or business can catch. It was pretty interesting really.
After that we packed up and headed home. Pretty good day.