Pond Keepers Poster Redesign

I have been coordinating the Pond Keepers program for the Preserve for about 2.5 school years now. Pam, the former Pond Keepers Coordinator, did a phenomenal job getting this program up and running. After some time, I finally decided to retire Pam's Poster drawing and add a bit of theChristyBel into the program. So, I began to redesign a new Pond Poster that each program will get to color in and add a bunch of pond creatures to as they learn about the Pond!

Sketching Out the Design

Begin to Add the Plants and Bottom of the Pond

Pond Poster Finished Before Labels and Creatures

An Example of a Pond Poster When Finished (Minus the Coloring)

Educator Gifts

This morning, received the most adorable THANK YOU card from Kerhonkson Elementary
for coming to their class for Pond Keepers!

Kerhonkson Elementary, you will always be one of my favorites!

Thank YOU!
TheChristyBel

Pond Keepers: Spotted Turtle

Today during some creature collecting at Louisa Pond, I came upon a really cool herp. I was trekking my way through the tall reeds to get to some deeper water in search of some Water Scorpion and tadpoles, when I look to my right and sunning itself on this warm, spring day was a Spotted Turtle! Super cool find! At the Preserve, we have a resident Spotted Turtle, Spot, who was injured and only has three-legs. So I had seem them before, but never in the wild..until now.

Apparently, they are a common turtle in the Hudson Valley, but many of its habitat range has been lost due to development encroachment from New York City. It was super docile and calm as I was able to check it out closer. They literally do have yellow to light orange spots on their black shells.

Super cool to see these turtles out in the wild. They are also very sensitive to pollution and can rapidly disappear with declining water quality. Good to know Louisa Pond is in tip top shape to house this beautiful creature!

TheChristyBel

Pond Keepers: Creature Collecting in Snow

Again, this snow is really cramping my Pond Keeper collecting style...I guess I won't be scooping goop for another few days...

Will we ever have a Pond Keepers program this spring?!?

TheChristyBel

Louisa Pond

No Access Today

Coxing is Frozen Solid...Even the Falls

Foothills House is Closed for Collecting

Nope.

Pond Keepers: Creature Collecting Finds

I love when Pond Keepers season comes around - I get to "nature nerd-out" over the things I find and see in the ponds. Spring season has been great as we get to see growth and birth in the pond! Here is just a taste of what my usual collecting days are like in a spring season...enjoy!

TheChristyBel

A very hungry Giant Water Bug eating a tadpole!

Spotted Salamander Eggs - be careful when you scoop goop in the spring, you do not want to disturb these!

Just be gentle when handling them when you remove them from your net.

Pickerel Frog trying to camouflage in the grass!

Pond Keepers: A Celebration of Learning (Kerhonkson Elementary)

My favorite part of Pond Keepers is the Celebration of Learning. I love coming back to a school after the 10-days and seeing and hearing what the students have discovered about their pond. Check out some of the things the Kerhonkson Elementary School students from the 1st grade learned and created from their pond studies. 

TheChristyBel

Activity 9 - Creature Creations

The Habitats of the Pond

Animals and plants that can be found in and around the pond.

The Different Ways Creatures Breathe in the Pond

The Different Ways Pond Creatures Move

Some Defense Strategies of the Pond Creatures

What's For Lunch

Went to check up on the Giant Water Bug tank up in the Visitor Center lobby this afternoon...and guess what I discovered?!?

Cannabalism in the Pond

Pond Keepers: Creature Collecting at Louisa Pond

Today, I wanted to head out into the ponds to gather some more creatures for some upcoming Pond Keepers programs. However, mother nature was not up for it. The weather was still too cold for any dipping into the ponds. I guess I need to wait just a bit longer, but not too long - I have programs coming up soon!

TheChristyBel

A Frozen Louisa Pond

I Cannot Get Through The Ice

The Ice May Be Clear....But Was Way Too Thick to Get Through

Reflecting on Pond Keepers

Bringing Some TSS to My Pond Keepers Closing Program
#WordWeb

Perks of Being a Teacher

This morning I received a huge envelope in my mailbox. To my surprise it was a "Thank You" poster from my Pond Keepers and Forest & Stream - Ms. Carubia's 3rd Grade Class from Kerhonkson Elementary. They were totally adorable, a little crazy, but overall excited to be outside and getting their hands dirty! Getting gifts is definitely a perk of being an educator, even if you are not with these students everyday. This gift really made my morning!

TheChristyBel

The Special Perks of Working with Little Ones

Pond Keepers: Spring 2016

Just going to stop by the blog and show you some of the Creature Creations that Edson Elementary created. Edson Elementary was my last school with the last three ponds of the 2016 Spring Pond Keeper season. Any school that participates in the Pond Keeper program has 10 days to complete a series of activities that help the class understand what makes a pond a pond and what types of creatures are able to be found and live in and near a pond. Students learn about different types of insects and amphibians that consider a pond their home. They also learn about the types of adaptations that each type of "macro invertebrate" has in order to survive. When the students have completed most of the projects, they are able to make a "Creature Creation." This assignment is asking students to create a creature that would be found in the pond (of their imagination) and it must highlight some of the adaptations they have learned about. For instance, a Giant Water Bug and a Water Scorpion are able to breathe with a "snorkel" or breathing tube. Below, this pond creature creation has a straw-like breathing tube to help it breathe under water. Most grades that participate in this program are K-5th grade, so this activity is really my favorite. Of course, because there is a little bit of art incorporated into this program, but when I come in after the 10 days, the students are always really excited to show off and present what they have made. To find out more about Pond Keepers, check out our website.

TheChristyBel

Adorable, Right?!?

Spotted Salamander & Giant Water Bugs

Right now, I am prepping and gathering live pond specimens for the Preserve's Spring Pond Keepers season. Besides purchasing a bunch of craft materials and cleaning all the pond equipment, I have to go out into the field and collect pond creatures. I have a special Department of Environmental Conservation license to macro invertebrates and amphibians to place into ponds that will be housed in elementary classrooms for up to 10-days.

My collections areas include all waterways of the Preserve, Louisa Pond, and Humpo Marsh. It's a good thing I purchased my own waders last summer, because right now, the creatures are scarce. It's still pretty much in winter-mode still and many of the creatures are deeper in the water. And...I am pretty glad I purchased the neoprene waders. Kathy, my Director of Education, urged me not to get those. But since I am collecting not just in the fall when it is still relatively warm, I am collecting in winter, and they keep me nice and toasty!! I'm a smart cookie for thinking that one up! Just kidding!

I think one of my favorite parts of the job is definitely being out in the field - with students, with research associates, other staff, or even just myself. I think every time I am out of the land, I end up finding something special. This morning while I was out, I scooped up some Spotted Salamander eggs (do not worry, I placed them back!) and two large Giant Water Bugs (these will be great for a Creature Feature or special guest when I come to the classrooms). Check out the pics below!

TheChristyBel

Spotted Salamander

Looks Like: Spotted Salamanders have stout, black to dark-brown bodies, a broadly rounded snout, large and strong legs with four to five toes on each foot. The underbelly is a pale, slate gray, the mid-dorsal lines of the body have up to 24 to 45 large, round, yellow or orange spots in two irregular rows running from head to tail.

Spotted Salamander Eggs

Lives In: Adults prefer deciduous bottomland forests along moist areas such as rivers. At times they can be found in conifer forests as long as the soil is damp. In mountainous regions, like the Shawangunks, they are frequently found in deciduous slope forests.

Niche: Adult Spotted Salamanders are rarely seen since they spend most of their time hiding in leaf litter, under decomposing logs, or in tunnels below ground. These animals may help with control of insect pests such as mosquitoes that breed in their vernal pools or ponds.

Threats: In dry spring times, many young Spotted Salamanders in temporary vernal pools can die before they mature enough to leave the pool before it dries up. As their pond dries and the water level declines they also become more vulnerable to predators. With climate change, the wide fluctuation in the occurrence and amount of precipitation during spring and summer and lack of snow cover in winter can pose major risks for Spotted Salamander's survival. Acidic rain at breeding time can cause embryonic mortality. Loss of small unregulated wetlands is also a major threat.

Frequency: The Spotted Salamander is a fairly common species on the forest floor. They can serve as prey for skunks, raccoons, turtles, and snakes. Their eggs are also prey for frog tadpoles, crayfish, and other macroinvertebrates. Red-spotted Newts have been seen feeding on the egg mass jelly.

Reproduction: During the spring breeding season, adults migrate to ponds and vernal pools to lay their eggs in fish-free, fresh water (usually starting their migration during the first foggy rain during the thaw of snow). Males produce blobs of sperm (spermatophores) allowing the female to take the spermatophores into her body to fertilize her eggs. Females will lay compact firm egg masses that are attached to submerged objects. A female can lay between 100-300 eggs per year. The eggs are encased in a protective thick, clear, or milky jelly. Spotted Salamander larvae are a dull, greenish color when hatched.

Fun Fact: Spotted Salamanders have poison glands in their skin located on their backs and tails. When the salamander is in danger or threatened, their glands release a sticky, white, toxic liquid.

Large Giant Water Bugs
Also known as "Toe-Biters." They definitely pack one painful pinch!

The King of the Coxing

Meet the Kind Crayfish of the Coxing Kill
(a find during my creature collecting for Pond Keepers)

Pond Creature Collecting at Louisa Pond

The weather has been warmer than usual (I would call this a really mild winter here) and I am starting to prepare for my spring season of Pond Keepers. With that, that means macroinvertebrate collecting for the classroom ponds. With this warm weather, the ponds have opened up from the pond/lake ice, which means I am able to start collecting. Marc decided to come with me as I put my waders on got about waist deep in the cold pond water to collect my creatures. He also decided to take some photos of my creature collecting for the Preserve's website. Check out some of my glamour shots! haha!

TheChristyBel

December Highlights

Soren Helping Me Release Pond Creatures Back into the Pond!

Just taking some time to post some of my favorite moments from December. I know that the last of the year's entries are short, sweet, and full of pictures with less content. I totally have been slacking on providing a lot of verbal meat with many of my entries. Work has definitely kept me busy and away from really focusing on my blog. So, I promise that I'll give you all more than just pictures come the new year! Until then, enjoy some highlights that December brought me here in the Gunks! Pretty excited for 2016 to come! Are you?!

TheChristyBel

Coordinating & assisting with the 2015 Mohonk Preserve Christmas Bird Count

Marc's Parents Came to Visit Us in New Paltz

StoneFly Find for Pond Keepers

Gillian Taking Over My Cell Phone

Ruffed Grouse Find During a Awosting Lake Field Trip

Pond Keepers at Violet Avenue Elementary School

Pond Keepers Creature Creations at Phoenicia Elementary

Due to Some Warm December Temperatures, We Discovered Some Chestnut Oak Acorns Sprouting!
Pretty Scary How Climate Change is Pretty Visible Before Our Eyes!