OSPREYS ON FIRST NEST IN LAKE COUNTY

Photo (c) Carole Clement

As I drove down the gravel/dirt driveway off Rte 283 yesterday morning, I saw no sign of the Ospreys at the cell tower.  A hundred feet further down, one flew in and perched just in time for its photo opp.

All well and good, but then it got better:  I saw the Osprey mate’s wing fluttering below the perching Osprey (above), meaning it was down to business on the nest on the cell tower platform.

I don’t know how high those towers are, but from the ground, the perching bird looked like a sparrow.

Ospreys first breed when they’re 3-4 years old, mating for life.  Eggs are brooded for 5 weeks, so let’s all keep an eye out for activity around the middle of June.

Ospreys nest near fresh water sources and are also known as Fish Hawks.

Smaller than eagles, they’re about 24” long with a wingspan of almost 6’.   They generally live for 5-7 years.

Directions to the driveway:  From the traffic light at the intersection of Heisley Rd and Rte 283, drive East for 4-500’.  The driveway is on the right/South side of 283 between a brown MAX building and a green roadside mailbox.

The cell towers will be on your left.  You can turn around at the end of the drive, where you’ll find a fence and a No Trespassing sign with the added disincentive of “Trespassers will be shot.”

The only scarier No Trespassing sign I once saw read, “Violators will be violated.”  Sounds like Old Testament ideas.

MENTOR MARSH EAGLES RETURN, SAFE AND SOUND, 2013

Photo taken yesterday of Marsh eagle keeping—what else?–an eagle-eye on its aerie a couple of trees south of him. 

All’s well with the pair of eagles who’ve adopted the Mentor Marsh as their nursery, which soon may became actively occupied—Marsh Naturalist, Becky Donaldson, saw them copulating a couple weeks ago.

Becky will lead 4 hikes next month; registration and location information is below.

Upcoming Sunday hike/programs.  All four programs will likely scope out the Bald Eagle nest. All programs meet at the Marsh house at 2:00 pm.

April 7  Spring Surprise; 

April 14 Vernal pool hike;

April 21 Migratory bird hike (Bald Eagle); 

April 28 Wildflower hike. 

Photo © Carole Clement

Mentor Marsh Nature Center programs are family friendly and all are invited. Activities will be held rain/snow or shine. Trails may be muddy this time of year, so please prepare and dress for the conditions. Reservations are requested. For questions or to make a reservation, please contact the Mentor Marsh Nature Center at 440-257-0777 or rdonalds@cmnh.org.

The Mentor Marsh State Nature Preserve’s mission promotes stewardship of Mentor Marsh for its environmental and aesthetic value and provides educational, scientific and recreational opportunities for visitors to the unique ecosystem and interactive nature preserve. Visit the Mentor Marsh State Nature Preserve web site at http://www.cmnh.org, search for Mentor Marsh.

Becky Donaldson, Mentor Marsh Naturalist Mentor Marsh Carol H. Sweet Nature Center 5185 Corduroy Road Mentor, Ohio 44060 (440) 257-0777 Direct

The Cleveland Museum of Natural History, 1 Wade Oval Drive, University Circle Cleveland, Ohio 44106-1767 http://www.cmnh.org 216-231-4600 x3505 Lv. mssg. 800-317-9155 x3505 Lv. mssg.

The Cleveland Museum of Natural History,  1 Wade Oval Drive, University Circle Cleveland, Ohio 44106-1767 http://www.cmnh.org 216-231-4600 x3505 Lv. mssg. 800-317-9155 x3505 Lv. mssg.

#CLIMATE CHANGE: WEST #ANTARCTICA ICE SHEET (WAIS) WARMING AT 3x RATE OF REST OF PLANET

 

Researchers’ analysis focuses on the temperature record from Byrd Station (indicated by star), the only source of long-term temperature observations in the area.  Black circles indicate locations of the continent’s other permanent recording stations.  The map uses color intensity to indicate the extent of warming on the ice sheet itself.    Image credit:  Julien Nicolas, courtesy of OSU

A new study by Ohio State University researchers, based on 50 years of temperature recording at Byrd Station, determines that the West Antarctica ice sheet (WAIS) is melting nearly twice as much as scientists had estimated and at triple the rate the rest of the planet is warming.

Byrd Station temperature records show an increase of 4.3 degrees F in annual temperature since 1958.

Graphic representation of ice shelf thickness changes in meters per year   Image credit NASA

“Our record suggests that continued summer warming in West Antarctica could upset the surface mass balance of the ice sheet, so that the region could make an even bigger contribution to sea level rise than it already does,” said David Bromwich, professor of geography at Ohio State University and senior research scientist at the Byrd Polar Research Center.

“Even without generating significant mass loss directly, surfaces melting on the WAIS could contribute to sea level indirectly, by weakening the West Antarctic ice shelves that restrain the region’s natural ice flow into the ocean.”

Added to melting caused by a rise in surface temperatures, a recent study using NASA satellite data shows the WAIS is, according to the AP, “being eaten away from below by warm water.”   What’s being eaten away are the ice shelves that hold back a lot of Antarctic glacial ice from reaching the sea.

A separate study published earlier in the year in Nature about the basal melting of ice shelves concluded “It is reduced buttressing from the thinning ice shelves that is driving glacier acceleration and dynamic thinning.

“This implies that the most profound contemporary changes to the ice sheets and their contribution to sea level rise can be attributed to ocean thermal forcing that is sustained over decades and may have already triggered a period of unstable glacier retreat. “

Bromwich concurs.  “Lots of melting can do lots of damage to the ice shelves, . . ” and that can ramp up Antarctica’s contribution to sea level rise worldwide.  “We know that these melting events can happen today, and we are likely to see more melting events.”

He believes more and reliable data about the WAIS is needed.   Nearly one third of temperature observations was missing for the time period of the study, partly because the station hasn’t always been occupied.  An automated station installed in 1980 experiences frequent power outages, usually during the long polar nights, when its solar panels can’t recharge.

The scientist says, “West Antarctica is one of the most rapidly changing regions on Earth, but it is also one of the least known.  Our study underscores the need for a reliable network of meteorological observations through West Antarctica so that we can know what is happening—and why—with more certainty.”

Sources:  Science 2.0, December 26, 2012      SmartPlanet Daily, December 26, 2012      Think Positive, December 27 and April 27, 2012       Study published in Nature Geoscience, December 23, 2012

MENTOR’S DEER POPULATION: DEER EXCLOSURE AND PELLET COUNTS AT VETERANS PARK

Mark Welch, Metroparks District Park Manager and Larry Burnett, Veterans Park Manager, admire the newly constructed deer exclosure.

The purpose of a deer exclosure is to demonstrate the health of an ecosystem.  Because deer are prevented from browsing within the fencing, the prevalence of plants, seedlings, saplings and trees within as compared to outside the fencing is a good measure of the effect deer have on forest vegetation.

Mentor’s Park and Recreation Department is fortunate to have a candidate for his Eagle Scout Badge who will give nature a little jump-start by planting within the exclosure a few colonies of plants native to the park but which have been browsed to the point of apparent extinction.

The Scout will also plant a couple of samples of the plants on the area outside the fencing.

I’ve said “apparent extinction” because we can expect to see a number of the plants sprout on their own within the exclosure.  Though browsing and invasive plant species can prevent native plants from growing, the seed bank under the soil has a strong will to survive—and will, once the browsing animals and invasive plants are removed.

Below is a photograph of one of the deer exclosures at Mentor Marsh that had been up about 10 years when I took the photo.

The only plants growing outside of the exclosure are blankets of ramps.  Evidently, the deer don’t want to have onion-breath, so leave the ramps unmolested.

None of the plants or saplings growing inside had been there when the exclosure was erected by the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.

None of those plants or saplings was planted by man.

Nature heals itself, if given half a chance.  And that’s the gift being given at Veterans Park.

You’ll find a number of these vividly colored pegs throughout the park.  They mark the spot where deer density estimations by deer pellet group count will take place.

It sounds like exactly what it is:  workers will count the number of piles of deer pellets within a radius of x number of feet of the pegs, knowing that deer deposit on average 25 pellet groups per day.

Counts are taken within a deer’s home range, which is one square mile, and are taken only in the spring after snow melt and after the previous autumn’s leaf fall is complete.

After computing the samples found in one square mile, the result is a fairly accurate estimate of the number of deer per square mile.

Photos © Carole Clement

HUMAN-DRIVEN #CLIMATE CHANGE CHANGING SALINITY OF OCEANS

The Blue Marble warming up and getting saltier                                        Photo Credit NASA

Considering that the oceans cover 71% of Earth, considering the man-driven, massive amounts of CO2 discharged into the atmosphere over the last 150 years, it’s surprising that the effects on the oceans haven’t been previously analyzed.

Researchers at the Scripps Institute of Oceanography and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California, examined both the warming in the upper 70 m of the ocean and the increasing salinity of the water.

Scientists used a rigorous process of detection to determine if the oceanic changes in salinity and temperature were caused by natural events, such as volcanic eruptions or solar fluctuations.  Simultaneously, they used attribution to determine if changes were the result of external forcing, such as human-induced changes from an increase in greenhouse gases or changes in land cover.

The oceanographers concluded that the observed changes in the ocean are consistent with anthropogenic (human) forcing of the climate and said, “These results add to the evidence that human forcing of the climate is already taking place, and already changing the climate in ways that will have a profound impact on people throughout the world in coming decades.”

Because ocean currents redistribute heat around the world, they have a profound influence on global climate.  Human induced climate change causes increased polarization of the Earth’s water cycle, resulting in arid regions becoming drier and high rainfall regions becoming wetter.

The shifts in the water cycle and global weather patterns are a threat to human societies and their ecosystems because they affect food availability, stability, access and use.

Sources:  SmartPlanet Daily, December 19, 2012      Geolog.com, December 7. 2012

Study published in Geophysics Research Letters, November 2, 2012

#CLIMATE CHANGE: #REINDEER DECLINING–CANADIAN INDIGENOUS TRIBES MAY DISAPPEAR

Reindeer pawing fluffy snow                                                                      To get at tasty plants below

Jeff Flokin of the International Fund for Wildlife is concerned about the severe, worldwide decline in reindeer (caribou) herds, a 60% decline from their historic highs.   He focuses on the 84% decline in the Peary and Dolphin-Union herds on Victoria Island in Nunavut, Canada to explain the cause of the decline:

“It’s climate change.  The temperature, the weather and the landscape are all changing in the Arctic.  So, in particular with this species—they’re a browsing species—they need to have access to the different plants and native shrubs that grow in the Tundra where they are in the winter.

“Usually, in past times, there’s kind of a light, fluffy snow that falls in that region, but now, because of the temperature change, they tend to have heavy, icy rain.  It’s freezing over these plants so the reindeer can’t access them for food.

“What’s happening is they’re starving or spending too much energy trying to find food.  As a result–starvation, malnutrition, low-reproductive rates.  And that’s causing these die-offs.”

The situation is even more acute in the George River herd further east in Labrador, the northerly region of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.  The reindeer population of 900,000 has dwindled to fewer than 28,000.

George Rich is an elder of the Innu tribe of 850 indigenous people 150 miles north of Goosebay, Labrador.  He said that traditionally, caribou bear calves in June, a month when they rely on cold temperatures to keep away the Black Flies that plague them.  But climate change has created earlier thaws and earlier springs—and Black Fly infestations in June.

Rich adds that because of ground surfaces being exposed by the warming climate, a giant nickel find was discovered in 1993.  Helicopters employed to facilitate subsequent mineral exploration are also creating problems for the reindeer herds—they’re terrified of the copter noise and are being driven away from their normal migration path, the path that normally falls within Innu community.

“What’s happening right now,” says Rich, “one of the mineral exploration companies is trying to build a road right in the heart of our territory.  Right in the heart of calving grounds.”

So closely are all aspects of Innu life linked to the caribou that the disappearance of the herds may mean the disappearance of the Innu, whose legends teach that the animals are human.

Rich says his tribe has an ancient caribou ritual similar to the practice of Communion in churches:  After a successful hunt, “All the hunters will gather the caribou hind legs, clean the meat then pound the caribou bones to what we call the mukushan, a feast for all the people to attend.”  He compares “the kind of sacred thing we do with the caribou” to a Catholic priest giving holy bread to the people.

The health of the Innu is affected by the dwindling herds.  The indigenous people no longer follow the herds for weeks, getting “a lot of exercise.   We used to store maybe one or two caribou in the freezer.”

So what are they eating instead?

‘We are forced to eat the store-bought food.  We live in a very isolated community.  The only access to (Labrador) is by plane and by coastal freighter in the summertime.

“And when most of the frozen food comes in, it’s not a very good situation at all.  And then that’s created a lot of problems in diet and eating junk food, and that’s created . . . a diabetes epidemic.  Thirty percent of people in my communities have diabetes.  A lot more with kidney failures.”

And what does Rich see as the impact on the Innu if the herds do disappear?

“Without the caribou, I don’t think that the Innu will be able to survive as the Innu themselves because the caribou is our identify.  It’s our culture, it’s our way of life, it’s also a part of the big spiritual awareness of what’s going on in the animal world.

“And without the caribou, we don’t think the Innu will be able to survive.”

My Take on the plight of the Innui:  It’s the same situation during which the US government encouraged the slaughter of the buffalo, the anchor of Plains Indians’ culture and religion.  As planned, the Plains Indians nearly disappeared with the buffalo, too.

Source:    Transcript of PRI’s Living on Earth, December 7, 2012

#CLIMATE CHANGE: 2012 HOTTEST, MOST EXTREME YEAR IN U.S. HISTORY

Hot enough for you?  Image courtesy of National Climatic Data Center

Jeffrey Masters, Director of Meteorology at Weather Underground, Inc, (Wunderground) predicts that a warm November and record-breaking heat in early December means 2012 will be the warmest since record keeping began in 1895 for the 48 contiguous states.

Additionally, eight of the months racked up their warmest temperatures ever.

During the 11-month period charted above, 18 states were record warm, and twenty-four states were top ten warm.

Wunderground’s weather historian, Christopher Burt reported that our early-December heat wave this week set records for the warmest December temperature on record in seven states.  December is well on its way to being in the top-20% warmest Decembers on record.

Masters’s summary of the year:  “A record 86% of the contiguous US had maximum temperatures that were in the warmest 10% historically during the first eleven months of 2012, and 71% of the US had warm minimum temperatures in the top 10%–2^nd highest on record.

“The percentage area of the US experiencing top-10% drought conditions was up 32 %, which was the 4^th greatest since 1910.

“Only droughts in the Dust Bowl year of 1934, and during 1954 an 1956, were more extreme for the January-November period.

“Heavy 1-day downpours have been below average so far in 2012, though, with 9% of the nation experiencing a top-10% extreme, compared to the average of 10%.”

Source:   ThinkProgress, December 9, 2012

LAKES SUPERIOR, HURON AND ERIE: THE #GREAT LAKES #PLASTIC #GARBAGE PATCH

In cooperation with the 5 Gyres Institute, Sheri Mason, a professor at SUNY Fredonia, led a survey of plastic pollution in three of the Great Lakes last July.

She was startled by the results.

“We had two samples in Lake Erie that we just kept going back and rechecking the data because the count, the number of plastic particles in the sample, was three times greater than any sample collected anywhere in the entire world.”

Stiv Wilson of 5 Gyres said the plastics in the Great Lakes is different from what’s found in the ocean, in that they “. . . appear to be intact, non-photodegraded (sun-degraded) plastic beads probably used in facial cleansers or for abrasives in ship sandblasting that have entered the watershed by runoff or sewage outfall.

“By count, our data shows three times as many pieces of plastic as a typical oceanic gyre sample, but they’re small–.5 millimeters and below, not the typical 5 millimeter fragments found in the Ocean.”

Wilson said the plastics concentrated in the Great lakes are much lower by weight than are concentrations in the oceans, making the Great Lakes pollution unusual in the number of its particles.

Plastics readily absorb toxic chemicals from the water, toxins such as DDT and other persistent organic pollutants that have circulated in the Great Lakes for decades.  And because these microparticles are too small to be filtered out by existing sewage treatment systems, they enter the food chain at all levels, from phytoplankton to fish to humans.

Mason observed, “The reality is that all the plastic we see in the environment makes its way into the water, which means it’s making its way ultimately into us.

“What we find in the lakes is coming from us, so we’re the problem, but we’re also the solution.

“I always want to encourage people to be thinking about their own lives and what they can do.  If they’re not going to go out and clean up the beach, they can find ways to reduce plastic in their own lives, especially single-use plastics.

“Forgo the straw.

“Stop buying disposable plastic bottles.

“Bring reusable bags so you don’t need to take plastic bags home.”

As investigations reveal how much plastic is involved, where it comes from and how it travels between lakes and from lakes to the oceans, the results may suggest ways to mitigate the situation.

Stay tuned–next year the group will survey Lake Michigan.

Sources:  plasticnews.com, November 8, 2012    Discovery News, November 28, 2012    5 Gyres Great Lakes Expedition, September 4, 2012

 

VIDEO OF SAVING VALENTINA: A HUMPBACK WHALE

This video brought tears to my eyes, and I thank my friend, Fred Caplinger, for sending it to me.

Now I’ll send this lovely gift to you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=EBYPlcSD490

OBAMA SCIENCE vs. ROMNEY SCIENCE

Referring to the candidates’ comments regarding science, Nature news reports, “ . . . their sharply contrasting visions of the size and proper role of government have profound implications for science. “

In the face of competition from other countries in the world market, Obama said, “We’ve got to make sure that we’ve got the best science and research in the world.”

Romney said, “Government does not create jobs.”

What follows are direct quotes from the candidates and from Nature.

CLIMATE

Obama:  Climate change is one of the biggest issues . . . we have to meet this challenge by driving smart policies that lead to greater growth in clean energy generation and result in a range of economic and social benefits.

Romney:  I oppose steps like a carbon tax or a cap-and-trade system . . . .   Economic growth and technological innovation, not economy-suppressing regulation, is the key to environmental protection.

Nature:  Romney opposes all climate regulations.  Obama used regulatory powers to push through energy and climate regulations, and subsidies for low-carbon technology.

EDUCATION

Obama:  Now I want to hire another hundred thousand new math and science teachers and create two million more slots in our community colleges so that people can get trained for the jobs that are out there right now.

Romney:  I propose we grade our schools so parents . . . can take their child to a school that’s being more successful.  I don’t want to cut our commitment to education, I want to make it more effective and efficient.

Nature:  Obama often emphasizes science education.  Romney focuses on streamlining the federal role in education while encouraging school choice and voucher programs.

ENERGY

Obama:  I have supported an all-of-the-above energy approach that will allow us to take control of our energy future, one where we safely and responsibly develop America’s many energy resources.

Romney:  A crucial component of my plan . . . is to dramatically increase domestic energy production and partner closely with Canada and Mexico to achieve North American energy independence by 2020.

Nature:  Romney and Obama have tussled over who supports fossil fuels the most.  The difference is that Obama continues to push to develop renewable sources for the long term.

REGULATION

Obama:  Smart rules can save lives and keep us safe, but there are some regulations that don’t make sense and cost too much.

Romney:  We must reduce the power of unaccountable regulators by requiring that all major regulations receive congressional approval and by imposing a regulatory cap that prevents the addition of new regulatory costs.

Nature:  Romney would slow or stop regulation where possible.  Obama moved to reduce unnecessary regulatory burdens, but also used regulatory powers to further his agenda.

STEM CELLS

Obama:  We will vigorously support scientists who pursue this research.  And we will aim for America to lead the world in the discoveries it one day may yield.

Romney:  I have a deep concern about curing disease . . . but I will not create new embryos through cloning or through embryo farming, because that would be creating life for the purpose of destroying it.”

Obama repealed limits on federal funding of stem-cell research.  Romney has not specified his stance, but his religious views may stand in opposition to current policy.

Sources:   SmartPlanet Daily, October  24, 2012      Nature: International Weekly Journal of Science, October 24, 2012