Day 5: The Narrows Pt. 1

Today we went on our second field trip of this STEMmersion. This time, we went to a park called the Narrows in Greene County, which is on the Little Miami River.

However, before we did that, we learned a bit about nature documentaries. We looked at three different examples of nature documentaries and thought about what their target audience was, how it attracted its target audience, and how it taught its target audience. After this, we got into groups and came up with a concept for our own nature documentary and began writing a mock script. We went to the Narrows shortly after we started writing, but we finished after we got back. We even performed them, too. You can see my group's script at the end of this post.

Once 9:15 hit, we were heading out to the Narrows. Once we got there, we divided into groups. After a quick orientation, each group went with their respective park attendant(s). My group went into the forest first. As we walked, the attendant showed us some of the flora and fauna in the area. We were also given binoculars, which did prove useful when we wanted to get a good look at some of the birds.

What I really began to appreciate here though was the trees. The big sycamores in the area are practically vital to the ecosystem. Their impact even reaches to the river itself, as their roots strengthen the shoreline and provide shelter to some water-borne animals. Sometimes, I was simply fascinated by the shape. The trees seemed hospitable on their own at times, with nooks and crannies seemingly designed to host other living things, be it plant or animal. For example, see the picture below.

After we got back to where we started, the groups switched. The other attendants gave a presentation on how to assess the health of a river. There are many factors that affect it, including pH, dissolved oxygen, and the variance of the things living in the water, especially macroinvertebrates (non-microscopic animals lacking spines, typically insects or mollusks). I knew a lot of the information already, which the attendants appreciated.

One thing I learned is that all of these environmental factors are more interconnected than I thought. There are tiers of macroinvertebrates, and these tiers are based on how intolerant they are of pollutants. If there is pollution, the intolerant ones disappear and the population of the tolerant ones expands rampantly. This makes it even harder for the intolerant ones to come back, as all the resources are being used up. If you take one thing away from this, let it be this: keep your waterways clean. You'll never know the implications behind the pollution until it's already too late.

After the presentation was over and we ate some food, we went to an indoor area where we got to see some amphibians and reptiles. We also got to simulate how rivers form in a sandbox with a water faucet built in. My favorite part of the day was being able to hold a black rat snake, however briefly. (Note: that is my friend, Jessica, holding the snake, not me, just to clarify.)

Running Wild

Trenton: Good day, ladies and gents. This is Running Wild, with your host Rick Wylde. Today’s show is about Dromaius novaehollandiae, or the emu, a flightless bird native to Australia. It’s the second largest bird in the world, second only to the ostrich. They can grow up to 1.9 meters and can sprint at speeds of 50 kilometers an hours. That’s 6.2 feet tall and 31 miles an hour! With specs like that, there’s no wonder they won the Emu War of 1932!

Sam walks in, makes emu noises

Trenton: There’s one right there! Crikey! Big ol’ thing, isn’t he? Imagine this big bird running at you at 31 miles an hour! Now that’s a real terrifying thought! Now we have a recreation of that Emu War, courtesy of some friends of mine.

Tomas, Connor, and Jordan sneak past. One points at the emu and says “Crikey!” Sam turns and starts running at them. They run away. I laugh.

Trenton: Now isn’t that something! 10,000 bullets and they killed naught but 12 birds! Those emus must be a real fright, huh?