From Snails to Whales

They're Here: Giant African Land Snail's Invade Miami.

2011-12-30T06:38:00.000-05:00


Promotional announcement for last year's traveling exhibition of giant pink snails.

As you know, I am always interested in invasive species like tunicates, snakes, parrots, lizards, fish and of course snails. Though they can - and often do - have a devastating effect on the environment and the economy, they are often among the most interesting species to study in the field.

At Save the Harbor / Save the Bay, for example, we track the spread of the invasive Asian Shore Crab, and my undergraduate class in Earth Science at Boston University has been tracking a colony of invasive land snails on Lovells Island in the Boston Harbor Islands National Park for nearly 10 years.

When I am on vacation, I often spend my time looking for invasive species wherever I go. They often provide an important window into the health of the environment - and interesting insights into human behavior as well.

While visiting Miami during last year's cold snap - which killed thousands of invasive iguanas - I added the phrase "iguanas falling from trees" to my keywords at Google news. The search returned dozens of articles in the popular press over the course of the winter - which helped me keep abreast of the impacts of climate on these non-native lizards.

Here's a link to one of the many stories I found. Frozen Iguanas

At that time, I also added the keywords "giant snails in Miami" so that I could track the progress of the giant pink snail sculptures that invaded Miami beach last year as part of a traveling exhibition sponsored by Galleria Ca'D'Oro in Rome.

In November of this year (2011) I was surprised to find that my keywords, which had been relatively quiet, returned a story about a totally different kind of giant snail which has invaded Miami Dade.

Earlier this year the Giant African Land Snail (GALS) was discovered in the Miami area. Though it is popular as a pet in Europe, it is banned in the US because it is a voracious pest that threatens both agriculture and human health.

So far it has spread to more than a dozen different locations in Miami, prompting an aggressive response by state and local officials who are quite right to be concerned about its impact on the environment, agriculture and human health.

Later today I will be accompanying a team from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services as they assess a newly discovered "core" infestation just south of Miami. I am certain that it will be interesting. I'll keep you informed about what I discover.

In the meantime, you can find out more at this link to the Department's great GALS site.

Giant African and Snails

2011-08-08T06:29:00.002-04:00

Kathy

My Spectacle Island Visit

I went out to Spectacle Island last week. I intended to be on the island for low tide but then realized that low tide occurred at 6:03 am and 6:23 pm, which wasn’t going to work with the ferry schedule. So instead I caught the first ferry out and arrived at South Beach around 10:00. It was a sunny day and the temperature was around 85 degrees so I didn’t mind going in the water in search of treasures.

As we approached the South Beach area there was a picnic table that was covered with all the finds of previous visitors. But for the moment I ignored the table and headed straight for the water knowing that the tide would be coming in. My plan was to first spend time just collecting samples. Then there was a ranger lead walk that talk about some of the history of the island. I thought this might give me some insight about my samples. The walk was followed by a trip to the visitor’s center and finally I would use the new information to decide which samples were potentially the most interesting and photograph them before returning my collection to South Beach.

The ranger took us up the north drumlin where the view was amazing. On the way back down we saw a wild turkey. The ranger said they couldn’t figure out how the turkey got there. There are deer and raccoons on the island, but she said they are able to swim to the island. The turkey on the other hand can “flutter” short distance but they’re not really capable of flight, so it’s a mystery.

I learned that from 1857 -1910 the Ward’s candle making plant and horse-rendering operation converted 2000 dead horses a year into hides, glue, hair, and oil. Thirty men were employed on the island and 13 families lived there. But by 1910 the automobile was becoming increasingly popular in the Boston area, reducing the need for horses. As a result the operation was closed.

Then from 1912-1935, Coleman’s, a grease reclamation plant ,processed Boston’s garbage. When the plant closed in 1935 the island continued to be used as a garbage dump until 1959. One gentleman on the walk remarked that he clearly remembers garbage coming out to the islands after 1959 and the ranger explained that the city of Boston had stopped sending garbage out to the island in a systemic way in 1959, but there was some occasional dumping on the island after that date.

In the visitor’s center I looked at the displays and reviewed the collection of items that were left on the information desk. These were more of the treasures from South Beach.

Now it was time to get to work on the samples I had collected. I thought about the samples I had seen in the water, on the sand, and on the picnic table. While there were plenty of things that could just be considered random pieces of trash, there also seem to be things that fit into neat categories. The number of individual items in this category seems too high for their appearance to just be random. Some of the categories I recognized right away were dishware, sea glass, construction/ demolition materials and shoe heals and soles. This in my mind indicates that for some of these categories, the pieces probably all came to the island in either a single or multiple batches.

The first item I was interested in was a small piece that I found in the water of what appeared to be a broken dish. It had a blue design on it and a distinctive border. After a minute I realized that I had seen a slightly larger piece with this same border on the picnic table. When I compared the 2, I had a match. The 2 pieces could have been from the same piece or from 2 different pieces from the same set. I thought about it a little more and realized that I had also seen this pattern on one of the pieces on the information desk back at the visitor’s center. When I went back to look at it, the pattern did indeed match but this piece was probably a serving bowl whereas the other 2 pieces were most likely plates. But they were clearly from the same set. When I turned the serving bowl over it said Buffalo China.

I searched the Internet and found Buffalo China was the name of the company that manufactured it. They have been making dishware since the early 1900’s and were bought by Oneida in 1983. Over the years they have sold their dishware mostly to commercial entities such as restaurants, hotels and the military. For a period of time they also made pottery and commemorative plates. I went searching further and found the dishes for sale on eBay. The name of the pattern is Blue Willow.

The Willow pattern can be found in a variety of colors but blue is the most common. The Blue Willow pattern has been used by several companies and came to this country from England where its use dates back to the late 1700s. The facts get a little less certain at this point. It is believed that the design was originally from China and then brought to England. It appears that in England more than one person/company started using the pattern. With this last fact came the realization that the 2 pieces I found may not have been Buffalo China. It could have been from another company that used the Blue Willow pattern. Only the bowl from the Visitor’s Center was actually marked Buffalo China.

In my blog post above is a picture of the small piece I found in the water next to the piece from the picnic table, followed by a picture of the serving bowl from the visitor’s center and finally an image of the dish for sale on ebay.

The next item in my collection appeared to be a teacup; there were no markings on it. The pattern had a blue border with tulips and seems like the kind of thing that could have been in use anywhere from the 1960s to the 1990s.

Another item in my collection appeared to be a teacup. On the bottom it was marked “Ideal CARR China Co”. CARR China also sold its wares to commercial entities such as restaurants, hotels, hospitals, clubs and the military. The company began sometime between 1916 and 1923 in West Virginia and was closed in 1952. Although the pottery industry in the US had been declining due to competition from Japan and other low wage earning countries, it’s rumored that Wheeler Bachman, the then owner of the plant, closed the business in a fit of rage when he learned that the plant employees were meeting to discuss the possibility of organizing a union.

Interestingly the Carr China Co. also sold a Blue Willow pattern. In addition to their generic dishes, in my research I found a number of pieces that were personalize by putting the name or logo of the business on them such as the Triangle Diner, Henry Ford Hospital, White Tower restaurant and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

In the blog above is a picture of the piece I found. It does not show the design of the Ideal pattern, so I went looking on the Internet. I found a picture of a plate and sugar bowl with the Ideal pattern but couldn’t find a teacup.

My final piece of dishware appears to be part of a white teacup with a green strip. There was no company name on this but while looking into the Buffalo China I saw some very similar patterns to this, but no exact match. It reminded me of the kind of dishes one would have seen in a coffee shop back in the 1960s. But then when looking into Carr China I found a plate on ebay that looks like it could be part of the same set.

So what I have so far is 4 pieces of, dishware, two of which came from companies that sold dishware commercially, one piece that looks like something that could have been used commercially, and one piece that I’m unsure about. My first thought was maybe a restaurant or some other entity had just thrown them out after buying a new set of dishes and they some how worked their way from the landfill to the water. But then I realized if a restaurant was getting new dishes and throwing out the old, they would have had disposed of many pieces all with the same pattern. What I saw on the beach was many pieces all with different patterns. I suppose it’s possible that enough dishes had collected over the years in the landfill that there are now a variety of patterns and only a few pieces from each pattern escape. I guess it’s also possible that the dishes didn’t all come to the island as a batch as I had thought (BE WILLING TO CHANGE YOUR THEORY) but rather each week a few pieces of dishware in the various Boston restaurants got broken by a clumsy waiter. Unlike some kinds of trash, the dishware isn’t too likely to degrade so I think it’s possible that the percent of dishes in comparison to other trash increases over the years and that it will continue to be around for many years. Although the pieces on the beach will probably continue to be broken into smaller and smaller pieces with the tides going in and out.

Moving away from the dishes to another category of trash, I selected a piece from what I’m calling the random trash collection. Although I found this plastic cigar holder in the water, the paper label was in good shape and easy to read, so I don’t think it had been there very long. The label read “Backwoods, Sweet Aromatic, All Natural Tobacco ” The bar code was 716 10 30151. I thought it possible that someone on one of the many boats that were on the water that day smoked a cigar and dropped the tube off the side of the boat deliberately.

My final artifact came from the sea glass collection. I learned from my reading of the Sea glass Journal (yes, there is such a thing, www.seaglassjournal.com/vacations/spectacleisland/spectacleisland.htm) that “Sea glass found on the island may not be as conditioned as shards found on an ocean coastline since the currents and surf within Boston Harbor may not be as active. But this offers an unusual opportunity for the sea glass collector. Lots of the glass, while having smooth edges, will have retained a lot of its original shape and surface texture which leads to easier identification of their origins.”

The piece of glass I examined appeared to be the bottom of a clear bottle. On it was written the word Sheaffer’s.The Sheaffer Company was founded in 1912 and produced fountain pens. The company continues to operate today selling fine quality writing instruments. I suspect this bottle was probably from a bottle of ink that they sold. According to the Sheaffer website, Sheaffer pens were used to sign the Japanese peace treaty and the United Nations Charter. Could this piece of glass have been at these major historical events? Probably not, but it’s fun to think about it.

My trip to Spectacle Island made for a great day. Seeing all the trash reminds me that just because we throw something away doesn’t means it ceases to exist. It will need to go somewhere, so we need to keep in mind the 3-Rs, Reduce, Re-use, recycle. If any of you gets the chance I’d highly recommend visiting the island.

2011-08-08T00:13:00.000-04:00

Kathy

My Final Thoughts

This class has been a wonderful experience for me. All of the field trips were great but I think my favorite was exploring the biodiversity at the docks. I was amazed at how many creatures could be found in each handful we pulled off the docks. Until then I never realized how many different types of barnacles there were or knew that skeleton shrimp even existed. I also was amazed at how good the fish and chips were at the Barking Crab after our day on the docks.

Other highlights for me were the grove snails on Lovell’s Island and I really enjoyed my adventure on Spectacle Island. I must admit when Bruce had us read the Tragedy of the Commons I couldn’t understand what the connection was to our class at first, but once we talked about the over fishing of striped bass it all became clear.

The whole experience was enhanced by the great weather, my great classmates and a great teacher. I want to thank Bruce for both for his passion for sharing his knowledge with us and the work he has done over the years with Save the Harbor, Save the Bay to protect this great resource. I suspect we’ll all pay more attention every time we see a sign over a storm drain that says, “No Dumping – This drains to the Boston Harbor”.

Spectacle Island: Alternative Final & Field Study

2011-08-07T22:52:00.011-04:00

What a beautiful day for a boat ride...

(from left to right: Lauren M., Prof. Berman, Janelle B.)

The Voyage

Monday morning, Lauren and myself set out for Spectacle Island. By 9:11 am the ferry had left the dock and we were on our way. We shortly arrived at the island only to find a welcoming surprise, our very own Professor Berman! Docked ashore and preparing a grill on his house boat, The Veranda, Professor Berman was a delight to see. He welcomed us aboard and we had the pleasure sharing a few words. Before long we were off to comb the beach, later to return and join Professor Berman, his lovely wife Patty, and his summer youth group for lunch.

While along the beach there were several interesting finds, 5 of which I have gone in detail about below. However, aside from the five artifacts mentioned below, here were my highlights of our trip:

1. Finding shoe soles (I know I gave away one of the artifacts I'm sorry I thought it was really random and interesting!)

2. Lauren spotting a turkey on the island! I had no idea there were turkeys on Spectacle Island or any of the harbor islands for that matter!

3. Professor Berman telling Lauren and myself to beware of the rangers on the island~they're big flirts. More specifically, one ranger in particular, who prior to the professor mentioning his name, had already persistently inquired whether he could be of any assistance to Lauren and myself....too funny.

4. The ranger inside the visitor's area telling us that he was sick of the birds flying around in the building, because it was hot and he could not turn on the fans until they left. This was spoken out of experience, because the week prior, they had turned on the fans and while the fans were still running a bird flew into the room and was hit by one of the fans, hurtling it to the wall where it left a mark....and died. There is a small black seemingly feather-like material hanging off one of the ledges below the "mark" and me and Lauren both agreed it is probably the bird! Considering that the body of the dead bird was never retrieved (says the ranger).

5. The ranger had a bunch of more interesting and rare artifacts on his desk counter top and one of them was half of the bottom (or top) of dentures! It even had silver fillings! I was really grossed out until the ranger mentioned that they were probably cleaner now after having been washed along the shore than they ever were before. I was so surprised they had found dentures.... gross but an awesome find for sure.

6. A wooden wheel from a chariot. I believe Clinton may have already posted this wheel that I am speaking of, but it was really cool to see this. I didn't want to post it as an artifact for two reasons, 1) Lauren spotted the wheel & 2) We found it next to the large table of artifacts people found on the shore and put there for display, so I felt guilty using it, but it was really cool.

7. I found this one artifact not too far above the shoreline that Lauren and I debated whether it was actually a colony of tunicate of some sort, or the inside of a plunger. I swear it was shaped just like a plunger. It was not whole, but I also found another portion of it, same shape, a little farther down the shore. Up close you could see little circles, either bubbles or actual circles and they had tiny black specks in the center. The entire material was bumpy to the touch, a little slimy, and dark gray. I could not decide whether it was a piece of less durable, broken down rubber, or just a plant/organism.

8. Having Hebrew National hotdogs --which I did not even know existed, they are full beef, kosher, and delicious-- with Professor Berman, his wife Patty, and his summer youth group. Everything was delicious and Lauren & I were really glad to get to see Professor Berman one last time, as well as see his boat that he spoke so much about--which, for those of you curious, it's a beautiful boat.

The Artifacts:

1. Coca-Cola Bottle

This is a worn out fragment of a Coca-Cola bottle. The bottles are typically a clear glass with a greenish hint to them, but after being knocked around a bit the glass must have gotten scratched, giving it the white appearance it shows now. Coca-Cola is an american soda company that began in 1886. This bottle in particular, tell us that it was during or after 1916 when the contour shape of the Coca-Cola bottles originated. The bottle shape is recognized worldwide today, and the fact that it was given trademark status by the U.S. Patent Office back in the 1900s was a rare and special occurrence. These bottles must have been quite abundant during the time they were just breaking out into the market. Also, during the prohibition act, having a new refreshing soda was beneficial, I would guess that there were a great deal of these bottles around. Since they soon became a common beverage, it would not be surprising to find workers, sailors and tourists drinking one. As a result, when Spectacle island was used as a dump for the city of Boston, later around the 1940s, many of these fragments of glass would be disposed of and remain on the island. Bottles such as this tell us that they people from those days enjoyed the taste of a fresh, cool, Cola-Cola just as much as we do today! Delicious as always.

2. LIQUOR BOTTLENECK

This is the bottleneck of a liquor bottle that I found along the beach. The glass was all scratched and nicked from what I would assume was being tossed around in the water and against the shoreline. I think it was used by men during the 1920s while the prohibition act was still in place. During those days they had what one would call "Speakeasies," which were functions that carried and served alcohol during prohibition. They got the name because the bartenders would as those ordering alcohol to "speak easy" so not to draw attention to the illegal transaction. These alcoholic beverages were transported in by boat bootleggers looking to make some quick cash. This particular bottle could have come from a bar that sold the illegal liquor, and disposed of the criminal evidence, the bottles, illegally by dumping them into the ocean, where they believed no one would trace them. However, depending where they dumped the bottles, over time, the water washed them back ashore. One such place is Spectacle Island. This bottle tells us that both the person who drank the alcohol as well as the person who sold and smuggled it in, were all rebels with a weakness--cash, or booze (depending on the person we're talking about). In a similar aspect, this bottle tells us in general that these people were going through a hard time if they had to drink secretly and then dispose of the trash improperly to protect themselves.

3. TOILET

This is a very popular and important piece of furniture that resides in most lavatories, the toilet. There are several ways for this to have ended up on the island--through trash dumped into the landfill way back in the 1950s or from the various uses on the island itself. I'm going to go with the version I like best: Employee toilet. Every workplace has one, because let's face it--everyone has to go at some point! Also, I know this is a toilet because of the curve at the bottom of it, which you unfortunately cannot see from this picture, as well as from the heavy, porcelain stone. Carrying on, this was the toilet in the lavatory of the horse rendering plant back in 1857. It was very much used by the workers there, which is why years later, when the plant was taken down and the plant destroyed, the toilet cracked and broke into pieces, which then were then projected into the air, and landed in various spots along the island, including the shoreline. More important than what this toilet tells us about the people who used it, it assures us that there were people around to use it. I suppose if there is anything else it could tell us, it would be better spoken from any remaining germs on the toilet that may reveal what the people were eating at that time.

4. TEA CUPS

These are all different fragments of broken tea cups. I realize they may be a little hard to distinguish from plates, but if you notice, the pieces are all slightly curved and some even have the portion from the tea cup handle still attached. One of these tea cups said "CH..." on the bottom, which from other tea cups I saw on the beach I can safely say would completely read "CHINA," pointing out the manufacturer of the household luxury. There were several of these same pattern fragments all over the shore, I just picked up a few so I would not have too many of the same artifact, but since there were several of them I am fairly certain that these were all disposed of in sets. As a result, I believe that theses tea cup sets were luxury settings used in the resorts that were on the island in the late 1800s/early 1900s, prior to their closing, for special guests. The sets could have either been thrown out after the resorts were abandoned, or they could have been defected, cracked, broken, etc. and for that reason they were trashed rather than packed away. The tea cups tell us that the people who used them had money and enough time to allow themselves at least a brief vacation.

5. SHOE SOLES

Here are two different shoe soles I found on the beach. One was just the black, rubber sole of the shoe, while the other was more literally the shoe itself. There was something written on the inside of the black rubber sole, but I unfortunately was unable to read it. The edges of the letters were quite worn in, which I suppose makes sense considering it stepped on for what I would guess was at least a few years. I believe this shoe was work by a drunkard in the late 18/ early 1900s, while Spectacle Island was still the home of two resorts, both which which were taken down after exploited for gambling and brothels. I think these shoes may have initially been the shoes of a gambler, who drank too much, went for a dip in the water and lost his shoes. The water eventually washed the shoes back up and after being beaten by erosion against the rocky shore, the shoe soles were separated from the shoes themselves and left on the shore. I believe the fact that the shoes were on the beach tells us that the owner of the shoes was either clumsy, irresponsible, or probably both. The soles are seemingly worn in, but it is hard to tell whether that is from wear and tear or the beating of the ocean. One thing these shoe soles say for sure about their owner is that for at least one short period of time, he or she had sore feet!

6. CLEAT

This is a metal cleat that I found on the beach, I believe it is made out of iron because of the orange rust. I am not 100% sure whether it was previously attached to a very large boat or a dock, but I would guess the dock, only because it also had a large, steel wire (as depicted in the picture) attached to it that was ripped at the end. I believe the wire was also attached to a dock as a back-up attachment, incase the screws holding the cleat to the dock ever became loose. The cleats are used to tie up a boat to a dock. If it was attached to a dock.... Then I believe sailors of all kinds used this cleat to tie up their boat. It could have been used by commercial and recreational fishermen alike as well as sailors, jet-skiers, and house boaters. Judging by how must rust is on this cleat and the fact that it is clearly no longer attached to it's base, I would say that this was used a long time ago. I think it would take a long period of wear and tear for the screws to come undone on the dock as well as for the end of that steel wire to break. My best guess, is that this was a cleat from a dock within the past decade that became old and unsupportive which was abandoned for safety precautions. Years later, the dock is just barely held together until a large storm hits that break it down. The wood, rotting and broken down no longer attaches to the cleat or the steel wire and breaks away. The cleat then sinks to the ocean bottom, but remember this was attached to a dock, which means it was in fairly shallow water and close to shore. Thus, after a few harsh New England storms, the water washes up the old cleat, where it remains on the beach, waiting for visitors such as myself to re-discover it. I think if this cleat says anything about those who used it, it says that it was well loved ~in other words it was used until it was beat to the point where the dock was unstable.

Where does Boston trash go?

I live in Saugus, MA which is a small suburb approximately 20 min. north of Boston. So I will be discussing where trash in the "greater Boston area" goes. My trash is taken off the curb and brought by trash trucks to several waste removal plants. The one closest to my house is Refuse Energy Systems Company, otherwise known as RESCO. The trash is brought to the plant in a truck which is weighed upon entry. From there the trash is dumped into a pile that is separated into different groups and then brought by crane into incinerators. The incinerators burn the trash and metal detectors are used to distinguish any left over scrap metal which can be recycled. Afterwards, the ashes are dumped into a landfill down the road that RESCO owns. The energy generated by the plant is sold to companies nearby such as General Electric (GE) as well as used to run the plant.

Currently, Saugus is having health standard issues with RESCO and trying to sue them for their lack of maintaining regulations and as a result putting the health of others at risk. It seems as though we have renewed a contract with a company called Wheelabrator, which burns trash 24/7 in their incinerators, which heat up 2000 degrees Fahrenheit and have the capacity to hold 6,000 tons of garbage. This company also uses the process of waste removal to generate energy ~46.000 kilowatts to be specific, which are used to run the plant, as well as sold to the company New England Power Co. to supply energy to 41,000 homes.

Safety Glass Photo

2011-08-07T19:34:00.002-04:00

This thing just never uploaded on my artifact photo page so here it is separate...

Lunch At Home With Bruce (and staff) on Spectacle Island

2011-08-07T19:24:00.000-04:00

Spectacle Island Artifacts Collection and Identification Part 1: Photos

2011-08-07T19:14:00.003-04:00

Lauren Miller

Spectacle Island Artifact Collection and Identification Part 2: Identfications

2011-08-07T18:47:00.003-04:00

Artifact 1: Clay Door knob- This is definitely a door knob because the shape and indentations in the other side were exactly the same a modern day doorknob. After the 1850s clay door knobs were patented in the United States. I think it was used anytime after that up until the dump on Spectacle was closed. These door knobs held up well and perhaps the mechanism failed and the door knob was thrown away. A door could have also made its way over after a house demolition, and the wood disintegrated in the ocean and what was left was the clay knob.
http://www.madehow.com/Volume-5/Doorknob.html

Artifact 2: This looks to me like a fastener probably on a toilet or some other installation piece. It looks to be made of limestone and its likely been broken off during a demolition as well. The piece behind it is a germicide top. It says quality made germicide and the bottom side had a small place that was likely inserted into a bottle. Germicide was used and still is used today to kill bacteria, it is used to clean wounds and sterilize.

Artifact 3: Safety Glass- (**photo at the end of previous post) Glass technology was such that to make glass stronger and shatterproof people put chicken wire inside the panes to fortify the final product. These products were used in industrial buildings and most likely came to the island after a building was demolished or after a pane broke and needed to be replaced. Someone who used this needed a protective layer of glass while getting sunlight. Possibly in a police station or in an industrial factory where broken windows might be a problem. They also serve as a defense against break ins so maybe in store windows or entrances.

Artifact 4: Clay Roof Tile- This clay panel seems to be part of a roofing tile system. These tiles would be placed edge to edge along a roof and were used. These tiles are rarely seen in architecture today but were used after many fires ravaged houses in Boston and became part of the building code from from the 16th to the and of the 18th century in the city. These were desired in urban locations because they wouldn't catch fire. Clay tiles went in and out of fashion and probably this one ended up on Spectacle after a homeowner was modernizing the look of their house. This tile probably came down when a building was demolished. The person who used it was probably a home owner that was renovating or after a house fire and a house needed to be rebuilt. This tile is an old version of the kind we use today usually made of copper. http://www.mca-tile.com/history.htm

Artifact 5: Shoe Soles- In these pictures you can observe the holes where shoe nails were hammered up into the shoe base to make the heel of the shoe. They are a separate part of the shoe made of a material that seems to be more impervious to the elements as the softer probably delicious leather that the shoes were constructed from. I noticed a lot of different sizes of the heels indicating that there were many sizes of shoes represented. Shoes wear out also people grow out of them, they also go out of style. This is often why people throw them away. They remind me of the soles of the shoes my father would wear to work every day. He would wear the same three pairs until they were worn through. This is probably what happened with many of these heel remnants. These shoes were probably used before 1960 when shoe construction technology was a little more basic and heels were nailed onto the shoe base.

Artifact 6: Glass Mustard Bottle Base- The shard that I collected had the words Guldens mustard raised in the glass. Guldens is an American brand that has been producing mustard since 1862. Condiment containers are used by households across the country and in restaurant. After they are emptied they serve no alternative purpose and are thrown away, judging by the amount of restaurant china ware they could possibly be from restaurant trash. The ranger told us that dates are often written on the bottles and I did note one that I found with a date around 1930s. I am wondering if this Guldens shard came around the same time period as the ware on it is similar to the one with that date on it. The trash incinerator on the island was closed after 1935 where trash was just put on the island to sit there until 1959. The person who used this mustard probably liked hamburgers and hotdogs and were probably using it in a restaurant where they were dining, it was likely a casual style restaurant where they put mustard bottles on the dining tables. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulden's

In addition to these objects I also found many shards of china, I focused mainly on looking at the markings that I found on a few bits that were probably the base of the china pieces. Of the information from these markings I could find was that the pottery makers supplied restaurants and hotels and other mass produced items.

When I throw my trash away a capitol waste truck comes every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday to clear away any bags of trash left outside our door. I tried to research where the trucks eventually take the trash but there was no information online I also couldn't get through to them on the phone although I wasn't trying to contact them on a work day. It's pretty interesting that there is nothing on their website explaining the process just the pick up... Makes it easy to forget what impact we have on the environment and landfills.

Lauren Miller

Spectacle Island

2011-08-07T18:43:00.004-04:00

Item 1- The first item i found was a brick most likely used by a construction crew when building or destroying a building made out of brick. It got to Spectacle Island either by boat or in the water. There are plenty of buildings made out of brick still today in Boston and it is not hard to believe that this is just trash that has made its way out there. We do not know exactly where our trash will end up when we dispose of it in the wrong ways and this is a clear example of it.

Item 2- The second item I found I believe to be the handle of an old jug. The jug was used to carry liquids around probably around the turn of the 20th century. These jugs were much more popular then because plastics had not been invented yet. This jug could have been used by a family or a restaurant in Boston. The jug has probably been brought to Spectacle very slowly via the water.
Item 3- Another piece that I found on the southern beach of Spectacle Island is what I believe to be a portion of an old pot. This looks to me like a pot you would put soil and some sort of plant inside to grow. It was most likely used by citizens of Boston. Just like the jug handle, I believe it found its way to the island via water.
Item 4- This is an old comb. This comb could have been used by anybody from anywhere. Because it is so lightweight it could have drifted from places much farther away than Boston. It could have been just dropped in the ocean from a passenger on a boat or disposed of improperly by someone on land. It shows that people think that one comb will not do any harm, but that mentality leads to polluted water and beaches all over the world.
Item 5- This is an old lobster buoy that washed up on the shore of Spectacle Island. I believe it was used by a lobster fisherman. They connect these buoys to the lobster trap that sinks to the bottom of the ocean so they can easily locate where the traps are. It most likely was cut off by a boat or even another lobster fisherman. It then floated its way to Spectacle Island and now resides on the southern shore of the island.
Item 6- Last item I found on the beach was the handle part of what appears to be a mug. This mug was probably from a household or restaurant/ hotel here in Boston. It was very smooth in texture showing that it had spent a lot of time in the water on its journey to Spectacle. It shows that we should be more careful of how we dispose of our trash. It is very easy to take out the trash everyday and have someone else pick it up. We do not even think about what happens to it after that. We cannot continue to pollute our oceans and beaches because we improperly dispose of trash due to laziness.

Last day

2011-08-07T18:04:00.002-04:00

As I remember the last day of our course together I can truly say that it was one unlike any other I had participated in the past. Going on a whale watch was definitely something that I had ever expected to do in a college class. It turned out to be one of the more enriching experiences I have had in my memories of Boston. Although I have lived here an outstanding portion of my life, I had yet to go on a whale watch tour. My expectations were set fairly low by others who had gone on whale watches and were not able to see any whales. I was extremely pleasantly surprised by the amount of whales that we saw and the actions that they exhibited while we were out on Stellwagen Bank.

The Minke and Humpback whales seemed to be performing for us as they breached and swam alongside the cruise ship. The final paper helped broaden my notions of whaling across the world and provided me with a new understanding of how whale populations can come to be thriving and sustainable.

The past few weeks have been entertaining and informative. It was a pleasure to get to know all of you and I hope that we meet again in the future. Best of luck to everyone

Farewell and thanks for the fish.

2011-08-07T17:18:00.000-04:00

These are my findings and impressions from my trip to spectacle island.; I present them as my farewell.

A Sea Comb: it's plastic, so it's obviously 20^th century. I'm going to go with the 50's or 60's for that Rebel Without a Cause brilliantine look, carried in the back-pocket of some punk.

2. A Sea Porcelain Spark-plug: Perhaps from the motorcycle of the begreezed punk with the comb. Or perhaps it came from an all-American gas guzzler sedan. I could not find out as of now when they stopped making spark-plugs entirely from porcelain (they still use porcelain for parts of the spark plug), but I am assuming it is the first part of the 20^th century.

3. A porcelain electricity fixture: I'm not sure exactly what it is; whether it's a socket or a connector etc. But I am assuming it is contemporaneous with the spark plug, since it too is completely devoid of plastic.

4. The Sole of a Shoe : here too I couldn't quite pin-point the date. The sole has nails in it; the question is then until which time soles were attached to shoes this way. My guess here will be the late 19^th or early 20^th century

5. A China Animal Figurine: at least, I am convinced that's what this used to be. I'd like to imagine it as part of a set belonging to one of the children of the management of the Ward rendering factor. It's a really sweet image, and it works particularly well with the four legged horses being rendered into Foot Oil...

6. A Sea Jug: this looks to be quite old, and quite fancy. Perhaps it was used to carry wine or beer in those naughty mid-19^th century hotels they had there. It has that boozy feeling to it.

So,

It's been a pleasure!

Sadly, I didn't enjoy all the experiences with the rest of you. And judging by what I experienced when I was present, every trip that I missed was truly a miss. But even so, there was so much going on, and so much of it was interesting, entertaining, educating. And very challenging, actually. In its sleeveless way this class demanded of me to do new things and see new things, to experience before I form a judgment; and also, an opportunity to be less squeamish than I usually am. Of course, talking about the class in the abstract is silly. First I want to thank each and every on of you for being part of the makeup of my experience of this class, and for allowing me to be part of the makeup of yours. Above all though this class is the brainchild and extension of Prof. Berman, and so I wanted to thank you, Prof. Berman, personally, for introducing me to this alley of the world and this neighborhood of knowledge.

Good Bye!

Amichai.

I'm just sitting here watching the whales go round and round.

2011-08-05T12:26:00.000-04:00

So, I finally found myself on a boat, going whale watching. We departed at noon and started towards the open sea. First the now-familiar islands go by; once again I'm transfixed by the receding city, getting smaller and smaller until we are finally out to sea. In truth the land almost never disappear; to the right of us I can see the shoreline for a long while. Still, the city has disappeared completely and a feeling of bigness sets in. This engulfing bigness sets the scene for the humpbacks. This is an exclusively humpback day, and they are being very generous to us.

For a while it's like water striptease, slowly unfolding. First we see bursts of blow, and then some tails. Every sighting elicits a collective gasp. Eventually we find ourselves in the midst of the humpbacks. I can see more and more of them, and the feeling is that they are all around us. We are close enough to see the tails rise as the whales dive, close enough to see the different color patterns on different whales. Finally, some whales get close enough so that I can get an impression of their shape and size, watching their giant backs curve until they tip their tale and disappear. We idle and let the whales show themselves. When several of them come towards us in groups of two, three, and once even six whales, from all directions, the ocean becomes not smaller but more defined by the movement of these giant creatures.

Now we are on our way back, having just left behind us. As the city rushes back towards us, it occurs to me how privileged I am to have seen what i just saw. Endangered as they are, in this spot of Massachusetts bay it seemed like humpbacks fill the world. And just for a short while I feel like a visitor in a non human world. I'm in the neighborhood of these awesome creatures (and now I know where they live...)

Findings from Spectacle Island

2011-08-04T10:22:00.015-04:00

Findings From Spectacle Island

1.) Porcelain. Due to the curved nature of this porcelain, I'm deducing that it was once a piece of a toilet from the ward rendering factory that operated on Spectacle Island. Mahum Ward's dock was a factory that used materials from dead horses to produce fertilizers, glue, hides, and leather softener. In 1903, the CIty of Boston comstructed a garbage processing plant and compressed garbage to extract grease and make fertilizer. This is likely one of the scrap pieces of porcelain that has likely been on this beach for at least a century. I can picture them throwing a toilet into a garbage area, and not being consciousness enough to gather all of the scrap pieces.

2.) Asbestos. Pieces of asbestos such as this one are seldom found on Spectacle Island. These pieces of asbestos are not native to the island but have washed ashore from an off island source. I am not certain this is asbestos but one of the island ranger's named Kim told me that pieces of asbestos are reddish beige and tend to sometimes be triangularly shaped. She said that it was more than likely that this was asbestos. If it is not asbestos, it is brick or clay from 1992 when "The Big Dig" was under construction. Pieces of clay and sediment excavated from the project were brought to Spectacle.

3.) Bottle Neck. This artifact was most likely once a liquor bottle. It could have got to the island from blue collar workers being saucy and drinking on their break. During the prohibition era there were seldom "raids" at the workplace. Where this factory was on an island, I would venture to guess that Spectacle Island was a relatively safe place to have a relaxing bottle of tub gin.

4.) Hardened Grease or Cyanoacrylate. At first glance I originally thought that this was simply a piece of broken glass but the air bubbles trapped inside tell a different story. Judging by it's light weight it is more than likely that this sample is a compound of hardened glue or grease. This could have been a scrap from a molding that workers didn't feel it was necessary to capture. It may of even been a bit of hardened glue that was scraped off of the floor and never made it to a secure garbage location. This specimen had a smoother texture compared to similar looking glass findings, and when I tried to scratch the surface of it, it was not peeling with ease but it had a very rubbery texture like a rubber ball. It also had a coating of sand stuck to it.

5.) Cup. This teacup could have found it's way to Spectacle Island any number of ways. It's edges are smooth so this is evidence that it also has been on the island for a number of decades. At first I believed that this was simply garbage dropped off circa 1942 but then I gave it a second thought and realized that this was among other similar looking cup pieces. It was no coincidence. This must have been a part of the same set. This set could have been used on an observation platform where a supervisor would overlook the grease pressing operation. Although this or something like this can be picked up at a Wal-Mart today relatively inexpensively, this was no doubt a luxary item reserved for those of an upper class.

6.) Plate. This plate could have been used by offshore civilians and wound up on the island simply as a result of the land fill. Or, this could have been used by the upscale bed and breakfast Inns located on Spectacle island. This was most likely used by citizens who were in an upper class and could afford such luxurious accommodations. In 1738, Spectacle made a legitimate effort to attract tourists as a destination for fun. Two summer themed Inns were open to wealthy guests until the late 1850s. This was before businessman Nahum Ward realized he could make a lot of money building a horse rendering factory on this land.

What Happens to My Trash?
After my trash is out out onto my sidewalk it is picked up by JC Waste Removal. Once it is loaded onto the garbage truck, the waste is carted off to Covanta Energy located in Haverhill Massachusetts. Covanta incinerates the waste using two, 825 ton-per-day waterwall furnaces with grates and ash handling system in order to have the most efficient and nature safe burning system available. Covanta burns 1,650 tons of waste per day. This may sound like a lot but people throw away a lot of unusable materials. These unusable materials sit on the lot of Covanta Energy's 147 acre campus until the can be properly sorted and incinerated. Covanta is aware of common negative associations with "dumps" so on it's website they mention that they dispose of waste responsibly using 5 random, yet re-assuring words. The words they chose are

Protection
Compliance
Conservation
Qualification
Commitment.

The workers at Covanta are "Certified" and that combined with the aforementioned 5 "principals" we are assured that as citizens of Lynnfield, we do not have to worry about our trash being washed away to an Island 3 miles off the shore of Boston.

Artifacts of Spectacle Island

2011-08-03T09:08:00.003-04:00

1st Item- Plate of china
I believe the first item I found was a plate from a china set. It could be a dinner plate or tea cup plate. By the aging and engravings the item was probably used during the turn of the century. I think that it was either used by a family or restaraunt in Boston, or possibly on a ship. It probably was in a landfill on Boston and moved to Spectacle when they were creating the island. The china tells me that the person who used it was probably of the more wealthier section of society, or a trading vessel carrieng items. When you throw away your trash it usually goes to a landfill and could sit for possible generations, however due to population growth and migration the landfills are sometimes removed or relocated.

2nd Item- Iron Bolt
The second item I found was a iron bolt. It was probably used in the construction of something, it is possible that it could have been used on a ship due its length. Bolts like these sometimes were used to bore through a mast on a ship. Because of the weight, rust, and shape of the bolt; I would say 19th century. A bolt like this that was created in the modern machine era would have precision cuts and length, however this bolt seems to be hand forged. Trash like this could sit at the bottom the ocean for years and possibly be pushed up to shore during a storm driven tidal surge.

3rd Item- Jug Handle
This item is a handle to a ceramic jug. This item was probably used to carry some type of liquid during 1800's. The ceramic industry was much more prevelant in the 1800's and early 1900's because plastic had not been invented yet. Modern landfills are filled with plastics, but in the past landfills were filled with ceramics,metals, and glass. This jug was probably used in a restaraunt or bar to hold wine or liquor. And if the restaraunt was close to the waterfront possibly port wine.

4th Item- Wheel or Sewing Wheel
This item was one of the more difficult to identify because it was not in one piece. From examing th internet and other sources I have narrowed down the options to either a small cart wheel or a sewing wheel. The item was in poor in codition and their were rusted nails and bands that fixed the contraption together. If it were a sewing wheel the oldest it could be would be 1920's because the invention of the sewing machine eliminated the use of the wheel and foot power. It was probably broken before it got to Spectacle Island. The wheel could have been used in a textile mill that were popular in New England during the 19th and 20th centuries, or could have a been a personal sewing machine used in a house.

5th Item- Brick
This item is the most universally applicable on the list, and because of the modern use of brick it is harder to identify age. However by examining the brick and noticing the grooves had been worn down by sand and tide, the item was probably older than 50 years. The brick was most likely used to build a house or building, and when that building was knocked down and the brick was damaged and could not be reused was probably taken to a landfill. Recycling brick was very popular in industrial era due to a lack of available resources. Items like this get to Spectacle Island probably after the Big Dig when construction was exacavating and removing old structures.

6th Item- Fishing Bobber
This item was the most modern of my exploration. It is essentially a float used as an indicator for a fish bight. This item due to it bright colors was probably no more than 5 years old. It was used by a fisherman to keep his bait at a certain distance from the bottom and indicate a bight. The fisherman probably got a cut off and lost the bobber and ended up on the beach. This trash and alot of waste that ends up in the ocean and rivers moves with the tides and currents and could end up thousands of miles from its original class.

Artifacts of Spectacle Island

2011-08-02T17:44:00.005-04:00

2011-08-02T09:11:00.000-04:00

Kathy

Whale Watch

I had really been looking forward to the Whale Watch, but 1 hour into the journey I was sea sick . As a result I only got to see one whale and missed most of what was being said about them so I looked on the Internet to see what I had missed.

I learned that the World Wildlife Fund named Cape Cod one of the ten top whale watching sites in the world and that Stellwagen Bank, located at the mouth of Massachusetts Bay, is an underwater plateau. It was established as a National Marine Sanctuary in 1992. This area is an important feeding ground for marine mammals which is why the whales return to the bank every year. One food source of particular importance found here is call the sand lance, or sand eels. Schools of these fatty fish, which provide excellent nutrition for the whales, burrow into the coarse sands of the bank. Mammals that can be found in the bank include the Humpback Whale, Fin Whale, Minke Whale, Northern Right Whale, Atlantic White-Side dolphin, harbor porpoise, Pilot Whale, and harbor seal.

Despite the fact I missed most of the whales, the one I did see was an amazing sight. I’ve decided that I’ll repeat the trip but this time I’ll be taking Dramamine with me.

2011-08-02T08:11:00.002-04:00

We have finally come down to our last class! While most of us wanted the class to be over, since it is summer, we never thought a summer class could bring a Professor and his students so close together... with nature, with the Harbor, and with each other. The days flew by so quickly.

By experimenting on which way water drains in the northern and southern hemisphere, going on the harbor tour, drawing a map of the Boston Harbor.. yes from memory (not your cell phone), exploring the docks, focusing on different habitats, looking for invaders,exploring Lovells and George's islands, filleting the Striped Bass and making cerviche, and going whale watching...Did I forget something? Well, I hope not. The most challenging was drawing the map, and I can now do it even if I miss a few jagged edges of the coastline.

This has been the most exciting, enjoyable, and memorable class I have ever taken at BU. Thanks professor for making it a class to remember. I learned a lot, and will definitely be passing the information to people who do not know that part of Boston exists. From the littlest of creatures (snails)to huge mammals (whales) Summer II 2011 was the best. Thanks Professor Berman and to all the wonderful group of classmates who made it all possible. Hopefully we will meet soon at BU maybe in another classroom (it will never be the same) or just passing by on the grounds!

Farewell All!

2011-08-01T18:22:00.003-04:00

Tomorrow I will be venturing out to Spectacle Island but it will most definitely not be as fun as it would have been with my favorite group of field wrecking crew. The following phrase has been beaten to death over the past 3 weeks but this was most definitely the most hands on course I've ever taken at BU. I wish that more courses were like this.

I took "Coastal Sciences" and hated every day of it. We spent every 3 hour session in the class room with our textbooks and observing slides and listening to our teacher tell us how FUN and breathtaking it was out in the field. We'd joke about going on field trips but she would merely tell us that "if we really wanted to, we'd do it." While that is true, its sometimes good to be forced to do things. Your parents never said to you "if you really want clean teeth, you should brush them." I know this isn't a great example but you need to see what you're studying to truly appreciate it. In Earth Sciences we did just that.
We rode on boats, went on whale watches, and even ate the fish we had a community meeting about saving. I would most definitely recommend this class to anyone looking to fill any kind of credit requirement even if it were a free one. I've lived in Boston my entire life and had no idea of the natural activity that existed in what is literally my back yard.

Good-Bye!

2011-08-01T14:33:00.002-04:00

I have learned so much from this class. I won't say that I like crawling things any better but I can say I now I know some of them. Professor Berman is a great instructor. He was patient, undersrtanding, and always encouraged me to touch and examine our discoveries. Becuase of this I felt comfortable enough to continue even though there were times I was very hesitant. Also, I had a wonderful group of classmates. They were all friendly and always willing to share what they new or what the had. They were great! I'll really miss this class.

2011-08-01T13:53:00.002-04:00

On our 5th day we went whale watching. We left from the Long Wharf Harbor at 10:00am. As we walked to the boat we saw that the water was at full tide. We arrived at the boat "Nora Victtoria" we boarded and we set out to the waters near Province Town in hopes to view the whales. These whales are monitored and named by a conservationist group. We reached the area were the waters were around one thousand feet deep we slowed down. Not long after the engines quited the citings began. I saw three whales swimming together and then dove under in sequence. Their names were Percy, Cajin and Juviette. The conservationists said that three whales together was a very rare site. She also told us how the whales were named "by their markings". These markings are also the way they tell the whales apart.

Day 6: Spectacle Island? ...Not so much.

2011-07-31T15:31:00.003-04:00

I titled this blog post "Day 6" but that was just for the sake of consistency with my previous blog posts. The real reason for this blog, as Professor Berman mentioned the last day of class, was to give our comments on the class and our overall experience. To be honest, this post is really bittersweet for me. While I am just as excited as everyone else to complete the course and carry on with the summer, I still really enjoyed this course and the new friends I met through it and would rather have not had to say goodbye so soon. I would like to give a personal thank you to Professor Berman.

Thanks to you I now not only know more about the clean-up of the harbor as well as the process of the clean-up, and the marine life in the different tidal zones of the harbor, as well as which were native or invasive creatures--and how those invasive creatures got here and how they can really alter our environment and landscape, and the different (and number of) islands in the harbor, how to draw a good map of the harbor, the different parts of a striped bass, what types of bait striped bass eat and the real debate going on today concerning striped bass and the commercial & recreational fishermen, the limitations and dangers of overpopulation, I certainly know how much credit everyone should give to the original scientist-marine-life-identifiers before the days with pictures and guidebooks, and I also know to stay true to my observations, but be prepared and open to the idea of altering my theories. Oh and I know where to get a good bite of seafood on the harbor too. Somehow within a 6 1/2 day period you were able to teach myself and my peers all that information. It is quite a feat and I think everyone owes you another round of applause.

I should also thank you for making me--as my little cousins describe it--the "coolest cousin ever!" to go with to the beach. Haha I'm sure I'm not the only one experiencing that kind of reaction from their younger family members.

This class was more work than I was expecting to be honest--and I don't mean that I expected it to be easy or a light work load, but I mean that I thought I would have an easier time doing the work. However, some of the assignments, like identifying the different creatures under the dock and drawing a map of the harbor, proved to be more challenging than I anticipated. Overall, the class was intense, I did learn a great deal while making new friends and sharing many good laughs, and I am so proud to have been apart of the whole experience.

To all of my classmates and to my professor, I hope you have a wonderful summer filled with many laughs and much joy. It was pleasure to have met you all.

-Janelle

Last Day

2011-07-30T21:27:00.002-04:00

I really enjoyed taking this class. We had a very diverse group and I got to meet many new people whom I enjoyed learning with. I have been and will continue to recommend this class to others. Living in Boston my entire life I never really knew what the boston harbor and Islands had to offer until now. Now I know it is rich in history and marine life. From now on anytime I go to the beach or am around the ocean I will know where to look for Mussels and periwinkles and everything else that is in or around the ocean. I will be able to name plants and animals that live in and on the beach. Not only did I learn about marine life but I also learned to tell the difference between belief and fact! I learned how to observe and make decisions on what I see rather than what I believe or what I hear. My favorite part of the class was traveling to the different islands and going whale watching. I am now able to draw a map of the Boston Harbor. I now know about the trouble that commercial and recreational fishermen face with the diminishing fish population. Overall i really enjoyed this class and I had a great experience and I owe it all to Professor Berman, Thank you.

Day 5: Whale Watching!

2011-07-30T19:02:00.002-04:00

Pictures By: Janelle Bean

Event: ES141 Whale Watch

Departure from: Boston Harbor Long Wharf

*I apologize that the pictures are so small, there were a lot of them so this was the easiest way to get them up. This isn't even all the pictures either! If you click on them you should get a new tab with a closer view :)

**While scanning through the pictures take note of the different tail fins and the difference in some of the exposed dorsal fins as well. One for example you can tell is the dorsal fin of an older whale, because up close you can see the fin has some scratches, perhaps caused by something like a passing boat? Either way enjoy!

I had a great time experiencing the whale watch with my fellow classmates Thursday. I had been whale watching before, off the coast of Newburyport I believe, but each time is different. Some of the highlights of our class whale watching trip were....

- The whales turning in the water and showing it's fin.

- The three whales together (apparently a rare occurrence for these loners).

- The whales breaching!

Out of all these I would have to say that seeing the whales breaching was easily my favorite part of the experience. I felt like I was 6 years old and watching Free Willy all over again. It was one of those moments that makes you realize just how majestic these creatures are... I guess that ties in to why I feel they shouldn't be hunted. There's just something about whales that makes me more empathetic toward them. It could be that we're both mammals and therefore closer related in the web of life. In a way it makes sense, after all it does mean that we are similar in the way we both carry our children, give birth to them and then take care of them until they are old enough to survive on their own. In this way it makes them seem more humane and thus more like humans. Whales are also smart creatures. As Professor Berman mentioned in class, you can communicate with a whale in the way that you can understand what they are feeling at times through their eyes and their behavior. Just the other day, there was an excerpt on the news about how whale watchers had found a humpback whale which they initially thought to be dead. That was until after a forceful rush of air from it's blow hole. At that point one of the men went in the water to see what was wrong. They soon discovered the whole whale was tied down in nylon fishing lines. It's pectoral fins were held down to it's side and the tail of the creature was also entangled and held down. Trapped, tangled and dying, the whale continued to toss and turn while the kind men tried to cut the ropes. The whale decided to try and swim away and tugged the boat about a half mile before finally tiring out. Once the whale had stopped the men quickly continued to cut the ropes off. This process repeated a few more times before they successfully untangled the whale. The whale was so excited that it rushed off and breached at least 40 times while in view of the men and they say that the tail of the whale flapped a few times on it's final dive, as if waving good bye to the men. The rescuers will tell you that the whale was putting on a show for them out of pure liberating excitement, if not gratitude. Whether that is truly what the whale meant we will never know, but it does suggest that the whale was trying to communicate some message, whatever it may have been. The link to the webpage on the news is below, and underneath it is also the specific youtube video link by The Great Whale Conservancy on the story through the whale watchers personal footage. It's a great story and I recommend those of you who have 10 min. to spare to watch the video.

Webpage article on story:

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/dramatic-footage-three-men-rescue-humpback-whale-off-california-coast/

Youtube link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcXU7G6zhjU&feature=player_embedded

As a result of miracle stories like the one mentioned above and the beauty and maternal instincts of these animals~along with the fact that I highly doubt we would be able to control the fishermen and whale-hunters if we ever did allow the public to hunt these creatures~I feel it is wrong to hunt them and believe they should be protected.

Whale Watch & final thoughts on this course

2011-07-30T16:01:00.003-04:00

On Thursday July 28, 2011at 10:00 am I met my class at Marriot, Long Wharf and from there we left for our much awaited Whale Watch trip. As you all can see in the picture how excited everyone was. When we first boarded the cruise it was moving slow and quickly picked up speed which made me and 3 of my other classmates seasick. However, I was still enthusiastic about seeing whales, our tour guide kept us informed with whale facts that usually we will spot humpbacks these Northern hemisphere whales reach an average length of 50 feet, and weigh about 37 tons. Sadly, they're also among the most endangered. It is estimated only 8 percent of their original population remains.
We spotted also saw minke, fin back whales. Minke was smaller than the other 2 and resembled dolphins. The next one was Finback whale, at 45-70 feet long and weighing 40 tons, are second in size only to blue whales.According to our guide finbacks may live up to 100 years which was surprising. While white-sided whaled are only found in North Atlantic water just south of New England. We also spotted the Whales traveling in a pair that is most likely to be a mother and a calf, and most of these whales reproduce only once, which makes the possibility of this creature going extinct highly likely. The cruise was very crowded and I thought I would never be able to see a whale, but I made my way through the crowd and caught some really worth-watching "Whale Moves". In the end we also saw the Whale breaching which put an extra icing on the cake.

In the end I would like to wrap up the most hands-on class I have ever taken. I enjoyed everyday of the class. This is the whole new level of learning about Earth Science. I can tell my friends and family some fun facts that I never knew before. We explored the Islands, under the dock, Whale Watch, and even Quicny market. I would definitely recommend this class to anyone who would want to take an for Earth Sciences class. Thanks to all the group and class fellows who made this class so interactive. Ofcourse without Prof. Berman this would not have been possible.

Final Class

2011-07-29T23:55:00.000-04:00

I have to be honest, I had such an amazing time spending the last two weeks getting to know each person in the class. I think there were so many strengths that each of us brought to each day and I really feel lucky to have been able to meet everyone and share some laughs around the bay.

It was so fun to learn about the harbor. I want to thank Prof. Berman for enabling the opportunity for so many people to discover the beauty of the bay and to appreciate marine life. It really helps to make vague concepts more tangible and will hopefully help to motivate better behavior.

Again, I really wish everyone the best for the future, you are all very special and have so many wonderful personalities. It has been such a gift to spend time with you all.

Whale Watch at Stellwagon

2011-07-29T23:39:00.000-04:00

Whale watch
The whale watch was a great experience to get beyond the inner harbor and into Stellwagon bay. It took the boat approximately an hour to get out to our observation location. The boat was moving very quickly and on the way I noticed a kite fisherman, he had a kite in the air and apparently as a classmate explained lures that lay on the waters surface rather than the traditional way of doing it.

I wonder what its like to be fishing with a boat so low to the water and being right up next to a breaching whale. It would be a spectacular view. The air got chilly and I went downstairs while we waited to get to our destination. Once we got there I got a great spot on the first level although some of the other passengers were very tall I still could get a great view of the each whale as it came into view.

I got really excited when you could see the white part just below the surface and know that in a few moments it will be coming up into better view. I kept my camera in my bag for awhile because I knew I would miss a lot just trying to get the best shot so I focused more on what I could see. I definitely noticed the differences on the bottom side of the tail fin.

I was shocked that we got to see them swimming and diving together in a group of three. I thought that was a unique sight also getting to see the whale breaching it was really amazing I have never seen anything like that in person. It was a really wonderful day and I look forward to getting into the paper and better developing my stance on sustainable populations vs. economic gains... It really does take some thought to separate your own values for everything and everyone involved and how to come to terms with the two.

Lauren

A Great Group of Classmates

2011-07-29T21:19:00.003-04:00

You enter a classroom and not knowing what to expect. Never knowing that you may have classmates that cause a lot of trouble or classmates that are one sided and do not what to work with you on any projects. They also seem to come up with excuses for everything. Not so in this class. They were all pleasant people. We had graduates and undergraduates that helped each other understand the science of this class with the help of Professor Berman. By having different opinions about the projects that were put before us, it gave everyone a good incite of what was involved in our work. Professor Berman was a joy. He told us to observe everything around us and not make quick judgements on what we see. We need to research and increase the knowledge that is in the brain and bring it out to a higher level. This was a very enjoyable class. By learning what is out there, I felt that my understanding and learning gave me a new incite to explore more. I hoping all my classes in the future are as fun as this one. Thanks.

No regrets

2011-07-29T19:24:00.007-04:00

Here's a confession: From Snails to Whales wasn't my first choice actually. I had signed up for travel writing but was later informed by the school that the course was cancelled because of the departure of the lecturer. I was told to find a replacement course. I went through the course website and finally decided on From Snails to Whales for several reasons: it fits perfectly into my travel schedules; field work seems interesting; and most importantly, I have never attended a course in marine science, as schools in Singapore usually offer the more popular and practical course degrees such as finance, law and business administration.

Now that we have come to the end of the course, I wish to declare loudly that I have no regrets signing up for this 'second choice'. Indeed, it has taught me much about marine animals, the issues on environmental and wildlife protection, the ongoing tension between commercial and recreational fishermen that I might never know because of this course as I don't fish, as well as honed my observation and critical thinking skills. I do not have to be a marine biologist, but I definitely could still apply the skills learned in life and other areas.

Boston Harbor is a place worth visiting. I will bring my friend who is coming from Singapore tomorrow to Long Wharf and be Prof Berman No. 2, pointing out the unique marine organisms that one can find at the docks. By the way, the Barking Crab restaurant is a serendipitous discovery for me because of this course. I also saw on Man vs Food program yesterday that it is well known for its clambake. You should see us there next week!

Finally, I would like to convey my thanks to Prof Berman and all my classmates for making this intensive six-day course an enjoyable and memorable one. They have certainly made me love Boston even more. My well wishes to everyone in summer class 2011. Goodbye!

A Whale of a Day

2011-07-29T19:02:00.002-04:00

It was a beautiful day for the whale watch. It was about 10:00am and the tide along the dock was high. We walked along Long Wharf down to the ferry that stood like a tall statue that reached out and said let's take a ride to an excursion of a life time. We entered on the Nora Vittoria with all the other people who were going to see a splendor site. The Ferry started out toward Stellwagen Bank were the whales were. It was about a 2 hour ride to the area. The boat slowed down and we knew at that moment we had arrived at our destination. The tour guide announcer started telling us about the regions largest inhabitant. She was telling us to shout out on different hours that indicated the aft and starboard side of the boat to locate the whales. I only saw two whales upon which one was the Humpback who was names Percy. These whales have board and rounded heads. There also a Minke which I wasn't sure of the his or her name, but could have been the one called Kajun. The tour guide announcer said that these whales feed on krill and small- shrimp crustaceans. Sometimes it was very hard to understand the announcer because the microphone, I think was to close to her mouth and it sounded like all words were jumbled together. It was very hard to see over all the tall people. But what I did see was a wonder to behold!! These mammals glided through the water like a big buoy that floats on top of the water.

Their names were given to them by the underside of there flukes which showed either a dark area, a one spot white area or a two spot white area which told the guide the name of the whale. At the very end of the day, going back to the dock, one of the whales put on a show that excited everyone on the boat. He leaped out of the water and down he went. He did this a couple of times and awed the crowd. I think he was putting on a show just for us knowing that we were leaving the area and saying thank you for coming to see us. This day will be planted in my mid forever. I hope someday soon in the near future, I will be able to revisit these wonders of the sea that brought joy to everyone that saw them.

Striped Bass Dissection and Whale Watching

2011-07-29T10:01:00.002-04:00

Wednesday we examined a striped bass. The bass was caught by Prof. Berman from his boat at the mouth of the Charles River. This particular fish was caught in brackish water. The first part of the dissection we looked over the fish, the fish was silver and blue, and had a unique stripe pattern going down the length of their body. After we examined the exterior of the fish, we began the filleting process. The first fillet we were very careful not cut open the stomach and thus damaging the meat. After taking out the fillet we de-skinned the fillet. Once the fillets were removed we began dissecting the intestines. We looked inside the stomach and found a few bits of a crab shell, then we examined the liver and kidneys. The fishes liver closely resembles human organs. Then I removed the eye ball and examined the ocular nerve that also closely resembles a humans eye.

After cutting up the fish and removing the organs and fillets Prof. Berman prepared some sevichi and small sushi cutlets. The sevichi was prepared with lime, garlic, parsley, and peppers. These ingredients really made the fish tasty. The second meal was little cutlets of fish that we dipped in soy sauce, ginger, and wasabi. This is the first time I have ever ate striped bass and I was surprised at white texture and great taste. This was truly a treat.

On Thursday we went on a whale watching tour on Stellwagen bank off Cape Cod. We got on the boat around 10:00am and took an 1 hour trip to the bank off Provincetown. When we arrived at the southeast corner of the bank I could already see the spouts from the Minky whale. This was the only one we of that species that we saw, and its a smaller whale by comparison to the Humpback. After cruising around the bank we spotted three Humpbacks together and two of their names were Duckfin and Cajun. These whales are able to be identified by their distinct marking on their tales. The curator told that all the whales on Stellwagen bank have names and are able to be identified by their tales. We saw about 6 more humpbacks around and these whales were actively feeding and their was constant excitement around the boat. While we were heading into Boston we saw a whale breach and flap its pectoral fins in wave pattern. This was a great end of the day.

2011-07-29T06:50:00.002-04:00

Thursday July 28th. The tide is high. it is about 9:55 a.m. and we are boarding the Nora Vittoria. We are on our way to Stellwagen Bank which is 842 square miles and is federally protected. It is located at the mouth of Massachusetts Bay between Cape Cod and Cape Ann. It is an excellent whale watching site and home to many other species of marine life.

We set out for open waters and were on our way to "whale watch" for part of the day. We sailed past Deer island and a couple of others and continued for what seemed like about an hour. One of the tour guides gave a briefing on whales, the water depth, the way they open their mouths for the fish to enter their mouth for food, and how soon we should begin to see them. She mentioned that some of them have names - I think they were Dunkin, Kagey, and Percit.

Almost suddenly one popped out of the water, went down and while we waited for it to come back up another one appeared on the opposite side. Then three Humpback whales appeared together. It was amazing to see such huge creatures come out of the water and nose back down and to see the white side tails gracefully splashing through after that huge body. The Humpback are found in several water bodies across the planet. They feed on smaller fish and their habitat ranges from polar to tropical waters. The hump back got its name because of the way its back arches out of the water when getting ready to take a deep dive. megaptera is its true scientific name and it means large winged in reference to its long flippers. Its tail has distinct black and white markings which can be used to distinguish one whale from another. Some would come up and by the time I got to my feet to take a picture I would only catch the tail going back down in the water. There was one that looked like a big log just floating in the water. The guide said he was taking a nap. I guess even if we are animals, we do deserve a little down time.

We also saw the Mink Whale which was not too big. They are smaller than the hump back and their diet is a wider variety of fish. Overall, it was a good day with great sightings. As we were leaving to head back to the wharf one "show off" decided to put on a mini show for those who did not get a good enough view, and sure enough he/she was spectacular. It dove in and out as is saying if you did not see any of my family here are some memories to take home. It was awesome. We headed back for what seemed a much longer drive back, since all the anxiety for the day was over. It was my very first whale watching trip, I enjoyed it and i do look forward to another one.

2011-07-28T22:49:00.002-04:00

George's Island Adventure

Our third day, Sunday, July 24, 2011 started out rainy but by the time we boarded the boat to our first destination the weather changed and turned over cast for our ride to George's Island. When we reached there we sat and had a discussion on the past two days excursions and what was planned for today. Then we left on our way to Fort Warren. We met a range who was happy to tell us the legend of the 'Lady of the Black Robes" who was the wife of Andrew Lanier a confederate soldier who was accidentally shot by his wife while they was trying to escape from
prison. The legend is that she still roams the Fort searching for her husband. We continued on our way crossing a grassy field were geese were roaming freely. When we reached the fort we walked through different areas as Professor Berman talked about its history. We came to a very scary part of the fort and we all managed to make it out. We then climbed stairs and walked the top of the fort. There we could see the see water and some of the islands. One of which was Lovell's Island our next destination. We all walked back to catch our ferry.

Lovell's Island Seashore Exploration

Once we reached Lovell's Island I noticed that the water was at low tide. It was very rocky and there was different types of shells on it. We found lady slippers, blue mussels, and periwinkle shells. We explored the water and found little green crabs and a injured rock crab that was saved after losing his claw while being attacked by birds. Some of the rocks had barnacles on them but these barnacles were much smaller than the barnacles we saw under the dock. Most of the rocks had light green moss on them. There was brown leaf stuff that was identified as brown kelp. We also saw green sea lettuce. We all had to find alive periwinkles and we were asked to make soft sounds to see if they would emerge from their shells. One did and it had two antennas, two claws, and four legs. On the road back we found snails that were a bright yellow color. These creatures were very different from our dock creatures.

Whale watching

2011-07-28T21:06:00.001-04:00

In todays class we met at 9:30am At the Long Warf Hotel. The weather was sunny and it was in the 70’s. At 10:00am we boarded a ship to go whale watching. We traveled by boat for about an hour. We went all the way by Province Town. When we finally reached the province town area we started to spot whales. It was around 11:15 the sun was out and it looked like we were in whale-infested ocean. After about 15 minute of waiting after reaching our destination all we saw was whales. There had to be a total of 20 sightings. Some whales were in groups of three. Others were in pairs and some swam around solo. When the whales did appear they would skim the surface of the ocean and then disappear into the unknown. The type of whale that we saw was called a hump back whale. They were all black with spots of white on certain locations. Some had white of their tails, some on their flippers and there was one that was all black. I learned that whales show their tail right before they go for a deep dive. Another thing I learned is what breaching means. Breaching is when a whale pretty much jumps out of the water and does sort of a back flop kind of thing. The tour guide told us that they where unsure why whales do that but it might be a form of communication. Another thing I noticed is the whale’s blowhole and how it blows water and air threw it. After observing the whales for a good hour or so we then when back to Boston Harbor. It was my first time whale watching and I really enjoyed it.

If the whale population is sustainable should we hunt whales?

I think that we should hunt whales. If a certain species is not endangered then why not do it. As long as the whale Fishermen have a quota that won’t damage the whale population, I don’t see a problem. There are many countries that hunt whale and make a huge profit. An example would be Japan. They say it’s their waters so they can do what they want. I agree with that, as long as there’s still a large population of that species of whale. If America was to start doing this I think that it would be a great export and it would be a way for our country to make a little extra money.

Whale Watching and Wincing

2011-07-28T21:03:00.006-04:00

Before setting sail, we had a group picture taken on the dock. Ironically I had a huge smile on my face of genuine excitement. Little did I know, I was in for a day of partially crippling seasickness. I hadn't been on a whale watch since I was a 5 or 6 but I remember having a great time despite some mild seasickness. Motion sickness runs in my family. I believe this is largely psychological as my father became violently ill on "It's a Small World," which is in it's own right, not even a boat ride. To this day he claims he "got" on of the animatronic children... I dont believe it but he stands by this proclamation because after all, who are we without our principals.
We boarded the Aurora and was informed of it's eco friendly water jets that powered the vessel. Boba said that the Boston Whale Watching Catamarans are the cleanest running catamarans in the country. Anway,,, roughly an hour into the excursion after standing on the bow of the boat, I decided to look around the ship I'd be spending the next 3 hours on. When I got to the second level of the boat I peeked into the cabin for a moment and saw that a girl had lost her lunch on the floor. I empathized as I've experienced sea sickness before but as soon as I caught a whiff of the mess she left I instantly remembered being seasick as a child and my brain went to a familiar place. Moments later I too was sitting with my head between my legs on the outside dock with my eyes closed. Luckily people on my level were reacting loudly with excited gasps. Luckily I regained my composure to witness the majestic creatures of the ocean.
I found a strange sort of solace when Boba mentioned that whales often travel in twos. Is it for companionship? protection? In any case, Duncan was nice enough to grace us with his presence for a short while. I don't know how gender neutral the name "Duncan" is. It seems about as gender neutral as "Melissa." It was disheartening knowing that the population of these creatures is dramatically decreasing. I can't wholeheartedly say that I'd be devastated if I found out whales became extinct but at the same token I'd be surprised if we stood by and let this happen. What is killing whales is oil spills and pollution but at this point, can we help either case?
I was surprised to discover that when the whale watchers go out on tours they don't use sonar when trying to find humpback or any kind of whales. They had a hot dog cooker but no sonar. The woman at the snack bar spoke candidly said that today's trip was about a 7 or 8. This was a fair compromise as many whales were seen by all.

2011-07-28T20:39:00.002-04:00

On July 27, 2011 around11:30 AM our class met at 808, Common Wealth Ave, in Ever Green Culinary Arts Kitchen, where professor narrated the story of his catch, 10 ft below his boat from a night before. The Stripe Bass was fresh, because when we cut it open the blood was still coming out and the eyes were relatively bright. Let’s talk about the anatomy of the fish now, it seemed to be 30" long and 10" wide, symmetrical, silvery body with dark stripes, it weighed 35lbs and was 5 years old, estimation by looking at the rings on her scale, however it can live up to 30 years. Now a day’s price of Striped Bass per pound is $7.99 which made this catch worth more than $200. It had 8 fins, upon lifting the operculum we saw bright red gill plate which was soft to touch and had 8 total gills. Professor started filleting the fish his knives and we saw the white and pink flesh. Moreover, we also examined all the fish organs which were closed in a sack. First, we cut open its intestines, which is one way to determine fish's eating habits and we found pieces of crab in there. We also saw liver, kidney, air bladder, stomach, vent and spinal cord. One of our brave classmates popped the eye out from the eye socket, so he could find its brain and heart. Though it was one heartless fish (sigh) in the mean time, professor marinated the fish fillet in lemon juice, cilantro, green and red pepper, and ginger. I was amazed by the fact that fish actually cooked itself in the lemon juice acid and this recipe for “Ceviche” turned out to be very juicy, tender and flavorful. He also made “Sashimi” which was plain raw fish with soy sauce, ginger and wasabi paste for dipping, though I did not like that much, but everyone else enjoyed. At the end of the day everyone took a piece home to try their own recipe. I am posting a video of the Striped Bass disection I hope you guys find it informative.

Wednesday July 27/2011

2011-07-28T20:23:00.001-04:00

In todays class first thing we did was take a midterm. We had four questions we had to answer. After finishing the midterm we got to relax for a little bit. From there we went over to 808 Com Ave and into the culinary kitchen. Professor Berman took out a 32-inch striped bass out of a cooler. He placed it down on two cutting boards and explained the body parts. I learned that striped bass have eight spines on the top of its body that allows the fish to move swiftly in the water, but also protects the fish from being eaten by predators because those spines get caught in the predator’s throat. I then learned that you could tell how old the fish was by looking at how many rings are on the scales. Striped bass have two pectoral fins on each side of its shoulders. It has two holes on the top of its mouth. The two holes appear to be where the fish take in oxygen through the water. I also learned that they have a total of eight fins. After seeing all of the fish body parts, professor Barman showed us how to fillet a fish. The way to do it is insert a hole by the head of the fish then slide the knife down the spine as close as possible and make sure not to cut the stomach. After we filleted the two sides of the fish the class examined the remainder of the fish while professor Berman got lunch ready for us. There were two different dishes of fish. One had raw black striped bass with garlic, a lot of lemon juice to preserve the fish, and hot peppers. The other dish was just plain raw black striped bass with had dipping sauces on the side. I tried the first dish and I was not a fan of it. I liked the way it was marinated but I didn’t like the texture of raw fish. After everyone finished eating the class was assigned into groups. Each group was assigned to play the role of commercial Fishermen, Recreational fishermen or a mixture of the two. The assignment was to work as a group and try to figure out and agree on a resolution for the dispute of Commercial fishing vs. Recreational fishing and trying to figure out a deal that will be fair for the two parties. Then we would have a debate about it. Overall it was a fun and interesting class and we got to learn about striped bass!

Striped Bass Blog

2011-07-28T20:13:00.005-04:00

Upon waking up from a seasick coma, I enjoyed a small yet tasty sample of Striped Bass. As I mentioned before I'm very particular about the way I cook seafood and am careful not to over-season as the fish itself as most of the good flavor is in the flesh itself. I simply thawed the cut and put it in a frying pan with some olive oil, salt, pepper, a dash of soy sauce and Mrs. Dash. If you're feeling that there's a spice missing from your shelf and the void is unfillable, treat yourself some Mrs. Dash.
I'm on the commercial side of our debate and this morsel made it even easier to stand by my position to kill as many of these things as safely as possible. As a future fisherman I was delighted to learn that preparing a fish is somewhat simple. After our class midterm, we made our way to 808 Comm Ave where we explored the culinary classrooms. Seeing these classrooms made me wish I took a cooking course in stead the Millenary course I took in the fall of last year. Hats do not taste as good.
As it turns out, all it take to prepare a striped bass is a few ingredients, and more importantly a proper set of gutting knives. I remember being on the cape and watching a bass cutting competition. 3 men had to gut as many fish as they could in 10 minutes. I remember being mortified at 10 years old at what I was seeing so I don't recall the BEST record, but the memory of flying entrails stays with me to this day. If I remember correctly, Bruce said that he caught the fish by placing several bugs on a fishing line to make the fish believe that they were stalking copapods. This seems to make more sense than using the cliched worm which is blatantly outside of the striper's ecosystem.

Whale... whaleS

2011-07-28T19:53:00.014-04:00

To date, I have been on four whalewatching trips in Monetery (CA), Sydney, Alaska and Boston. The first two trips were unpleasant: an hour journey to the site, choppy waters, strong winds and bitter cold. I wouldn't complain so much about such dreadful conditions if I had been compensated with clear sightings of the whales. However, I only saw one whale from afar in Monetery, and I saw none in Sydney.

I was in Alaska last month. The whale watching cost me $120 but it was worth it. We took a small boat out that could take only around 30 people (usually whale watching boats are huge). The waters were calm and within 10 mins of sailing, we saw one, no, two whales! They were close to the boat and I was surprised that they were swimming close to the shorelines. My previous two experiences told me that I had to be in the open sea to see the whales, but this was different. When we went to another site, we saw more whales.

Then when Prof Berman said we were going on a whale watching trip, honestly, I didn't expect too much. I selfishly thought never mind if I didn't see one, as I already had the best whale watching experience in Alaska recently. One hour later when we reached the Atlantic ocean, the annoucement came on that we had a Minke whale (a smaller species). Then we started to see some humpback whales. There were two, hey wait, three of them! The guide said that this was a rare sighting as you usually see a pair - the mother and calf. So today it was a family outing for the three whales, I guess. On our way back to Boston Harbor, we were in for another surprise. Two whales were playfully flapping their flippers and then to our amazement, one of them leapt up in the air and whoosh! - it fell back into the water. That was magnificent!

The guide said that the clean water and absence of fishing gear are factors that attract the whales to roam around this area. Clearly, good rules and regulations as well as cooperation from everyone can help protect the whales. The topic of whale hunting was brought up. I personally do not object to it, as long as there's some responsible regulatory body to oversee the whale population to make sure that our hunting activity and eating habits do not wipe them out. I don't know how tasty whale meat is as I haven't got the chance to try it. I will like to actually, out of curiosity. But I doubt whale meat will become staple food like rice and potatoes. As a delicacy, there shouldn't be a drastic decline in the population. Just like sharks fin, caviar and black truffles that each cost a bomb. How often do you eat them?

2011-07-28T08:01:00.003-04:00

Wednesday, July 27th. We started the day in the classroom with a short midterm exam. We were asked to discuss the commentary on the Tragedy of the Commons and report our interpretations of it. After our brief classroom lesson Bruce informed the class that he had caught a behemoth of a Striper the night before and we would be continuing class in the Culinary School at BU.

Once Bruce opened the cooler I was immediately taken aback as to the size of the fish. I have caught many Striper's alongside the beaches of Cape Cod during my childhood and adolescence; however, I never recall catching one of that size nor have I payed close enough attention to the external features. The scales were very colorful and slimy. When taken off they had the shape of a guitar pick and were clear with a slight shiny hue. The fish had 2 large eyes and 8 fins. As we dissected and filleted the fish, I realized the delicate intricacies of the Bass. We opened up the belly of the fish to realize that his/her final meal must have been a crab. The striper had a whitish looking tongue rubbery lips. As we proceeded to dissect the fish, we began to puncture its organs as a yellow fluid came out that some identified as stomach bile.

After the dissection Bruce prepared a delicious ceviche in addition to some sashimi with wasabi and ginger. It tasted delicious. However, because I had such a long commute home after class, I was unable to bring the fish home to prepare. I look forward to the whale watch with all of you tomorrow. See you then!

Striped Bass Day 7/27

2011-07-28T07:53:00.000-04:00

Today Bruce informed us today would be Stripe Bass Day! Usually the culmination of the course we didn't have to wait! I was struck by the size of the fish also by the entire process in order go get that fish. You fish to get fish to catch another fish...

I have never looked at a fish in so much detail, I learned that scales can tell the age of the bass. The scales felt like very flimsy fingernails. The lips did feel like a toothbrush and I noted that the raspy part was not only on the inner lip and also further into the mouth. It also looked like two tongues when looking into the mouth. The lips were very strong and yet the parts holding on to it were soft and rubbery.

I thought the colors were very spectacular, green with a hint of brown and a beautiful pattern running along the body. It had a white belly and 8 dark fins. There were remnants of a crab in his belly and not much else. I could observe bile once the belly was cut open and I noticed a part that looked like the liver and then a dark brown rusty almost black looking part that could possibly be the spleen. We also cut into the air pocket and it deflated like a balloon it was very interesting to see. The smell was pretty awful once we started to cut in. The eyeball came out in one piece and I realized a fishes eye isn't actually the flat disc I always thought it was.

Tasting the fish was much better than dissecting it. The ceviche was yum but the best was the raw fish with soy sauce. It was a clean flavorful bite without any of the fishy taste. It wasn't too rubbery and the texture was actually pretty good. As I took home the fish I knew I had to bring it to work with me. I stopped somewhere for an hour before going into work and so I couldn't wait to get my fish into the refrigerator. That's where it stayed until very late because I had to go out to do some service work at a treatment center so I didn't get back to my fish for awhile. Once I did I was a little nervous to eat it again because it had been out for awhile before getting to the fridge. I then decided to prepare it at home and I found two very sharp bones in it. Sharper than any fish bone I have ever encountered I'm glad I checked it because I then cut it up and fed it to my dog who enjoyed it very very much. It was still easy to work with and the color had changed only because the blood had covered the piece but after washing it it cleared off again.

2011-07-28T06:49:00.002-04:00

Wednesday July 27th. Today's lesson is one that will be long remembered. We are in the kitchen at 808 Commonwealth Ave, Professor Berman has a bright eyed, fresh from the sea, 35 inches long Striped bass and we are all gathered around the table, ready to examine, filet and of course sample that beautiful Bass.

The Stripped Bass is a symmetrical fish which has a total of 8 fins. Those on its back are very sharp (kind of thorn like) and one has to be careful not to get stuck. The scales are kind of large and you can tell the age of the fish by looking at the number of rings on the scales. Like every other fish it breathes through its gills, it has a mouth with teeth but prefers to swallow its food. It swims near the shore and when it is in abundance is an easy catch.

The Professor began to filet the fish by first skillfully removing some scales around the tail side in order to gain easy access to the flesh of the fish. He then held the knife close to the spine which runs along the top of the fish and began making his way down through the flesh. The cut has to be behind the pectoral fin which is near the gills. He was careful not to puncture the bowel sack, because if he did the fish would be contaminated from the fluids from the spleen.

We examined the fishs' stomach which is neatly enclosed in a sac. There was a crab leg which indicates that is what he ate before his durmise. We took a look at his intestines, liver, spleen and air bladder.

The Professor is now at another table preparing the cerviche dish. With some assistance from a few students, he washed some of the fish, chopped it in small pieces and placed it in a dish. About four limes were squeezed into that dish, cilantro and pepper were chopped and placed in there with some garlic, turned around a few times and it was ready for eating. He also had some more chopped on a plate and these could be eaten by dipping it in some soy sauce, and wasabi and ginger paste. Uh Uh! Yummy!
The balance left over was cut and some of us who wanted took it home. I seasoned it up with some garlic, celery, onions and a dash of seasoning salt, placed it on the small grill, and it was good eating. Thanks professor!

Day 4: Striped Bass Anatomy Lesson

2011-07-28T06:06:00.012-04:00

Today's fish experiment was really fun and interesting. Professor Berman brought in a striped bass he had caught the night before and he filleted it, with a little bit of help from Clinton. We learned that a striped bass has 2 dorsal fins, 2 pectoral fins, 1 stern fin, 2 lower fins, and one tail making 8 fins total. Professor scraped off a few of the fish scales in order to soften the fish and make it easier to make an initial cut. He held up a scale and told us that each scale has rings and similar to how rings on a tree tell of it's age, so do the rings on a fish's scales. However the scale of year to ring is not the same. Professor estimated that our fish was about 5 years old. I also believe he later mentioned it was a female and that had he been able to tell much earlier then he may not have kept her, but I would rather someone double check that observation of mine.

I learned a great deal of information about fish today, including what the inside of one looks like, where the organ sack is, as well as to make sure you do not open the sack while cutting out the meat you wish to eat, because there are toxins in the fish's stomach. I also got to feel the inside of the fish's mouth and was surprised at how parts of the tongue were quite hard and actually had the same "teeth" that were on the edges of the mouth. Speaking of which the bass teeth are more like really scratchy velcro or a nail file almost. You can tell by the inside of the mouth that the fish's tactic for eating is to swallow the organism whole rather than chew them up. I also learned how to tell a fish is fresh, if the eyes are very white and clear then that is a good sign the fish is fresh, also if you are looking at the meat you want the fat portion of the meat, the red part, to be red not brown--which it turns over time. Also, if you take a fish out of the water and it has algae on it's side then put it back, that is a sign the water is not clean. You always fish out of clean water says Professor Berman.

After having filleted our fish Professor Berman cut it up and prepared two different fish meals, one is ceviche, with cilantro and lots of lime juice, while the other was striped bass sushi! I prefer the ceviche ;) But I'm not much of a raw-fish-eater either. I did however try the sushi and it was very good, you could tell the fish was fresh and it didn't have that "fishy" taste--thank God! The ceviche was really good too though, it was spicy, actually that's a bit of an under statement, it had a big kick. It may have been better if we had something else to balance it out--pallet wise-- but none the less it was delectable. My favorite part was seeing how just the acid in the lime had cooked the outside of the fish. It was so cool! I had no idea lime & lemon juice did that to meat so I was really impressed.

Professor Berman cut the fillet into pieces and (almost) everyone took one to take home to prepare for themselves tonight. I hope everyone's came out well! I must say this was one of my favorite classes... it was just really cool, it caught the attention of everyone. It was fun to see the whole class, which clearly has a large range of students age-wise, all become 5 year olds in a matter of minutes, wanting to touch the fish, ask questions, see if we can find the brain, take the eye out, see what's in the stomach, or feel the lips and teeth. It was a lot of fun. :)

Fish time! I say this separately, because I had to wait until after my family and I finished our regularly scheduled dinner in order to do this serving. It was worth the wait though!

Below is a picture of the ingredients I used to prepare the fish, the striped bass itself literally still in the plastic baggy from class, lime, a Limon Pepper rub that can be used on close to all meats including fish, and finally the Fire & Flavor cedar paper.

Preparation time! So here we have three main steps. (Although one I missed the first time around and had to go back and do so technically there are four, but I have only depicted three).

First Step: Cut a piece of lime, tenderize the fish meat with a fork--so the juice & rub soak into the fish--and squeeze the lime over both side of the fish.

Second Step: Smooth the Limon Pepper rub over both sides of the fish. How heavy you apply your rub depends on the cook! My mother was helping me out with this part and she has a heavy hand when it comes to spices so we covered the whole fish! Looking back now, I would have put a bit less on... the Limon Pepper rub has a smaaaall "kick" to it!

Fake Third Step: You soak the cedar wrap in paper for 10 min. this was my first time using the wrap, and neither myself or my father knew you were supposed to soak the wrap, so we missed that step the first time around, but it was simply to fix we just rinsed off the wrap and let it sit.

Third Step: Place the fish in the cedar wrap, wrap it up, and tie it with string to hold it together on the stove. What I found was the easiest strategy here was to place the fish at one end of the wrap and roll it to the other side. I did not depict that strategy below, but that is what I did.

*notice how the fish in the picture on the right is more white than the fish in the center. (I know it's hard to see, sorry) When I had to let the wrap soak and let the fish sit with the lime juice and limon pepper rub already on it the lime juice started to cook the fish just like it did in class! :)

At this point I put the wrap on the pan and let it cook! The wrap is soaked in water for 10 min. before the fish is put in it, so it started to smoke nicely and cook the bass inside, keeping it nice a moist. The cedar wrap seems to steam the fish. When the wrap started to burn a bit on the edges I flipped it and did the other side and when the same burning appeared--and the fish inside started to look like I saw a bit of browning--I took it out. It was perfect timing somehow the fish was not burnt at all (as you will see below).

Here I first opened the cedar wrap to expose our fish, looks pretty good right? It smelt pretty good too!

After letting it sit for a minute I went to open the fish up a but and literally the pieces were so moist and tender, but fluffy from the steaming/smoking that they just fell apart when I touched them with the knife.

The fish was delicious. I unfortunately did put on too much of the Limon Pepper rub, so it definitely had a "kick" to it, but if I just scraped it off the top so I wasn't getting the pepper right away, then it was great. I really liked this meal, it was my first time using the cedar wraps and the rub, and I will definitely be doing this again.

Thanks for the great fish Professor!

Striped Bass from Whole To Pieces

2011-07-28T00:19:00.002-04:00

Today is our fourth day and we had the experience of watching Proessor Berman teach us how to filet a striped bass that he caught the night before in the Marina. First, we learned the names of the external parts of the fish: fins, gills, mouth, eye, nostrils, and anal vent. While Professor Berman explained each part we touched and observed the fish. Second, he showed us were to start the cut but before you cut you should remove some of the scales because they are had to cut through. He then showed us how to keep the knife close to the spine that runs along the top of the fish and cut from behind the pectoral fin to just before the tail fin. One important detail was not to puncture the bowel sack to keep from contaminating the fish. The bass's intestines and stomach was enclosed in a sack which the Professor opened and we found a crab claw. And lastly, he filleted the meat that he removed from both sides of the bass.

While Professor Berman prepared several dishes from the fish meat on the table adjacent to us we got the opportunity to examine the fish's inners (intestines, stomach and liver) and head.
We didn't find the heart or brain but we tried. The head was very hard and we couldn't get to the location that we thought it might be. After completing our examination of the fish we move over to the other table to taste the prepared foods. One dish was cured (cooked) in lime juice and the other dish was raw and eaten with wasabi and ginger paste and dipped in soy sauce.

I found the day to be very educational and enjoyable!

2011-07-27T21:06:00.000-04:00

Kathy Geoghegan-Barek

Anatomy of a Striped Bass

The Fish

Female Striped Bass

Approximately 35 pounds

Caught in Charlestown Marina

< 24 hours post mortem

Observations

The class examined the exterior of the fish. The animal had 8 fins totals. On the top of the fish were two dorsal fins, one of which had a sharp edge. Near the gills were the 2 pectoral fins, one on each side of the animal. The fins we didn’t identify in class are called the pelvic fins. There were 2 of these located on the bottom of the animal in the front. There was also the anal fin and the tail.

We examined some scales that had been removed. They were transparent with marking on them that reveals the age of the fish. We examined the mouth of the fish; the teeth were soft. We were told that the fish crushes his food more than chews it and that we could expect the contents of the stomach to contain somewhat whole pieces of food.

Then we cut the fish open. The fillets are made of muscle tissue. The organs were enclosed in a sac. We were able to indentify the stomach, intestines, spleen, and liver within the sac. The stomach was cut open and revealed that the fish had recently eaten a crab. When the air bladder was broken one member of the class comment they could actually feel the air come out. When the eye was removed from the socket we saw that it was fairly large and round. Some of us tried to find the heart, but we weren’t able to. I found a diagram on the web that shows where a fish heart should be http://www.kentuckylake.com/fishing/fishfacts/anatomy.html.

A Cut Up In The Kitchen

2011-07-27T20:22:00.002-04:00

The class headed over to the the kitchen at 808 Commonwealth Avenue around 11:30am to see a striped bass filleted by Professor Bruce Berman. This was a very exciting because I have not seen a fish cut up in front of me from head to tail. I have seen it done on television, but seeing how it is really done in front of you gives a new meaning to cutting a fish. He discussed and showed us some of the Striped Bass's attributes. The basses gill's were red which was very surprising to me. They looked like sushi tuna that you see in a Japanese Restaurant. The Striped Bass had eight fins attached to its body in which one of the fins on top of his back had very sharp spikes. I felt his teeth and they felt like soft tooth brushes. The stripe bass had to holes on either side of the head which one of the students mentioned that these were his sensors. the scales were slippery and the looked iridescent. Professor Berman told us that you can tell how old a fish is by the number of rings on his scales. Prof Berman started to fillet the sides of the fish. This is a very hard task if you do not have the right kitchen knives to do the work. Taking off both sides smoothly, he removed the meat from the skin and placed both pieces on a cutting board. The fishes stomach and intestines where embedded in a sac.

We then headed to the another table where Professor Berman cut the fish in bite sizes pieces for everyone to eat. I did not eat the raw fish, but I was given some to take home to cook. I did so with some garlic table sesasonings, oinions, and olive and the results were delicious. This actually was the first time I ate bass freshly caught from the both of the sea.

Something's fishy

2011-07-27T20:17:00.004-04:00

I never knew a striped bass can grow to be so huge and delicious (yum yum!). We were at the food laboratory at BU this morning to see how Prof Berman cut up his catch. Of course, we were still having a class, so we were supposed to examine the outer and inner parts of the striped bass that Prof Berman caught from Charles Rivers, the brackish water.

The blood was oozing out when Prof Berman got into its flesh to cut out the fillet. It showed how fresh the fish was. We also had the chance to touch and feel the sharp teeth, tongue, eyeball, gill cover (4 gills were counted), liver and all other parts that most people wouldn't have the chance to do so if you were not a fisherman. From its intestines, some remnants of yesterday's meal were observed: crab and squid. While some of the students were busy 'torturing' the fish, the other side of the table saw Prof Berman and other students helping to prepare a delectable fare of sashimi. Being an Asian, eating sushimi is nothing special to me, but this was the first time that I witnessed myself the entire process from cutting to serving. It simply added on to the sensation that I was eating fresh fish literally.

Now I am smelling something fishy from this session... we have to get ourselves involved in the longtime tension between commercial and recreational fishing this Friday.

Day 4 - Striped Bass Expirement.

2011-07-27T19:48:00.009-04:00

The Striped Bass is a magnificent fish, inside and out, not to mention tasty! One of the many reasons why it is important for everyone to come to an understanding in maintaining a positive sustainable population of this wonderful fish, regardless of which side of the fence you're on, otherwise, there may not be many left?

Today's class we observed professor Berman dissect, explain and fillet a pretty decent sized Striped Bass.

We learned how professor Berman caught his Striped Bass, what they eat and a little bit about their habitat.

We learned how to tell the age of a Striped Bass, by looking closely at the rings on its scale and observed the anatomy of the Striped Bass as it was being dissected.

More importantly we learned how to prepare and eat one!

Professor Berman was generous enough to provide us with some take home, "raw stuff" and have as prepare it and share it on this blog. I kept it very simple and it came out great! Here's what I did:

First seasoned it with some Portuguese Olive oil, (Victor Guedes brand) then added a bit of salt, black pepper. Heated up some extra virgin oil on a frying pan seen. Cooked it on high for a few minutes. Next, I served with some lettuce, 2 tomatoe slices and a thin slice of red onion, with some Balsamic Vinegar (Rozzano of Modena brand) on the side (very yummy) and some wasabi coated peas (not bad also!). Have to say it, it was pretty good. Thanks!

Saturday-exploration

2011-07-27T06:51:00.003-04:00

On Saturday morning we met at Long Wharf in the morning to start our journey to The Barking Crab. We observed many things such as the algae, rockweed, and barnicles growing on the rocks and barge of the Harbor. It was cloudy and did rain but it was short lived and on we went toward our destination. We crossed a 103 year old bridge and settled on the dock below the restaurant.

We found star tunicate, blue mussels, rock shrimp, skeleton shrimp, a gross worm, tiny crabs all massed together to form a living clump . It was a mix of native, non native species and fouling species such as the star tunicate. The water here is brackish meaning a mix of salt and fresh water. The salinity and the relative lack of water movement change what one sees. I did not see rock weed here. Over all the feeling ofaccomplishment that came with making this foray into the sea life under the Barking Crab was very worthwhile, even on a very hot day in a totally unfamiliar environment.

2011-07-27T04:17:00.001-04:00

From Snails to Whales
Today we focused on Habitats. At 8:40 a.m. (July 23) it was low tide and we observed the intertidal zone and what type or organisms survive in it. The intertidal zone also known as the foreshore and the seashore, is the area above water at low tide and under water at high tide. This area can include different types of habitats, with many types of animals. We noticed that was a lot of green fleece algae growing on the rocks. They grow in clumps and is usually found in rocky waters tide pools, rocky shores, or attached to rocks. We also saw some seaweed that was of a brownish color, and on the rocks were white specks called northern rock barnacles. Barnacles are really crustaceans, yes, crustaceans, that remain fixed in one spot for life when they become adults, and they attach their selves to hard surfaces such as rocks or pier pilings.

These type of organisms live in the intertidal zone because they are small and uncomplicated. The supply of water they require to survive recurs at intervals and wave action around the shore will wash away or dislodge those poorly adapted or suited organisms. There were also some mussels in the intertidal zone at the dockyard.

Under the docks at the barking Crab we found like a bed of blue mussels that had a lot of growing plants and animals. The blue mussel is kind of smooth shelled with beaks and upon researching the guide book I found out they have teeth. The outside is bluish black and the inside is violet. We also saw unattached sea lettuce, rock weed, kelp, summer corn and ribbon weed. Upon breaking a small portion of the mussel bed we noticed that different species of shrimp were attached ,including the sharp-tailed cumaceans, caprelids, and long horned skeleton shrimp. We also found sea anemones that were kind of soft, and retracted their tenacles when they were touched. There was the frilled anemone which was disk lobed with fine tenacles, ghost anemones, striped anemones, and lined anemones. Swimming in the water were also small herrings and blackfish and we came across a star fish and a club tunicate also.

One interesting thing was noticed and it looked like some sort of man made reef that was very bright colored with orange pipe like objects sticking out maybe to attract organisms to cling to it and encourage some sort of life. It was held together by some kind of pipe at the top, It was interesting to see how many different species can cling together and live in the same habitat.

I have revisited Blackboard and now know the the orange like object is called an orange or red sheath tunicate. It has two holes where one sucks water in and the other spits it out.

This is the correction for my blog. I was having the hardest time editing. I had lost the document.

Tide Pool

2011-07-27T01:04:00.000-04:00

Kathy Geoghegan-Barek

Purposes:

To continue to sharpen observation skills
Collect Data to support the our hypothesis that a greater diversity of life can be found in the tide pool on Lovells Island compared to the docks at the Barking Crab.

Specimen Collection

Date = 7/24/11, Time = approximately 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm

Tide = Coming in. Low tide was approximately 11:30 am, therefore close to low tide

Weather = Warm, briefly had rain earlier that morning and the morning of the day before. Prior to that weather had been hot and dry for several days.

Collection Location = The first tide pool if you head left from the boat dock on Lovells Island

Habitat = Sea Water,

Obsevations and Specimen Description

When we first arrived at the tide pool, I knew the tide would be coming in so I headed out to where the water was knee deep, for me that’s approximately 1.5 ft. deep. I noticed this area was a lot less rocky than at the shoreline. However there seemed to be less life in this area.

As I headed in closer to the shoreline, I found several different kinds of shell that contained hermit crabs. Although I wasn’t able to get a look at any of the hermit crabs completely out of the shell, I was able to see enough of them to realize there were different types. They also seem to come in different sizes and therefore occupied different size shells.

At one point I had a hermit crab and a periwinkle in a container together and it appeared that the hermit crab was trying to pull the periwinkle out of his shell. Why? Did he want the shell? I don’t think so, the shell he had was already bigger than the one the periwinkle had. If the hermit crab’s had been smaller I could understand him wanting to take the bigger shell if he was growing. Was he going to eat the periwinkle. That was a possibility. I had read that hermit crabs in the wild are omnivores. But then Bruce had suggested that perhaps the hermit crab was just stuck to the periwinkle due to the sticky substance the periwinkle produces. That seemed reasonable. If he were stuck and was fighting to get free this might look like an aggressive behavior.

I found several other organisms as well. But did I find enough different other organisms to support our hypothesis that there would be more diversity in the tide pool than at the docks? I haven’t finished analyzing the data yet to answer that question but my initial impression is no. There were a lot of different organisms at the docks.

On the way back to the boat we encountered grove snails. These snails had a thinner shell than the sea snails, 4 antenna and had shells that displayed a in a variety of colors and patterns. The snails themselves came in a light and dark variety and they lack an operculum.

The chapter on snails posted on blackbord states that “Land snails represent multiple invasions of land from marine snail ancestors.” Therefore these land snails, I’m calling Brown lipped grove snails, must have evolved from the sea snail. They are an invasive species from Europe (https://www.msu.edu/~atkinso9/pestsnailpage.htm)

Georges + Lovells 7/24/2011

2011-07-27T00:15:00.002-04:00

On Sunday our class embarked on a trip to Georges Island and then onto Lovells. We went aboard a ferry which took us first to Georges Island where we saw a very manicured island that had clearly been influenced by humans.

When you arrive you are led onto a pavilion where you can buy food or enter a shelter that has historical information about the island and the fort lifestyle. People are ferried two and from this island pretty frequently throughout the day and there is no camping. The grass is cut and there are bushes spread around. There is a rocky beach where boats are moored and people can dare to dip into the frigid water.

Deeper into the island you find Canadian geese having there way with the 'yard' and a fortified structure that is no longer in use other than a historical site. The rooms are damp and dark and the only animals I could see were us humans. There were calcium deposits along the walls and bricks. I enjoyed the view from the high point on the island. There you could get your bearings and see a very different type of habitat on an island just a couple hundred feet away.

We took a smaller boat over to Lovells island. When we disembarked I saw some very naturalized inhabitants. The rangers were well kept and the campers looked like they had been stranded there for months, it looked like a fantasy land. Boys were throwing sand at each other and I did not see one Nintendo DS, it was magical. I just wanted to abandon class and stay.

The paths on the island were more rugged and the facilities were less industrial. We got to our tidal pool habitat and I loved the pieces of the fort scattered around, it were the only clues to what was there rather than a fort there for you to explore.

I found it hard to interact with the Asian shore crabs but found a lot of periwinkles and barnacles. The mussel shells that I found were MUCH bigger than the ones at the Barking Crab and so were the barnacles. The shells were free of cluttering creatures and could exist and thrive. There were a few more different species of vegetation. I found a Tunicate that squirted water when I lifted it gently above the surface. We found a large shore crab clinging to life after being dropped by a seagull. There was definitely less human traffic and boats only came ashore a limited amount and you had to get a permit to camp.

As for the garden snails I can see them hopping onto the garden plants that the Lovells brought over when they were gentrifying their summer home. No bunnies though...

Nature had definitely gotten the upper hand on Lovells.

Pieces of curiosity.

2011-07-26T21:03:00.001-04:00

I do not usually see minute details. I let scenes wash over me in broad strokes, forming into a narative of impressions. Of course, the rigor of identification does not come easily or naturally to me ( though I believe I managed to identify correctly the following 18 items.) But this is not primarily what strikes me. What strikes me is first the adjustment to the small, to the domain of the minute. On my first ferry ride (which I took alone) all I could see was big masses- the ocean, the islands, the sky-scrapers. The experience was one of bigness. When we traveled to Lovell's island, what struck me was the sort of cyclical descent (in a Dante-like sense, but without the Hell,) from the suggested vastness of leaving the city to the sea, to the enclosed experience of fort Warren, and then, eventually, all of it terminating in a tide pool. Spending what could have easily been hours turning rocks and looking at and for small things. It is as if in one motion the rest of the world recedes and the entirety of the horizon is filled with what you are squinting to see, to get a better look at, right now.

Another experience of absorption is getting in the water and chasing crabs. I never touched a crab. Now I find myself turning rocks, chasing them, struggling with their wriggling. It's not so much the fact that I haven't done this before, (or that I am slightly squeamish, usually).It's that there is no transition, or anything to think about. It's the task at hand and they are pieces of curiosity. Once you start looking, you want to see, and once you see all you want is to see more.When we leave reality snaps back into perspective, not before taking a segue into another tiny domain and gawking at snails. What I leave behind is a small explored alley, or a neighborhood block I got to know well. I only hope I remember everybody's name...

2011-07-26T19:05:00.002-04:00

On Sunday, July 24th, we embarked on a journey to George's and then Lovell's Island. George's Island is a historical site with a fort (Fort Warren) which takes up the majority of the land there. When we arrived at George's we got off the boat and Professor Berman introduced us to some history of Fort Warren. Reading the signs that were scattered throughout the place was very interesting. I had no idea that Boston Harbor had such a strong military defense not so long ago.

After a couple hours, we got on the boat that left for Lovell's and arrived there around noon. Just at low tide. The ranger gave us a quick briefing on what to expect as we traveled the island's trails to get to the tidal pools that we would examine later. Because the tide was just coming in, it was a perfect time to start our field research. Once we arrived at the tidal pools I immediately noticed the large amount of periwinkles scattered throughout the pools. I quickly understood Professor berman's choice name for the class. In addition to the periwinkles, I observed many other animal species in the tidal pools. Among them were a variety of crabs; Rock Crabs, Green Crabs, and Asian Shore crabs, which are an invasive species to North America. The Asian Shore Crabs, as we were forewarned, were very aggressive in nature despite their small stature. We also saw many hermit crabs along the sea floor during the low tide. Many of them seemed frightened by human interaction and were somewhat aggressive towards one another.

I also noticed an abundance of plant life in the tidal pools. There was tons of hair-like green algae looking plants covering the majority of the rocks in the cove. I also noticed the familiar rock weed that we had observed in the previous day at long wharf and under the Barking Crab. I assumed that this was a cleaner area because Prof. Berman had previously told us that rock weed does not live in highly "nutritional" water.

After spending a some time in the tidal pools at Lovell's (I could have been there for hours, it was a very interesting and picturesque place) we commenced our walk back to the ranger outpost and the boating area. While on the way back we noticed another type of "snail". Professor berman provided us with a brief story/lecture about how there are a species of moon snails on the island that can be easily mistaken for periwinkles. The major difference between them is the fact that moon snails live on land and in trees, while periwinkles of course live in the ocean. We picked up a moon snail and it had a much flakier and thinner shell with brighter colors. It also had 4 antennae instead of 2 as well as a much longer body when it came out.

Overall, the day on Lovell's turned out to be not only informative, but fun as well. I would love to go back there sometime for some camping and discover some of the bunnies that Bruce was talking about earlier. Anyway, see you all tomorrow.

Sunday

2011-07-26T18:38:00.015-04:00

Sunday morning we started off at Starbucks talking about what we were going to do that day and also going over some facts about the previous class. Some of the things we talked about was how rockweed is an indicator that the water was clean. We talked about brackish and how that was where salt water and sweet water meet. We talked about how salmon only spawn in fresh water then go back to the ocean when they’re done. And we talked about the inner zones and sub zones. From there we got on the ferry and went to Georges Island. As soon as we got there we sat down and talked about how foreign animals are brought over to America by boats from other countries. We learned that a lot of the animals that we saw that day at the barking crab were not native to this country. An example would be tunicates. Other examples would be pythons and parrots. After we finished discussing examples of (hitchhikers) we explored the island. From there we took another ferry to Lovell’s island. When we got there we talked about what we were going to do and then we got to action. We went to the rackline and looked for plants and animals in the water and on shore. First thing I saw was a crab. There were many different types of crabs. There were hermit crabs, Asian shore crabs, and crabs that appeared to be the same species just different colors like greenish and yellowish. There was an orange one that appeared to be the Jonah crab. The second thing I saw was a checkered peri winkle. They were all over the place stuck on the rocks. The third thing I saw was a Blue mussel. The fourth was razor clams. The fifth was tunicates, 6th rockweed, and 7th seaweed. The 8th thing I saw was slimy green grass that looked like sea grass. The 9th was barnacles. There was also baby lobsters in the water that we were trying to catch. After finding all these neat things we went to lunch. After lunch we saw these snail shells that had holes in them on rocks. There was couple of theories on how they got there. One theory was that birds use a certain rock over and over agint to break open the shells and that’s how the snails got there. Another theory that made more sense was that there is a bigger type of snail that drills a hole in the smaller snail and eats the snail that way. From there we went walking looking for those type of snails. We found many snails on trees. They were different colors. These snails were land snails and not sea snails. I believe they were either Helix albolabris or Cepaea nemoralis. They were different colors, which I though meant different species but I remember professor Brenan saying they were one species. After that we talked little bit more and waited for the boat. Overall I had a good time and I learned what Lovell’s Island had to offer

The blob

2011-07-26T17:49:00.002-04:00

Here is a little fella I found under the dock at the Barking Crab. It was jelly like to the touch, had a nipple like head and round.After looking it up in the National Audubon Society Guide what we have is a Blood Drop Tunicate. This tunicate is a brooder and in late summer liberates scarlet tadpole larvae. kinda like a womb in the sea.

Better Late than Never?

2011-07-26T17:05:00.005-04:00

Hi all,
My name is Dave Vadala. I'm a sociology major and I've lived north of Boston for the majority of my life. If all goes to plan this will be the second to last class I ever take at BU, at least for a little while. I suppose its also conditional on whether or not my career path finds me. I know that sounds strange but I've had a number of jobs and call it immaturity but I can't picture myself doing any of those things for the rest of my life on a 40 hour a week basis. Currently I work part time at Barnes and Noble and always keep my eyes open for paid case studies or performing gigs around Boston. No I don't street perform... yet. I spend a majority of my time with friends, reading, going to movies/concerts, and writing.

My experiences on the "water" include summers at Revere Beach, Life Guarding at a YMCA pool, and skim boarding on Pompano Beach in Ft. Lauderdale. I've never fished but it's on my list of things to do before the summer ends. I'm a big seafood guy and have endless debates with my friends on how seafood should be prepared.

Anyway I hope this post finds you all well and you're not like me where you're in the position of doing your whole report in one night and procrastinating by reading blog posts.

See you guys tomorrow on the bright!!

Georges and Lovell's Island

2011-07-26T13:11:00.002-04:00

On Sunday the class embarked on a trip from the Long Wharf to Georges Island. We arrived on the island around 9:30 am and the weather was overcast with a slight drizzle. Prof. Berman announced that we had picked a good day because the low tide was around 12:30 about the time we were to arrive at Lovell's Island. Georges Island was a spectactular place with a large Revolutionary era fort and great views of the Boston Harbor island chain. There was alot of bird activity on and around the island were I observed different species of gulls and terns. The ranger at Georges explained the story of the Lady in Black and gave us the spooks. We explored around the fort as we waited for the water taxi to take us to Lovells Island.

We took the 11:44 ferry to Lovell's Island, which was right across a chanell from Georges Island. We stopped at a gazibo on Lovell's were a ranger told us the location of the tidal pool and bathrooms, as well the different wildlife sightings on the island. We walked towards the tidal pool and arrived at a beach, where Prof. Berman showed us the "wrack line", where it indicates the length of the tide. In the wrack line there were crab exoskeletons mixed in with different types of sea weed. We walked around the sandy beach until we turned a corner and the beach became more rocky. This began the exploration into the tidal pool.

As we walked in to the tidal pool I could already indetify the greenish algea like plant covering the rocks in the pool and it was sea lettuce. There was also another green branchy like plant that was half submerged and a student identified as kelp. Kelp had not been identified in the inner harbor. I identified a sea lychen bryozoans which were light colored bushy and rounded shape on the ends. On the rocks in the tidal zone I spotted a familiar animal the northern rock barnacle. They are white with triangular shapes on the top of the shell. They live in large colonies and are common all over the northern atlantic region. Alongside the barnacles and pretty much all over the tidal pool and beach were the Periwinkle snail which are an invasive species that are threatening the beaches. They are grayish and brownish with hard shells, and the shells have a tubular shape. They have two antenas and there grey bodies can stretch up to 2" long. Prof Berman indicated that the beaches at Lovell's Island had once been made entirely of sand, but over the years the sand has turned to rock. One hypothesis for this change has been the invasion of the Periwinkle snail.
In the Tidal pools we noticed many different species of crabs including the Asian shore crab which is an invasive species. Almost every rocked I turned over had an Asian shore crab under it, because i could identify them by there blackish and green color and red spots on their claws. Alongside the Perriwinkle snails, I saw alot hermit crabs that build there homes in abadon shells. They were reddish brown in color, with large eyes and lightly colored pincers. The largest crab I idenitified was the Atlantic Rock crab, which was orange and had yellow underbelly. The claws large and had black tips, while the legs were orange with red fuzzy hairs.
The trip to Lovell's Island was a great experience that I really enjoyed and want to go camping in the future

Exploring The Dark Side Of The Barking Crab Docks

2011-07-25T21:07:00.002-04:00

Our second day started approximately 8:00am on Saturday, July 23, 2011 behind the Marriot Wharf Hotel beginning with an observation of the marine life on and around the barge. I saw some branch type of seaweed which was attached to rocks, green moss and I also saw that the water level was at half-tide. We walked over to the Federal Court House side of the dock at the mouth of the 4-point channel and there I observed that the tide was at two-thirds level and there was no seaweed in this area . We ventured on on over the "Old North Ave Bridge" which is preserved as a Historical monument and Professor Berman gave a brief history of the bridge and the surrounding area. This is one of four bridges that still open for boat passage. This bridge opens outward not upward and we got a chance to see it happen during our rest and discussion period after our Barking Crab exploration.

A short walk from the bridge we arrived at our destination the "Barking Crab". There we explored the unknown waters under the docks behind the structure for several hours. We pulled out kinds of interesting creatures from under the dock. In total I saw about 16 different kinds of stuff, some wiggly, some millimeter size crustaceans, some crawling things and some other stuff that did move at all.

One very interesting thing that I observed was a mussel that had an onion looking bulb that was soft to the touch with nipple on top surrounded by some brown mossy stuff. What is it????
There were several types of plants that might be sea anemones and a yellow/white star shape matter. I also saw two types of orange stuff: one had a bulb shaped bottom with two tubes extending out from it and black dots on tops and the other was a patchy algae type substance with black tips. Are the the same or at least of the same "family"...maybe or maybe not?

The dock posts under the ramp were covered with barnacles and one post had a star fish attached to it about 3-4 feet below the water. There were blue mussels and green lettuce looking something.

This was a very interesting trip. The waters hold a lot of strange and weird looking little and I'm sure big creatures and plants. Some I hope never to see in person.

Pictures taken at Georges and Lovell's Island

2011-07-25T18:18:00.017-04:00

On our Way to the rocky shore at Lovell's Island

Blue and white mussel shell

Sea Lichen Bryozoan

Brown Rock weed

Enteromorpha or Green String Lettuce

Periwinkles attached to the rock

Green Crab not really green

Rock Crab relaxing

Green Crab

Northern Rock Barnacles

Brown Kelp

I could not figure this one out. i think it is Crumb of Bread Sponge

Atlantic Rock Crab

A Hermit crab at his best

A Hermit crab holding onto a periwinkle thanks for sharing Janelle

This one is for you David. A Scud

Fred.. the crab was mad at you for treating him like this.

Asian shore crab.. aggressive little fellow

Barnacles, periwinkles, slipper shells attached themselves to the blue mussel though its beard.

Moon shell and periwinkle snail attacked by the predator who sucked the life out of it.

Yellow-lipped snail

Grove snail close-up

Grove snail

Unripened blackberries

Snails business

Snails inter-winding

Snails that my class fellows found.. nice collection

Yellow- lipped and Grove snail at the Lovell's island

2011-07-25T18:07:00.008-04:00

Sunday July 24th - We boarded the boat and was on our way to explore George's (our first stop) and Lovell's island. George's island is dominated by a civil war era historic fort - Fort Warren which is reputable for its ghost - The Lady in Black. Upon arrival at George's island, we grouped together for a briefing of the day's development and what we were to expect for the day. We then proceeded for a tour of that island but not before listening to the story of the Lady in Black by one of the Rangers. It was now time to test our nerves by visiting the "Black Hole". By golly! need I say more. That passage is pitch Black and it was a relief to get out of it and into the open. We walked around the grounds and could see some other islands, one which was very conspicuous because of the unique white egg like tanks that stood next to each other. That was Deer Island a waste treatment plant and it treats 350 million gallons of sewage per day. That plant separates solids and liquid waste through an outfall pipe which empties the treated water into the Bay.

We arrived at Lovell's island about 11:40 a.m. ready to search the tide pools. Ranger Red gave us a short briefing on what to expect and we were on our way. The tide was low coming in and it was perfect for exploring. I found lots of periwinkles all over the place. Among the findings also were Asian shore crabs, blue mussels, green crabs, Hermit crabs and Lady Slippers. There were also rock barnacles, which looked smaller than those found at the dock, kelp, seaweed that was green with fine, hairy like structures called green sea fern and rockweed. The blade of the rockweed is broad and flat with a strong mid-rib dividing into y-shaped forks. It has pea shaped air bladders which pop when you step on them.

After our lunch break we went looking for snails. We found two on the same tree. They had different colors but the same stripe on the shell. That was the beginning of our snail hunt. A group of four were found huddled together paying no attention to the chatter we had going around them. From then on we were spotting them easier, - look one, and here is another one.

The sides of the path were strewn with black berries but they were not ready for eating. Maybe the weather has hampered their ability to be ripe at this time of year. We trudged back to the docks after a day filled with fulfilled expectations and took the ferry back to Boston. It was a very fun filled, interesting day.

The Barking Crab on a Somewhat Sunny Day

2011-07-25T17:57:00.007-04:00

Today I spent my day on the dock at the Barking Crab. It was approximately noon when I got down there and the tide had just gone out. The first thing I noticed upon walking down the steel ramp was the pier's pillars wallpapered in barnacles. I couldn't begin to guess what kind as there are over 1200 species of barnacles, regardless it was the first animal I could check off of my list. The next thing I noticed was the lack of clarity in the water. The Barking Crab is located by several factories, skyscrapers, hotels, a major road and major boat traffic congesting the surrounding harbor. I feel like I may have been able to see perhaps a foot under the grimy water. This jarred the memory of Bruce telling us that the water in this area was full of nutrients.

I spent most of my time on my stomach and a lot of time whipping my head back at those enjoying their meal from the top dock. I was by myself so had the impulse to look back every so often and yell "its for a class!" Under the dock was a veritable smorgasbord of plants of all kinds. Rockweed, seaweed, green algae, sea lettuce, and kelps of all kinds. (Ok just one kind of kelp that was red and rather tough looking) but I spotted what I thought was a minnow fish. Someone I talked to told me that it was likely a "chub fish," and that minnows were a tropical fish. I also noticed many blue mussels with an orange almost styrofoam texture. I wasn't quite sure what to make of it. Had it decayed, or was this some kind of foreign bacteria? I also saw a duck. It was a greyish black color so I pondered if it was originally born that way.

I thought I was going to have a hard time finding plants and animals in the city but perhaps the pollution worked to my advantage? I remember yesterday when we were discussing the Hitchhiker's guide that most of the species that I found were the products of ships emptying their bailers or the various types of ship barnacles inspiring new life in new areas. I wasn't lucky enough to see a starfish but I was lucky enough that it didn't rain =)

Georges and Lovell's Island

2011-07-25T17:56:00.007-04:00

On Sunday, July 24, 2011 we took a field trip to Georges and Lovell’s Island. Weather was cloudy at 8:30 AM with light drizzling. We were on-board by 9:00 AM, so we can reach the tidal pool at Lovell’s Island for low tide at about 12:30 PM. At first we stopped at Gorges Island d and explored the Fort Warren which was built in 1850 as a Civil War fort that was also utilized as a prison for Confederate military and political prisoners. One of the rangers narrated the tragic story of “the lady in black” who haunts the Inside “Corridor of Dungeons” where her ghost has appeared over the years. However, I was about to faint in the darkness of that damp corridor, it was horrifying. Furthermore, we the outskirts of the neighboring Islands from the top of the fort, as well as Boston Light House.

Rocky Shore Habitats

Later on our class and some other passengers took the Water Taxi to Lovell’s Island. After our brief meeting with the ranger we followed the dirt trail to the beach to find, identify and observe different animal and plant species; which were there in abundance. First, professor mentioned the “wrack line” which is the top of the tide line and it usually brings dried brownish poppy sea weed, empty slipper and periwinkle shells, crab legs, blue mussels, and Sea Lichen Bryozoans. We had a little discussion how native species such as periwinkles and humans have impacted, rather changed the habitat from a sandy beach to a rocky and cobble stone one. The organisms which attach themselves to stones find this type of rocky shore to be their home. The average tidal exchange in Boston is 9.5 feet (3 m). The habitat we examined were Tide pools, pools of water left in rocky crevices and depressions down to the water line.

Observing Isopods (Green, Asian Shore, Hermit and Atlantic Rock Crab, Scud)

Moving forward into the tidal pools we found Green crab under the rock almost 3.6” long, fan shaped with blackish mottling above, with 5 marginal teeth. Green crabs were introduced from Europe and lives in tide pools and brackish water. We also managed to find Asian shore crabs which were much more aggressive in behavior, because they shed their skin at random times throughout the year, while displacing the other exposed crabs. They were blackish with banded legs, and red spots on claws, 3 marginal teeth and almost 1 in long. They were introduced from Asia and prefer rocks, cobble and live in intertidal zones. I also found a Hermit crab which was hiding under the periwinkle shell almost half an inch long. Which was brown to grayish in color, pincers were tannish-gray with white edges. It was long, and soft with segmented body. These Hermit crabs are common in Atlantic waters. Of all the miniature crabs we found a bigger one which was almost 5.5” wide and 3.5” long. It resembles the description of Atlantic Rock crab in the guide book with upper side yellow and dotted with reddish spots. Pincers were stout, short, fingers bent downward, black at tips, walking legs short and hairy at edges. This kind of crabs lives in low tide line. One of our classmates also found a shrimp like tiny specie which matched the characteristics of a Scud in our guide book. It was 1” long and ¼” tall. It was arched, brownish in color with pairs of long antennae, back smooth and segmented. This creature lives among seaweeds above low-tide line and feeds on mostly worms.

Observing Mollusks (Common Periwinkle)

The specie that is a native and has hugely impacted the shore slowly yet steadily are periwinkles (Littorina saxatilis) these are grayish, or brown with spiral nearly oval in shape. The surface is smooth to touch. It lives in intertidal zone, rocky and mud flats and feeds on alga. It is usually 1.7” in length but there could also be bigger periwinkles. They are invasive species introduced from Europe.

Northern Rock Barnacles (Semibalanus balanoides)

These were attached on the rocks in colonial pattern; I saw both white and yellowish barnacles which were flat at top but rough to touch. These are most commonly found in New England in intertidal zone they are up to 1 in” in width. They are also native species came from northern Atlantic to Delaware, and are in abundance in New England.

Kelp, Brown Seaweed, Enteromorpha , Sea Lichen Bryozoan:

Kelp is found in Sub-tidal zone. It was brownish in color. Kelps can range in size from the two-foot-tall to the giant kelp, which grows to over 150 ft long. They are an important constituent of some brackish water ecosystems. The brown leathery kelps and seaweeds were the most common fauna and flora found on the shore. Only next to green string lettuce with thin tabular strands, lime greenish in color, and very slippery algae which covered the rocks. Enteromorpha is common in the intertidal zone. I also found a colony of sea lichen bryozoans which was straw colored. The texture was rough and bushy, shaped like a ribbon on the edges, yet flexible. It was 1.5” long and 1” wide. It usually resides in low-tide line and widely found in New England.

Then after the lunch break we decided to search some land snails so that we can differentiate between the water and land snails. The first one we spotted on the tree was Yellow White- Lipped snail which was slightly smaller than the Grove or Brown-Lipped snail. The shell is usually 1” in dimension and shell has color banding of yellow and black, while it is brown and black for grove snail. The two species share many of the same habitats, such as woods, dunes and grassland, but the white-lipped snail tolerates wetter and colder areas than the grove snail can.

This is the end of my observations that I did at the Lovell’s island and also learnt that if I took the snail home I would need calcium for it to survive. On our way back, me and Janelle swam in the chilly Boston Harbor, until we saw our boat coming and quickly ran out of the water. It was a good learning experience over all.

P.S I am posting the pictures separate i think it is much easier that way

Sharing some photos

2011-07-25T17:26:00.006-04:00

Hi everyone, feel free to use them for your assignment if you think they are useful.
I'm not skilful with the formatting of the layout, so please bear with me if they look messy.

At Lovells Island:

At the Barking Crab Dock:

2011-07-25T14:24:00.000-04:00

Under the Dock at the Barking Crab

2011-07-25T12:20:00.002-04:00

On our first day of true marine habitat exploration we went to the Barking Crab. We began our day exploring the inter-tidal zone on a falling tide. The low tide was at 11:30. At the inter-tidal zone I noticed to different species of animals; blue mussells and barnacles. The barnacles were small and white, while the mussells were larger and were mostly submerged in the water. The vegitation was a species called rock weed; which was green and had tube like root system that stored water. Professor Berman pointed out that Rock weed was an indication of nutrient rich water.
The second place we explored was right next to the inter-tidal zone yet was not considered the inter-tidal zone. Here we looked at a barge that had alot of green and red fuzzy plant like stuff. I discovered that the green fuzzy plant was called sea lettuce. The only animal life in this zone was a group of white barnacles.
As we walked past the Sea Aquarioum we looked at a zone that was deeper and closer to the harbor. Here there was no vegitation and only barncles along the sea wall. I noticed a Cormoran diving for bait. We hypothesised the reasons why there was no sea weed along this location, but around the others. I think that there is a lack of sun light in that specific location. It was still a falling tide.
The next zone of exploration was along the federal courthouse dock. The water was clear and we were still on a falling tide. Here I noticed more of the Rock weed and more barnacles. The barnacles here were smaller than the other locations. They were still white and had a similar patterns and shape.
The last place of exploration was the docks at the Barking Crab, here the tide was low and the water was clear for about three feet. This zone was the most bio-diverse and held the most species of animals on the trip. Here there was three different species of vegitation including the rock weed and sea lettuce. However there was still the red branchy like plant that I could not identify. In this plant there was a collection of different shrimp like creatures including ones that looked like stick bugs. They were long and skinny with multiple leg and antenas. The other creatures were small shrimp looking thing ranging in color from light brown to almost black. There was two different sea ananeminies. The one I first discovered was small and light in coloring while the other was larger and had and a darker skin. There was a orange coral like animal which we identified as a tunacit. It was growing along the dock as well as on the blue mussells. Prof. Berman used the sabiki rig to catch a Herring and small Mackeral. As we were leaving the dock someone spotted a redish pink star fish. There was also larger barncales growing on the mussells and dock pilings.

Exploring George’s & Lovells’ Islands - Day 3

2011-07-25T10:50:00.004-04:00

Day 3 started out with the group meeting at Marriott Long Wharf, where we got on a boat and headed out to George’s Island.

A magnificent and enchanting place filled with history and ghost stories. Here we were told by the park ranger on location the story on the "lady in black."

George’s Island is home to Fort Warren, which according to http://bostonharborislands.org/georges was “a Civil War-era fort known for its graceful granite archways and reputed ghost, the lady in black.” This place provided some spectacular views of the harbor and surrounding landscapes, including where we would be heading next Lovells Island, located at relatively close proximity to George’s Island. I was surprised with the general infrastructure here, the facilities of George’s Island, museum, comfortable café chairs and the Adirondack Chairs. It certainly made for a comfortable outdoor class, considering the fair weather.

Further into our journey was beautiful Lovells Island. We arrived here shortly after 11:40 a.m. and met up with ranger “Red” at the Gazebo. They call this area an information station for the Island. Then we proceeded to examine the wildlife and begin our work in the tidal pools. This was great timing considering the tide was pretty low at the time, which would give us a great advantage in looking at the intertidal animals and plant life present. There were various species here, some not so easy to “catch” or even snap a photograph of, case in point the “baby lobsters” swimming near our feet underwater and the creepy, fast worm that got away from me and some classmates! Others were fun to catch and look at.

George's Island and Lovells Island

2011-07-25T07:00:00.004-04:00

Upon our arrival on George's Island we began exploring Fort Warren. What a place. The pentagonal fort took 10 years to finish and stands today a fairly impressive structure. Complete with barracks, store houses, bakeries, jail cells, and even fields for recreation, Georges Island was no doubt a crucial fort in maintaining security in Boston Harbor. We were very causally exploring the fort but I couldn't help but wonder the agony prisoners experienced in the dark halls we were so casually laughing through. I shudder to think what this fort was like during a treacherous Boston winter.

Once we entered the courtyard we were regaled of the tale of the Lady in Black. (not the black lady.) Mrs. Lanier received a letter from her husband saying that he was imprisoned on fort Warren. Her gut impulse was to somehow get to this island and rescue him. She arrived on the island and started whistling the first verse to her wedding theme because everyone knows that it's infinitely easier to whistle and wait for a reciprocating second verse as opposed to just calling out the name of the confederate soldier. Regardless, they eventually found each other and because it's easier to enter a secret entrance and not leave it just as easily Mrs. Lanier brought a pick axe. Unfortunately weeks into their tunnel digging the couple was found. Since the pistol Mrs. Lannier had was so old, the pistol misfired and killed her husband. What an embarrassing end to what could have been a great pub tale. Mrs. Lannier's only request was that she be buried in women's clothing. Due to either the lack of women on the island or the priority of the request all they could find were black robes. Mrs Lannier was hung/shot by firing squad?? And supposedly haunts the island to this day. Georges Island brought us tales of whimsy and wonder and some equally great views of Hull.

The next stop was Lovell’s island. We were greeted by a park ranger who gave us an overview of the island. During his lectured I noticed a pamphlet that listed all of the animal finds that were common to Lovell Island. Overall, it didn’t help much but this it was a great tool for later going online and seeing if there were creatures I did see and had missed.

Upon making it down to the beach we were greeted by a colony of crabs. It didn’t take long before a brief crab fighting octagon took place near the rack line in a tidal pool. It was interesting seeing how the crabs acted without their shells. They would often try to retreat to other shells but despite all of the shells being identical they knew exactly which shells were occupied and which shells weren’t. It was traumatic in some ways seeing that helpless green crab being mauled by that seagull but come on! You think he would have gotten the hint. There weren’t any other green crabs down there and they’re not the most quick animal on the beach. It makes me wonder if more come out at night when they can not be as easily seen by predators from the sky.

One of the more interesting animals I didn’t expect to find was a sponge. It looked like it had been on the shore for a while because the inside of it seemed dried up and it was wrapped in different kinds of seaweed. Unfortunately I couldn’t find his pineapple home. …Sorry…

I was taken by great surprise when we found the large population of snails. One tree in particular was a host to over 10 snails (probably more.) The snails were less shy than the periwinkles we found on the beach. I assumed this is because in the scheme of things between the ocean violently crashing on them all the time is likely to make them a little self conscious of their size while the snails go relatively unnoticed and can stay in the same spot for hours unless they’re taken captive by fun loving perverse college students.

Day 3: Exploration to Georges & Lovells Islands

2011-07-24T23:11:00.004-04:00

George's Island

Our first landing as a class was on George's Island, which before we had only seen from a boat tour on the harbor. The island turned out to be quite an interesting spot, although not particularly what today's experience was about, nevertheless a little fun never hurt anyone... We went on a group walk through a small, pitch black passage in Fort Warren, with nothing but your right hand extended against the wall and the voice of Professor Berman leading. This is of course directly after being told the tale of the Black Lady, who supposedly haunts the fort in search for her husband. Her husband was a former prisoner and after a failed attempt to rescue him, the Black Lady accidentally shot her husband and earned herself the death penalty by the gallows, as a result of the attempted escape, assault against an officer and homicide charges. Luckily the ranger was not the best at including the eerie mood of the tale and instead simply gave us the facts, so I was not fretful going into the fort, but the lack of any light source and sense of direction did not make the walk through the passage any more comfortable. I think most would agree with me when I say that the passage, which by itself really is not that long, seemed to take a long time to get through while you were debating each successive step you were taking. Anyhow, I loved the fort, I have been to it once before but did not have the guts to go into something like that before since none of my friends would join me. I think those types of tales are a great deal of fun especially with all their historical mischief and the brilliance of the fort itself is another thing in and of itself to be recognized.

The second and majority of today's expedition was to Lovell's Island. Here we walked through the sandy-dirt path with various wild plant-life surrounding us on our way to the tidal pools. On the way down this path I couldn't help but notice all the people camping (for more than a day or so it seemed) on the island as well as the abundance of Sumac trees. The camping just reminded me of the Hitchhikers Guide and how humans have such a major impact on the environment, even when it is not quite as direct a connection or obvious effect. The camping I do not think is hurting the island, in fact it's probably helping to fund the Boston Harbor cruises and maintain the funds for upkeep of the islands stable, however the ranger who spoke to us, Red, did mention that there had been rather odd behavior of terns and other animals at the island as a result of misplaced baby gulls. Though I do not know the exact reason for the gulls alteration in nesting grounds, one could say that lack of space where they used to nest is a possible source. The original nesting grounds would then have to be taken up by a different, and I would assume larger, species--such as humans during camping perhaps? You never know.. until you catch rabbits kicking over tern eggs via security cam! Haha just kidding that has nothing to do with gulls laying eggs in tern nesting grounds, but it is an intriguing event and an example of questions being answered by solid proof, very very surprising, solid proof. I tried to find the video Professor Berman mentioned was online about that exact event but I failed :( sorry everyone.

Lovell's Island

Once at the tidal pool region, Professor Berman explained what a "wrack line" was on a beach and how its contents can give clues to the environment. For example, our wrack line on the beach showed empty lady slipper shells, dried up seaweed, and many many many periwinkle shells. If nothing else, this hinted that those three specimen must be on this island. This turned out to be true as we all later discovered there were TONS of periwinkle snails in the tidal pools.

Another sea creature we found an abundance of were crabs. Not just one crab either, Asian Shore Crabs and Green Crabs--which ironically are not always green but red-ish orange and brown. The Asian Shore Crabs are much smaller than the Green Crabs and like-wise more aggressive, as we already knew from the yesterday's readings. However, it was not the behavior or size of the crabs that I am intrigued by so much as it was how many of them there were and how easy it was to find them. There were tons of crabs on the beach and all you needed to do to find them was lift a rock within the tide. In most cases they were burrowed/hiding in the sand under the rock. I caught a bunch of the little green crabs as well as a few of the asian shore crabs too I believe, although after talking to some of my peers they started to confuse me saying that the green crab was the asian crab and vice versa, but never fear the Audobon Guide is here! So I did in fact find both luckily haha.

Unfortunately, along the tidal pools the majority of my finds consisted of periwinkles, crabs, and a very bright green seaweed. However, off the tidal pool there was another specimen to be found. A land snail, found no where you would imagine, a tree! I never thought I would see snails on a tree. Literally you could have asked me to list all the locations a snail would never have suggested trees and if you told me they were there I would have thought you were pulling my leg. However, there are several land snails on the trees at Lovell's island and they are quite interesting. Not only do some of them move around a great deal and they live in trees, but their shells are also spiraled with varying stripe patterns and they are different colors--both the snails themselves and their shells. As Poh Lee mentioned they remind me of the diversity in people, especially because I feel like when you have an abundance of a species in an area you usually have the same or two to three different types of the organism at max. However, in the case of the "tree snails" you mostly find variation in the organism because their predators tend to have a favorite color of the snails. Therefore, it is only the unique snails that survive. As a result, we end up with a whole bunch of different colored snails and snail shells. I ended up taking one of these snails home today and have already created a nice little home for her (I have assumed her to be a girl even though I am fairly sure they are hermaphrodites) with some dirt, leaves, lettuce & a bit of water along with a sea shell from Lovell's island inside. Unfortunately the container she is in (which I have poked holes in no worries!) is a little small with all her necessities in it, but it will have to do for now. Her name, if anyone is interested, is Harriet, she's a champion.

All in all today was a great day, I dug up some crabs (one in particular which kept trying to pinch my fingers the gutsy little thing!) , found new organisms I didn't realize existed, swam in the harbor off George's Island and got a new pet. Haha I look forward to identifying the organisms I looked at today during class. Wish me luck!

-Janelle

P.S. I almost forgot I wanted to share this video with everyone. I found it on youtube when searching the tern eggs & rabbit I remembered Professor Berman mentioning the Moon Snails, so I looked them up. Here is a quick video of one that has already eaten/just finishing eating a clam. Crazy!

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTxl8BSUIXM&feature=related

A unique experience

2011-07-24T22:40:00.011-04:00

During my growing up years, my parents always taught me not to touch or even put any unidentified items into my mouth. It could be dirty, or worse, poisonous, they would explain. However, today on Lovells Island, I got naughty and touched any possible marine animals and plants that I could find at the tide pool without knowing what they were (or what I was getting into) in the first place. I was particularly intrigued by Prof Berman who picked up a shell that was attached onto a rock and before you knew it, he put the 'meat' of the shell into his mouth, without even rinsing it with water!

Today's task was to find at least 3 plant and 6 animal species on the island individually. Everyone was turning over the rocks, bending over to look underneath some big rocks, and getting into the water to look for more species. I was amazed that there could be so many crabs hiding under the rocks; it's a kind of hidden place which I would never think of as a habitat. Well, I must confess that I am a great fan of deep fried soft shell crab, a common dish served in restaurants in Asia. But today, I got to touch the shedded shell of a crab, and I broke it (oops!). It was a weird kind of feeling, as though I had killed a live animal, because the shell was still in its intact form. Despite this guilt that overwhelmed me, I knew that I would not stop eating my favorite dish. Anyway, man is at the top of the food chain, isn't it?

Besides crabs, I found mostly shell animals such as periwinkles and blue mussels at the tide pool. There are also more barnacles (bigger too) found here on the island than at the Harbor. On our way back to the dock, Prof Berman gave more insights about land snails and he said that we should not be deceived by the different colors of two snails that could actually be of the same species. Just like human beings, we are of different races and genders, but we are all humans. This woke me up to another knowledge about species identification, that while preliminary observations are important, to be really precise about what it is, thorough research should be done. But before I can do the latter, let me first sharpen my observation skill. I still have 3 more 'training sessions' for this.

Regions Beyond

2011-07-24T19:11:00.003-04:00

Our day started out with rain showers. I was hoping that this was not going to be a wash out, but to my surprise the grey clouds scattered and it turned into a beautiful somewhat cloudy cooler day. The tickets were gather and we were on our way to Georges Island before we headed to to Lovell's Island for the rest of the day. On George's Island were we sat and discussed the previous days progress. On George's Island we then took a walk through the park where I saw Canadian geese sitting on the grassy knolls of the land. One of the lovely rangers told us the story about the Lady in Black, Mrs. Andrew Lanier, who roams the grounds in black robes for killing her husband by accident and was buried in black robes. Her body lies in Fort Warren.

Entering the Fort was very scary. It was pitch black, and the walls were moist and cold which we had to hold on for support. I felt that I was dropping into a dark vortex and I kept falling to no end and couldn't find my way out. After the tunnel excursion we headed to Lovell's Island.

At Lovell's Island it was still a cloudy day but much cooler. the island is only about 1000 miles long. Walking alone the trail to reach the beach, I looked at all the different kinds of life growing on the side of the trail. Many of them plants had branches of blackberries attached to them. They were not dark and plump, probably because of the hot weather that we are having. There also was sumac (not poisonous) and thistle in full bloom. Beautiful colors of green and purple with very sharp pointed needles at the end of the leaf. Moving on down to the beach to the water, the there was a low tide around 11:49AM which gave the beach natural aboding of diversity of
habitants that makes this place a unite one. There was a salty freshness in the air and their was small dunes and salt-marshes with woodlands and fields. The beach was very rocky with sorted large stones in different colors that made the beach seem like a rainbow showing off there specular fashion of colors. Many of these rocks had several different kinds of seaweed attached to them. Far beyond you could see the starch white egg shaped domes across the bay of Deer Island which seemed overpowering in the middle of the bay.

I became fearless when I was holding a Asian shore crab and rough perwinkles in my hand. The experience transported me to a new level of excitement saying to myself that I can do this now. by singing to the rough periwinkles gave them a calmness for them to adventure out of their shell was an very interesting concept. Many of these periwinkles had a variation of different colored stripes on their shells. Also enjoyable was the common slipper snails lived on the land and on many branches of trees. These things were a wonder of delight for me. finding out about many of these species will give me a broader aspect of how these animals and plants survive. Maybe then (just maybe I will be able to cut the striped bass.)

At the docks behind the barking crab:

2011-07-24T07:40:00.000-04:00

We put our hands in the water and tear out clumps of life; a mess of ciliated flora and Blue Mussels. As we lay the clumps on the docks they dislodge from themselves some of the tangle of tiny intertwined animals. The most prominent were the Skeleton Shrimp, so well hidden to begin with before they start moving in their spasmodic way in all directions. They continue to dance their weird dance even in my hand, to which they seem to attach themselves with their hind legs (I though I counted 5 such hind legs.) The other moving living things that I manged to actually see for myself were more shrimp-looking shrimps; by that I mean that they were curved and had the trademark shrimp look- tiny versions of what I usually eat. However, tiny they were, and I am pretty sure I collapsed several different kinds under the general heading of shrimp. Hopefully after a couple of rounds with the pictures we took I could come to a more conclusive identification...

The thicket of weed is swarming with these weirdly moving animals. The other extreme (to my mammal bias) to this hyper-ambulatoriness was the cluster of sedentary life around the blue mussels. The mussels themselves cluster, and one can see on the fully grown (i.e., bigger...) mussels what seems to be younger, developing mussels. These clusters are strewn with an orange colored animal, seemingly shapeless and without definition. These animals (perhaps the Orange Sheath Tunicate) appear to be part in maintaining the structural integrity of the clusters. Also, as part of this blocks of flora and mussels, there were a couple of sedentary, bulbous creatures, squishy to the touch, as if full of liquid. Of the ones we saw one had a translucent whitish complexion and the other a pinkish one. They looked to be closest in their shape to the Blood Drop Tunicate, though I am not entirely sure. In any case, they belong to the family of Sea Squirts.

Finally, the most extravagant of the sedentary animals, also a part of the clumps, yet still standing out due to its pattern is the Golden Star Tunicate with its eponymous ornamentation. It is possible that what we saw underwater, looking like orange weeds, were colonies of these animals, but I cannot be sure. Another thing to which I could not find an answer is the identity of the conical orange creatures Prof. Berman brought to our attention.

This is then the little that I managed to observe for myself and see from up close. It is definitely a start, with all the cluelessness implied in that. Here's to learrning curves!

See you'll, well, in about an hour or so.

From Snails to Whales

2011-07-24T05:01:00.003-04:00

Today we focused on Habitats. At 8:40 a.m. (July 23) it was slack tide and we observed the intertidal zone and what type or organisms survive in it. We noticed that was a lot of green fleece algae growing on the rocks. Some were also of a brownish color and on the rocks were white specks called barnacles. These type of organisms live in the intertidal zone because they are small and uncomplicated. The supply of water they require to survive recurs at intervals and wave action around the shore will wash away or dislodge those poorly adapted or suited organisms. There were also some mussels in the intertidal zone.

Under the docks at the barking Crab we found like a bed of blue mussels that had a lot of growing plants and animals. The blue mussel is kind of smooth shelled with beaks and upon researching the guide book I found out they have teeth. The outside is bluish black and the inside is violet. We also saw unattached sea lettuce, rock weed, kelp, summer corn and ribbon weed. Upon breaking a small portion of the mussel bed we noticed that different species of shrimp were attached ,including the sharp-tailed cumaceans, caprelids, and. long horned skeleton shrimp. We also found sea anemones that wer kind of soft and retracted their tenacles when touched. There was the frilled anemone which was disk lobed with fine tenacles, ghost anemones, striped anemones, and lined anemones. Swimming in the water were also small herrings and blackfish and we came across a star fish and a club tunicate also.

One interesting thing was noticed and it looked like some sort of man made reef that was very bright colored with orange pipe like objects sticking out maybe to attract organisms to cling to it and encourage some sort of life. It was held together by some kind of pipe at the top, It was interesting to see how many different species can cling together and live in the same space.

Day 2: The Under-Dock Experience at the Barking Crab

2011-07-24T01:52:00.012-04:00

Field Experience Observations

Location: The Barking Crab docks, right off the 4-Point Channel

Mini Habitat: The Lower Intertidal Zone

Time of Day: ~10AM - 11:30AM

Tide: going out, low tide at 11:30AM

Water Clarity (1-10): 8, Where water closer to 10 is more turbid

Temperature: 75+ C degrees toward the latter half of the morning

This is one of the most common specimen we discovered on our tour around the peers and tidal zones of Boston Harbor and the Barking Crab more specifically. Barnacles. North Atlantic Barnacles to be more specific. The difference is really just in the surrounding attachment, these barnacles have more of a flared attachment rather than a more distinct circle. You can see the lines on the side which help show that distinction.

Another specimen we found a lot of was algae. We discovered two types, red and green. Also, to be more specific, they were very leafy and coincidentally we identified them as Green Sea Lettuce and Red Sea Lettuce which I found to also be called Halymenia. The two algae have a very slimy texture and are swarmed with creatures in this location!

The picture to my right I believe to be baby sea anemones. I say this because they are very squishy to the touch and when you do touch them, they retrieve into a smaller ball (look at the anemone on the left for that example) which larger anemones also do. I also believed they were anemones because the one on the right shows a bunch of white squigglies in the center. None of which come out, but that may be because they have yet to fully develop? Who knows. Either way, I looked them up and found they match a description of "Striped Anemones" especially considering their orange stripes on the black body.
In the picture to my right are two sea anemones and some Bushy Bryozoan. The two sea anemones while similar are quite different in color. The top anemone is a more pale apricot, while the bottom anemone has more of an organish-tint to it... interesting yes? Well I thought so, so I tried to see if they were any different in the guide book and came up with the following conclusion. They are the same. Haha, the speces just comes in different shades. They are both Frilled Anemones.
These creatures were easily seen by the hundreds along the dock. They were literally crawling and squiggling over and on everything. While when there are that many of them they can be hard to distinguish between, but I believe we either found more than one type of arthropod, or there is a major distinction between the female and male sex of these creatures... it's one of the two assuming they aren't asexual.

Look closely to my right and notice that the long stick creature on the lower left portion of the picture is more of a dark red color and seems to be tougher than that on the upper right above it. This creature on the upper right seems a bit more transparent as seen by the end of it's leg/tail that we see. If they are different creatures, the bottom specimen may be the Long-horn Skeleton Shrimp. Unfortunately though, the guide is also makes it a little difficult to distinguish between these creatures so lets hope that until I adapt to using this tool my gut instinct is leading me in the right path.

This picture on my left also suggests further that these specimen are not the same. Notice how the creatures you see in this picture are more transparent and have more defined claws than the darker red creature depicted above. For these reasons, I think this specimen on the left could be the Smooth Skeleton Shrimp. It is fairly long although not 2'' like the guide suggest, however it was the closest picture match I could find. However, as we discussed in class the pictures aren't the most important information to go off of, so though it could be the Smooth Skeleton Shrimp, I think it is more probable to be the Linear Skeleton Shrimp, since it's location includes Boston Harbor.

If you look closely at the orange matter on the mussel displayed at my right you will notice it is a very bright orange and has little clustered holes. This organism is Orange Sheath Tunicate.

Here is a close up of the weird piece of metal/plastic that at one point served as a bumper for the dock. It has a different specimen of orange biomass. This I believe to be Club Tunicate, more commonly found on docks and tends to be a rougher, stalked organism.

Bait Fish Comparison

Fish #1

Chub Mackerel

Fish #2

???

2011-07-24T01:01:00.001-04:00

View from the Docks

Kathy Geoghegan-Barek

Purposes:

To sharpen observation skills
Recognize different habitats (inter-tidal and sub-tidal zones, salt water, fresh water and brackish water)
Attempt to identify the life forms observed with the use of a field guide

Specimen Collection

Date = 7/23/11, Time = approximately 10:00 am – 11:00am

Tide = Going out, Low tide due at approximately 11:30 am, therefore close to low tide

Weather = Warm, had a brief thunderstorm earlier that morning. Prior to that weather had been hot and dry for several days.

Water clarity = 7 on a scale of 1 to 10 where 1 is clear and 10 is turbid

Collection Location = Mouth of the Fort Point Channel, river water meets seawater here. Samples taken from the side of the float.

Habitat = brackish water, sub-tidal.

Observations and Specimen Description

One observation I made occurred by the courthouse. As I walked down the ramp I could see on the wooden post under the dock 3 specimens. Each of the 3 specimens occupied a distinct area of the post and presumably this means 3 different habitats. On the bottom, submerged in the water and floating was long strands of a brown seaweed-like plant. Above that, on an area of the post that was wet but currently not in the water (the inter-tidal zone) were white specks, which I suspect may have been barnacles but the post was at a distance so I wasn’t able to get a good look. The top of the post has a green fuzzy substance that I believe was algae. When I looked at the Seaside Educators Guide posted on blackboard I saw a drawing of a post that looked like mine. They called the top area of the pole the spray or black zone.

Then my team, The Mighty Star Fish, began collecting samples from the docks at the Barking Crab. We collect 3 plant samples and numerous animal samples and 1 sample of “orange stuff” that was on the shell of a Blue Mussel.

I also identified Frilled Anemones on the side of the float, but every time I tried to pull it up I got something else instead.

I personally only looked at 2 of the plant samples. A green one which we identified as Sea Lettuce and a brown one which I think is brown kelp.

One thing that really impressed me was that each time we tried to pull up a sample, we got multiple samples. There seems to be some sort of inter-dependence on the various life forms we examined We pulled up several Blue Mussels that had living things on them. One of the things on the mussels we identified as being a skeleton shrimp. We had also pulled up an open empty mussel shell which had 6 dark round things with orange strips going through them 2 of them appeared to have white centers. I wasn’t able to identify these but we considered the possibility that these could be anemones that had closed up.

Dock Trasact Day 2

2011-07-23T23:53:00.002-04:00

Today was a much pleasant day than yesterday. There was a scattered thunderstorm and luckily I was the only one who brought an umbrella. However, I was also the only one who was late and was horrified when professor said now everyone has to take the quiz. So, we started the day with the Bio-diversity in the ocean, and how the amount of nutrients in the water determines it. The three main elements found in water are nitrogen, potassium, calcium, which mostly comes from sewerage, and they are critical for biological process.
Next we went to the floating barge where we obeserved seaweed on the rocks, upper intertidal or
periwinkle zone, irish moss, algae and kelp. Then we moved forward no towards the inner harbor where there were no seaweed, due to the lack of sunlight, less nutrients in water because of less human activity, finally waves hit directly here so its hard for seaweed to survive here.
From there we proceeded to four point channel and federal court house. Then professor took us to the braking crab dock where we spent a lot of time examing the marine life. I saw species that I would never see otherwise if it was not for this class. Meanwhile, Professor caught Herring and baby mackerel. I was glad that we let them go again in water only for the bigger stripped Bass to eat it. We also managed to draw as we observed and did pretty good. After the class was done we called it a day with lunch at the Barking Crab as per Professor's recommendation and it was absolutely delicious.
See you all tomorrow, I hope the weather is nice so we all can actually go into the tidal pool.
Goodnight.

Day 2

2011-07-23T23:42:00.003-04:00

Today's lesson proved to be yet another enlightening experience for me as we investigated some of the marine life in the intertidal zone on the waterfront of Boston Harbor. Our day started around 8 AM as we embarked down a cloudy, overcast coast of the Harbor. After a brief thundershower, the group began its journey to the Barking Crab to do some field research on the sea life there.

On our walk there Bruce provided a brief history of some of the landmarks we were passing, including a bridge that was developed by MIT students years back that we later got to see in action. During this walk Professor Berman also provided us with information about the tides and how to conduct field study. We stopped at a few places to examine the sea wall while the tide was still coming in. A few people noted that there appeared to be different kinds of algae and plant life the closer to the "open ocean". Some of the different sea plants looked like a brownish colored bush with little air bubbles attached to branch like pieces of the plant. There was also a much smoother greenish plant that was attached to a lot of the rocks at the second place that the group stopped that was closer to the open ocean. In both places there appeared to be an abundance of white dots which were speculated to be barnacles.

As we crossed over the MIT bridge and over to the Barking Crab, we split up into our groups and began our research in the field. This was definitely the most enriching part of the day as we began to take a hands on approach at learning about the lifeforms of urban Boston Harbor. To my surprise there seemed to be a great amount of life hanging out under the docks. The first thing I noticed were the blackish blue shells that our group identified as some species of muscle at the time. On the muscles appeared to be some sort of orange rusty looking fungus that we later took off and determined that it had a "spongy" texture.

As our group took a closer look at the muscles we noticed that there were some critters moving on the top. At first, they appeared to look like some sort of insect that one might find on land, however, as we brought the shells out of the water we quickly noticed that there were hundreds of these critters on a few shells alone. They had multiple joints, two antennae, a roundish head and a reddish color to them. (After Bruce allowed us to take advantage of the field guides we had brought a long we determined that these critters were a species of shrimp, one of 2 or 3 that we saw while we were there). While observing the life alongside the dock, I began to notice very strange looking plants that seemed to be bushy with whitish tips on the ends. Our group later discovered some other plants that looked the same way, but were completely white. After flipping through the pages of our field guides myself and some of the members agreed that these plants must be species of sea anemone (Could be striped as well as lined according to the blackboard site) which I quickly found out were not plants, but animals.

Now that I am home I have finally checked out the blackboard site and the Hitchhikers section. I noticed that a lot of the creatures that live in the harbor are actually from different areas around the world including; Japan, Nova Scotia, and other parts of Asia.

Today proved to be another extremely educational and interesting class around the Harbor. The hands on field work really helps gain a profound understanding of the life surrounding us in the Harbor. I am excited to see you all tomorrow for our trip around the islands.