Crawdad, Crawfish, Mudbug, Mountain Lobster or Crayfish?
Current in the Creek 2017 Creek Camp Sessions: I: June 25-30 II: July 9-14 Apply today! Volume #22 Issue #3 March 31, 2017
sites.allegheny.edu/ creekconnections/creek-camp/
Crawdad, Crawfish, Mudbug, Mountain Lobster or Crayfish? By Laura Branby, Creek Connections On St. Patrick’s Day, Creek Connections cohosted a teacher workshop with Seneca Valley Intermediate High School. Seneca Valley provided the room and access to the Little Connoquenessing Creek. Professors Zachary Loughman and Karen Kettler from West Liberty University (West Virginia) presented a wonderfully informative workshop on crayfish, including a citizen science project called PROJECT CRAWDAD. Teachers and informal educators learned how to identify crayfish (there are at least 14 different kinds in
Creek to Creek — pg. 2
Testing Tip — pg. 2
PAEE Workshop — pg. 3
Feature Creature — pg. 3
Pennsylvania!) and how to determine if they are male or female. A lesson in identifying invasive species was followed by time in the creek searching for live crayfish. Elementary and preschool educators learned about activities they can do with younger students in addition to the crayfish collection and observation. The educators were excited to begin collecting data for PROJECT CRAWDAD with their students! No matter what you call them, everyone loves these crustaceans!
Above Left: Teachers having fun learning crayfish identification. Above Right: Teachers and Dr. Loughman seine for crayfish.
Creek to Creek Water quality monitoring continued through the winter months by our participating schools. The photo on the left shows students from the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf completing the testing of Fern Hollow Run at Frick Park in Pittsburgh. Year-round testing is important for gaining a complete understanding of your local stream and what to expect for normal data values in different conditions.
Testing Tip By Johanna Stanley, Allegheny College student
Lyme Disease Prevention Tips As spring approaches and you start enjoying the nice weather outdoors, it’s important to keep a few things in mind to make sure your experiences stay fun and safe from Lyme disease. The warm winter this year means an increase in the number of ticks we will see this season; however, ticks don’t have to ruin your outdoor times if you stay aware and follow preventative measures. Know where ticks live Ticks live in wooded and grassy areas and thrive in moist or humid weather. When taking a walk outside, avoid tall grassy areas and try to stick to the trails. Cover up Wear long pants, long sleeves, and closed-toed shoes. Tuck your pants into your socks to avoid ticks getting inside. Light-colored clothing makes it easier to see ticks Use repellent Certain repellants work better than others. Try one that has the active ingredient DEET in it. Check yourself every day Check all over your body for ticks, being extra careful to check hair and hard to reach/see areas. If you find one, remove it immediately using a pair of tweezers and gripping it as close to the mouth as possible
Creek Connections at Pennsylvania Association of Environmental Educators (PAEE) Conference By Laura Branby, Creek Connections
We partnered with Dr. Paula Purnell of Sense of Place Learning to share her Water, Land and Air program with environmental educators at the Pennsylvania Assocation of Environmental Educators Conference at McKeever Environmental Learning Center. Attendees joined in performing a native chant (with instruments), tasted and then planted micro greens, estimated water on Earth with Play-Doh and created pop-tars (a tunable instrument). It was a busy time, and attendees were thrilled with the useful information!
Feature Creature By Grace O’Malley, Allegheny College student
I am one of the smallest of the species in my Order. My gills are on the outside of my body, attached to my abdomen, and my antennae are very long. Nymphs typically have three tails while adults usually have only two. We live most of our lives in the water as nymphs and then emerge as adults usually in mid to late summer. We then live for about a few days, just long enough to mate and lay eggs. You’ve probably seen us swarming around a bright light at night or stuck to the front of your car after you drive along a creek or river! Who am I? See back page for answer.
Connect with
CREEK CONNECTIONS Allegheny College 520 North Main Street Meadville, PA 16335 Phone: 814.332.5351 Email: [email protected] Web: creekconnections.allegheny.edu
CREEK CONNECTIONS is supported by:
Above: Female crayfish in “berry” with eggs from our teacher workshop.
Feature Creature Answer from Page 3: Small minnow mayfly Order: Ephemeroptera, Family: Baetidae
Allegheny College, Richard King Mellon Foundation, Allegheny Co. Conservation Dist., Dept. of Environmental Protection Education Grant, Grable Foundation, Frick Fund of the Buhl Foundation, PPG Industries, donations through the Educational Improvement Tax Credit Program, and private donations.
If y o new u wou l s d like cre letter ek to @ r alle inste ece ad ive ghe n a n y .ed of a ele u. ctr h a r o d cop nic co y p , em y of t ail his u s a t
n!
Meadville, PA 16335 520 North Main Street Allegheny College
CREEK CONNECTIONS
Go
Gre e
sites.allegheny.edu/ creekconnections/creek-camp/
Crawdad, Crawfish, Mudbug, Mountain Lobster or Crayfish? By Laura Branby, Creek Connections On St. Patrick’s Day, Creek Connections cohosted a teacher workshop with Seneca Valley Intermediate High School. Seneca Valley provided the room and access to the Little Connoquenessing Creek. Professors Zachary Loughman and Karen Kettler from West Liberty University (West Virginia) presented a wonderfully informative workshop on crayfish, including a citizen science project called PROJECT CRAWDAD. Teachers and informal educators learned how to identify crayfish (there are at least 14 different kinds in
Creek to Creek — pg. 2
Testing Tip — pg. 2
PAEE Workshop — pg. 3
Feature Creature — pg. 3
Pennsylvania!) and how to determine if they are male or female. A lesson in identifying invasive species was followed by time in the creek searching for live crayfish. Elementary and preschool educators learned about activities they can do with younger students in addition to the crayfish collection and observation. The educators were excited to begin collecting data for PROJECT CRAWDAD with their students! No matter what you call them, everyone loves these crustaceans!
Above Left: Teachers having fun learning crayfish identification. Above Right: Teachers and Dr. Loughman seine for crayfish.
Creek to Creek Water quality monitoring continued through the winter months by our participating schools. The photo on the left shows students from the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf completing the testing of Fern Hollow Run at Frick Park in Pittsburgh. Year-round testing is important for gaining a complete understanding of your local stream and what to expect for normal data values in different conditions.
Testing Tip By Johanna Stanley, Allegheny College student
Lyme Disease Prevention Tips As spring approaches and you start enjoying the nice weather outdoors, it’s important to keep a few things in mind to make sure your experiences stay fun and safe from Lyme disease. The warm winter this year means an increase in the number of ticks we will see this season; however, ticks don’t have to ruin your outdoor times if you stay aware and follow preventative measures. Know where ticks live Ticks live in wooded and grassy areas and thrive in moist or humid weather. When taking a walk outside, avoid tall grassy areas and try to stick to the trails. Cover up Wear long pants, long sleeves, and closed-toed shoes. Tuck your pants into your socks to avoid ticks getting inside. Light-colored clothing makes it easier to see ticks Use repellent Certain repellants work better than others. Try one that has the active ingredient DEET in it. Check yourself every day Check all over your body for ticks, being extra careful to check hair and hard to reach/see areas. If you find one, remove it immediately using a pair of tweezers and gripping it as close to the mouth as possible
Creek Connections at Pennsylvania Association of Environmental Educators (PAEE) Conference By Laura Branby, Creek Connections
We partnered with Dr. Paula Purnell of Sense of Place Learning to share her Water, Land and Air program with environmental educators at the Pennsylvania Assocation of Environmental Educators Conference at McKeever Environmental Learning Center. Attendees joined in performing a native chant (with instruments), tasted and then planted micro greens, estimated water on Earth with Play-Doh and created pop-tars (a tunable instrument). It was a busy time, and attendees were thrilled with the useful information!
Feature Creature By Grace O’Malley, Allegheny College student
I am one of the smallest of the species in my Order. My gills are on the outside of my body, attached to my abdomen, and my antennae are very long. Nymphs typically have three tails while adults usually have only two. We live most of our lives in the water as nymphs and then emerge as adults usually in mid to late summer. We then live for about a few days, just long enough to mate and lay eggs. You’ve probably seen us swarming around a bright light at night or stuck to the front of your car after you drive along a creek or river! Who am I? See back page for answer.
Connect with
CREEK CONNECTIONS Allegheny College 520 North Main Street Meadville, PA 16335 Phone: 814.332.5351 Email: [email protected] Web: creekconnections.allegheny.edu
CREEK CONNECTIONS is supported by:
Above: Female crayfish in “berry” with eggs from our teacher workshop.
Feature Creature Answer from Page 3: Small minnow mayfly Order: Ephemeroptera, Family: Baetidae
Allegheny College, Richard King Mellon Foundation, Allegheny Co. Conservation Dist., Dept. of Environmental Protection Education Grant, Grable Foundation, Frick Fund of the Buhl Foundation, PPG Industries, donations through the Educational Improvement Tax Credit Program, and private donations.
If y o new u wou l s d like cre letter ek to @ r alle inste ece ad ive ghe n a n y .ed of a ele u. ctr h a r o d cop nic co y p , em y of t ail his u s a t
n!
Meadville, PA 16335 520 North Main Street Allegheny College
CREEK CONNECTIONS
Go
Gre e
