caterpillars in the classroomw3.marietta.edu/~biol/mnhs/f15nl.pdf · 2015-09-19 · conservation...

Public Is Invited

Thursday, November 12, 7:00 PM Selby 150, Marietta College Presenter: Dr. Greg Pond Big rivers come from tiny tributaries, and those tributaries are important

to the health of the ecosystem – and to humans who drink from, fish in or otherwise use our waterways from small to large. Dr. Greg

Pond of the US EPA will share what theyhave learned about headwater streams and what we can do to protect them.

Thursday, October 8, 7:00 PM, Selby 150,

Marietta College Presenter:

Olivia Kittle

How do you get 5th graders excited aboutscience and nature? Bring caterpillars and moths into the classroom and let the students be scientists! Olivia Kittle, 5th grade teacher from Nelsonville, will show how she uses her own enthusiasmfor moths to enchant, excite and educate her students.

Thursday, December 10, 7:00 PM Selby 150,

Marietta CollegePresenter: Steven Saines

Steven Saines of the Ohio EPA Source Water Protection Programwill help us understand where our

drinking water comes from and someof the threats to it, from algal blooms

to waste disposal.

Caterpillars in the Classroom

Marietta Natural History Society

Marietta Natural History Society Fall 2015

Upcoming Events at the Anderson-Hancock Planetarium

Each of these shows will begin with a star talk pointing out the highlights of our current evening skies, including visible

planets and other notable sky features.

Undiscovered WorldsSunday, October 25 at 2pm

This program will focus on the discovery of other Solar Systems.

Space AliensSunday, November 8 at 2pm

This program explores the possibility of life on other planets.

Season of LightThursday, December 10, 2015 at 7:00pm

Sunday, December 13, 2015 at 2:00pm and 3:30pmThursday, December 17, 2015 at 7:00pm

Please join us for our annual presentation of the holiday program"Season of Light", which traces the history and development of

holiday traditions, including the Yule Log, mistletoe, and theChristmas tree. The program concludes by exploring possible

astronomical explanations for the Christmas star. Please email ([email protected]) or call (740-376-4827)

for reservations after November 8! The AH Planetarium is located in the

Rickey Science Center, Marietta College

Bird Feeder watch forms now beingmailed (and available online)

Beginning this Fall’s Annual Bird Feeder Watch,we are including the bird feeder watch form withthe newsletter to members. The form is also

available on the MNHS web site on the Local Phenologypage (http://www.marietta.edu/~biol/mnhs/mnhsphenol.html). If you use the online version, you will need to write in theobservation dates inthe left-hand column(the dates are in thecalenders included inthe Fall and Winternewsletters), andtape the two pagestogether into onecontinuous form. Onpage 7 you will findsome of the results ofMarietta’s Bird Feeder watches for the last few years.

Dinner with the speakers

We will meet at 5:30 at the Levee House RestaurantCheck first with Dave (376-4743) or Elsa (373-5285). to be sure speaker will be there. Members should make their own reservations.

Suggestions,Comments or

Contributions forthe MNHSNewsletter?

Send them to theEditor:

374-8778 [email protected]

`


It’s Bird Feeder Watch TimeIt’s almost time again for theWinter Bird Feeder Watch. Participants record speciesand number of birds at theirbird feeders every otherweekend from November to midMarch. You don’t have to watchevery weekend; all data collectedcan be used. If you want to participate, forms can eprinted from the MNHS web site or obtained from BirdWatcher’s Digest (373-5285). Our Data Coordinator isBrad Bond, and you can give your completed forms toBrad at a MNHS meeting or mail them to him at 101Hillside Way, Marietta, OH.

Close Encounters of the Martian KindOn October 19th the Comet Siding Spring will slip pastMars, coming within 80,000 miles of the surface, about athird of the distance between the Earth and the Moon.Itsarrival is fortuitous considering that there is small fleet ofMars-observing spacecraft ready to train their cameras onthe intruder. Yet the encounter is not without risk. Little isknown about the comet, believed to be on its first trip fromthe solar system's outer 'Oort' cloud, and Mars spacecraftwill be repositioned so not to be pelleted with the high-speed dust and gas emanating from Siding Spring. Oncethe comet has past all eyes will be focused on it, since thiswill be the first Oort Cloud object to be observed up close.


Purple Wartyback (Cyclonaias tuberculata)

Mussel Bound – by Jason White Conservation and Restoration of Native Freshwater

Mussels in the Ohio River The Ohio River Basin is known historically as havingone of the Earth’s richest assemblages of freshwatermussels (Unionidae). The freshwater streams, rivers andlakes of the United stated were once home to nearly 300species of mussels. A century ago, 127 of these speciescould be found within the Ohio River and its tributaries. Freshwater mussels are bivalve mollusks similar inappearance to their salt water cousins, theoysters and clams. The shell surfaces(periostracum) are formed fromdissolved minerals taken in from theenvironment and secreted insuccessive layers. Shells range insize, some rarely reach an inch inlength while others can grow to oversix inches and weigh five poundsor more. Mussels can vary incolor from yellow and green tobrown and black and also exhibita variety textures. Many aresmooth while others containdistinctive ridges, rays, and bumps. The unique characteristics of each species allow foridentification and often result in some colorful naming. Theelephant ear, rabbitsfoot, purple wartyback, shiny pigtoe,and monkeyface are among many local residents namedfor their appearance. Mussels spend the majority of their adult livessubmerged beneath the sand, mud, or gravel with onlytheir siphon, or a portion of the shell exposed. They feedon detritus, diatoms, phytoplankton and zooplankton thatthey filter out of the surrounding water. A single adult

mussel can filter over 1.25gallons of water per hour

and a 1 mile longmussel bed on a largeriver can filter 4 billiongallons in a day! The reproductiveprocess of freshwatermussels is complex

and involves a shortparasitic stage with a

fish host. Reproduction occurswhen males release

sperm into the water column which is then taken up by thefemale’s siphons as they respire. Eggs are fertilized anddevelop into larvae (glochidia) within the female’s gills tobe released in the presence of a host fish. Many femalemussels possess an enlarged region of mantle tissue thatresembles a potential food item (minnows, worms, and

insect larvae) to a fish host in search of food. As thefish approaches and nips at the mantle

flap, the female releases glochidiainto the water which attach

themselves to the gills of thefish host. The glochidia thentransform into juveniles and

drop from the fish onto thestreambed below where theymature and repeat the cycle.

The glochidia stage of thefreshwater mussel is themost mobile and allows itto expand populationsand genetic diversity intoother suitable habitat.

Freshwater mussels are valuable ecologically in thatthey are a vital link in the food chain. Wildlife such asmuskrat, otter, ducks, herons, and sport fish depend onmussels as a major source of food. In addition, musselsimprove water quality as natural filters by straining outsuspended particles and pollutants. Their ability to removeand store contaminates is an integral part in the naturalpurification process making aquatic habitat more suitablefor other wildlife. Prior to European settlement, mussel populations in theOhio River basin remained relatively unchanged. Assettlers moved westward and expanded, they began todramatically alter aquatic ecosystems to promote shippingand farming. In the early 1900’s, mussels becameeconomically valuable as thousands of tons of were beingharvested to produce pearl buttons from the shells. By themillions, mussels were loaded onto barges and transportedto factories for grinding and polishing. By 1912, nearly 200factories were conveniently located along major rivers tosupply these popular buttons to the clothing industry. Thisindustry was sort lived; however, as resources began todwindle and cheaper and more durable plastics becameavailable.

Cont. Page 5


Results of U.S. FWS MusselRestoration to Date

1. Eastern Fan Shell (Cyprogenia stegaria) –200 in the Muskingum River, 200 atMuskingum Island, and 200 at KanawhaFalls

2. Pink Mucket (Lampsilis abrupta) – 650 atMuskingum Island

3. Clubshell (Pleurobema clava) – 400(Muskingum and Buckley Island, GreenupPool, Middle Island Creek, Little KanawhaRiver)

4. Northern Riffleshell (Epioblasma torulosarangiana) – 300 in the Ohio River, 100 atKanawha Falls, and over 1,000 in the ElkRiver at Queen Shoals

5. Purple Catspaw (Epioblasma obliquata) –The first successful propagation of thismussel occurred in 2013!

6. Orange-footed Pimpleback (Plethobasuscooperianus) – currently aggregating adultsfor spawning

7. Spectaclecase (Cumberlandiamonodonta) – First propagation underway

8. Sheepnose (Plethobasus cyphyus) – Firstsuccessful propagation in 2014!

Another great source of information is Dr.David McShaffrey’s website on the

Freshwater Mussels of the Ohio River basinat

http://www.marietta.edu/~biol/mussels/1stpg.

Spectaclecase

In the late 1950’s, the Japanese cultured pearl industrybrought about another economic demand for freshwatermussel shells. Cultured(manmade) pearls are createdby implanting a small bead intoa live oyster or mussel. Thebead is an irritant to the oystercausing it to secrete a mother-of-pearl layer (nacre) over thebead in an attempt to soothethe irritation. The beads usedin this process are cut andground from the shells of ournative freshwater mussels. Thousands of tons of musselsare harvested annually tosupport this multi-billion dollarindustry. Today, shell from anAmerican mussel forms thecenter of nearly everyJapanese cultured pearl. Over harvesting bycommercial shellers is only aminor contributing factor tomussel decline. Numbers anddiversity of mussel fauna in theOhio River basin has beenadversely affected by a varietyof human disturbances. Majorfactors contributing to thedegradation of habitat andpopulation decline include;dams and impoundments,channelization and dredging,sedimentation from agriculturalland, construction projects andmining operations, waterpollution, fish loss (hostspecies), and theintroduction ofnon-nativespecies.Streamsandtributaries canbecomepollutedthroughcoal mining related siltation and the associated toxic runoffknown as “yellow boy” or acid mine drainage.

Mussels are of value to science as indicators to theoverall health of an ecosystem. Their sensitivity to changes

in water quality is useful tobiologists as “biologicalmonitors” to indicate past andpresent conditions. In 1980, asurvey of shorelines revealedevidence of only 25 species offreshwater mussel where,historically 80 were presentwithin the main channel. Today, of the 127 distinctspecies that once thrived here,11 are now extinct, 28 areclassified as federallyendangered with 18 othersunder review for potentialaddition to the FederalEndangered Species List.Within the span of little morethan a century, nearly half of theOhio River basin’s musselspecies has been either lost toextinction, become endangered,or reduced to the point ofpossible federal protection. Inresponse to decliningconditions, the Clean Water Actwas passed in 1977 followed bythe Water Quality Act of 1987.The objective of theselegislations is to restore andmaintain the chemical, physical,and biological integrity of thenation’s waters by addressingvarious pollution problems,assisting with wastewatertreatment programs, andmaintaining wetlands. In 1990,

the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service established the Ohio RiverIslands National Wildlife Refuge to aid in the conservationof habitat along the Ohio River. By 1999, 38 speciescould be found within the Ohio River showing evidencethat legislation and conservation efforts were successful.

In 2014, 45 species were documented along the OhioRiver Islands NWR.

One of the greatest threats to the industrialized OhioRiver is the potential for a large scale accidental spill orcontamination. A case study into the toxic discharge

events of 1999 revealed a 100% mortality rate forfreshwater mussels in the Bellville Pool of the Ohio River.

Cont. page 6


Eastern Fan Shell

This resulted in the annihilation of more than 990,000native mussels, 26 species in five discrete beds withimmeasurable losses in between. Over 8,600 dead fishwere documented and nearly 12 million snails and otherbenthic invertebrates were killed. Nothing was found livingwithin 80 meters of the shoreline. By 2007, when activerestoration projects began, 7 live mussel species hadnaturally returned to “site 11” in the heart of the impactzone. The first step for the U.S. FWS in the active restorationproject was to restore the ecological functioning of themussel bed through the translocation of adult mussels. These adults are collected from areas of impact such asdredging operations, shoreline development,and bridge projects then relocated to anapproved location. To date, 9,851adults of 29 species have beenrelocated to the restorationarea. The second step torecovery involves captivepropagation and can have alag time of up to 3 years fromthe lab to the river. Host fish,specific to the mussel speciesbeing propagated, arecollected and “infected” withglochidia extracted from fertilized females. Caution is usedto prevent over-inoculation and any potential harm to thehost fish. The fish are then placed in a cage with a sandysubstrate on the bottom and suspended in the watercolumn. The glochidia mature into juveniles and drop tothe sand below where they can be collected and grown outin the lab. Once they have matured, they are tagged formonitoring and stocked in the restoration area. By the endof 2014, 21,857 juveniles of 14 species had beenpropagated in captivity, tagged, and stocked in the Bellvillepool. The monitoring program results of 2012 documented22 mussel species, including the endangered Eastern FanShell, with an average density of 3.4 per square meter. With the success of the active restoration project, focuscan now be shifted toward rarer species and those withinsufficient “brood stock” to maintain genetically healthypopulations. In 2010, a cooperative project was initiated torecover 8 species of endangered mussels in our big riverswith the ultimate goal of removing them from theEndangered Species List. The U.S. Fish & WildlifeService, in cooperation with several state and privateorganizations have been successful in this operation withthe several species (see box inset): Unfortunately, themussels of the Ohio River basin will never fully recover tohistoric levels. Species such as the round combshell, the

leafshell, the Tenessee riffleshell and many others are lostforever to extinction. In the natural world, extinction andspeciation occur at roughly the same rate. However,humans are responsible for environmental changes such asair and water pollution and loss of habitat that have nowcaused the extinction rate to far exceed the natural rate ofspeciation. Unnecessary extinctions diminish the diversityof life on Earth, ultimately leading to a less stableenvironment. If enough species are lost, the balance ofnature could potentially be altered is such a way tojeopardize our own survival. Through restoration,education, and conservation we have an opportunity toreverse some of the damage that has been done andpreserve our natural treasures for future generations.

Jason White is a Naturalist and/or Volunteer Bio-tech forUSFWS Ohio River Islands NWR. Jason extends a

special thanks to Patricia Morrison, Refuge Biologist,U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Ohio River IslandsNWR.

WHY THE CHIPMUNK HASBLACK STRIPES

From Mabel Powers (Yeh Sen Noh Wehs). 1917.Stories the Iroquois Tell Their Children

At one time, the animals had tribes and chiefs, like men.It was when the porcupine was chief, that a council wascalled.

A great fire was lighted, for it was night. When all theanimals were seated around the fire, the porcupine spoke.

"Friends," he said, "we have met here to settle a greatquestion: 'Shall we have night all the time, or day?'" At this,all the animals began to talk at once. There was greatconfusion. The night animals kept shouting, "Night, night!Always night!" Others of the animals cried, "Day, day!Always day!" Still others called for "Day and night!"

There was so much noise that it could not be decidedwhat was best.

At last the animals grew tired of calling. One by one thevoices grew fainter, and the shouting ceased. Of the nightanimals, the voice of the bear alone was heard. He had abig voice and still kept calling, "Night, night! Always night!"

The animals who wanted day all the time, and those whowanted day and night, also became quiet,—all except thechipmunk. He chattered on, "We will have light—and thennight. We will have light—and then night. Chee, chee,chee!"

Cont. Page 7


MNHS 2015 MembershipLet us know of any mistakes or omissions

Doug AlbaughKaren & Gene BarryBrad BondGary and Gloria BrownShirley BrownChristine BroylesClare KermerCaroline ClarkNancy ColemanPatrick & Harriet CollinsDiane DudzinskiScott & Janice EmrickRichard & Jeanette EskerAmy FergusonKeith & Barbara FosterMargaret FredericksSharon GegnerMary GrubertNancy HabelDave & Ruth HawkinsDawn HewittBernice HinesBetsy HuppAnne JacobyMartin JamisonJim JeffersElin & Art JonesKathy LaymanPaul & Judy LewisMarilyn LogueJohn LohseKurt LudwigPeggy MalcombDave McShaffrey & Ann Delleur

Laurie MeagleAnna MelagoMaggie & Steve MeyerEdwin MichaelDr. & Mrs. James MillsDiane MitchellJack & Barb MobergTom MoranJim & Gwen NoeJean NussJanet O'BrienKathy OrttFrances ParlinTim and Carol PetersonJudy PiersallRichard AllenShirley BrownMarion SpilatroSteven and Jane SpilatroTom SteckelCarol SteinhagenGeraldine StewartPatrick StewartTeresa StoneJay & Joan StoweBill & Julie Z. ThompsonElsa ThompsonCynthia TingAnita Wall Wayne National ForestBarb Stewart & John WhistlerPat & Fred WoodBecky WrightLouise Zimmer

Species Short List

MNHS Bird Feed Watch Results for

2014-201510 watchers



Mourning Dove 173 300 185

Cardinal 141 194 241

Junco 116 204 133

House Finch 100 161 126

Goldfinch 96 272 181Starling 90 290 242

Cowbird 58 33 56

House Sparrow 52 110 66

Turkey Vulture 50 56 1

Blue Jay 44 107 80

This is a short list of the most commonspecies observed during the last three BirdFeeder Watch seasons. Brad Bondreported that, with just 10 observers lastyear, a total of only 42 species wererecorded, down from a record-setting 62 theprevious year. But good news was that our18-year species total was increased to 83with the addition of a Lincoln’s Sparrowobserved by Barb Hohman. Other goodnews was the observation of 26 PineSiskins after none were observed last year.

Recycled Paper 30% Post-Consumer

Then the bear, too, became tired. He was fat and lazy,and so sleepy! He thought he would take a short nap.

But all night long the wide-awake little chipmunk kept uphis song. Not for a moment did he stop to rest. Out of thedark came his voice, sure and cheery, "We will havelight—and then night. We will have light—and then night!Chee, chee, chee!"

And before the animals knew it, the sun began to rise.

At the first rays of light, the bear sat up, blinked, andrubbed his eyes. He saw that while he had slept, light hadindeed come. He knew that he and the night animals hadbeen beaten in the council, and that the chipmunk and theanimals who wanted day and night had won.

The bear was very angry. He struck at the chipmunkwith his paw. But he was clumsy, and the chipmunk wasspry!

The chipmunk laughed and sprang into a hole of ahollow tree near by. But those black stripes on thechipmunk's back show where the paw of the black beartouched him as he slipped into the tree.

Ever since this council, and the little chipmunk called solong and loud for "light and night," we have had day andnight.

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/22096/22096-h/22096-h.htm#Page_122

Invite a Friend to Join the

Marietta NaturalHistory SocietyWood Thrush — Individ’l $15River Otter — Family $25Monarch — Friend $50

Why not give a gift member-ship? Mail check to address

Benefits ofMembership

L Monthly programs

L Field trips

L Quarterly newsletter

L Educational experiences for kids and adults

L Conservation Projects

The MNHS Missioni To foster awareness of and sensitivity to our environment and its biodiversityi To provide a place where people with these interests can gather for information and activityi To create a presence in our community representing these ideas

Marietta Natural History Society P.O. Box 983 Marietta, Ohio 45750 (740) 373-5285

caterpillars in the classroomw3.marietta.edu/~biol/mnhs/f15nl.pdf · 2015-09-19 · conservation...

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