Connecting with Conservation: July 2018 Nature Night Program

The Ely Field Naturalists present Nature Nights: Connecting with Conservation on Wednesday, July 18 at 7:00 p.m. in Classroom CL104 at Vermilion Community College.  These programs are free and designed to increase exploration and understanding of the natural environments of Northeastern Minnesota and all that lives there. 

Summer in Northeastern Minnesota is about water – swimming, boating, wading and observing its qualities and what is living in it. A growing number of people have an interest in collecting information on what they experience such as loons, invasive species, phenology, and water quality.  Ely Field Naturalists are working with a variety of projects to enable local residents to have the training, resources and equipment needed to engage with what can be found in the water. 

Community Conservationist, Becca Reiss, will introduce the activities and resources of the North St. Louis County Soil and Water Conservation District (NSLSWCD). Located out of Virginia, MN, the North St. Louis Soil & Water Conservation District is a local government agency that provides conservation and resource management services especially to private landowners.  Becca has lived and worked in Ely for many years and is working to expand awareness about the NSLSWCD’s programs and services especially in relation to the watersheds in which we live, work, and play. She would also like share opportunities for you to develop a closer connection with your favorite stream or lake and a means to share what you learn about that body of water.   

Merry Christmas Birdcounting!

Tomorrow Night, Friday, December 19 – International Wolf Center Lecture Series Presentation by Bill Tefft will review the importance of carcasses and the guild of species that utilize them.  The scientific study during a Christmas Bird Count in northern Minnesota reveals the behavior of a number of local species actively exploiting the resources provided by a carcass.  Learn about scientific protocols, the value of the data, and the species records from local Christmas Bird Counts.  Then take part in one of the local Christmas Bird Counts.

6:30 p.m.  $5.00 fee.

Saturday, December 20 – We will be Ely Christmas Bird Counting

 

Check out the Google group for more Christmas Bird Counting opportunities!

Upcoming Science Saturdays at Soudan Mine and Vermilion State Parks

Science Saturday at Soudan Underground Mine Visitor Center

Check out these upcoming events at Soudan and Vermilion Lake State Parks!

Help the Damsel in Distress

June 21st

8 – 10 am

Damselflies and Dragonflies are abundant in Minnesota, or so we think. Unfortunately, there is

not much data to support this statement. We could have some rare species in our backyard and

we might not know it. Join Kurt Mead of the MN Odonata Survey Project as he goes into the

field to catch and identify the Odonata species found at Lake Vermilion and Soudan

Underground Mine State Park. Perhaps there will be a new county or state record. This session

will help one learn about the collection and identification process. There will be a variety of

other informal surveys taking place throughout the entire day.

 

Ladybug! Ladybug! Fly Away Home

July 5th

8 – 10 am

Ladybugs play an important role in keeping plant feeding insect populations in check. The

native “ladybug” population is facing some intense competition from non-native species. What

will this mean for our ecosystem? Join our resident naturalist as we participate in the Lost

Ladybug Project. The program will involve searching for and photographing the various

ladybugs that we find. The results will be submitted to the Lost Ladybug Project, so they can

learn what impact the non-native species may be having on our native population.

 

Wiggly Worm Watch

August 2nd

8 – 10 am

Worms are considered an invasive species in Minnesota. They can do irrevocable damage to the

forest habitat by depleting the natural “duff” layer on the forest floor. There are a number of

ways these critters can spread, including bait containers and nursery stock. Join our resident

naturalist as we conduct a worm survey of Lake Vermilion State Park to collect baseline data on

our worm populations. The data will be used to monitor the worm species expansion throughout

the park.

 

Monarch Butterfly

Tag, You’re It

August 16th

8 – 10 am

Monarch butterflies will soon begin their migration to Mexico. It is a difficult journey, as

Monarchs are losing their habitat necessary for survival. Join our resident naturalist as we tag

the butterflies, as part of the Monarch Watch program, so we can learn more about their travels.

Participants will learn about monarchs and other butterflies; they will help in the tagging process;

and they will plant some butterfly friendly seeds to help provide a way station for the migrating

butterflies. From approximately 10 am – 2 pm Tom’s Monarch World will be at the park with

his live butterfly display, so make sure you allow time for his display.

 

 

Scientists Want Your Help! Report Breeding Sandhill Crane Sightings

Have you checked out the Citizen Science page? Spring is a great time to help scientists monitor whats happening with plants and animals in our area. We are going to start adding citizen science opportunities and requests for data and observations on the blog while keeping an updated list of such requests on the Citizen Science page for easy access. Don’t forget to also help us keep track of phenology happenings through the Phenology Calendar!

Our first request for the blog is for breeding Sandhill Crane observations

Sandhill Cranes

Background: Two separate management populations of Sandhill Cranes (Grus canadensis) breed in Minnesota, the Mid-Continent Population (MCP) and the Eastern Population (EP). Historically, the breeding range for the MCP was in northwestern Minnesota, while the breeding range for the EP was east-central Minnesota. Over the past decade, both populations have expanded their breeding range within in Minnesota with the MCP range expanding to the southeast and the EP range expanding in all directions. Data from the Minnesota Breeding Bird Atlas indicate that the breeding ranges for the two populations may have intersected. Stakeholders are interested in assessing if the breeding ranges currently overlap. Determining if overlap exists could have important management implications especially since there has been a hunting season for MCP cranes in Minnesota over the past 4 years. 

Research: The Minnesota DNR, Minnesota Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, the University of Minnesota, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have received funding to assess the possible overlap of breeding ranges for the two populations. Cellular-based GPS transmitters will be placed on cranes breeding near the tension zone between the two populations. We will determine which population they belong to when the cranes migrate in the fall. Those migrating through Nebraska will belong to the MCP, while those migrating to the Southeast U.S. will belong to the EP. Besides determining if the populations overlap, we will also determine habitat use, migration chronology, and home range size. 

Assistance Needed: We need your assistance in locating territorial, breeding pairs of sandhill cranes in the following counties during the 2014 and 2015 breeding seasons (April-July): Aitkin, Becker, Beltrami, Cass, Clay, Clearwater, Crow Wing, Douglas, Grant, Hubbard, Itasca, Mahnomen, Norman, Otter Tail, St. Louis, Todd, Wadena, Wilkin. If you see a pair of cranes, please record: date observation (e.g., territorial pair, nest, brood), location (latitude and longitude coordinates or other directions), and land ownership (public or private). We are targeting pairs of cranes, but also record other locations with consistent use by groups of cranes.

Please forward your sightings to David Wolfson, the University of Minnesota graduate student who will be working on this project. You can reach him via email at wolfs064@umn.edu or by phone at 574-360-9723.