Exploring French Creek

After a picnic lunch, we began to explore French Creek. Everyone was using the nets to look for crawfish and macroinvertebrates. Robin was a pro and caught a fish with her net.

Lizzie and I tried to do the little mermaid pose on a rock in the middle of the creek without much success.

Jennings Environmental Education Center

We began by learning an abridged history of mining in western Pennsylvania. Needless to say, mining was a very dangerous profession. However, mining was very important to the industrial revolution. In addition, iron mining was and still is affecting the environment. Run off water from the iron mines is destroying the health of local waterways, such as the streams and ponds of Jennings State Park. We learned how Jennings is taking passive action to maintain the environment in the park. Now we understand the necessary steps to protect the environment from the very real dangers of iron mines.
e death, destroyer of worlds."-Oppenheimer

AC Admissions Lunch

We spent lunch today with admissions counselor Michelle. We talked about Allegheny's admissions process and what sets it apart from other colleges. At Allegheny, merit scholarships are given without regard to other scholarships are given that someone already has. We asked Michelle lots of questions and she was prepared to answer all of them. Michelle also told us what liberal arts means, but if I'm honest I don't remember what it means now. I was in a food coma.

Night Owls in A Cemetery

Hunting for owls? Check. Red lights on our headlamps? Check. What else can they do to possibly to make it more creepy? Let's go walking around a cemetery at night with our great guide Professor Mumme at one of his common roosts at Greendale Cemetery!

We all got loaded into the Creek Connections black van and headed off cheerfully talking along the way there. When we got out we looked around and saw the fog creeping along the ground and up in the trees. Owl things considered it looked like a scene from basically any horror movie located in a cemetery. Thankfully we didn't have the Walking Dead come out chasing us. 

To attract them Professor Mumme played sounds of Barred Owls, Great Horned Owls and Screech Owls. Then he graced us with his extremely realistic owl calls. In the end we were owl out of luck as we did not find a single owl. However it was owlright as we later saw some bats as they went hunting. Our guide, Professor Mumme threw a small dirt clod into the air as a bat passed by and it dived down go after the clod.

Overall it was a very interesting night where instead of owls we found several bats.

Macros Downstream

yesterday we had some real fun with the kicknets. we had to show off our super attractive dance moves to catch some cool macros in our nets. some had more fun than others and then some people almost fell in....

Kicking for Macros

Finding macros in Woodcock Creek can be lots of fun for creek campers. In order to collect the macros two people hold the net in the water placing flat rocks on the bottom so no macros can get past the net. The other person performs the creeker's shuffle in order to stir up all the macros on the bottom of the creek and push them into the net. Then the net is taken to shore where the campers sort through the contents and pick out the living macros and place them in a white tray. Once the macros are found, we identify the different species and count how many of each.
 

Water Testing Galore

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Well, if we weren't good at water testing before, we sure are now! Our second day of water testing proved to be extremely successful. We packed our kits and headed to the upstream sight. Yet again, we tested temperature, pH, TDS, DO, Phosphates, Nitrates, Alkalinity, and Turbidity. With our waders on, and our improved water testing skills, we tested our upstream sight!

Adventures in Hydro-Geology

As we entered Alden Hall, no one expected much. However, as we adventured downstairs into the basement, we found more than we expected. As we turned the corner and saw the Stream Table, Alden transformed from a normal building into a dream from our childhoods. This table of sand and water became a table of endless possibilities, and for a short time, we were God. We created rivers, saved lives, shaped the earth, and flooded it. We built dams and broke them. Friendships were made and concretized even further. In the words of Oppenheimer, "I have become death, destroyer of worlds."

Testing Water Chemistry

On Monday morning, we all piled in the Creek Connections van and headed to our downstream site at Stainbrook Park. Once there we collected water samples from the middle of the creek. With the help of our counselors, we began to test the water chemistry. We were all able to perform different tests; some of us even had the opportunity to perform multiple tests. They included temperature, pH, total dissolved solids, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, alkalinity, nitrogen, and phosphorus. I tested wide range pH using the kit. This simple test involved adding an indicator solution to the creek water samples and matching the changed water color with the pH slide. Tomorrow we will test the water chemistry upstream and see how the data compares to our downstream chemistry.

Geocaching and Camp Intro

As one of the first people here it was very exciting to see all 6 of my fellow campers arrive. After everyone was settled we started to do some basic icebreaker games such as throwing a ball around and if it was to you then you had to say a strange fact about yourself. After that we then had a interesting game of ultimate frisbee three vs. three all faced off with the counselors and campers. Joey "The Friendly Canadian" Pastorius popped out one of Brian's glass lenses (a counselor from RMU) while playing by accident. After the smashing game, we then moved over to other icebreaker games.

Following dinner, we moved onto geocaching to learn about the college campus. The race was on between the girls and guys. Both sides wanted to win desperately...overly friendly bets were made. Not necessarily about the geocaching. The guy team was a little sidetracked due to those bets and laughing extremely hard. Throughout the tour the guys' team made friends with students on campus. Namely everyone they passed they talked to. Meanwhile, the girls' team flew in speed as they quickly ran through the course. While they won by at least 20 minutes, the guys' team got something greater. Very humorous and extremely memorable experiences.

Teambuilding!

When signing up for Creek Camp, the first feeling that washed over me was excitement. I mean, come on, it's Creek Camp! What could be any better than that? However, an entirely new feeling soon began to set in. I'm going to camp with complete strangers! Excitement soon turned to nerves. However, as soon as I set foot into North Village and met my new companions for the week, all the nerves vanished. Being with a group of people who had the same interests and passions as I did turned out to be absolutely incredible. We started off by playing a game of 4 Square. We began to talk about where we went to school, what we wanted to study, and what activities and interests we each had. We then went to dinner and learned even more about each other. Right after dinner we split up into two groups (Boys v. Girls) and went on a Geocache tour of the Allegheny College campus. When returning to the North Village, we began a game of Apples to Apples. It was a night of laughs that made us all even more excited for the incredible week ahead.

IT'S CREEK CAMP EVE

Happy Creek Camp Eve, campers! My name is Kala and I am so excited to meet you all and have an awesome week! I hope that you are all packed and ready!

To tell you a bit about myself: I have been with creek connections for 9+ years as a middle and high school student and now a current creeker in college! I LOVE CREEK CONNECTIONS! You will get to experience my enthusiasm tomorrow as your counselor, so prepare yourself! I love beavers, hellbenders and anything we can find in the creek! Make sure that you are thinking of some fun facts and stories to share when we all meet each other!

To get you excited, I have provided you with this fantastic picture of a crayfish welcoming you all! I cannot wait to see you tomorrow! Safe travels!

Hi, I'm Paul! I'm one of your counselors for the week and I wanted to make sure you all knew what was the forecast was for this week up in Meadville! It's going to be pretty warm and it's going to rain some, so make sure you pack for it. Remember to bring rain coats and (especially) sunscreen. We don't want anyone getting sick and missing out on something! The other counselors and I can't wait for all of you to get here!

Calling all campers!

Hi, I'm Bri! I'm one of your counselors for Creek Camp. I am an Environmental Science major on the engineering track. I love being in the creek and finding all types of critters. My favorite would be the case building caddisfly larvae (oh don't worry I will tell you all about these)(look at the picture below)!! We have an amazing week prepared for you! You are going to meet lots of new people from places all around the United States.

As the time for Creek Camp is quickly approaching, I will share some tips with you. It is very important for the campers to bring sturdy close-toed water shoes/sandals. They must secure to your feet. We will be kick netting and walking in rocky creeks, so these shoes are a must. We will be in and out of the water every day, often multiple times a day. We suggest Keen shoes (pictured below) which can be found at a local Columbia outlet or Walmart. Please NO flip flops (only for the shower)!! Furthermore, please DO NOT feel like you must spend a bunch of money on water shoes! Old sneakers will work.

I am so excited to meet all of you! We hope that you are excited to learn about the French Creek and all the aquatic macro-invertebrates that live within it! Make sure that you are well rested and ready for an adventure! And don't forget to check your packing list!

See you soon campers!

tears of joy

Today we got to see various snakes, turtles, and salamanders. most of them were in cages but we could touch the snakes. it was actually the first time in years i'd had a snake move around my arm. but i dont think anyone thought someone would cry because the snakes were so"cute".


I didn't think they'd tell us much about reptiles but I was wrong about that. It was much morw fin than I thought it would be.

Herp Hunt!

Today we went looking for different reptiles and amphibians. Most exciting was after the long hard search we finally got a hellbender. Afterward we found some salamanders, frogs, and snakes. They were all so cute!

we go to creek and set up a group to hunt a catfish with a tool. I'm sure i got a lot more crayfish than other groups.

Bees, bees, bees!

We visited an entomologist named Beth in the Environmental Science department, and had a very interesting activity about pollinators, specifically bees. We identified some bee species by examining them under a microscope, and had the opportunity to ask questions about the bee population both in Meadville and the whole world. We learned how important insects are as predators, pollinators, and as part of the food chain.

The Night Sky

In the evening, we went to Carr Hall to visit the planetarium to learn about where the stars are in the sky. We learned about what constellations there are in the sky during this time of the year like Orion and Aquila the Eagle. We got to get hands on with some rocks, an earth rock and a space rock that landed in Arizona which was much heavier than the earth rock because it is mostly composed of iron and nickel. After our visit to the planetarium, we headed back to North Village for the night.

Fun in the Sun

Today we went canoeing, the first time for many of us.

We learned about the plants that lived in the lake and how the lake was formed.
Later there was a water fight and one canoe tipped over, but everyone was okay, if a little wet.

Last we had a picnic in the grass next to the lake because it was such a beautiful day.