Brian

Woodcock Dam

Today, we went to the Woodcock Dam that we saw with Joe and his friend Emily.  We learned about how the dam worked and the three most important properties of the dam.
1. Flood control
2. Low Flow Augmentation
3. Recreation

We also learned about the gates that they use.  They're three gates the bigger one which is 4x8 at the bottom of the lake.  The other two are 3x3 located at middle and the top. The gates are used to catch water. In front of the dam there is two orange balls. There is a wire that is used to take the temperature of the lake every 15 minutes.

-Ashlyn

Monday's Lunch with Admissions

Today, as we nibbled on our lunch, Jason Andracki led a discussion on Allegheny and the admissions process in general. Jason Andracki works in the admissions office here on campus as the senior Assistant Director of Admissions and Transfer Admissions Coordinator. Although the discussion  was a bit dry, it was quite informational and hopefully will assist all of us in our quest for more knowledge.

Water Chemistry and Macroinvertebrates

We visited the stream site downstream from the dam today. We tested the water chemistry of the water, which included the pH, turbidity, or cloudiness, the amount of nitrates, dissolved oxygen, dissolved solids, alkalinity, the amount of phosphates, and the temperature. The results that we obtained from these tests showed us that this section of the stream is healthy.

We also looked at the pollution tolerance index and the different species that could be found in the stream. We found multiple crayfish, caddisfly larvae, isopods, and many other macroinvertebrates. The variety of species also proved that this section of the stream was healthy. As a bonus, we also found a northern water snake!

- Grace

Geocaching and campus tour

We went geocaching on the Allegheny college campus. Geocaching is using GPS s to find hidden containers. This gave us an opportunity to explore the campus, work together, and have fun.

Stream Morphology and Stream Table

  Today, we experimented with the stream table. The stream table is a simulator of a stream environment and we could change different conditions such as the shape of the stream and the water velocity. We learned about different stream terms and labeled different parts of the stream. After that, the group made their own dam!
     -Leah

Pack Your Bags!

We are only 2 days from the start of Creek Camp! I am Bella, one of your counselors for Creek Camp and I can't wait to meet everyone! I am going to be a sophomore at Allegheny College next year majoring in Environmental Science and minoring in Biology and Psychology. I want of all you campers to have a great time with us, so make sure you check the packing list so you have everything you will need for all the events we have planned.

When you arrive at North Village, look out for this sign! We will put up other signs so it is easy to find us on Sunday. I hope you all are as excited as I am!

Get Ready For Creek Camp!

Hello Creek Campers! 

Creek Camp is quickly approaching and we are so excited to meet you! It is important to check the packing list so you are well prepared for a great week. It is important to bring sturdy close-toed water shoes/sandals that are secured to your feet because we will be spending a lot of time in the water. We suggest Keen shoes (pictured below) which can be found at a local Columbia outlet or Walmart.

Flip flops will be great to use in the shower, but please do not plan to wear them as water shoes. Do not feel that you need to spend money, old sneakers are another option to wear in the creek.

Get ready for a week full of adventures!

Wrapping up 2017 Creek Camps... and Preparing for 2018!

It's a wrap!

We had two fantastic weeks of Creek Camp this year.  So much fun to get to know wonderful Creek Campers and share the French Creek watershed with all of you.  I think you'll agree that our family of Creek Camp presenters are the most passionate, caring, and knowledgeable around!

 

Keep in touch Creek Campers!

You're part of the Creek Connections family now!

Slithering into the North Village and The Hunt for the Red Spotted Newt

We went on a hunt for as many types of snakes, newts, and salamanders as we could. We traveled out to Bousson Environmental Research Reserve. We herped and found and took pictures of several snakes and an abundant amount of salamanders and newts.

Following that we then traveled back to the North Village and heard a presentation from April Claus a herpetologist that helped to teach us about the state newts, salamanders, and snakes and some of their interesting hiss-tory and mistaken myths. We all held a corn snake, garter snake, milk snake, black rat snake and Box Turtle.  Additionally, we saw a garter snake and the Box Turtle being fed. We also helped some people with ophiophobia to get over their fear.
 To reinforce the species identification, we then had a team review game. It was a great experience for both snake lovers and non-snake lovers.

Salamander Sweet Spot

We arrived Bousson Preserve, a beautiful place that's great for finding salamanders, after our picnic lunch. The first place we checked for salamanders was under two telephone poles. There was one salamander under each telephone pole. In only a few minutes of searching we had already found two salamanders! We crossed a slippery bridge and began flipping rocks to find several salamanders. Next, we walked on a grassy path between small ponds and found two species of snakes and two species of frogs.

We headed to a stream with lots of salamanders. They were under the mossy rock and under logs on the ground. There were even larval salamanders in the stream. We had so much fun finding these amphibians! Up the hill we searched in the leaf litter and under logs and branches and found even more salamanders and red efts.

Must be Birds on the Brain...

We then toured the non-releasable bird houses. It was owl-mazing! There were so many really neat birds such as the fastest bird, the Peregrine Falcon. Or a Red Tailed Hawk with melanin deprivation.  

Once again we went out to go to Tamarack Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. It was another amazing trip as we went there. When we walked in we had a great presentation of the numerous amount of educational birds that we learned were non-releasable due to previous injuries.

We learned that possession of any part of a endangered bird by the general public is ill-eagle. This is because this would potentially suggest poaching. It wasn't emusing as the splash zone was activated as all of the birds taken out decided to relieve themselves while being taken out.

They sparrowed no expense in making the experience great as they were previously scheduled to do a simple operation on a Red-Shouldered Hawk. They did a easy quick procedure to inject its antibiotics and feed it its breakfast. Overall it was a great time and super fun!








"It is man’s sympathy with all creatures that first makes him truly a man." ~ Albert Schweitzer

The Best Substitute for Hellbenders

Last night, we received some really sad news here at Creek Camp. After looking at a hydrograph of French Creek, our counselors informed us that we would be unable to go hunting for Hellbender Salamanders. In it's place though, came ice cream. As a surprise, we were allowed to go to Casey's Ice Cream here in Meadville. The only cure for heartbreak, after all, is ice cream. 

fishsticks new begining

one fish two fish three fish catfish



- Ranan Steiger

Pollinators

We had some fun today looking at some pollinators. Who knew they could bee so awesome?!?!?!

The Carrden

The Carrden derives its name from the garden outside Carr Hall, the science building on campus. The Carrden began as a student project in 2015. However, student gardens on Allegheny's campus have been around for over 20 years. We learned about how invasive species affects the Carrden. Also, we learned about how the Carrden affects student life. The Carrden supplies ingredients to the mess halls on campus in addition to various local restaurants. The, we got to harvest carrots from the Carrden. I personally do not have much of a taste for them, however everyone else seemed to enjoy them. I enjoyed being able to see the Carrden in February, on a visit, and now, when it is in full swing. I believe that we all appreciated the effort of the staff of the garden, and the Carrden itself.

Pennsylvania Trees

The creek campers piled into the van and headed to Greendale Cemetery again, but this time we weren't looking for owls. Our subjects were much easier to spot, if we can get to them. We were looking for trees. The state forester lead us down a narrow trail to the stream that ran through the ravine behind Greendale Cemetery. The cemetery consists of 300 acres, but only about 100 are managed for the cemetery. After passing over some slippery and muddy rocks we came to our first tree, a White Ash. Next we came to a large Sycamore, the largest in Crawford County. We followed the stream up the ravine and throughout hiking up and down a few slippery hillsides we observed many different trees. Some of the species included: Rhododendron, Mountain Laurel, Sugar Maple, Hemlock, White Pine, Tulip Poplar, Cucumber Magnolia, and American Beech. We learned a lot about these trees and threats to them like invasive species such as the Emerald Ash Borer.

Bats

What a batter way to finish off the day then with a chance to observe all types of bats in their natural. then at the forest commissions bat homes. We had a chance to view some brown bats in a wooden homemade bat home. The newest bat disease that is clearing out all the brown bats are a fungus called white nose syndrome this sounds exactly the way you think they get white blotches on their nose which is fatal to bats like these if you wanna see bats come on over to Meadville and I bat you you will find a ton.


Ranan Steiger

Mussels (not the kind you get in the gym!)

Today we had the opportunity to learn about mussels from Mr. Brian Pilarcik. Due to high water levels, we met at a park, where Brian taught us a side of biology that not many of us knew about. We were taught about the multiple different types of mussels and how they affect our environment as well as the French Creek watershed. We learned about how freshwater mussels are actually endangered, which is commonly unknown. Mr. Pilarcik actually brought in multiple examples of mussels he has found in his work.

Shock Fishing

  

 

  

we had fun today shock fishing. well until Lizzie and Aidan fell in..... that was slightly funny