After getting some rest over the weekend, IE students start their week by working on individual research projects (ENEC 395). We have six different research projects studying salamanders, bats, owls, hemlocks, and macroplastics this semester-if you want to learn more about our research projects, follow us on Instagram and Twitter @highlandsie21-. As we approach the end of the semester, we are working on finishing our papers, which has been somewhat challenging as it is the first time for many of us are writing a scientific paper. Fortunately, we have the support and guidance of our professors Jason Love and Rada Petric, as well as that of our mentors. This past Tuesday we had to turn in the first draft of our research paper, so both Monday and Tuesday were dedicated to collecting sources, learning to code with R to analyze our data, creating maps, and more. After spending hours in front of a screen, some of us went on a walk to Sunset Rock-which is just about a mile away from our house.

Wednesday

On a regular Wednesday, we start our day with our Human Impacts class (ENEC 256) which goes from 9a to 1p. We get a lunch break after class, which somedays is chaotic with 12 people fixing lunch in a not-so-big kitchen. At 3p, our Cultural History class (ENEC 204) starts. It is a seminar-based class where we learn about the history of the southern Appalachian region.

However, this Wednesday was not particularly like others. We got to meet Kyle Pursel from the Highlands-Cashiers land trust, who talked to us about habitat restoration and took us to visit the wetland project they have been working on, focusing on the native Appalachian Turtlehead plant that has been decimated by deer. After this lecture, we went to the Highlands Aereal park where we had a fun time zip lining through the forest. Later that day for the owls and bats research projects we went mist-netting from 6 to 10p in Highlands. Unfortunately, we did not find any bats, but we were lucky to catch a Northern Saw-whet Owl that we got to band and take measurements to assess her health.

Thursday

We are getting close to the end of the week, once again. Sometimes weeks fly by and we do not notice it. On Thursday mornings we go to Remote Sensing class (ENEC 479) and we are currently working on creating a story map about hemlocks at the Highlands Biological Station. Hemlocks are being decimated by the invasive woolly adelgid and we want to bring more awareness to this issue. The story map is coming together and you all will be able to see it very soon. Later that day, we had Writing Class (ENEC 264) with John Lane and Brent Martin. Over the last few months, we have learned about different ways to communicate scientific knowledge and in the past weeks, we have been working on writing poems. If you are interested in seeing some of the work we have done in this class we will be presenting some of our pieces at the Hudson Library on December 9th.

Friday

TGIF! Last day of classes but also one of the longest days of the week. On Friday, we work on our Capstone project from 9a to 4p along with professor Jason Love and Dr. Jerry Miller from Western Carolina University. Earlier in our blog, we posted about our capstone project on microplastics, so check that out if you want to know more details about it. We have completed data collection and we are finishing sample analysis and we are writing our final paper. We have had many challenges in our research since the methodology for studying microplastics is still in development, but we continue to do the best we can with what we got.

First Field Trip: Clingmans Dome and Cades Cove- 5/10

We left for our first field trip of the semester just one day after moving in. We had heard news of Tropical Storm Fred, but doubted that we would be in its path. The morning we left, we drove to the visitors center and to our hiking trailhead in torrential rain. As we exited the vans at Clingmans Dome and took notice of the rough conditions at the top of the mountain, we all changed into warmer and supposedly waterproof clothes (We later found out they were NOT waterproof when we had to wring them out at the peak.) As we embarked on our hike, we were met with pouring rain and a mini river flooding our trail. The hike was moderate, but we were sorely unprepared. The constant uphill, over slippery rocks and steep stairs, combined with our NON-waterproof gear made for a soggy and sweaty hike. To make matters worse, when we got to the peak, we could barely see 100 feet in front of us! It was ridiculously foggy, so our view of the mountain ridge was completely obstructed. We made it to the top of the tower at Clingman's Dome and squeezed as much water as we could out of our clothes. We had to hide from the whipping wind while eating our soggy lunches, so needless to say morale was low. Luckily, the rest of the hike was downhill, after which we all rushed to change into dry clothes! We ended the night with dinner in Gatlinburg, then we headed to the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont. The next day, we woke up before sunrise and headed to Cades Cove where we would be biking the 11 mile road that encircled the valley. The weather was glorious, a complete 180 from the previous day. We explored and saw caves, snakes, salamanders, and a mama bear and her cubs. We ended our day at Cades Cove with ice cream, which was the cherry on top of a great day.

Second Trip: Kayaking- 8/10

We had been looking forward to this field trip ever since we saw it on our syllabus, so when the day came and we piled into the vans to drive to the access point on the Chattooga River, everyone was bouncing with excitement. We unloaded the kayaks, packed our belongings in dry bags, and played a game Chloe taught us called rock hand to pass the time. We loaded into the river at 11:30, with the more experienced kayakers in the front and the beginners in the back. We hooped and hollered as we set off, ecstatic to finally be on the water. As our first rapid approached, I felt my stomach drop. I had no idea what to expect, so my nerves went haywire. I conquered it easily, since it wasn't as bad as I was imagining. We went over more rapids, then took a break for lunch and poetry journaling. We were all wet already from the rapids, so we decided to dunk ourselves in the frigid water before setting off again. We submerged and were shocked by the cold, coming up for air gasping and shivering. We set off, and luckily the sun and the paddling warmed us right back up. We saw a heron while admiring the landscape around us, and our instructor found a huge newt. We made it to the take out point and managed to drag our boats out and drain them. After loading them onto their racks, we changed and finished our day with some delicious pizza in Clayton, Georgia.

Third Trip: Purchase Knob- 7/10

We were initially under the impression that this trip wouldn't even happen, with a government shutdown looming and threatening to shut down Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Thankfully, everything worked out and we headed to Purchase Knob bright and early. We unpacked, visited a log cabin, and picked apples! Afterwards, we surveyed land plots to find salamanders under tree cookies. We found some awesome salamanders then departed for a hike on the ridge to the Swag hotel. We identified some maple trees and mushrooms, and relaxed in the lounge chairs at the Swag at the halfway point in our hike. We headed back then had some delicious spaghetti at the house. The next day, we got ready for our hike and made lunch then talked with a Park Ranger about his job and elk research. We embarked on our hike prepared for a slippery, downhill trek. After merging onto Boogerman Loop, we ventured through the dense forest to the world's largest tulip poplar (by biomass)! We made it back to the trail and filled our water bottles at a stream using a water filtration device. By the end of the hike, everyone's feet hurt and all our butts were muddy from slipping and falling, but we had seen some incredible trees, fungi, and ferns. After getting picked up, we got the treat of seeing some elks, then went home and had some yummy tacos and played spades.

Fourth Trip: Gray Fossil Site and Roan Mountain- 9/10

This trip was our last, and we had no idea what to expect. We loaded up the vans and left early for Gray Fossil Site in Tennessee. We ate lunch then toured the museum section of the fossil site. We met our tour guide and started with an explanation of the type of flora and fauna that would be found at the Gray Fossil Site in the Early Pliocene era. We had the privilege of being able to go to the dig site and meet the archaeologists digging up a mastodon. We headed to the lab where skeletons are reassembled, then explored the archived fossils section. We asked copious amounts of questions about anything and everything, then departed for Roan Mountain. We checked into our cabins and got ready for a hike up to the Rhododendron Gardens. It was way colder than we expected, and the fog made the road we were hiking on look extra spooky in the dark. We saw some humongous rhododendron interspersed with spruce and fir trees, and got to use our headlamps on the hike back. The next day, we prepped for our Roan Mountain hike with a quick briefing from Dr. Costa while we were making our lunches and packing our daypacks. We all dressed warmly, prepared for wet and cold weather, but ended up shedding our layers since the weather was incredible on the balds. We got onto the Appalachian Trail, and after a short hike through a lush spruce fir forest, ended up at Round Bald, our first bald of the day. We had a panoramic view as we sat for lunch, and we pondered the mystery of the balds as we ate. No one really knows how these balds came to be, and how they are still around today! After sleuthing, we set off for Jane Bald, and scaled a steep rocky uphill to get there. We admired the sights while catching our breath, then headed to our last bald, Grassy Ridge Bald. At the peak, we laid down on some cool rocks, snacked, and found some interesting flora. We embarked after our break with an extra pep in our step knowing we were already halfway done. We split up on the hike back so everyone could go at their own pace and admire the views. After making it back to the vans, we went salamandering and hit the jackpot when we found at least 10 Blue Ridge Two Lined salamanders under a single rock. We returned and warmed up with dinner and card games by the fire.

Are you the type of person going to the mountain, taking a picture, stopping at the tourist center, wandering around tourist towns for souvenirs, and goes back home? That was me two months ago before signing up for the Highlands Field Site. Besides attending classes and doing research, the IE students have the opportunities to be on several field trips throughout the semester into the wilderness and explore so many beautiful things. From hiking a 10-mile Boogerman Trail to biking the entire 11-mile loop at Cades Cove and discovering a bear family, these were some of the great experiences that I had this semester. If you were like me two months ago, these are the reasons for you to get out of your car and emerge in the beauty of this beautiful nature:

I. Improve your survival skills

Have you ever wondered how you would survive in the wilderness by yourself? Believe me, if I were in the Hunger Games, I know for sure that I would be the first one to die. Period. But after spending some time in the woods with Jason, Dr. Costa, and Dr. Rada, I would say my survival confidence has been improved by 40 percent from 0. We have learned many survival skills throughout the trips, from directing the wind flow to determine the chance of seeing wildlife animals to how to use a compass to navigate through the thick forest without cellular service. And what do we do when we encounter a black bear? Do not run and be brave to show your powers. On every trip, we learned to be well prepared and adjust according to the weather and elevation of the place that we were about to go. Before every trip, Dr. Costa informed us of the geological and geographical knowledge about our destination.

II. Become a better observer

Since going on field trips, we have become naturalists and better observers ourselves when submerging in nature. What is more excellent than to be able to recognize the plants and trees that you once have seen in the book. We learned how to classify the difference between red maple, mountain maple, and stripe maple; between beech and birch; spruce and fur; and introduce the mysterious world of mushrooms. Sometimes, just like looking at the types of trees, we can learn about the historical events that happened in that area, including the evidence of human development hundreds of years ago. As a better observer, we can indicate the presence of climate change and air pollution during leaf foliage by observing the leaf color change. Not only that, we could identify some of the rare plants in the region like ginseng and lady's slipper. How awesome is it!!

The idea of "Drive-in wilderness" has been popular among the tourists coming into the mountain. But looking at nature through the car's windows does not fulfill the knowledge and the beauty of nature. Emerging your senses with beauty and appreciate the value of nature's presence on this planet. Although it is not always easy to hike since many things can happen in the wilderness, from falling on slippery rocks, walking on soaked shoes, and hiking in terrible weather. But these are what made the trips more memorable and meaningful.

V.P

The Northern Saw-whet Owl (Aegolius acadicus) is one of the most common forest owls in. North America. In the United States it is found year round in the Northeast, the West, and Southern Appalachia. Despite it being so common, not much is known about this owl. Its nocturnal behavior and small size make it elusive and hard to study. Only general information about their habitat preference and behavior are known. The Southern Appalachian population is believed to be a disjunct population from the last glacial maximum. During this glacial period ice sheets spread over the North but stopped before reaching Southern Appalachia. Because high elevation habitats in Southern Appalachia resemble those in the Northeast, species, like the Northern Saw-whet Owl, were able to survive in this region. Once the glaciers retreated some owls remained while others returned North, creating separate colonies.

For our internship, my partner and I have been tasked with determining whether or not Northern Saw-whet owls in Southern Appalachia have a strong preference when it comes to habitat type. Very little research on the Southern Appalachia disjunct population has been done, but it is likely that their numbers are dwindling as climate change and development decrease habitat size. It was previously believed that they only resided in the high elevation Spruce Fir forests, but more recent research has shown that they also live in Hardwood habitats at lower elevations. In order to create effective conservation management plans we need to know their habitat flexibility. We teamed up with the Blue Ridge Bird Observatory who have had Northern Saw-whet Owl nest boxes up in the area for a few years. They give us the nest box location and we take habitat surveys at the sites - measuring canopy coverage, basal area, ground type, forest type, etc. Once we are done collecting field data we will run statistical analyses to see if there are any correlations between the nest box occupancy and specific habitat features. If our analysis show significant results then the data can be used to strategically place nest boxes and conserve important habitat types for these owls.

The Blue Ridge Bird Observatory mist nets for Northern Saw-whet Owls every year and adds the banding data to the USGS MAPS Program. We were fortunate enough to join along one evening. We weren't expecting to catch any of these little owls because they're so elusive. However, after playing the audio lure (mating sounds) for an hour we caught one! It was so tiny we were afraid to handle it. Luckily our mentor is an experienced bird bander and showed us all the tips and tricks. We put a sock over its head to keep it calm and took various measurements including weight, hallux and beak length among others. We shined UV light on its feathers to determine age, determined its sex using a probability chart, and banded its leg with lightweight aluminum engraved with a unique ID number. After recording all the necessary data we took the sock off its head and let its eyes readjust to the night. Once it was comfortable it flew off into the sky. We think it was a hatch year, which means we were likely the first humans it ever encountered. What an honor.

Confession #2: I have no boundaries. My therapist tells me that this is an issue I need to work on but I just can't help it, I have to be involved with everything around me! I think I may have gone a bit too far when traces of me were recently found in newborn babies' digestive systems (1). I also recently got caught out in Norway in some pearls harvested from local mussels (2). This intrusiveness may upset some people, but I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon.

Confession #3: The world revolves around me...I think. Am I wrong? Would the world as we know it not collapse if the plastic that makes me up were to just disappear off the face of the Earth? I think many people don’t realize how important plastic is. For example, the material that makes me up (Polyethylene Terephthalate) can also be found in fiberglass, solar cells, and 3D printed objects (1).

Confession #4: I will always be there for you. Everyone these days is trying to move on from me with their new, shiny reusable water bottles. They always come crawling back when they realize I'm only $0.99 and their new 64 oz. Hydro Flask is $50. What makes things even better is that when you're thirsty and tired after a long day, I'll be there waiting for you on the shelf at your local gas station. Ol' reliable saves the day once again. I may also be a tiny bit manipulative, but a bottle's gotta do what a bottle's gotta do. Am I purposefully keeping prices low to encourage consumption? Maybe. Am I perhaps 20x more amazing than those annoying, loud metal canteens everyone loves to tote around? Definitely.

Thanks for hearing me out, I’ll see you soon in your nearest national park!

With love,

Your Favorite Single-Use Plastic

Hopefully, these confessions have helped illuminate just how ingrained plastics are into this age of human impacts known as the Anthropocene. Modern society is fundamentally reliant on plastics whether we want to admit it or not, and they have allowed civilization to evolve into what it is today. Though with more sustainable alternatives (such as those pesky Hydro Flasks), one would think we would be able to escape them a bit more these days. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Throughout this semester, I have witnessed first-hand just how deeply plastics have infiltrated every aspect of the natural world. My classmate Grace Kinder and I are currently working on a macroplastic detection project and we have seen the seemingly miraculous placed plastics end up in. We traveled to Hiwassee Lake a few weeks ago for a public trash cleanup sponsored by Mainspring Conservation Trust, which centered around the local campgrounds and boat docks. We thoroughly expected significant litter at these sites, but what we didn’t expect to find were discarded water bottles and other items buried among the log jams in the coves of the lake. At first glance, the coves seemed clean. Though the more and more we searched, the more trash we found. One would expect this amount of litter at a popular recreational lake surrounded by busy roads, but 95% of the forest surrounding Hiwassee Lake is protected Forest Service land. The fact that a 20 oz. plastic Mountain Dew bottle managed to infiltrate this beautiful lake where bald eagles were once seen soaring over the water is a testament to the impacts of the Anthropocene (or perhaps the Plasticene would be more appropriate).

Our IE class as a whole has witnessed further infiltration of plastics into the natural world during our Capstone microplastics project. For the past 9 weeks, we have been sampling sections of the Chattooga River for microplastics to determine concentrations, sources, and types of contamination. Just from the quick grab samples, we have collected straight from the river we are finding multiple microplastics per 330-milliliter sample. When you scale this up to the number of liters of water in the river, that is a significant amount of contamination. The Chattooga River is famous for its wild & scenic designation and amazing rapids. Despite our love and appreciation of this wild river, humans have managed to pollute this river with microplastics that may be invisible to our eye, but will not be invisible to history.

Written by Chloe Hall

References

1. Zhang, et al. Occurrence of Polyethylene Terephthalate and Polycarbonate Microplastics in Infant and Adult Feces Environmental Science & Technology Letters Article ASAP, 2021, DOI: 10.1021/acs.estlett.1c0055

2. Bråte, Inger, et al. Occurrence of Pearls in Mussels (Mytilus Spp.) from the Norwegian Coast. Norwegian Institute for Water Research, 2018, ,www.miljodirektoratet.no/globalassets/publikasjoner/M1173/M1173.pdf.

3. “Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET): A Comprehensive Review.” PET Plastic (Polyethylene Terephthalate): Uses, Properties & Structure, Omnexus, omnexus.specialchem.com/selection-guide/polyethylene-terephthalate-pet-plastic.

This research projects main focus is to provide an educational opportunity to people of all ages while still gaining important data on the salamander populations in the park. Many people of different ages and backgrounds who come to Purchase Knob are given the chance to participate in this great learning opportunity. Researchers have set up four different transects with 10 wooden cookies (cut pieces of trees) in each transect. The cookies are 5m apart from one another spread out in a line covering different terrains. They begin close to a water source and end in a deep wooded area in an effort to attract different salamander species.

IE students, thrilled to take part in what is now dubbed the Salamander Meander, broke off into teams to examine each transects cookies in hopes of finding salamanders. The group I was apart of was assigned to transect C. After a disappointing first cookie with no salamanders, anticipation was high as we approached cookie number 2. As the cookie was slowly lifted from the ground, two Ocoee Salamanders shot out from underneath! We quickly grabbed them, bagged them, and began yelling out "We got them! We got 2! Come see!".

Who knew catching some slippery amphibians would elicit such a response?

We collected our necessary data points and throughout the transect, found one more salamander all the way in the wooded terrain. Our final catch of the day was a pregnant female Southern Grey Cheeked Salamander whose supposed male mate was not to far in another transect.

The total groups Salamander catch of the day was 9 ranging from Ocoee, to Grey Cheeked, and even Blue Ridge 2 Lined. It was an amazing learning experience as well as a most enjoyable way to spend an afternoon meander. If you find yourself in the Smoky Mountains, head over to Purchase Knob, where you too can experience a Great Smoky Salamander Meander. - GK

Symptoms of the Anthropocene, notice how everything jumps around 1950

The word “Anthropocene” uses the prefex “anthro-” quite literally meaning “human”. An issue that arises in the dubbing of this era “the Anthropocene” is that it implies that they symptoms that characterize it- pollution, ecological destruction, etc.- are the results of the actions of all of humanity, when those truly responsible are a small group of industrial capitalists and exploitationists. Those that seek to commoditize the world, to cut away pieces of our environment for personal profit, do not represent humanity as a whole. And yes, we all suffer from the impacts of the sins of a few, lining their pockets through exploitation of labor and the resources of the natural world, but this attitude does not encapsulate the relationship that all people have to nature. Many use their fortune in a late-stage capitalist hellscape to benefit ecological efforts and offset the impacts of industrial waste or overuse of resources. And many who are not wealthy enough to make large-scale impacts of their own seek to respect the world we all live in at a local level, vote for representatives with conservationist (not to be confused with conservative) views, and participate in grassroots environmental programs. Alas the system- at least in the USA- is gamed towards profit, even for its politicians. Lobbying allows wealthy donors with exploitative motives- looking at the Koch brothers in particular- to boost candidates with similar views and even sway the decision making of residing lawmakers. Little effort needs to be made by the wealthy elite to undo or entirely overshadow the efforts of working-class conservation-minded citizens. The Anthropocene may refer to all of humanity, but its terrible symptoms have undoubtedly been the result of the motives of a greedy few.

The Anthropocene highlights not only exploitative economic systems, but the faults in our own government that uphold and protect these systems. Corporations can weigh the cost of paying fines for polluting and the cost of refining production practices to avoid such pollution. Often, pollution wins out simply due to profit. These companies are able to flagrantly play with the health of entire populations, treating the harmful chemicals they produce as a simple numbers game without remorse for the effects their toxic industry can have. As I have mentioned, corporate interests tend to be backed by the government as well. Lobbying and payoffs for politicians from polluting industry leads to conflicts of interest in our nation’s leaders. Those directly benefiting from lower regulations on pollution will tend to continue lowering regulations to line their own pockets. Shamelessly lying to the American people who are being poisoned by the decisions of the very person voted in to lead and protect them, an industrious, orange-toned president has tried rephrasing such polluting industries as “freedom gas” or “good, clean coal”. Blatantly corrupt politicians that throw away the health and lives of their constituents to make a quick dollar must be held accountable for any constructive pollution prevention to occur in the future, or for the Anthropocene to be highlighted with something other than industrial blight.

Consider, this only shows human deaths. Ecological impacts are proportionally immense.

Capitalist and product-based industry has led to pollution and exploitation of resources on an unprecedented scale. We are trying to separate ourselves from nature and shape our environment to meet our materialistic or aesthetic needs, without much thought to the ecosystems we ravage, the species we hunt to extinction, or the lives our future children must lead in the wake of our ignorant overconsumption, pollution, and commodification of the earth. The Anthropocene is not a shining moment of progress and advancement for humanity, but a critical period to determine if we will coexist with other life and cherish our natural surroundings or succumb to an exploitationist and dominating existence.

Written by Gus Winiker.

But here’s the catch: the natural world is complicated, and in order to detangle the massive web that is our planet, it’s going to take more than a few tries. Although students at the Highlands Field Site may not be doing as groundbreaking and complex research as Stephen Hawking or Jane Goodall, experimentation of any kind requires countless hours of trial, error, and revision in order to get the worthwhile results.

This past week, IE students intimately got acquainted with this aspect of science. Our ,capstone class is interested in understanding how microplastic concentrations in the Chattooga watershed are affected by storm events. We decided to tackle this massive issue by collecting river water samples before, during, and after storms. We also wanted to see how microplastics are getting into our rivers through the atmosphere, so we set out stainless steel buckets to collect daily microplastic and rain deposition. The plan was to compare these collected samples against filtered DI water to see the changes in microplastic concentrations in the riparian ecosystem. Easy, right?

Students collecting data in the Chattooga River for the capstone research project.

Our first day in the lab at Western Carolina proved us very, very wrong. We were quite excited to filter and analyze all the samples we had collected over the previous weeks. However, we quickly learned that all did not go as planned. Turns out that microplastics are absolutely everywhere - in the air we breathe, on our clothes, on every surface. No matter how many precautions we took to minimize contamination, we were still finding exorbitant amounts of microplastics even in our blank samples. If we are getting contamination in our blanks from the lab, how can we calculate microplastic concentration coming from the atmosphere and storms with confidence? Things took another turn for the worse. When we went to filter our atmospheric deposition samples, we found that the steel buckets had rusted and collected loads of debris.

Attempting to filter atmospheric deposition samples contaminated with debris and rust.

Before we can continue with our study, the students will have to both identify sources of contamination (using the scientific method!) as well as implement alternative sample collection methods to ensure the study goes more smoothly.

Basically, science is hard sometimes, y’all. But messing up isn’t in vain; for every misstep, we learn a valuable lesson about our world and we contribute to the growing mass of scientific knowledge so that researchers in the future won’t make the same mistakes.

-NM

Woolly Adelgids spotted on a Carolina Hemlock at Devil's Courthouse.

My research partner and I are still in the sample-gathering stage of our project. We have allocated our time to coring trees here at the Highlands Biological Station, and at Devil's Courthouse on Whiteside Mountain. All of the Carolina Hemlocks in our study have been found at Devil's Courthouse: they are becoming increasingly rare. We use an increment bore to extract a thin tube-shaped core from the tree, and then store the core in a straw (we recently procured some nice, large straws from a particularly philanthropic McDonald's) until we can transport it back to campus. Once back, we must wait for the cores to dry, then we mount them onto wooden stands using wood glue. We then sand the cores using a hand- and belt-sander, until the top surface is flat and the rings of the tree are readily apparent.

A sneak peek into the tree coring process!

We decided to wait and develop a hypothesis for our project once we have been given an opportunity to analyze the prepped and scanned cores. We are faced with the responsibility of identifying an aspect of a dying species to focus our research on. This raises many philosophical questions, at least for me. We understand the outlook for Eastern and Carolina Hemlocks: if they go untreated, they will eventually die. The Forest Service does not have access to all of the Eastern and Carolina Hemlocks; some of the Hemlocks they do have access to will remain untreated due to budget and staffing limitations. How long will they keep treating the Hemlocks? Forever? Is it worth it to expend limited resources on a species of tree that will ultimately disappear? Is it cruel to give up? Do we mourn the loss of the unique ecological niche that Hemlocks created, or do we wait expectantly for another to take its place?

In many ways, the Hemlocks represent our larger changing natural world. As a budding environmentalist, I am often confronted with questions of the future. With so many variables out of my hands (almost all of them, in fact) how do I justify to myself going into the field of ecology? Our natural world will change no matter what we do: as scientists, we must decide our role within that shifting atmosphere, and decide where to place our hopes, and where to draw the line. Sometimes studying Hemlocks feels like standing on a sinking ship; but, at the end of the day, we mustn't give up on these species just because their outlook is poor. We can learn from mistakes made in the past, and hopefully contribute to a larger understanding of dendrology and ecosystem interactions.

I am not yet sure where this research project will take us. I can only hope that Eastern and Carolina Hemlocks are around for many years to come, and that the sustained efforts of forestry management professionals and researchers such as us contribute to that longevity.

Written by Scout Allen

Our research involves taking samples of the river water during storm events and then analyzing the samples at a Western Carolina University lab to determine the concentration of microplastics in the river water and how those levels change throughout a storm event. In order to collect these samples, we will be using ISCO water samplers, which are devices that collect data on the river water and can be programmed to take water samples at random time increments. We set these machines up at two different sites during the second week of classes, the first site being at Sliding Rock and the second located just downstream from the Cashier’s wastewater treatment plant.

The actual process of setting up the ISCO devices was time consuming but still very enjoyable. We first had to scout out the locations to find a site where we could leave the ISCO devices without having them stolen or damaged. At both sites, we were able to hide the ISCO devices within some rhododendron thickets. Then we programmed the machines, which included telling the device to collect the right sample volume and how often to collect samples. We also staked the sample collection tube and sensor into the river bed in order to keep them in place and under the water. While some of us were setting up the ISCO samplers, others used surveying equipment to take a river bed profile and find the slope of the water. We can now use the data that we collected to determine the discharge of the rivers.

Another part of the research project is tracking the deposition of microplastics from the atmosphere by atmospheric deposition collectors, or metal buckets. We installed two buckets, a sealed control bucket and an open collector bucket, at each of the ISCO sites, plus one at a fellow student’s property located in Cashier’s. We will leave the collectors at each site for one week. After a week has passed, we will come and collect them, while sealing them to make sure that no excess microplastics from our clothes fall into the buckets. We will then count how many microplastics have entered the collector buckets over that time period and compare that microplastic concentration to the control bucket in order to determine a rate of atmospheric deposition of microplastics. We can then determine how many of the microplastics that we find in the water samples from the river came from the atmosphere and how many came from runoff.

We have yet to collect any samples during a storm event, but we have still collected one set of buckets and some water samples. In fact, we will be analyzing at WCU next week! This research will provide some insight on a pollution source that often goes unrecognized and under-studied in our region. We should hopefully be able to make some powerful conclusions of how and when microplastics are entering river systems. We will make sure to update you on our progress throughout the semester!

Photo of an adult mudpuppy. From Indiana Herp Atlas.

My survey partner and I have been currently looking for juveniles in rivers around Macon County. This past week we went to the Cartoogechaye Creek just upstream of where it joins the Little Tennessee River. When we visit these areas, we are looking for leaf litter packs, woody debris piles, and root wads, which is where the juveniles like to hide out before maturing. Before we search for the mudpuppies we take measurements of the area and take qualitative notes on the surrounding area. We then use nets to sample the area and pick through what we caught looking for the salamanders.

Alex looking through a leaf pack sample.

Unfortunately, we have not found any mudpuppies, but we are not giving up hope! We have plans to keep sampling Cartoogechaye Creek, along with the Cullasaja River and other rivers. We will continue using this method to look for juveniles until the end of September. In October we will begin looking for adults, which we will do by setting traps in the middle of the river, these will be checked after 24 hours. We hope that we will find many mudpuppies at different life stages this semester, which will help our mentors assess their populations and if they need to be listed as an endangered species.

This week also included the first day of our going into the field for our capstone. This semester we will be looking at how storm events affect the microplastic levels in the Chattooga River. To do this we deployed two ISCO samplers along the river, one close to the wastewater treatment center and the other several miles downstream. To collect data for storms the ISCOs have to be turned on before a storm hits because they do not stay on at all times. We also learned how to program the ISCO to take samples over different periods of time. This will come in handy since every storm is different and we want to collect samples that accurately represent the storm. We also took width and depth measurements of the river so we can later graph the slope of the sample areas. At the end of this, we put out atmospheric buckets at each location. These buckets will collect microplastics that are in the air, which will allow us to analyze the microplastics that were in the river and not those that came from the actual storm. To make sure our equipment did not get contaminated we left out two buckets, but only opened one to the atmosphere. We had planned on going to the lab of Dr. Miller, one of our professors, when we were done but we ran out of time. Having your schedule run over happens all the time doing fieldwork, so it is good to have a backup plan!

The atmospheric deposition buckets before removing one of the lids.

Written by Eva Kinney

To conduct our research, Noa and I, doused in bug spray, set up blacklight traps, and collected a Ziploc bag full of bugs every 25 minutes. We collect 8 bags of bugs, which we will process and sort by order the following day. Why are we so concerned with bugs, you may ask? Every single one of the 14 species of bats in the Highlands area is insect-eating, so studying the bugs gives us valuable insight into what species of bats may be hanging out and how abundant the bat snacks are at each locale. A golf course, for example, will have far less diversity and breadth of bugs than a relatively undisturbed spot at the Highlands Biological Station, where a variety of pesticide-free grass provides amble stomping grounds for insects.

Setting up the light trap at the Highlands Biological Station

To conduct our research, Noa and I, doused in bug spray, set up blacklight traps, and collected a Ziploc bag full of bugs every 25 minutes. We collect 8 bags of bugs, which we will process and sort by order the following day. Why are we so concerned with bugs, you may ask? Every single one of the 14 species of bats in the Highlands area is insect-eating, so studying the bugs gives us valuable insight into what species of bats may be hanging out and how abundant the bat snacks are at each locale. A golf course, for example, will have far less diversity and breadth of bugs than a relatively undisturbed spot at the Highlands Biological Station, where a variety of pesticide-free grass provides ample stomping grounds for insects.

The next morning, we were up early to hit the lab and identify our bounty of bugs! We definitely had a steep learning curve, as we are both far from entomologists. Luckily, we are studying under an array of entomologists, such as Dr. Jim Costa, who was a valuable resource when we found ourselves stuck on the order of a particular insect. One of the hardest bugs to identify was in the order Hymenoptera, which is best known for containing stinging insects such as wasps, bees, and ants. These guys are usually diurnal or buzzing about during the day, so we did not immediately think to place our mystery bugs in this order! We found, with the confirmation of Dr. Costa, that we had ourselves a swarm of flying ants, as well as another Hymenoptera we got a good look at under the microscope.

Our mystery Hymenoptera under the microscope

After about six hours of bug identifying in the lab, Noa and I called it a day and headed home to make dinner. And we only got through half the bags! With our new entomological knowledge, as well as our recognition of common insects and patterns throughout the night, we are expecting the rest of our insect identification will be a breeze! While I am not the biggest bug guy in the world, this exercise gave me a deep appreciation for the crucial role bugs play in our world, and how crucial their existence is for the wellbeing of bats. One of the biggest threats to bats is the overuse of pesticides on residential lawns and gardens. A simple and immediate way anyone can help bats is by limiting their pesticide use. The pests will provide a delicious snack for bat species, and they will keep the bug levels low in residential areas! We, as well as bugs, are a part of a deeply woven system of interconnectedness, and every action or choice we make produces a ripple effect that extends way farther than we could possibly imagine!

Written by Rachel Maunus