Crime Scene Investigation
For this project, each partnership was assigned to a crime scene to solve a murder. My partner and I were assigned crime scene 2. Our crime was the murder of a teenager who had been missing for several years. We had to use several different evidence processing method to attempt to solve the crime. Even though our results were inconclusive, this project was still very enjoyable.
The most positive part of this project for me was how engaging this project was. It was very fun to develop and solve a plausible crime. It was cool to go through all of these real life steps to solve a crime and adjust theories as the crime developed.
If I was to do this project again I would use my time more efficiently. I had to finish my evidence logs all in one night and ended up not getting a very good grade on them. If I would have been more time efficient I would have done better.
The most positive part of this project for me was how engaging this project was. It was very fun to develop and solve a plausible crime. It was cool to go through all of these real life steps to solve a crime and adjust theories as the crime developed.
If I was to do this project again I would use my time more efficiently. I had to finish my evidence logs all in one night and ended up not getting a very good grade on them. If I would have been more time efficient I would have done better.
Monkey Recipe
Created by: Ivie O’Nan
Category: Normal meal for Chimps & Monkeys
Total Carbs: 256.25g
Total Fat: 30g
Total Sugar: 131.5g
Makes: 212 oz
Serve in: Cups
Ingredients
- 12 cups of spinach
- 2.5 cups of mashed sweet potatoes
- 2.5 cups of cashews
- 4.75 cups of chopped apple
- 4.75 cups of whole raspberries
Instructions
1. Prepare 3 large sweet potatoes.
2. Chop 5 apples or enough for 4 and ¾ cups.
3. Mix spinach, raspberries, and cashews.
4. Spoon sweet potato into each monkey cup.
5. Ration spinach mixture on top of potato.
6. Serve!
Colony Collapse Disorder Management Plan
For this project I wrote a possible management plan for Colony Collapse Disorder in La Plata County. It was a three part management plan consisting of a survey, campaign against pesticides, and education campaign urging the public to keep bees. I chose to do a survey first to determine how much time and money should be dedicated to CCD within Durango. I found that since the worst of CCD in 2006, beekeepers have already experienced recovering populations.
My strongest management strategy is to first send out surveys to beekeepers in La Plata County to determine how relevant further management would be. The survey would be sent out digitally to remove the cost of paper and postage. The survey included percentages of loses and whether or not nearby pesticides would be relevant.
The skill I developed the most during this project would be the reading and usage of scholarly articles. Through this project I learned many things about ecology. I learned of how dependent many of the world’s ecosystems are on bees. This project caused me to think differently about ecosystems because I realized how delicate ecosystems are.
Management Plan
This is the link to my introduction.
My strongest management strategy is to first send out surveys to beekeepers in La Plata County to determine how relevant further management would be. The survey would be sent out digitally to remove the cost of paper and postage. The survey included percentages of loses and whether or not nearby pesticides would be relevant.
The skill I developed the most during this project would be the reading and usage of scholarly articles. Through this project I learned many things about ecology. I learned of how dependent many of the world’s ecosystems are on bees. This project caused me to think differently about ecosystems because I realized how delicate ecosystems are.
Management Plan
This is the link to my introduction.
Durango Nature Studies Paper
Amphibian population estimates and ecosystem assessment on the Durango Nature Studies property
Durango Nature Studies is a 140 acre nature center outside of Durango that invites people to use its facilities to learn and experience nature. It invites schools, organizations and the public to conduct research and become one with the wilderness. The DNS property features both a pond and a section of the Florida River. The pond is stocked with sunfish and contains macro-invertebrates such as damselflies, mayflies, midges, and caddisflies. The pond’s only native amphibian is the leopard frog; however bullfrogs have begun to inhabit the pond as well.
Bullfrogs negatively affect the environment because they are not native to Colorado and harmfully disturb the leopard frogs. Invasive species are organisms that are introduced to a habitat to which they are not native and affect the ecosystem. This invasive species is a concern because as bullfrogs begin disrupt the leopard frogs, the quality of the ecosystem will begin to decline. If one component of an ecosystem declines, it is likely it will affect ecology of the region.
Natural History
Leopard frogs, Rana pipiens, thrive in small ponds, swamps, marshes and slow-moving streams. They are usually found in heavily vegetated bodies of water. They rely on speed to avoid predators and eat crickets, smaller frogs, worms, and flies. Their tadpole development takes about 70-110 days. Prior to the bullfrog invasion, leopard frogs were able to prevent being eaten by the bluegill.
Bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana) are non-native to Colorado, very territorial, and have the ability to reproduce rapidly. Bullfrogs live longer in warmer weather and will eat the majority of animals they can fit in their mouths, including other frogs, bats, turtles, insects, snakes, birds, and bats. Bullfrogs rarely encounter other bullfrogs except to fight or breed. They tend to push leopard frogs away from the banks and into the open waters where they are susceptible to bluegill attacks.
To capture additional frogs, 4 Pitfall traps were set-up and checked daily. Visual encounter surveys were preformed around the pond each day for four days. A one hour mark session was conducted, along with a one hour recapture section. These tests provided an estimate of the frog populations.
To determine the water quality, water chemistry tests were conducted to learn the levels of nitrates, phosphates, dissolved-oxygen, pH, coliform, and temperature. Four random veg plot surveys were also conducted to gain an estimate of the different plant species. Macroinvertebrates were collected from the river using the kick method, and from the pond using a dip net. The kick method kicked the macroinvertebrates from the river floor into a net downstream. The dip net was jabbed into the bottom of the pond to collect the macroinvertebrates.
The dissolved oxygen level in the river is normal at 3ppm. However, the pond’s dissolved oxygen level is only 1 ppm. Dissolved Oxygen is a byproduct of photosynthesis and can also be introduced into the water through aeration (such as from rapids in a river). Oxygen is a necessity to all living things and when levels begin to drop it puts the aquatic life under stress. There are high levels of nitrates in both the pond and river.
The lack of stoneflies suggests a pollution level higher than 1.1. However, mayflies have a pollution tolerance of 3.5, placing the level between 1.1 and 3.5. The data shows escalated phosphate and nitrate levels. The dissolved oxygen level in the pond is 1ppm. According to http://www.cotf.edu/ETE/modules/waterq3/WQassess3f.html, “Dissolved oxygen levels below 3 ppm are stressful to most aquatic organisms. Levels below 2 ppm will not support fish at all.” DNS stocks it’s pond with sun fish; however these low dissolved oxygen levels are inadequate to preserve fish life. Based on the 2011 and 2012 amphibian populations, the ecosystem is becoming healthier due to improvement in water quality, surge of food, or decrease in the population of predators.
The coliform tests came back positive, presenting traces of warm blooded feces in the water. This suggests nearby livestock. E. coli is the major species in the fecal coliform group. The majority of coliform bacteria is not harmful, however some very rare strains of the E. coli coliform bacteria can cause serious illness to humans. Coliform bacteria can also kill some bacteria that are essential in sustaining the ecosystem. However most strains are not harmful and are not a threat.
The escalated nitrate and phosphate levels may be a result of runoff fertilizers, nearby septic systems, or improperly treated waste/waste water from animals or people. The water quality had high nitrates and phosphate levels leaving it susceptible to an algal bloom. Eutrophication is when increased nitrate and phosphate levels prompt more algae to grow, disrupting the ecosystem and preventing other plants in the water from growing. This results in lack of nutrients and sun exposure. If there is not enough food for the algae, because it dominates the water, it dies along with much of the other life that lived in the water. Algal blooms are caused by escalated levels of nitrates because nitrates act as a fertilizer. High levels of nitrates can be caused by man-made factors such as can be prevented by laws which restrict/limit activities that produce excessive amounts of nitrates or phosphates that create the risk of an algal bloom.
The pond could be better managed for leopard frogs by improved dissolved oxygen levels, and lessened nitrate and phosphate levels to decrease the risk of an algal bloom. Improved dissolved oxygen would create a healthier ecosystem and allow the frogs to flourish. The escalated nitrate levels could be caused by fertilizer runoff. The fertilizers could run into the pond, be mixed into ground water, or even evaporated and then rained into the pond. Organic fertilizers could be used to help maintain steady nitrate levels; however some fluctuation is inevitable because of the unavoidable impact of humans and other elements such as livestock.
Durango Nature Studies is a 140 acre nature center outside of Durango that invites people to use its facilities to learn and experience nature. It invites schools, organizations and the public to conduct research and become one with the wilderness. The DNS property features both a pond and a section of the Florida River. The pond is stocked with sunfish and contains macro-invertebrates such as damselflies, mayflies, midges, and caddisflies. The pond’s only native amphibian is the leopard frog; however bullfrogs have begun to inhabit the pond as well.
Bullfrogs negatively affect the environment because they are not native to Colorado and harmfully disturb the leopard frogs. Invasive species are organisms that are introduced to a habitat to which they are not native and affect the ecosystem. This invasive species is a concern because as bullfrogs begin disrupt the leopard frogs, the quality of the ecosystem will begin to decline. If one component of an ecosystem declines, it is likely it will affect ecology of the region.
Natural History
Leopard frogs, Rana pipiens, thrive in small ponds, swamps, marshes and slow-moving streams. They are usually found in heavily vegetated bodies of water. They rely on speed to avoid predators and eat crickets, smaller frogs, worms, and flies. Their tadpole development takes about 70-110 days. Prior to the bullfrog invasion, leopard frogs were able to prevent being eaten by the bluegill.
Bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana) are non-native to Colorado, very territorial, and have the ability to reproduce rapidly. Bullfrogs live longer in warmer weather and will eat the majority of animals they can fit in their mouths, including other frogs, bats, turtles, insects, snakes, birds, and bats. Bullfrogs rarely encounter other bullfrogs except to fight or breed. They tend to push leopard frogs away from the banks and into the open waters where they are susceptible to bluegill attacks.
To capture additional frogs, 4 Pitfall traps were set-up and checked daily. Visual encounter surveys were preformed around the pond each day for four days. A one hour mark session was conducted, along with a one hour recapture section. These tests provided an estimate of the frog populations.
To determine the water quality, water chemistry tests were conducted to learn the levels of nitrates, phosphates, dissolved-oxygen, pH, coliform, and temperature. Four random veg plot surveys were also conducted to gain an estimate of the different plant species. Macroinvertebrates were collected from the river using the kick method, and from the pond using a dip net. The kick method kicked the macroinvertebrates from the river floor into a net downstream. The dip net was jabbed into the bottom of the pond to collect the macroinvertebrates.
The dissolved oxygen level in the river is normal at 3ppm. However, the pond’s dissolved oxygen level is only 1 ppm. Dissolved Oxygen is a byproduct of photosynthesis and can also be introduced into the water through aeration (such as from rapids in a river). Oxygen is a necessity to all living things and when levels begin to drop it puts the aquatic life under stress. There are high levels of nitrates in both the pond and river.
The lack of stoneflies suggests a pollution level higher than 1.1. However, mayflies have a pollution tolerance of 3.5, placing the level between 1.1 and 3.5. The data shows escalated phosphate and nitrate levels. The dissolved oxygen level in the pond is 1ppm. According to http://www.cotf.edu/ETE/modules/waterq3/WQassess3f.html, “Dissolved oxygen levels below 3 ppm are stressful to most aquatic organisms. Levels below 2 ppm will not support fish at all.” DNS stocks it’s pond with sun fish; however these low dissolved oxygen levels are inadequate to preserve fish life. Based on the 2011 and 2012 amphibian populations, the ecosystem is becoming healthier due to improvement in water quality, surge of food, or decrease in the population of predators.
The coliform tests came back positive, presenting traces of warm blooded feces in the water. This suggests nearby livestock. E. coli is the major species in the fecal coliform group. The majority of coliform bacteria is not harmful, however some very rare strains of the E. coli coliform bacteria can cause serious illness to humans. Coliform bacteria can also kill some bacteria that are essential in sustaining the ecosystem. However most strains are not harmful and are not a threat.
The escalated nitrate and phosphate levels may be a result of runoff fertilizers, nearby septic systems, or improperly treated waste/waste water from animals or people. The water quality had high nitrates and phosphate levels leaving it susceptible to an algal bloom. Eutrophication is when increased nitrate and phosphate levels prompt more algae to grow, disrupting the ecosystem and preventing other plants in the water from growing. This results in lack of nutrients and sun exposure. If there is not enough food for the algae, because it dominates the water, it dies along with much of the other life that lived in the water. Algal blooms are caused by escalated levels of nitrates because nitrates act as a fertilizer. High levels of nitrates can be caused by man-made factors such as can be prevented by laws which restrict/limit activities that produce excessive amounts of nitrates or phosphates that create the risk of an algal bloom.
The pond could be better managed for leopard frogs by improved dissolved oxygen levels, and lessened nitrate and phosphate levels to decrease the risk of an algal bloom. Improved dissolved oxygen would create a healthier ecosystem and allow the frogs to flourish. The escalated nitrate levels could be caused by fertilizer runoff. The fertilizers could run into the pond, be mixed into ground water, or even evaporated and then rained into the pond. Organic fertilizers could be used to help maintain steady nitrate levels; however some fluctuation is inevitable because of the unavoidable impact of humans and other elements such as livestock.