Environmental Science: What to do during the cold winter months – by Dave Gervais

Source: Even during the winter, there are some wet swampy areas that defy freezing. Sometimes it’s the current; sometimes it’s the heat from decomposition that keeps the water from freezing. Alternatively chopping through ice in a shallow swampy are would also give you access to the bottom detritus. A sample was taken from my backyard pond on Dec 10th.

Sample: When taking a sample, ensure that there is plenty of vegetation. Some will still be green. You may find Duck Weed, or some kind of filamentous algae. A 500 mL sample will provide enough material for several classes. I re-purposed a used blister pack to act as well slides for this activity. When glued to popsicle sticks, my mechanical stage easily gripped this. That allowed me to have 6 samples on the stage at once.

Thanks for the great ideas Dave!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Stay warm

 

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