Course Introduction and "The Dust Bowl"....

1. We covered course polices and the syllabus.
2. We discussed John Deere and the advancement of the steel plow.
3. We discussed the high fertility and prevalence of Mollisols in the midwest.
4. Students participated in a brief discussion on John Steinbeck and The Grapes of Wrath.
5. Viewed the following video on The Dust Bowl:

Final lab update to round out the semester

Hi everyone,

Just a few reminders. On May 3, we will be taking an extended field trip to Coweeta hydrological station. We will leave promptly at 12:45 from the student services parking lot and return sometime around 6:00. This will be our last lab meeting, so by May 3, before we leave for the trip, you will need to have submitted to me three outstanding assignments:
1. a completed lab report (typical format)for the self directed site truthing exercise from earlier in the semester. This should include your state soil test results and you should briefly discuss the results.
2. a completed lab report for today's biological stream assessment exercise. For those of you who have chain saw training today, a link to the document we will use is posted below. The last three pages apply to the biological portion of the assessment. There is also a link to a document outlining the procedure you should use to accomplish this exercise.You may complete this exercise on your own and submit a lab report based on your activities. You need to identify the creek you assessed and describe where it is. You will need a fine net and a basin to catch and count aquatic invertebrates. You will have to stir up the bottom of the creek holding the next downstream to catch anything that is present. Place in a shallow basin with a small amount of water and identify and count what you have found. You should collect and count about 5 samples for a 50 ft. stretch (1 collection every 10 ft.) and pool the results. Please take care to return anything you catch to the waterway.

Biological stream assessment document-

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B-v7kZfpcP6GN2NhMGJjOTctY2U4NS00OWI0LTg0YzktMDYwMTQ0MmZhMDYw&hl=en&authkey=CPHVvNMB

Kicknetting procedure-

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B-v7kZfpcP6GYzA3ZTUzZDMtZTFhNy00NDNiLWFiZjgtZDEyMjk4YTZjZGNj&hl=en&authkey=CPmys_QO

3. a completed lab practical exam. Also due at the beginning of the class period before we leave for Coweeta on May 3. Below is a link to a digital copy of the lab practical in case you prefer to type in your answers.

Lab Practical Exam-

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1q3KXQrp4D2EhjrBNKwE8bXh3L6wiLt3FW9Gr1t7X4lc/edit?hl=en&authkey=CJnejbIG

Please let me know if anyone has any questions as we finish up a great semester!

Richard

Hydrology: Wetlands