iPods on the Boardwalk

Over the last two days, Knightsville Elementary School's 4th graders visited the Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest and they brought along some of their iPod Touches.

Using fundsfrom a South Carolina Geographic Alliance (SCGA) grant, we purchased two iPod Touches and accessories. With the two iPod Touches brought by the school, each of the four groups had an iPod Touch as they rotated through the animal (mammal) track activity, an iPod bird call activity and the tour around the 1.75-mile boardwalk. Additionally, two groups used our Flip video cameras to record their experiences in the swamp.

During the animal track identification activity, students used the paper track identification sheet, but also had the option of using the iPod Touch to peruse the various animal track drawings. Images of each animal appeared next to the appropriate track drawing. Even on the best of days, which would not describe either of these two cold, damp days, mammals are not likely to be seen during a walk around the boardwalk. Gray Squirrels are plentiful, but the other mammals (Raccoon, Opossum, Bobcat, Gray Fox, River Otter, White-tailed Deer, Coyote, Beaver, Marsh Rabbit, Feral Hog, rodents, and recently-arrived Nine-banded Armadillo) are mainly nocturnal, secretive, or sufficiently alert to move away from the boardwalk when humans approach. The image of a track and scat was at the Black Bear stop. Although Black Bears are not known to be in Four Holes Swamp, they are in the nearby Francis Marion National Forest and one was hit on I-26 near Jedburg several years ago.

A bird calling station was set up in each of the rain shelters along the boardwalk with each group stopping at one of the stations. Speakers, published bird field guides, Beidler Forest-specific field guides, and other bird identification-related materials were staged at the rain shelters. Using the iPod Touch and speakers, students played an Eastern Screech Owl call attract other bird species within range for visible inspection. Students could use the six S's to narrow the bird species possibilities. Additionally, our two iPod Touch devices contained the National Audubon Society bird field guide app that provided images, content plus a variety of audio for each bird. Once the coding issue is resolved for our Beidler Forest boardwalk-specific app, the same information will be available for use by students and other visitors without the clutter of plants and animals not present or likely to be seen along the boardwalk.

During the tour around the boardwalk, students accessed the extensive library of images showing plants, animals, and maps (boardwalk, watershed boundary, Beidler Forest boundary). With the poor weather and time of year, many animals were not present or not visible. However, as we talked about animals or as students asked questions, the student with the iPod Touch could be tasked with finding an appropriate image to share with the group.

Having the images, content and other data available on the boardwalk when the questions are being asked or the students are looking at the plant, animal, or habitat is a powerful learning tool. It is our desire to obtain additional iPod Touch devices so that we have an iPod for every four students.

Images by Mark Musselman

iPod Touch Grant Presentation

As the education director at the Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest and a teacher consultant (TC) for the South Carolina Geographic Alliance (SCGA), Mark Musselman was awarded a $1000 SCGA teacher grant in 2009.

One requirement of the grant is a presentation to teachers at the Fall 2010 Geofest.  The iPod Touch allows us to put an incredible amount of data into the hands of students while they are on the boardwalk and in the middle of the old-growth, cypress-tupelo swamp.  For example, students can call up the satellite image shown below and see the boardwalk drawn onto the swamp.  If we are standing on the backside of the boardwalk south of the fork, we can ask the students, "Why does the image look lighter to the west of the boardwalk than it does to the east of the boardwalk?"  From the boardwalk, a quick glance to the west reveals that the elevation of the land is slightly higher causing the area to be dry, which in turn allows different types of vegetation to grow in that area.  Looking to the east, students can see land at a slightly lower elevation, which allows water to accumulate thereby allowing wetland-adapted species of plants to dominate.  Seems like a simple concept, but it would be difficult for most students to visualize, if they had the same satellite image, but were sitting at their desk in a classroom.

The iPod Touch can also hold gigabytes worth of data in the form of images, video, audio, field guides, research projects, student-generated text or audio, a seemingly-infinite number of apps, and our own boardwalk-specific app.  With these tools, especially our boardwalk-specific app, we provide students the ability to answer our questions as well as those that they develop.

Although the Francis Beidler Forest is unique and we find it to be a wonderful place to work, there would be little incentive for students to visit if they already knew all the answers regarding the swamp and the rest of our natural environments.  However, without the ability for students to find the answers on their own, the only other form of instructional delivery is for the guide to verbally present all the information.  Not all students learn well that way and even those that do will appreciate some instructional variety.

We currently have 10 iPod Touches available for use with visiting school groups and are working towards a set of 25 (2 students per unit).  Check our education department calendar to see what dates are available for your students to visit!

Images by Mark Musselman

Geographic Technology & SC Teachers

Tomorrow, the education department at the Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest will be making a "Geographic Technology:  GPS, GIS, & iPod Touch" presentation at the South Carolina Geographic Alliance's Geofest 42.  Teachers will be introduced to the technologies, including learning how to navigate with a GPS unit, learning how to create basic maps using free online software, and how to integrate iPod Touch devices into educational programs.


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A demonstration map for Geofest 42



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The watershed basins of South Carolina using data downloaded from the USC Geography Department GIS webpage.

Beyond our free boardwalk-specific app, we are using our 20 iPod Touches in a variety of ways.  We can tailor the use of the iPod Touch to any topic you wish to cover during a visit to the old-growth swamp!

Maps by Mark Musselman

Summer Camp - Session 1

The first session of summer camp at the Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest is in the books!  Reptiles, amphibians and campers kept us busy last week, so we failed to make an entry on this blog.  However, we'll make a week's-worth of entries today!

The week-long camp began (schedule here) with an overview of the continuing Project PROTHO.  We discussed the purpose of the project, the banding and identification process, and this year's nest box component.  Since the camp's theme is herps, we noted that Greenish Rat Snakes (Elaphe obsoleta x quadrivittata) take their share of Prothonotary Warbler eggs and chicks, but enough nesting attempts are successful.  Although the old-growth swamp offers plenty of natural cavities in which the Prothonotary Warblers (Protonotaria citrea) can nest, one pair used a student-made nest box behind the sign at #17 along the boardwalk.  Denise Ecker banded two of the four chicks as their legs were adult size, but they were not yet capable of leaving the nest.

After lunch on the first day, Dennis Blejski brought a collection of herps from his collection.  Pictured are a Milk Snake, non-native Cane Toad, Siren, Diamondback Terrapin, and American Alligator.  Dennis also had a Rough-green Snake, Copperhead, Timber Rattlesnake, Scarlet Kingsnake, Corn Snake, Hognose Snake, Yellow-bellied Slider, Spotted Turtle, Fence Lizard, Bullfrog, and Southern Toads.  Dennis had no problems keeping the attention of the campers!

On Day 2, with low water levels due to a lack of rain, we had difficulty finding reptiles and amphibians during our walk along the 1.75-mile boardwalk.  However, as we walked back toward the nature center along the edge of the swamp, one sharp-eyed camper spotted a Southern Copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix contortrix) sunning on a log ten feet off the boardwalk.  For those animals that we did not see, campers could use the iPod Touches and the boardwalk app to see the images.

After the boardwalk tour and lunch, campers had the opportunity to inspect and identify a variety of amphibians and reptiles that we had previously captured.  The species included Southern Toad, Southern Cricket Frog, Squirrel Treefrog, Spotted Turtle, Musk Turtle, Yellow-bellied Slider, Narrowmouth Toad, Southern Dusky Salamander, Three-lined Salamander, Bullfrog tadpole, and some unidentified frog eggs and tadpoles.  Campers rotated through the eleven stations and used a variety of resources (field guides, keys, iPod Touch apps) to identify the animals.

Wednesday, we were off the boardwalk to check the 14 coverboards that were placed at the swamp's edge and in higher, drier sites.  Amphibians and reptiles will seek shelter under boards, but we found nothing beyond a few beetles and spiders.  However, campers were able to see the beaver dam and the quantity of water pooled behind the dam, which has created a habitat suitable to amphibians and reptiles and those animals that may eat them.

The afternoon was spent learning various frog and toad calls loaded to the iPod Touches with a team frog/toad call competition to end the day.

While inspecting the minnow traps on Thursday morning, we discovered that we had captured an Eastern Lesser Siren (Siren intermedia intermedia).  The siren is an amphibian that preys on a variety of aquatic animals and spends nearly its entire life in the water.  Sirens lack rear legs and have relatively-weak front legs, so travel over land is nearly impossible.  If a body of water begins to dry, sirens can bury themselves in the mud in a protective slimy "cocoon" and aestivate for up to a year or until the water returns.

A game of Jeopardy on Thursday afternoon helped campers demonstrate what they had learned during the week.  The game is played just like the famous television gameshow with one camper from each of the three teams trying to buzz in when they know the answer.  Age was not a disadvantage for campers as it appeared that younger campers paid better attention during the week and cleaned up with the 1000-point answers!

Throughout the week, campers created a variety of art/craft items, including pot frogs, minnow traps, and garden stepping stones. 

Camp ended on Friday with a herpathon along the boardwalk, lunch with families, and the presentation of diplomas and a CD of the week's images and sounds.

The next session begins on Monday and the third session will be the third week of July.  We're looking forward to all the new faces in the swamp!
Images by Mark Musselman

iTouch/iPhone apps

The education department at the Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest has received two iPod Touch devices; portable speakers, microphones, and carrying cases for both iPods; as well as a Global Positioning System (GPS) device. The equipment was purchased via a grant from the South Carolina Geographic Alliance's teacher counsultant program.

In the short-term, visiting students will be able to use the equipment, in addition to Flip video cameras and personal digital cameras, to record their experience in the old-growth, cypress-tupelo swamp. One of the iPod Touch's features is "audio memos," which will allow students to digitally record their questions and impressions of the swamp ecosystem. Using the data and images that students collect while at Beidler Forest along with the various audio, video and digital resources available on the Beidler Forest webpage or through the education department, students will be able to create and share materials and presentations describing their experience in the swamp.

In order to package Beidler Forest-related data onto the iPods for use by visiting students as well as making the data available to other interested parties using iPod Touch or iPhone devices, we will be creating an application (app). We welcome anyone who can volunteer their knowledge or experience in creating apps using the Obective-C programming language.

Image by Mark Musselman

GIS at Ft. Dorchester High School

In 2011, Mark Musselman, education director at the Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest was awarded a $1000 grant by the South Carolina Geographic Alliance (SCGA).  The grant went toward the purchase of Global Positioning System (GPS) units that could be used to collect data for use in Geographic Information Systems (GIS).  Not only is that a mouthful of acronyms, it is incredibly powerful technology!

Just about everyone is familiar with GPS technology, but GPS latitude/longitude coordinates for where you are and where you wish to go have little meaning without all the GIS layers that get lumped under “GPS technology.”  The road map the shows on the navigator screen is a GIS data layer.  All the buildings shown on the map, including the critical brand name coffee shops along the way, are part of GIS data layers.  Picking a hotel that is within walking distance of your favorite coffee shop as well as a movie theater and a pizza parlor, is possible using data layers overlapping in a GIS database…and you thought you would never again use a Venn diagram.

On Tuesday, Mark Musselman took GIS data files for species and trails in the swamp and traveled to Dr. Michael Becwar’s environmentalstudies classes at Fort Dorchester High School.  In the computer lab, students began creating their own maps using the www.arcgis.com/home/ site.  With a satellite image as a base map, students could differentiate between the wetter and drier areas in the swamp based on the color of vegetative green.  The wetter areas are dominated by bald cypress and tupelo gum trees, which show as a lighter green in the image, while the slightly higher, drier areas support oaks and other trees showing as darker green on the image.  After loading the alligator sightings data layer, students discovered that alligators are not seen throughout the swamp, but found only in deep water areas where trees are not growing and sunlight can reach the Earth’s surface.  Based on that knowledge and without ever traveling to the Congaree National Park, students were able to predict where in the park’s boundaries alligators would likely be found.

Image by Mark Musselman

Later, students loaded snake data layers and discovered that brown water snakes remain toward the middle of the swamp while cottonmouths tend to be found closer to the edges of the swamp.  Referring to the free Beidler Forest app on an iPod Touch (initial units purchased with a previous SCGA grant), students learned that brown water snakes only eat fish, so they stay close to their prey in areas of deeper water.  Meanwhile, cottonmouths eat fish, frogs, snakes, birds, and rodents, so they exploit larger areas of the swamp even when those areas become dry.

Image by Mark Musselman

Finally, a quick glance at a map showing a variety of Prothonotary Warbler breeding territories was all that was necessary for students to see that all territories, and therefore all areas of the swamp, are not equal.  Territories around the nature center were shown to be exceeding large and isolated, while territories deep within the swamp at the eastern end of the boardwalk were small and densely packed.  Why?  A check of the iPod app showed that Prothonotary Warblers prefer to nest in cavities over or near water.  The western territories around the nature center consisted of dry, upland areas and therefore elicited little competition allowing for preposterous land claims.  On the other hand, territories at the eastern end of the boardwalk consisted of prime wetland habitat forcing males to settle for smaller (and quite sufficient) territories lest they exhaust themselves fruitlessly attempting to defend larger claims.

Students were able to make all of the swampy deductions noted above without leaving their school.  According to Dr. Joseph Kerski, Curriculum Development Manager for ESRI and recent president of the National Council forGeographic Education, “Accelerating globalization means that we can no longer be complacent about increasing the amount of spatial thinking in the educational curriculum at all levels.  We're also starting to realize that global issues, such as biodiversity loss, urban sprawl, energy needs, water quality and availability, natural hazards, and human health, are becoming increasingly complex and beginning to affect our everyday lives.  Moreover, they all have a spatial component.  To grapple with these issues for the 21st century requires a populace that's adept at using GIS and other geotechnologies.”  Students at Fort Dorchester High School have begun moving in that direction!

You can interact with the map and all the data layers at http://bit.ly/ycL36U.

Grant and Birdathon

The Education Department at the Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest has been awarded a $1000 grant from the South Carolina Geographic Alliance (SCGA). The grant will be used to purchase two Apple iPod Touch devices along with accessories and a Garmin Global Positioning System (GPS) unit. This equipment and equipment already aquired will be used by students to capture digital data (audio, video, still images, notes, latitude/longitude coordinates, routes, etc.) while they are visiting the old-growth, cypress-tupelo swamp. Additionally, the Beidler Forest education staff will load images, audio, video, maps, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and text into the devices which students can access during their visit to help them better understand their experience. Once back at school, students can use the data they collected along with the provided resources to create quality, multi-media presentations, including their personal reflections, of their experience at Beidler Forest.

While the $1000 grant from the SCGA is generous and welcomed, it takes much more to effectively protect the old-growth swamp and other vital habitats within South Carolina. This weekend, the Audubon South Carolina board and staff will fan out across the state in search of as many bird species as can be positively identified! If we can raise $30,000, we will receive a $30,000 match. You don't need to donate $30,000 (we've already received some pledges), but if all 5,000 individuals that receive the Audubon South Carolina newsletter were to send in only $6.00, we could easily reach our goal. As an added incentive, Mark Musselman had one of his Prothonotary Warbler images framed by Rick Sutton of Frame & Design Gallery of Summerville and will be giving it away to a lucky individual that pledges through him (one chance for each $40 increment [straight donation] or each 25-cent increment [per species donation]).

Please help support the fine work of Audubon in South Carolina!

Images by Apple Computer, Inc. (iPod) and Mark Musselman (Prothonotary Warbler)

Wildlife Along the Boardwalk

With few visitors enjoying the cool, sunny day in the swamp and with our necks getting stiff from sitting in front of computers at the Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest, we decided to take a stroll along the 1.75-mile boardwalk to count birds for our weekly entry on the eBird web site.  What birds we saw or heard are listed below.

Although the time of year and the breezy conditions were not conducive to great birdwatching, we were able to catch glimpses of some other swamp residents.  Near #136, we were observing three Turkey Vultures (Cathartes aura) soaring just above the treetops unable to find any rising warm air.  As we were about to continue our walk, we detected the subtle motion of a White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) browsing quietly 20 meters north of the boardwalk.  The first section of the video below shows a portion of our time with the deer.

As soon as we reached Goodson Lake, we noticed the water rippling along the far bank.  A quick look through the binoculars revealed a Raccoon (Procyon lotor) using its extremely sensitive paws to probe for food in the shallow water.  As the small animal was too far away to effectively video with the iPod Touch in our pocket, we made a video through the binoculars.  The second section of the video below shows the foraging raccoon.

Finally, we used the iPod Touch/binocular combination to show the main threat to the raccoon in and around the holes (deep spots) like Goodson Lake...the American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis)!  It may be cool enough now that the alligator will not eat again until spring, but is it worth the risk?



Video by Mark Musselman