#robinsonforest2015

ROBINSON FOREST DAY 13:

Just a few more photos from today of salamander sampling! 

Photo 1: Collecting the salamanders in buckets.

Photo 2: Some of our findings. 

ROBINSON FOREST DAY 13 (FINAL DAY)

Today we learned about the impacts of forest management practices on the lives of our smallest and most vulnerable species. Not only did we learn about and collect salamanders, but also a wide range of macroinvertebrates. 

Areas with a large amount of organisms with a greater amount of diversity of organisms signals that the area has high quality water. The less species and individuals are found, the more the quality of the water decreases. 

Here are just a few of the salamanders caught today - these were in the most biodiverse area in the study! Pictured: Red salamanders, spring salamanders, two line salamanders, seal salamanders, and northern dusky salamanders. How cute! 

ROBINSON FOREST DAY 11 and 12

What a busy past couple of days! There has been little time to write blog posts, as we have been busy learning all about forest management and logging practices. As NRES students, we have learned very little about forest management practices with the intention of logging, so this was an interesting series of days. 

After a morning of measuring trees for various values in the forest, we were whisked away to a saw mill in Whitesburg, Kentucky. The fourth larges sawmill in the state, this particular one stripped, cut, and distributed approximately 4 million board feet of wood for cabinets, floors, walls, and other needs. 

On the second day, more tree measurements were made (including surveys of the tree species in different parts of the forest) to understand the economic values of tree stands. 

ROBINSON FOREST DAY 3

Day 3 of Robinson Forest started with Dr. Steven Price introducing us to the various amphibians and reptiles that call Kentucky and more importantly Robinson Forest home. Some of the non-venomous snakes and salamanders were passed around for us to get a better look at.

Next up was to head out into the field and capture some snakes. We did this by finding sites where snake tins had been left out in hopes that there were some snakes warming themselves underneath them. A few Black Racers were spotted but the only snakes captured were Copperheads. The Copperheads were taken back to camp to be tested for a snake fungal disease (in photo). Dr. Price was assisted by graduate student Tom who works with the Pit Vipers and Rattlesnakes here in Robinson Forest.

We also spent time in the streams in search of salamanders and some of the  non-venomous snakes. Some of the salamanders we caught were the Southern Two-Lined Salamander, the Black mountain Dusky Salamander and the Northern Dusky Salamander. 

ROBINSON FOREST DAY 2:

Another exciting day here at the forest. 

Dr. John Cox takes us to ridges in the forest to listen to bird calls. By now, we can identify any we hear around camp and in the forest! 

ROBINSON FOREST DAY 1: 

Seven students and various instructors have embarked on a journey unlike any other in Robinson Forest in Clayhole, Kentucky. 

While trekking through the woods to learn about the many tree species in the forest, one of our instructors stumbled upon one of the most elusive snakes in the forest: the Timber Rattlesnake.

After dinner, we spent a few hours engaged in a conversation about the effects of mining in small rural communities in Western West Virginia and Eastern Kentucky.