A Colorful Celebration

Every Fall, my mom likes to go with a couple of her friends to Big Bay to have a few drinks and check out the leaves changing color. This year, I decided to go with her, and I'm really glad I got the chance to go there. The trees looked amazing. I have lived in the Upper Peninsula all my life, and never before was I so mesmerized by all the colors. My mom and I took quite a few pictures of them. Here are just a few:

Nature is one of the most beautiful parts of life. I'm really happy that I decided to take this trip with my mom this year. Everything was perfect. The weather was nice, the scenery was great, and the memory will last forever.

The Birds and the Beans

In our class, we did an activity where everyone was split into 3 groups. One group all had spoons, one had forks, and the third had knives. We were birds and the plastic-ware was our beaks. We then attempted to collect different kinds of beans and pasta shells by using the plastic-ware to scoop and get into our opposite hand.

This was a very interesting and fun activity. It was a very unique way of demonstrating natural selection. The people with knives had a tougher time collecting beans than everyone else, so in the end the majority of that group died off, while the spoons and forks grew in population.

I started in the knife group, but after the first round I was moved to the fork group because the knife group didn't collect enough food, so our group shrunk. My strategy was similar to many others, and that was to work in pairs. One person would push beans onto another person's fork and then they scooped it into their hand. That proved to be very effective, as our numbers grew almost every round. The spoons did the best, but the forks were close for the most part. This activity was a lot of fun and would be a great thing to do in the future with a class of my own.

Chernoff Faces

The Chernoff Faces activity we did in class was a really fun way to learn about classification. This is something I'm definitely going to have to remember for when I'm a teacher. The idea of it was to make a face out of different shapes for the head, eyes, pupils, mouth, nose, and ears, with each one having a different meaning to it. For example, on the first face that we did, the shape of our heads meant where we were from. There were 3 different shapes; one for Upper Peninsula, one for Lower Peninsula, and one for Other. From there, our class got divided into 3 groups. We then divided our groups even more by the shapes of our eyes (our major/minor). When we did this a second time, we changed how we would divide ourselves first by what we thought was most important. It was a really cool activity that showed life forms can be classified and grouped up in many different ways. Sometimes the groups will be similar, sometimes they will be different. There is no limit to how you identify yourself as. Below are my two Chernoff Faces, proving that no matter how oddly-shaped my head is or how off-centered my ears are, I belong in more than one group.

The Odyssey

The second essay written by Aldo Leopold that we read was called "The Odyssey". In it, Leopold writes about elements X and Y. Through X, we are shown the biogeochemical process. First, X is marked in stone (geo). X is then pulled up into the roots of a tree (bio), and in this tree X helps make a flower, which becomes an acorn. A deer eats the acorn, and then is eaten by an Indian. The acorn, deer, and Indian all had X within them, and transferred through them. X is transferred then through many other living things and soil. X, then finds itself within another Indian, who passes near a riverbank. The bank collapses, and X, is pulled out to sea. This shows one of the abiotic factors in the cycle. Leopold then talks about Y in terms of its trips through the watershed, and that goes into talking about another element of the abiotic factor of the cycle.

I believe that Leopold was talking about nitrogen and carbon when referencing X and Y. Nitrogen changes into usable forms and are absorbed by plants, which in turn get eaten by animals and the animals get eaten by humans. When the animals and humans die, the nitrogen gets passed back into the Earth. Carbon is similar, except its forms (like carbon dioxide) are used by trees after photosynthesis and respiration. The cycle continues when the trees make glucose out of the carbon and is transferred to animals and humans, and back to the earth. It's a really interesting concept, however it's a little disturbing that most of the foods I eat have parts of them that were from dead people. I'm going to try my hardest to suppress that particular piece information.

Presque Isle

So a few weeks ago, my class met up at Presque Isle to learn how to identify the different kinds of trees that were there. As we were doing that, we also had to keep an eye out for examples of specific things. One of those was parasitism, and that one was pretty easy to figure out right away. Since these the area wasn't that big, and with the water being close by, there were plenty of mosquitoes flying around and sucking blood from animals and people alike.

Another thing we had to look out for was commensalism, and that one was a little difficult to find, due to the few animals seen in the woods. I did manage to see a few squirrels and chipmunks climbing up trees. They use these trees as homes and use their acorns as its primary food source. While this benefits the squirrels and chipmunks, this neither helps or harms the trees.

My group and I managed to find a couple of little frogs hopping around the grass and dirt. It's niche is that it eats mosquitoes and other flies, and they are also one of the food sources for some predators such as snakes and birds.

Prior to going into the woods, there were a few flowers that had bees in them, which demonstrated mutualism. Both the bees and the flowers benefited from this through pollination.

For interspecific competition, it didn't really occur too much with animals since there were too few to be seen. The different kinds of trees, though, are a good example because all of them compete for soil, water, and sunlight. As for intraspecific competition, it was a lot easier to spot. More than once, I saw a couple of chipmunks competing for food.

Rotted logs on the ground were a good example of microhabitats. They were different from the rest of the area because they were dead and no longer growing. It's also darker, more damp, and usually warmer than the surrounding area. On most of those logs, you can find decomposers like termites, ants, bacteria, and fungi.

There were also several examples of biogeochemical cycles at Presque Isle. A couple of the obvious ones are the water cycle and the carbon cycle. We see the water cycle in two ways. The first is the cycle of evaporation, condensation, and precipitation. The 2nd is the storage of water in Lake Superior and in snow during the winter. As for the carbon cycle, it can be observed in plants during photosynthesis and respiration.

Think Like A Mountain

In "Think Like a Mountain" Aldo Leopold talks about the death of a she-wolf killed by his party during a time when conservationists assumed that elimination of top predators would make game plentiful. At first, I thought I was reading something Stephen King wrote. It was a little dark and a bit weird, but as it went on I began to understand what was going on. It was just like the predator video we watched in class. If you take away the wolves, then the land begins to suffer. Just because the deer population would rise for a little while doesn't justify killing off the environment and every other species that depends on it. It gave me an uncomfortable feeling when reading about when they were shooting at the wolves.

"Think like a mountain" to me means that you should take time to put yourself in the environment's shoes, in a sense. The fact of the matter is that those mountains need the wolves in order to sustain life and keep balance within the animal kingdom. It's pretty easy to think like that. After all, if a bunch of deer were destroying the land around my home I would be very upset. With that being said, I still believe in controlling the wolf population in the Upper Peninsula. I'm not supporting the annihilation of the entire wolf population, though. That would be foolish, considering what that did to Yellowstone all those years ago. I am in favor of the wolf hunt if done correctly and closely monitored, because there's just too many reports of dogs and livestock being killed by them to go unnoticed. I know that there are some cases where families leave there dogs outside at night, but not every case is the same.

Predator Vs. Prey

The video that we watched about releasing and re-releasing predators in certain areas was really interesting. Prior to the video, I wasn't a big fan of wolves. Looking at them now and knowing how they helped control the elk population at Yellowstone, I've grown to appreciate them and respect their place in the food chain. The elk were essentially killing the land by eating all the trees. If they kept that up, then the environment would have been ruined. I understand the need to reintroduce wolves at Yellowstone, and I'm completely with that idea. At first I was upset that the wolves were killing the coyotes, but after learning that they were scavenging the kills that the wolves made while they were still around, I have to side with the wolves. If I went out hunting and shot a dear, and then I saw another hunter about to go steal the dear I shot, I would react in a similar way (not actually kill the hunter, just get angry with him and demand that he give me back my prize).

I'm also for releasing the cougars in Florida into the wild to help control the wild hog population. Wild hogs are nasty animals that dig up the ground for food, destroying farmlands and killing off crops. On top of that, they are mean-spirited animals that are highly aggressive towards humans and dogs. Just like the guy in the video said, humans needed help because there were just too many hogs for them to handle. After studies, the people who released the cougars confirmed that the cougars were hunting the hogs. In fact, half of their diet consisted of the wild hogs.

The bears, however, I was against releasing them. I couldn't help but feel incredibly bad for the beekeeper in the video. Everything he had that he used to make a living was destroyed by a scavenging bear. This happens almost everywhere where there are bears. They are far more likely to be wandering around a town or village than a mountain lion or a wolf. They may be scared of people most times, but when they can smell food and garbage, the fear pretty much goes out the window.

As for wolves in the UP, I personally feel that the population needs to be controlled. Unsuspecting farmers are losing livestock and people are losing their dogs. I understand the argument that dogs shouldn't be kept outside at night, but I wouldn't be able to stick with that idea if my dog was one of the ones reported to have been killed. I'm not saying exterminate them, because they are crucial to the food chain, but their numbers definitely need to be controlled.

Inquiry Wheel of Fortune

The Inquiry Wheel will be very crucial in our projects, but should overall make the process a lot more smooth than just using the scientific method. It may take longer, but results will be much better and more precise. You can't just form a hypothesis, test it, analyze the data and form a conclusion. It's not a linear thing, you're going to have to go back and forth several times between steps during the entire process.

I feel like this is going to be challenging, being the first time of using the Inquiry Wheel for a scientific experiment or project. That's why communicating with the others in my group will be vital when working on the project. As challenging as it may seem, I think it will be a great experience because it will help me develop my future teaching skills. When I assign my students a project, I'll be able to answer any questions they have with the steps to take. Before the Inquiry Wheel, I would have just told them to follow the instructions and show their results. Now, they will know to ask questions, do multiple tests, go back and ask more questions, test some more, and work with others and communicate better.

What Lies Within

In our Mystery Container Activity, we had to figure out what was in our little container without opening it. We also had a bunch of potential items that could have been in the container, plus an empty container to potentially duplicate the mystery container. After using several different combinations of items, our group was able to find the correct items by weighing the mystery container and using two items that made the same rattling sound as the mystery container did and that weighed the same.

I learned that the Inquiry Wheel is vital when trying to figure out something. The question was "Without opening it, what is inside the mystery container?", and we had to observe and ask questions about the container. We had to figure out how much it weighed, what sounds it made, what the objects inside felt like when they were rolling around, how many items were in it, and so on and so forth. Our group had to communicate with each other in order to eliminate or include item combinations. The entire process was a little messy, like most scientific experiments, but after testing our hypothesis, we were able to figure out what was inside. It actually felt pretty good to get it right.

I'm Scared of Water Apparently

The DHMO video we watched in class was very interesting. I'm a bit ashamed to say that I was suckered in to saying that we should essentially ban water from campus. I had completely forgotten that DHMO stood for "dihydrogen monoxide," which means H2O.

It just goes to show you need to have as much information on something as you can get. If we really did try to ban DHMO at Northern, we would learn very quickly that we are a bunch of idiots and would be known as the only school in the nation to ban water.

I learned to make sure I get as much information as I possibly can before I make a decision. That last thing I want to do is to go into a situation blind basically. I'll ask lots of questions if I don't understand or if I'm not sure what something means. I've been known to jump to conclusions a little too early, so this has helped me realize that if I just take my time and get the information I need, then I will be able to make a better judgement call.

What's Alive??

So in our class, we were given several different things and we were to determine if they were alive or not. We also had to gather plants and animals that we thought were living things. Then we put all of the objects together inside a damp paper towel and inside a zip-lock baggie with air in it and left it by the window for a week. After a week, we opened up and determined whether or not everything in there was still alive or not.

Our results were a bit surprising to me. Our group had a cricket in the bag, and i thought for sure he was going to die. When I saw that he was still jumping around in the bag, I was shocked. We had a popcorn kernel in there too, along with some beans, and those started to actually grow. It was incredible that in the short time and limited space and soil, they managed to grow so much. We even had nematodes by the end of it, and they certainly weren't in there to begin with!

Life is certainly an interesting thing. You really don't need a whole lot to sustain life and flourish. You can even create new living things if in the right situation. It's the simplest and the most complicated concept in the world today. It reminds me of a quote from the movie Jurassic Park that Jeff Goldblum's says. "Life finds a way."

My First Bog Walk

So yesterday, my class went to the Bog Walk at Presque Isle to further study nature. This was a really cool experience, because I had not been to the Bog Walk before and it was something that I had been meaning to check out for quite some time. Needless to say, I was not disappointed by it at all.

From the moment we stepped into the bog, I stopped talking and used all my senses to take in my surroundings. It felt a bit more humid in the bog than anywhere else, but it wasn't uncomfortably humid. Hundreds of crickets were chirping away constantly. The air seemed to smell more fresh than in town. Every now and then I would see a bird fly over my head and land in a tree off in the distance.

I was really fascinated by a certain plant. It's called a horsetail. It's a very strong plant that is one of the oldest terrestrial plants in the world. Native Americans used these to polish wooden tools. They also used the roots of these plants when they are young as a source of food.

I learned that you must be careful if you're walking around in a bog. The ground may appear solid, but in reality it's mostly made of water. Unlike swamps, the water in bogs is mostly underground and makes it almost sponge-like. If you step in the wrong spot, you better hope you packed an extra set of shoes and socks.

One Trip Makes A Lasting Impression

When I was in 6th grade, my family and I drove down to Daytona Beach, Florida for Spring Break. This was, at the time, the farthest I had ever been from the Upper Peninsula, and it didn't hit me that I was going to be seeing a lot of things for the first time. Two things that stood out were the Appalachian Mountains and the Atlantic Ocean.

I remember sitting in our van just looking out the window watching everything pass us by. Then I hear my dad from the front of the van say, "Hey Al, look at what we're about to drive through." I look out the front and see that we were heading straight for a tunnel that goes through the Appalachian Mountains. I had never seen a mountain before, so I just sat there with my jaw hitting the floor of the van. Looking at pictures of them pale in comparison to seeing them in real life. The massive size of them made me feel slightly insignificant, but mostly awestruck. Being from the UP, I'm used to forests and lakes. Mountains were like a second language to me. It was a lot to take in. They were very majestic, and at the time it was the coolest thing I've ever seen. That was, of course, until I saw the Atlantic Ocean a day or two later.

Our hotel was right along the beach, so naturally after we got settled in our room we changed and headed out to the water. Usually when I see a body of water up here, I can see some land off in the distance. That wasn't the case here. It was just water as far as the eye could see, and then even more after that. I could smell the salt from this giant blue mass. I could feel the spray of the cool water as I heard and saw the waves crash against the shore. It was hard to believe that there were continents on the other side of this ocean. It seemed endless. It made me realize that the distance I had traveled to get there was nothing compared to how large the ocean was. Not only was it a beautiful site, but it really broadened my perspective of the world and it made me want to explore the rest of this planet.

Failing 8th Grade at 22 Years Old

The results of my 8th Grade Life Science Quiz weren't really shocking to me. I did very poorly on it, since it's been years since I had studied anything that was on the quiz. One thing that did surprise me was how many animals I got correct when identifying them as vertebrates and invertebrates. I had all but one of them, so I felt some sort of pride for doing well on that one. I learned very quickly you can't just read something a few times and think that you'll be able to remember it at any given time. You need to figure out a certain way to help you remember. I've found that if you're trying to memorize something, try to put the words into tunes of songs that you are familiar with and just sing the words to yourself. My generation is really big on music. The effort put into remembering lyrics to our favorite songs could be easily put into studying, and it would be an easy transfer if you remember the words if they are in song form. I think I'm going to try that for future quizzes and tests in all my classes, because I am definitely one of those people who learn song lyrics easily.

My Introduction

Hello, everyone. My name is Alex, but you can call me Goldz. I am 22 years old and I am currently in my 4th year at Northern Michigan University in Marquette, Michigan. I live with my mom, her boyfriend Paul, and my brother Andy. I really love music. I'm a fan of just about every genre. From classic rock to modern pop, rap to metal and everything in between. In my spare time, I enjoy playing video games, watching Netflix and being with my friends. I have technically 2 dogs. One belongs to Paul that he brought with him when he moved in with us a year ago. His name is Chip, and he's a 7 year old Labrador Retriever. The other one's name is Rudy, and he is our 8 year old, 120lb Golden Retriever. He's huge and incredibly affectionate. He will love anyone forever if they pet him just a little bit. I am from Ishpeming, Michigan, which is only about a 20 minute drive to NMU. That was one of the main factors in my decision to go to Northern. It saved me money on out-of-state tuition and room and board.

Another reason for going to NMU was that they have a really great Education program, and since I'm majoring in Elementary Education (with a focus in Language Arts) the choice became pretty easy for me when I was a senior in high school. I remember going into senior year still unsure of what I wanted to do and where I wanted to go. When winter began, my Web Design class was looking for volunteers for Big Brothers Big Sisters, so I signed up. We were assigned to a 1st grade class, and most of us Bigs were given more than one Little. I had the most with 4. I was a bit nervous as to how they would react to me and if they would like me or not. Well, by the 3rd week, all of them wanted to hug me before it was time to leave. I was amazed at how much they connected with me, and how much I connected with them. Here is a picture of all of us when we went sledding:

These kids were a huge reason as to why I decided I was going to be a teacher. It was an incredible experience and I can't wait to have an entire class to not only teach, but have fun whilst teaching. Hopefully this year I will be one step closer to achieving this dream.