July Update

View heading into one of our sites

Our July data collecting experience showed us a small bit about the harsh environment of abandoned oil pads. To get a head of the warmth of each day, our team set out at 6am.  Working in the cool of the day was great ~ By about 10 am the dew evaporated and the sites began to warm up quite quickly.  As my science students might remember, sand has a relatively low specific heat, meaning it will warm up quickly!




















This go around the grass and weeds are steadily growing, while the trees are bound to their slow growth making it more of a challenge to find and record their height and health.  Part of our work this month was pulling Spotted knapweed from the areas were our daubenmire frames fell along each transect.  Compared with last year it really is amazing the robustness of this noxious weed. At one site, the plant is 3 feet tall!



Three out of four sampling days topped out with temperatures in the 90's with the final day have a maximum temperature of 60 F!  What a difference a day makes. Not only was it 60F, but there was a heavy midst most of the day ~ there was no complaining though, as we were thankful for the coolness after a very warm week of work.  The biggest challenge was keeping the data sheets dry!

This past week our team has been dedicated to data entry and starting to look for patterns.  Yes, algebra II students, learning to see patterns in numbers is used by many people not just mathematicians.  Now the team will begin to write the story of what the data is revealing.

The past two weeks has also included a fun cherry picking outing, an integration day exploring local food and organic farming, a trip to a local pottery studio, and several evenings of sports (Soccer, frisbee, and volleyball).  There is never a dull moment!