skyemajka's Journal

Time of day: 1-3 in the afternoon
Weather: Beautiful weather, 76 degrees, mostly sunny, humid, 10-15 mph winds
Where we went: We parked at the DNR location on James island, at CofC's Gracie Marine Laboratory. On a ~ 30 ft DNR troller, we trolled 3 different areas in the Charleston Harbor. The first two areas were closer to the shore of mount pleasant, where the harbor floor is hard and shelly, then the last troll was on the muddier side of the harbor near James Island. The boat set out the net and troll for 10-15 minuets before bringing in the load.
What we did: We observed the organisms that were caught from the different areas of the harbor floor. We learned about the diversity of the ecosystem and got hands on experience with how DNR surveys the different populations in the harbor. We found many diverse organisms such as stingrays, horseshoe crabs, snails, fishes, shrimp, and even octopi and dolphins (who popped up near the boat while trolling).

Time of day: 1-2 in the afternoon
Weather: 74 degrees and mostly sunny, 63% humidity, 5-10 mph winds
Where we went: We began at station 24, closer to the northern end on Sullivans Island. We walked down the boardwalk then through the dunes to station 22 and finally back to where we started.
What we did: We went out to the dunes searching for Texas horned lizards. Although we did not see any of these specific lizards, we were able to identify plant species and found a few different creatures in the sand under the cover of vegetation. We walked through the dunes, avoiding sand spurs and looking for anything that crawls. The professor found droppings from the Texas horned lizards, showing that they are active now, but we couldn't find them.

Time of day: About 1-3 in the afternoon.
Weather: 70 degrees and mostly sunny.
Where we went: Parked at the DNR site on James Island where the Gracie Marine Laboratory is located. The beach we went to is part of the south channel of the Charleston harbor.
What we did: We walked behind the laboratory, through a short path then down through oyster covered rocks and waded though the water onto a beach that was exposed from low tide. Once on the beach, we used nets to collect organisms from the harbor. As a class we collected shells, sharks teeth, snails, hermit crabs (ect) along the shoreline. We identified different types of seaweed, fish and other organisms found in and around the sandy habitat.

Time of day: About 1-3 in the afternoon.
Weather: 73° Mostly cloudy, 83% humidity
Where we went: We were just outside of Hollywood, SC. The first area was more heavily wooded with creeks, small streams and some swampy/muddy areas. The second area we went to had larger walking trails with less trees and was connected to the river.
What we did: In the first area within Dixie Plantation, we walked down the trail and through large ponds looking inside traps that had been set out the day before. There, we found a salamander, many crawfish (large and small), small fish, frogs and lizards. Additionally we observed the different plant species growing in and around the wet area. Notably, there were long needle pines trying to grow through the underbrush that had not yet been burnt. Once all the traps in the area were collected and the species were examined, we moved on to the next cite.
The next area we went to in Dixie Plantation had much more open area with many giant live oak trees and cedars. We walked around large ponds and saw an alligator, frogs, and many spiders. Here, we also collected traps, but did not find much in them other then very large minos.

Time of day: Around 12:30-2 in the afternoon.
Weather: Mostly cloudy with slight sun, 71 degrees, 79% humidity, winds SW 5 mph, some drizzle in the later afternoon
Where we went: As a class we walked around the west side of the College of Charleston campus, around the Rita building and through Rivers green behind the library. From there we walked down bull street to the end at the Ashley river. We explored Long Lake, adjacent to MUSC.
What we did: We walked around downtown Charleston, observing the different plant and animal species around the area from the point of view of Bull Street. We made special note to identify native vs nonnative plant species. We looked at the impact that the urban growth on the different organisms. Especially on the roads that were built on top of what used to be marshes and the effects that that has on us today and will continue to have in the future. When exploring Long Lake, we found oysters and other organisms.

Time of day: About 1-3 in the afternoon.
Weather: Sunny with few clouds, 78 degrees, 57% humidity, winds WSW 7 mph.
Where we went: 220 Santee Gun Club Road McClellanville, SC 29458. Latitude: 33.126 Longitude:-79.346. Acreage: 24000. County: Charleston, Georgetown. As a class we hiked a different trails off the main road. The area was swampy, but was recently drained so the roots of the trees were very visible and there were only small areas where there was standing water. The ground was wet from it raining recently. One trail that we walked was adjacent to the Santee river, there were ponds and marshy areas where we found some birds and small alligators. We also walked into forest that had been burned in the last few years to allow the long needle pines to grow. There, we found woodpecker nests in the long needle pines. We also found a bald eagle and other various birds when going through the woods.
What we did: As a class we explored a few trails at the Santee Costal Reserve. We stayed within a 5-10 min walk of the main road. We walked over boardwalks and bridges, looking for different birds, plant species and snakes. Additionally, we used binoculars to look in the sky and up in the trees for particular species of birds. While looking for snakes and insects, we turned over logs and looked under rocks which are popular hiding spots where they can stay hidden, warm and moist. We observed birds that mainly live near the water and others that do not. We found tracks of different animals in the mud in some areas of the trails.

Time of day: About 1-3 in the afternoon.
Weather: Mostly sunny, in the mid 70s, little wind and slightly humid.
Where we went: We were just outside of Hollywood, SC. The area was a forest with creeks, small streams and some swampy and muddy areas. The ground was pretty dry from lack of rain in the last few days.
What we did: We collected varying sized traps around the plantation. The traps were set the day before and were aimed at collecting organisms in the water. There were other traps that provided shelter, creating a moist habitat that was meant to give us, the students, the opportunity to find salamanders, frogs and insects. The traps that were set in the creek did not have as many organisms to be collected as we found in the swampy areas. When we walked through the woods we found frogs, deer and snakes. A neat thing about tracking through the thick mud of the woods was the abundant amount of tracks from various animals that inhabit the area.

Time of day: Midafternoon.
Weather: It was cold and windy, but sunny.
Where we went: We walked down the pier and the birds were sitting all round us. It was harder to get pictures of them because they moved quickly.

Time of day: The class arrived at post 16, the further end of the island, around 12:30 in the afternoon. It was within a couple hours of low tide.
Weather: It was sunny, the low 70s, and slightly windy. A very nice day.
Where we went: We investigated the dunes around the nature trail off post 16. We walked up and down the beach and some maritime forest of the island on the far side, away from IOP.
What we did: As a class, we looked for different plant and animal species as we explored the dunes, beach and forest. We learned about the roles certain plants play in their ecosystem. We discussed the delicate ecosystem of the dunes and the dunes important role to erosion and creation of the entire island. We learned the bitter panicgrass and other similar species help with erosion of the dunes. We walked through the maritime forest of Sullivans Island, making observations about the various trees and plants. It was neat when we found different types of fungus and discussed the differences between the most common trees in the area.