Hydrology and Phenology Studies at Mass Audubon’s Drumlin Farm

Wildlife SanctuaryThe Development of the Ecological Monitoring Program at

Drumlin Farm

Sally Farrow and Erin PitkinMassAudubon’s Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary

Natural History Conference March 24, 2016Harvard Forest Workshop

March 31, 2016Sue Beede

1. Why study hydrology and phenology.2. Update of the hydrology and phenology

program at Drumlin Farm3. Questions and Challenges4. Science and Engineering practices5. Climate Change, the water cycle and the

importance of wetland biodiversity6. The Development of protocols for people

of all abilities

Topics

Yellow Spotted Salamander and Wood Frog ODPVP March 2016

Yellow spotted salamander Wood frog eggs

Blue Spotted Salamander and Fairy Shrimp Drumlin Farm

Blue spotted salamander Ed Center Lawn Fairy shrimp ODPVP

Harvard Forest Long Term Ecological Research Project

Shopping Cart

Bathtub

Boyce

Old Deer Pen Vernal Pool

Poultry

Ice

Deer Pen Pond

Preschool Pond

Ice Pond Poultry Pond

Drumlin’s Ponding Ponds

More Drumlin Ponds

Bathtub Pond Preschool Pond

Old Deer Pen Vernal Pool Boyce “Pond” (a true vernal pool)

Drumlin’s Vernal Pools

Drumlin’s Vernal Pools

Shopping Cart Vernal Pool

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2/1/12 3/1/12 4/1/12 5/1/12 6/1/12 7/1/12 8/1/12 9/1/12 10/1/12 11/1/12 12/1/12

Cen

tim

eter

sOld Deer Pen Vernal Pool Depth - 2012

Pool Depth cm

(3/14) trees bare & buds closed

(3/30) buds closed/red maple in flower

(5/15) full leaf out

(11/21) trees bare

Old Deer Pen Vernal Pool Water Depth 2008-

2015

Old Deer Pen Vernal Pool

Preschool Pond Depth 2011-2015

Sugar Maple at Drumlin Farm

Bud Burst Fall Leaf Drop

Bud Burst Sugar Maple Drumlin Farm Spring 2015

Bud Burst and Leaf Drop Sugar Maple Drumlin Farm

Bud Burst Leaf Drop

Black Birch Drumlin Farm

Bud burst 2015 Fall Leaf Drop

Bud Burst and Leaf Drop Black Birch Drumlin Farm

Spring Bud Burst Fall Leaf Drop

Collection of pond data at Drumlin Farm

Students observe, measure and record:• air and water temperatures• weather and leaf cover • pond depth using marked poles• name & number of

macroinvertebrates

PondHabitat DataSheet

DrumlinFarmWildlifeSanctuary

Pond_________________________________ Date___________________ TN___________________________

AirTemp______________________ WaterTemp_________________ PoleDepth_____________________

School /Class___________________________________________________________________________

Circleappropriateresponsesbelow.

Cloudcover:

Sunny/Partlysunny/Cloudy/Scatteredshowers/Raining

TreeCanopy:

Open (no treesnear pond) / Partial coverage (sometreesnear pond) /Completelycovered (treesoverhangcompletely)

LeafCover:

Closedbuds/Openbuds/Openflowers/Partial leaf out /Full Leavesopen

BottomSubstrate(cancirclemorethanone):

Sandor gravel /Whole leaves/Decayedleaf bits /Mud/Silt

Notes /Questions

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PondProfile

Ponding Data SheetData key: 1-4 = few, 5-15 = some, >15 = many

Old Deer Pen Vernal Pool 2011

*Draft graph courtesy of student at Commonwealth School.

3/24/20115/7/2011

7/14/20119/1/2011

0%

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20%

30%

40%

50%

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70%

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90%

100%

Relative Species AbundanceODP 2011

phantom

bloodw

mosquito

beetles

caddis

bugs

iso/scud

dap/cop

snails

Date

% o

f org

an

ism

ca

ug

ht

Biodiversity of Drumlin Farm Ponds

CCHS Pathways Students atDeer Pen Pond

CCHS Pathways Students checking for Bud Burst 2015

CCHS Pathways Students monitoring Boyce Pond

CCHS Students Boyce Pond

Boyce Pond Water Depth2009-2015

ABODP Students Monitoring Ice Pond Drumlin Farm 2016

ABODP Students Ice Pond

Ice Pond Water Depth2011-2015

Vocational Internships and Eco-Monitoring Over View

Project Manager Equipment Management Daily Task Over- site Hydrologist Water Temperature Pole Depth Phenologist  Bud Count Tree Canopy Assessment Meteorologist Air Temperature Weather Assessment

  

ECO-MONITORING VISUAL GUIDES

EQUIPMENT CHECK IN/OUT SHEET DAILY TASK CHECK LIST

ECO-MONITORING VISUAL GUIDES

FIELD NOTESCOMPILED DATA SHEET

Date/Time

Air Temp (C)

Water Temp (C)

Pole Depth (cm)

Cloud Cover

Tree Canopy Leaf Cover

#of Leaves

#of Buds

Choices For:

Cloud Cover- Sunny, Partly Sunny, Cloudy, Raining, SnowingTree Canopy: Open(no trees),Partial (some trees), Completely(trees over hanging)Leave Cover:Close Buds, Open Buds,Open flowers,Partial Leaf Out,Full Leaves Out

Simplifying Data

3/24/20117/14/2011

11/14/20113/19/2012

7/16/201210/18/2012

11/21/20124/30/2013

7/16/20139/30/2013

12/2/20133/3/2014

7/20/201410/3/2014

12/22/20144/15/2015

7/23/20159/27/2015

12/23/20153/23/2016

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35

Air and Water Temp Ice Pond 2011-2016

AirTemp(c)

WaterTemp(c)

Date

Ce

lciu

s

The End