Cristina Veresan
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Mauka field study: forest and stream ecology

10/30/2014

 
Science In The Wild
There is no better way to learn about the natural world then to actually go out, get dirty, and explore! Today, all middle school students enjoyed a day of outdoor science learning in Makiki, where they investigated the impacts of climate change in our local environment. This field study was the mauka (mountain) component of our From Mauka to Makai: Understanding Climate Change Impacts in the Ahupua’a program, a partnership with the Hawai'i Nature Center. 

The program will also consist of classroom lessons, a makai (coastal) field study in February, and student conservation projects in the spring. The environmental educators at Hawai'i Nature Center will help us better understand place-based knowledge in our studies of climate change. Today's mauka investigation was an opportunity for students to explore nature and was a great start to this ambitious program!    
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Stream assessment
Oahu's Watershed
When you turn on the tap or take a shower, have you thought about where your fresh water comes from? Here on Oahu, all of our water comes from underground sources that originated as rainwater in a process that can take up to 25 years. Our watersheds, areas of land enclosed by mountain ridges, are important because they catch and collect the rainfall to replenish groundwater. The boundaries of the watershed roughly correspond to ahupua'a, the native Hawaiian land division system from mountains to the sea.
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Measuring the width of the stream
To begin the process, trade winds drive clouds, laden with evaporated seawater, inland over our island. Next, our mountain ranges, the Waianae and the Ko'olau, trap and force clouds to higher elevations, resulting in condensation and rainfall.  A healthy watershed has a plant canopy with trees, shrubs, and ground cover. Together the vegetation in these different layers acts like a giant sponge, allowing water to drip slowly underground and into our streams. If the area is deforested, the rainwater will run off the surface and not seep underground.

Finally, in a healthy watershed, this rainwater is filtered and stored underground thanks to the unique geology of the island. As rainwater slowly percolates into the earth, it is naturally filtered by our volcanic soil and stored by dike rock compartments, which overflow and fill the aquifer. Oahu’s aquifer is an underground, natural, freshwater reservoir from which the island's water is extracted for our many uses. 

Stream Assessment (and fishing!)
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Catch anything?
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comparing catches
Students got into groups and were stationed at different points along Makiki Stream. They assessed the stream's environmental parameters, including pH and dissolved oxygen. Working together, they measured the width of the steam, assessed the canopy coverage, and estimated the biodiversity. Students most enjoyed the biodiversity investigation, which involved fishing with nets. Unfortunately, we caught exclusively exotic guppies and aquarium shrimp.
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Determining the pH
The 'O'opu
One of the organisms we hoped to see in Makiki Stream was a fish endemic to Hawaiian waters, the ‘o‘opu stream goby. These fish evolved from saltwater goby ancestors. Although ‘o‘opu live in freshwater streams as adults, their fertilized eggs wash downstream, and young ‘o‘opu spend the first several months of their lives in the ocean before they make their way back upstream. Most of the ‘o‘opu species have a very cool adaptation in order to make this journey. Their pelvic fins fuse together to form a suction cup which helps them fasten to rocks, the stream bottom, and even to climb waterfalls.

Makiki Stream does not flow uninterrupted down to the sea; it has been channelized and areas of it are diverted through underwater tunnels. These tunnels get incredibly hot and limit the movement of the young ‘o‘opu trying to make it back upstream from the sea.  While some streams in Hawai'i have healthy populations of ‘o‘opu, the fish have not been found in Makiki Stream for many years.
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Hawaii Nature Center Educator Jamie sharing the story of the o'opu (Hawaiian stream goby)
Climate Change
Climate change threatens local ecosystems already degraded by invasive plants and animals, excessive development, and pollution. We know that current climate change is mainly caused by humans burning fossil fuels. Global warming and sea level rise cause very challenging conditions for life on Earth, and islands, like Hawai'i, are particularly vulnerable. Yet there is good news: people can take action to limit global warming and mitigate its effects.

Climate change will have some dire consequences here in Hawai'i. Scientists have predicted that, in addition to vast areas of flooding due to sea level rise, Hawai'i will most likely receive less rainfall in the future. Due to increased temperatures, the clouds will increase in elevation and might pass over our island's mountains instead of hitting them. Streams like Makiki will shrink over time. And if there is less rainfall, there is less freshwater to replenish our underground aquifer. We cannot let this happen. In follow-up classroom lessons, students will be investigating ways that they can make choices that help reduce global warming and conserve energy and water resources!
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Science in the wild!
Joseph Nixon
11/3/2014 02:43:15 am

I think that we should really start trying to conserve energy and water
And that the entire trip sounds really fun and I'm sad that I could not go on it

Miss V
11/3/2014 01:02:10 pm

Joe, sorry you were absent! You can look forward to our makai trip in February. :)

Kahanui Higa
11/5/2014 03:09:00 am

This was a fun trip I liked the fishing and the scavenger hunt the most, but they were all fun. Can't wait till next year. :) :) :)

craykid1115
11/6/2014 07:16:21 am

lier nui

Sydney
11/3/2014 03:56:30 am

I didn't go but the nature is like my favorite place to be whenever I can go and I love going on hikes and fishing. This field trip sounds fun and looks like everyone learned a lot.

Miss V
11/3/2014 01:02:30 pm

Sydney, sorry you were absent! You can look forward to our makai trip in February. :)

Jack H
11/5/2014 03:06:59 am

It was really fun and I learned a lot about global warming. I feel bad for da polar bears:(

trinity
11/5/2014 03:08:29 am

Thank you for taking us on that field trip. I learned a lot about the stream and greenhouse gasses. Thank You Mrs. V!!

kylee
11/5/2014 03:10:52 am

Thanks for taking us on the hawaii nature trip it was so much fun and i learned

kyler
11/5/2014 03:12:25 am

Thank you Miss.V for conducting this fun and exciting way to learn while being outdoors, it was so fun. Thank you for being the best science teacher in the world. It was fun to learn about climate change and what we can do to help prevent to much greenhouse gasses.Hope we can do it again.
Thanks again,
Miss.V

Jack F.
11/5/2014 03:12:42 am

I learned a lot about energy and the global warming. I was very supprized that global warming is very serious. Next time I have to be careful with my energy sources.

Joseph Nixon
11/5/2014 03:17:05 am

I'm so sorry that I missed the trip and it sounded really fun and I can't wait for the next field trip in February. I loved reading the blog and I especially I liked the part about fishing and the exotic guppies and aquarium shrimp.

Rina Robin
11/5/2014 04:17:16 am

I really liked going to the stream and fishing! Thanks for making it so we could go on this field trip! :)

Ely
11/5/2014 07:20:41 am

The nature center was really fun. I enjoyed it a lot, especially the scavenger hunt. You and Mrs. Johnson took really nice photos. Thank you for taking us on the awesome trip!

Lance T.
11/5/2014 07:26:54 am

Wow. I feel very lucking going to the Nature Center! My favorite part was catching fish in the stream. I caught the biggest fish of the day! Thank you for taking us!

Summer
11/5/2014 07:27:25 am

I really enjoyed the nature center! It was really fun and educational at the same time. I really enjoyed fishing and the stream assessment! Thank you Ms.V for allowing us to go!!

Ronan
11/5/2014 07:29:55 am

The nature center was so fun! I can't wait until we go again!

Tim link
11/5/2014 07:32:00 am

Mrs. Veresan thank you so much for taking us on this trip it was so much fun and I had fun with Mr. Kai the most.

Matthew horiuchi
11/5/2014 08:19:38 am

Thank so much for this trip

John
11/5/2014 09:05:51 am

Thank you Mrs.V for this trip

akoni
11/5/2014 09:13:04 am

This field trip was really fun, especially because it was my birthday!!! Even though i fell in the stream multiple times.

Te'a
11/5/2014 09:15:06 am

thankyou for taking us to the hawaii nature center i had lots of fun and learned

LLOYD
11/5/2014 09:19:15 am

I loved going on the trip i learned a lot about greenhouse gases and how people have changed the world and how we can prevent it

LLOYD
11/5/2014 09:22:01 am

Thanks a lot for planning this field trip!😃😄✌

Sam
11/5/2014 01:09:52 pm

Thank you so much Ms. V for taking us on this FUN trip! Can't wait for the next trip in February!!!

David
11/5/2014 02:25:17 pm

Dear Ms Veresan,
Thank you for the field trip and I had the most fun with the River and Solar Oven. I learned allot about alternative energies and how they can help with the Greenhouse-gases.

Sincerely,
David

roy
11/5/2014 04:23:16 pm

Ms v. I really enjoyed the trip. The trip has taught me lots of things in the nature. I feel really lucky for taking a part in the trip. I am looking forward to another trip. Thank you for taking us Ms. veresan~

Lance-a-Lott
11/6/2014 02:16:13 am

Thank you for taking us to a wonderful place I had a blast and I can't wait for the next field trip and sorry I can't go to the big island but I hope you have fun:)

Alex O.
11/6/2014 02:17:55 am

Ms. Veresan,
I really enjoyed this field trip, thank you so much for organizing it. I cannot wait for our next field trip. My favorite part about this field trip was learning more about solar energy, I think that having solar energy was important for us so that we do not keep using fuel that harms our environment. I am glad that we were able to make the solar ovens using recycled products. I think that is a great way to save energy when you want to make a fun snack, it is also safe for young children to use. I also liked learning about how scientists measure the health of a stream, I thought that it was important so that they can tell others what can be done to keep the streams on our island healthy.

Thank You,
Alex O.

Kayla
11/6/2014 02:18:05 am

I had a really fun time at the trip and conserving water and energy are very clear to me and should start doing it more often! Excited for the Makiki Trip.

Taylor
11/6/2014 02:23:55 am

This trip was SO MUCH fun I liked everything especially the fishing down by the lake.

Tiare
11/6/2014 02:35:26 am

I had a super fun time at the Nature Center Trip. I learned a lot about saving water and fossil fuels that can hurt or atmosphere.:)

Thomas
11/6/2014 02:57:04 am

I had a lot of fun! My favorite was the fishing and the solar oven!

Amber
11/6/2014 03:13:03 am

In this field trip I learn nature's largeness. I love this field trip very much. I hope I can go again.

Rachel Suh
11/6/2014 04:40:43 am

I learned a lot new information about this trip! Even though I knew global warming was a serious problem now, I learned that the effects of global warming are really coming to us now that Hawaii might go under the sea level and sink!!

Abner Joseph
11/6/2014 04:41:59 am

This is interesting that rain water comes from water sheds that are under the mountains that have been stored there for up to 25 years

Rion K
11/6/2014 04:47:11 am

Miss V thank you for taking us to awesome trip!! Our stream was healthy, 'cause there were a lot of plants and there were some fishes/shrimp.

Alicia B.
11/6/2014 04:47:36 am

Thank you for taking us to the nature center. I had lots of fun and learned so much about global warming. Can't wait for the makai trip!

Nanu
11/6/2014 04:48:21 am

1st thank you Ms.V for scheduling this spectacular Field Trip, out of everything on the trip, I liked the Green Machine! it was awesome. I really got to learn about how are Island was created and I learned about Global Warming and how the Ice Caps are melting and how the Sea Level is rising... overall 10 out of 10 Field Trip loved the activities and everything else! Thanks Ms.V your the best!

Kevin Lee
11/6/2014 04:53:45 am

I learned a healthy watershed, this rainwater is filtered and stored underground thanks to the unique geology of the island.

Cole Kadoguchi link
11/6/2014 04:57:02 am

Thank you for setting up this trip. I learned a lot on this trip. This was the best time ever and I would love to come here again. Now I know more about plants, nature, and global warming. Lets go there AGAIN!!!!!! this was awesome. Thanks ms. v (V dog)

Lloyd
11/6/2014 07:16:40 am

AGAIN! AGAIN! AGAIN!

David
11/6/2014 07:16:56 am

Dear Ms. Veresan
Thank you for taking the time to make the field trip fun and exciting for us. I am really excited for the next year and the makai trip in February.

Sincerely,
David

Isis
11/6/2014 07:28:53 am

This was so much fun I want to go again but I might not because I'm moving to the mainland 😔😔😝😝😝

Isabelle
11/6/2014 08:13:46 am

This was an awesome trip Ms. V!! Thank you for all your effort for planning this trip!! It was really fun and interesting, and I really enjoyed learning about global warming even though it's kinda sad learning about this. You and Ms. Johnson took great pics!

Angelo R
11/7/2014 09:22:11 am

Thanks so much for the Hawaii Nature Center field trip. I enjoyed it so much!!! My favorite part was the Scavenger Hunt with Mr. Kai! I can't wait untill we do it next year!!
Thanks, Angelo


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    This blog contains occasional dispatches from my science classroom and professional learning experiences. Thank you for reading!

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