Tuesday, June 3, 2008

A long, long time ago in a reality not so far away...


Greetings, bloggers! We thought that as a last post we would present a compilation of the semester in pictures! So, sit back and enjoy...


Who could forget day 2 at Cascade Head? After a relaxing 1500 foot vertical climb, we were treated to stunning views of the ocean and wonderful weather. Unfortunately, it was not to last.






Our first group photo. And our second. And third. And 20th. We would never look this young again.











The search for invertebrates was the agenda for the first week, with the occasional dead and decomposing octopus to keep us entertained.












Visiting the local docks in Newport in the continuing search for those elusive Ctenophores!

(They showed up about a week later)










Trips to the local aquarium helped in adding more critters to our ever expanding notebooks, while also allowing us to spend some quality time together.










Having helpful TA's ever available was a boon to those of us trying to memorize vast amounts of science. Here, Margot was helping us tell the difference between Cryptosiphonia and
Polysiphonia. Of course, many of us can now tell these two apart in our sleep. Then again, many of us can't.






And who could forget this momentous occasion? For the first time in 30 years of teaching, Bruce Menge canceled a field trip due to weather. It wasn't too bad, if you liked 50 mph winds. Instead, we got to go back and listen to 4 hours of lectures. Woohoo!






After our day "off," it was back to business community ecology style. Now let's see... was that 5,276 C. dalli, or 5,277?




After 1 day off, we jumped into fish week and broke the trawling net!












It was nice to see Yaquina Bay from a different perspective (other than covered in about 2 feet of mud).











We caught many more specimens to once again fill our notebooks full of beautiful drawings. Every fish caught was another opportunity to draw another picture in our books. All of us were extremely excited and motivated by that prospect!








Karen showed up the next week, and we became familiar with the business end of marine conservation and policy.











We also had a chance to visit the Audubon Sanctuary. Before we arrived, there was a playground that was empty. Some folks (Megan and Christine) couldn't resist...










At Ten Mile Creek, we were shown a fishery monitoring station and the efforts by ODFW to manage this basin.












Another group shot. At this point, nobody was interested in setting up 20 cameras anymore.













Then, our research projects began. We had a week "off" to collect our field data, then a week back "on" to finish up in community ecology, part 2. Here, we were more interested in the biological interactions that affected organisms within the estuarine, salt marsh, and dune environments.












Our final group shot. If you look closely, you will see a lot more gray hairs in this photo.













The last couple days have been devoted to the arduous task of compiling the mountain of data that many of us have accumulated and trying to organize it in such a way that it will actually make sense. Sound easy? It is until you actually start.








Here is a typical scene for those of us whose data wasn't compiling in such a way that made sense. It was a good idea to take a number so that you could be seen in order by Sally.











And the end result? A moment of glory! A chance to shine! Or not...

It's been a long road, but none of us are the same people we were when we started out 2 months ago. Thanks to all the great staff including Sally, Annette, Bruce, Scott, and Karen. Also, thanks to all the great TA's including Margot, Alison, and Jeremy.