Raystown Field Station

Student headed out on the boats to sample plankton for their second aquatic ecology mini project. Each group came up with a question and completed the research. On Friday they will present this research to the class.

In honor of Indigenous Peoples' Day, we pause to acknowledge the Ongwehoweh, the Original People, of the land upon which Juniata College now sits: We acknowledg...e that we are gathered on lands of the Onöñda'gaga, the Oneida Nation, the people of the Standing Stone and the Susquehannock Nation, each belonging to the Haudenosaunee Alliance often called the Iroquois Confederacy. Curious about the Native Land you inhabit? Click here: https://native-land.ca/ See more

The Woodrat group headed out of collect their last date set. Decked out in orange they collected their trail cams and traps. In order to collect data on the Woodrat sometimes you have to become the Woodrat.

On Monday and Tuesday students went out with the Army Corps of Engineers for the annual plant survey. Students threw rakes at set locations, identified the plants and recorded data.

On Monday and Friday students went into the field with George Merovich. Students had the opportunity to use various stream assessment techniques above Rainbow Falls.

For some extra experience 4 of the students took to the lab to dissect small mouth bass for George Merovich. After the dissections where done they then identified macro-invertebrates from the same stream to see what the available food sources in the stream are.

One of the research groups is trying to find the most effective capture method for crayfish. On Thursday night they have been setting out traps and on Wednesdays they have handpicked and kicknetted at their three sites. This research will be used to support George Merovich’s research on the invasive crayfish in the area.

In honor of Mountain Day here are some of the adventures that Field Station students have been up too. Fishing, hammocking, hiking and sitting around the fire are common after class activities.

HAPPY MOUNTAIN DAY! Mountain Day is Juniata's oldest tradition, in existence in some form since the late 1800s. This year, our focus is on mindfulness. No matte...r how you celebrate, make this one a Mountain Day to remember! Take the day off, take a break to call a Juniata friend, or simply enjoy a leisurely stroll outside. See more

On Friday students took to the lake again for Aquatic Ecology and took plankton samples at the surface. A plankton is defined as something that is not able to swim against the current. They then brought these samples to the lab to look at them under the microscope.

On Monday, students went out with Professor George Merovich for their decomposition lab. They collected the first set of leaf packs to rinse sort and weight. Every 3 weeks they will go out to collect the next set and compare the lake, creek, pond and land sites to see what site had the most decomposition. While sorting out the leaf packs students collected the decomposers they found and sorted them by type. While at the first site students found a marked turtle and took note of the code on his shell.

To study the threatened Allegheny Woodrat students have put out traps with food and trail cams at 3 different sites. The traps being used are rigged not to catch the woodrats but to collect fur samples for future genetic testing. Caught on these cameras are some of the visitors to the research sites. On one of the close ups you can see a chip in the woodrats ear she is one of the two females relocated to the area by the Game Commission.

On Friday, students had aquatic ecology. In the afternoon they presented the findings of their mini ecology projects. After this students headed back out for some optional fieldwork with Dr. Loya from Saint Francis University to catch dragonflies and take some pH data at the acid mine drainage pools at Rocky Ridge South Joller treatment system.