Joy Fork Bridge Survey Postponed

Plans to replace a submarine bridge crossing Joy Fork on GoshenTWP road 197 have been delayed due to winter weather.  The Captina watershed region recorded its largest single accumulation so far this season overnight as 5-6" of light powdery snow blanketed the area.  Submarine bridges are concrete structures that span across larger streams just above normal pool elevation to allow traffic to pass.  They have built-in culverts on their undersides that, depending on the change of elevation across the span of the bridge, can serve as a barrier in the stream.  An advantage to this design is that in times of mild to moderate flooding the bridge can be completely submerged without damage. 

The Joy Fork bridge was scheduled to be surveyed by a private contractor and is being replaced by recommendation of the OEPA with assistance from US Fish and Wildlife service.  Joy Fork is a pristine side tributary to larger Bend Fork which drains areas south and east of Belmont and Bethesda, west of Centerville and Armstrongs Mills and east of Hunter and the OVCC facility.  Specifically, Joy Fork runs just west of the Dysart Woods preserve along TWP road 197 southward to the confluence with Bend Fork in what is known locally as the "Seven Creeks" area.  It meets exceptional warmwater habitat (EWH) for macroinvertebrate diversity, but not for fish diversity.  EPA biologists have observed the bridge acting as a fish barrier to species seeking occupation of habitat further upstream and believe removing the barrier will elevate the ranking of Joy Fork to EWH for fish diversity.  Project officials hope to have the bridge replaced by this summer.  Watch for updates and photos in the near future.   

Winter Slowly Progressing

The beginning of this winter season has been defined by persistent stretches of below average temperatures and snowfall.  Although it has been colder than normal, temperatures have not approached record lows and only have been in the single digits a couple of nights.  After a brief warmup today temperatures are going back below normal for the remainder of the week.  Wood frog (Rana sylvatica) emergence is only a little over a month away with Ambystoma salamanders arriving at pools with the first warmer rains of February.

Casey Run Logging

Those of you who drive SR 148 between Armstrongs Mills and Barnesville have probably noticed the recent timber harvest occurring at the mouth of Casey Run in extreme west-central Washington Township.  Officials from Murray Energy have commented the trees are being removed to install a utility right-of-way for the mine.  Though the right-of-way was clear-cut next to the stream, timber harvesting equipment appeared to stay out of the streambed.  A thin strip of riparian cover was also left intact on the west side of the streambank which is important to stream health because it will help regulate water temperatures in warmer months and reduce sedimentation by stabilizing the streambank. 

Striped Pipsissewa

Striped Pipsissewa (Chimaphila maculata), commonly known as striped or spotted wintergreen, is one of the less frequently encountered wildflowers in the Captina watershed region but is easy to spot this time of year as long as snow depths aren't too great.  Although both share the same common name, striped wintergreen is not the same as true wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens) found further south in the Carolinas.  Striped wintergreen is an evergreen perennial that prefers shady well-drained acidic, upland soils.  The most likely habitat in the Captina region to find striped wintergreen is near stands of white pine or eastern hemlock that are mixed with oak and growing on upland rocky slopes.  In the spring the plant will develop white flowers atop a 4-6" stalk.



This bunch of spotted wintergreen was found growing under a
dense stand of oak and hemlock in Sunsbury TWP, Monroe
County - note the lack of ambient light as the camera's flash had to be
used.  The plants are 4-6" in height having thicker, waxy leaves with
serrated margins.  A stem from the previous season's flowering
is still present in part on the left-most stalk.  These plants
really stand out against a snow-covered background.

     

Cold Trend Continues

Today marks the 16th day in a row that temperatures have failed to reach the freezing mark in eastern Ohio.  Though temperatures have been below average for much of the month, snowfall has been on the light side with the greatest twenty-four hour accumulation being less than 2 inches.  A warm-up is forecast for later this week that should break the freezing streak.  Those wishing for big snowstorms should not give up hope as most heavy snows on record in Belmont County historically have occurred January through March with the exception being the thanksgiving storm of 1950.  Posted below are some interesting pictures of ice crystals taken after last February's heavy snow event.

Ice needles collect on top of a frozen vernal pool.

Rime ice attached to tree branches.  Rime ice forms
when super cooled water droplets (usually from fog)
collect on frozen surfaces.  The resulting crystals
take on a jagged appearance. 

A closer view of the rime ice crystals.

Surviving the Freeze

Extended stretches of subfreezing temperatures can be challenging for animals who live in temperate climate zones.  For some animals avoiding this problem is simple - migrate to a warmer location (birds), burrow beneath the freeze line (some snakes, mole salamanders), take up residence in a deep body of water that won't freeze completely (fish, turtles, some salamanders) or hibernate in a secluded den like a rock cavern or hollow log (bear, small mammals, terrestrial arthopods).  What about animals in which none of the above choices are possible?  Are they cruelly left to fend for themselves in the icy depths of winter with nowhere to go?  Well, yes.

Certain species of frogs and caterpillars have a unique way of dealing with winter's frigid conditions - they simply freeze, or so it may seem.  Gray treefrogs, wood frogs and chorus frogs have highly elevated levels of glucose in their bloodstreams that acts as a cryoprotectant in subfreezing temperatures.  These frogs will take up residence under loose pieces of bark, rocks and leaf litter where they remain the entire winter - sometimes frozen solid.   Higher concentrations of blood glucose enables them to survive by limiting ice formation in their tissues, as long as the duration and severity of cold conditions are not too extensive.  Amazingly these organisms are able to respire anaerobically in a frozen state allowing them to make limited amounts of energy in the absence of bodily function. To see a picture of a frozen wood frog and gray treefrog click here. 

Cryoprotectants not only allow these frogs to survive winter conditions, but also give them an advantage when it comes to breeding strategy.  It's not surprising that the first frogs to breed in late winter and early spring are those with highest amounts of cryoprotectant in their bodies - wood frogs followed by spring peepers followed by the rest of the chorus frogs.  Depending on the weather, wood frogs will breed in vernal pools with ice still on their edge at a time where few predators are prowling about.  By being able to tolerate colder temperatures, wood frogs and chorus frogs have the advantage of arriving at vernal pools in large numbers without having to worry about mass predation from snakes and other warm-weather pool inhabitants. 

*Side Note:  Though we just passed the winter solstice and are in the midst of a multi-week cold snap, amphibian breeding season is not far away.  I've seen wood frogs in pools as early as February 22nd in one of the warm winters of the early 1990's.   

Backyard Birding

Ok so maybe resurrecting the embattled American Chestnut isn't your thing.  Here's another way you can become involved with nature through your own backyard.  The Ornithology Lab at Cornell University sponsors a backyard bird monitoring program designed to track migratory numbers of bird species across North America.  Anyone can participate and contribute data to their records.  Click on the link below to read more.

Project Feeder Watch 

Cornell also has an amazingly detailed online bird ID website as well.

All About Birds

I spent some time trying to decide if this Bluejay was
serving as a feast for a Cooper's hawk (Accipiter cooperi)
or sharp shinned hawk (Accipiter striatus).  Based on this
 perspective I'm going with Cooper's.  If anyone feels I'm in
error, feel free to comment and correct me.  Thanks to Len
Smith for the photo.