I won't put a ton here today - just a few photos and a brief description.
View from the top of South Bass Island Lighthouse looking NW towards Green Island.
An old-time tractor by the sunflower field adjacent to the South Bass Island Lighthouse property where we went Monarch Butterfly tagging.
Our group leader (and Stone Lab FT/Seasonal Employee) Jackie pointing out features on the first Monarch we netted (I managed to net her after a couple of missed attempts) and preparing to tag her.
In case you were curious how, exactly, one tags a butterfly - here it is. A super adhesive little sticker is placed on the underside of a wing in the place that looks like a little mitten (it's covered by the sticker). The tag has a phone number and ID# that individuals can call should they find the tagged butterfly to allow for tracking of their migration patterns and success rates.
Since the view inside the tower of the Lighthouse isn't terribly exciting with the Fresnel lens removed - I took a quick parting shot of the ladder-esque (trust me, that set is steep) final segment of steps that the keeper had to climb regularly to check the oil on lamp and keep it clean.
By our powers combined - Katie and I did this porch. We repainted the porch, steps leading up to it and a ribbon of cement running all the way around said porch.
Of course there's a few more photos of the trip, some from inside the Keeper's Residence, more from on top of the tower and other assorted randomness from the Island Hop Weekend - but, I think this should be a decent little thumbnail sketch of the highlights of the weekend.
An early morning after roaming around Gibraltar Island until about 0200 means that I'm actually tired as I sit in the lab to write this.
After breakfast we were divvied up into groups and put on boats to leave the Island (or stay on the Island - dependent on one's work assignment). After making it over to South Bass we split up again and my group went down south to the Lighthouse. Having visited a couple of years ago, I was excited for the opportunity to finally get inside and see what it was like.
We quickly walked through the lower level before heading up the tower. Roughly 60' up, the view was pretty solid and we could easily see Green Island and the Mainland. Unfortunately, since the USCG put in the automated light adjacent to the Lighthouse the tower was stripped of its Fourth-order Fresnel and lay bare inside. (I'll post some photos when I make it back home tomorrow or Monday.)
After taking in the sights, we divided up again - Rich and Ed took the porch by the Tower, while I joined Katie on the porch off the kitchen. Things went pretty quick on the porch, so we painted the stairs and a stretch of concrete all the way around the porch before stopping to enjoy our packed lunches.
Renewed from onboarding some calories, we found the 1st coat of paint dry and hit it with a 2nd before moving to help Rich & Ed on their porch.
Then, it was time...
BUTTERFLY TAGGING!
As it turns out, the tranq guns were overkill (who would have guessed?).
Kidding aside, this is nearing the tail end of the Monarch migration - so, we didn't catch that many. The idea is pretty simple: you see a Monarch flying and capture it with the net then twist it off so the butterfly can't escape. Then you hold the net up and the butterfly will try to fly upwards - whereupon you reach in and trap the little critter holding its wings shut and pull it out to examine it.
There's a log sheet to be filled out with date, location, sex, wild/captive-bred and tag number. The tags are simple weather resistant paper dots (with a website, ID number and phone number on it for individuals to call when they find one) that affix to the underside of the wing with a super adhesive ummm... adhesive.
Once we finished making the rounds and were certain there were no more rogue butterflies to capture and tag - we returned to the Lighthouse to gather up our equipment, clean the area up and head on back.
A mental note was made to stop by the PIB Brewing Company.
On our return to Gibraltar, there was just barely time enough to hit a shower and run over to the Wine & Cheese event - where I randomly ran into one of my Comm professors...
Over to the stairs for group photos, back up to the dining hall for dinner (perch or veggie lasagna - and the aforementioned salad bar was back!). After dinner, Matt filled us in on all the renovations over the past year and turned us loose to do as we will.
I headed over to South Bass to try out the Brewing Co. (Pumpkin & Octoberfest are both pretty decent brews) while reading a bit. From there, I walked through the village in an attempt to find a coffee shop / place for dessert - a thoroughly fruitless endeavor. To interject briefly - I don't care for PIB - I find the whole scene to be very... Sad. Especially if you're looking to do anything other than go to a bar.
And now - I'm enjoying the solitude of the computer lab and contemplating how late I can sleep in without missing any part of brekkers...
We have a "Tweets & Treats" activity planned for the morning after brekkers - A walk around Gibraltar to identify birds and edible plants. Should be fun. Then back to S. Bass to the ferry to the mainland to the road that will eventually lead home.
Well - we've arrived, been checked in, assigned rooms and briefed following our pizza dinner. Beverages including wine and beer were provided for the occasion. In particular - there were some local beverages including Great Lakes (Cleveland), The Brew Kettle (Strongsville), Heineman's (Put In Bay) and Mon Ami (Port Clinton).
It's nice to be back here - there's been a lot of changes over the past 3 years & I'm looking forward to seeing more of them during the light of day tomorrow.
As far as work assignments go - I wasn't able to get my first pick of planting trees in the Swamp on Middle Bass Island. However, I did get my 2nd choice of working on South Bass Island Lighthouse (and potentially tagging some Monarch Butterflies - I have no idea how that's supposed to work...).
For those who know me personally, you know that I've long had an interest in the history of lighthouses and took a research trip for an article I was pitching to visit a number of Lake Erie Lighthouses in the Western Basin a couple of years ago. South Bass Island Lighthouse was one that I visited --- granted, that day didn't go quite according to plan since it was peak season here in PIB. With a bit of luck, this will give me an opportunity to get inside the Lighthouse while working on it and explore it a little better than I was able to back then.
The task at hand doesn't seem too complicated - just painting the front and rear porches. As long as it goes smoothly, it should be a good time.
Tomorrow is a pretty packed schedule and I'm having issues accessing the wireless. So, it looks like I'll only be posting a recap in the evening once I wrap up everything.
On Friday, 28 September 2012, I have the pleasure of returning to The Island for the Buckeye Island Hop - a volunteer work weekend.
In a manner of sorts, this is a continuation of my Sport Fishing trip back in 2009 - since that is the trip that made me an Alumni of Stone Lab. As such, I'm going to return to posting over the next 3 nights and catching my followers up on the goings on up on Gibraltar Island and talk about the benefits of giving back through volunteering.
A .pdf outline of the weekend can be found HERE.
In short - I'll be leaving out of Port Clinton tomorrow evening and making my way to Gibraltar, where they will be serving pizza upon our arrival.
Saturday, we'll wake up, have brekkers, depart for our volunteer activities (where we'll eat a bagged lunch) then return in the early evening for a bit of wine & cheese (hopefully, something from the Lake Erie vineyards) before our lasagna & perch diner. Following dinner, we'll have the opportunity to participate in an activity before doing as we will for the remainder of the evening.
On Sunday - the schedule is very sparse: coffee/bagels followed by a proper breaking-of-the-fast, then on to a science activity prior to our departure. If I have the opportunity, I might take the opportunity to depart a little later from South Bass and run over the Heineman's Winery to pick up some Pink Catawba - an excellent medium-sweet Ohio wine.
And now that the weekend is outlined - all that's left is to go do it!
