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.
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Friday, September 28, 2012
On the Island Again - Post 15
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.
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.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
A Return to the Island - Post 14
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!
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!
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Saturday Recap - Post 13
This one should be pretty short! Saturday, we got up, had our last brekkers on the Island and headed down to the classroom. We cleaned up the tables and work areas, organized the gear and put it away. Those who had borrowed rods / reels & tackle returned said items.
Once the room was looking presentable, we did our SEI's (yes - THE Ohio State University makes you do them, EVEN on the Island...), asked any final questions then began the exam.
Our exam was broken into a practical and written section. For the practical - we had to submit examples of our harnesses and rigs so that Prof. Snyder could see that we learned how to tie our knots correctly. The 2nd part of the practical was looking at slides and answering questions like: "what is this fish", "how do you catch this type of fish", "what is this item and how is it used in fishing", and similar questions. As soon as we were all done with that - we began our written exam. This asked questions on material we learned during the week - fish migration patterns, information about navigational tools, sonar, equipment, diseases fish in the Lake may be subject to, Lake Erie ecology, and the like.
Following the exam - we turned in our keys, grabbed our gear, and caught the water taxi to the docks on S. Bass Island where I hopped the Jet Express bound for Sandusky and headed home!
That was the last day on the Island!
I'll make one more post in a day or two with final reflections on the experience as a whole. Until then...
Once the room was looking presentable, we did our SEI's (yes - THE Ohio State University makes you do them, EVEN on the Island...), asked any final questions then began the exam.
Our exam was broken into a practical and written section. For the practical - we had to submit examples of our harnesses and rigs so that Prof. Snyder could see that we learned how to tie our knots correctly. The 2nd part of the practical was looking at slides and answering questions like: "what is this fish", "how do you catch this type of fish", "what is this item and how is it used in fishing", and similar questions. As soon as we were all done with that - we began our written exam. This asked questions on material we learned during the week - fish migration patterns, information about navigational tools, sonar, equipment, diseases fish in the Lake may be subject to, Lake Erie ecology, and the like.
Following the exam - we turned in our keys, grabbed our gear, and caught the water taxi to the docks on S. Bass Island where I hopped the Jet Express bound for Sandusky and headed home!
That was the last day on the Island!
I'll make one more post in a day or two with final reflections on the experience as a whole. Until then...
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Fri Recap - Post 12
Friday was our big day out, Trolling the open waters of Lake Erie for Walleye. Unfortunately, we got a late start on the day because of a storm that rolled in during the wee hours of the morning and we had to wait for the lightning to stop. Sooo... as 11:00a rolls around we board the boats with our guides - Tournament Pros from the Western Basin Sportfishing Association - and head out.
Unlike our usual boat, the Gibralter III, these were small, fast, low to the water fishing boats. Needless to say, as it was windy and the storm was dying down, it was a little rougher ride than usual!
We trolled 3 or 4 locations using Dipsey Divers, Rocket Divers, Spoons, Trolling Harnesses & worms. As with the rest of the trip, the fishing was a little slow. We caught a number of Sheepshead (again...), Mike and I both caught a Walleye each, and towards the end of the day, we each got a Catfish or two. The Walleyes and one of the White Bass were all we kept.
I guess one of the other boats did not catch any Walleye, and another caught 3. One guy kept his Catfish. So, it wasn't too bad out there!!! Our pros showed us how to filet the fish, and obviously - it's something they've done before... Make a deep cut behind the pectoral fin, turn the knife towards the tail, drag it along the spine almost to the tail, turn the knife around, go along the skin back to your original cut, lay the filet down & cut out the ribs, then freeze it up!
It was a good day on the Lake - tossing a line, kicking back, and getting credit for it!
I personally would like to thank our guides for this trip and extend the gratitude of the class to the anglers from the Western Basin Sportfishing Association - thanks for a great day guys!!!
Unlike our usual boat, the Gibralter III, these were small, fast, low to the water fishing boats. Needless to say, as it was windy and the storm was dying down, it was a little rougher ride than usual!
We trolled 3 or 4 locations using Dipsey Divers, Rocket Divers, Spoons, Trolling Harnesses & worms. As with the rest of the trip, the fishing was a little slow. We caught a number of Sheepshead (again...), Mike and I both caught a Walleye each, and towards the end of the day, we each got a Catfish or two. The Walleyes and one of the White Bass were all we kept.
I guess one of the other boats did not catch any Walleye, and another caught 3. One guy kept his Catfish. So, it wasn't too bad out there!!! Our pros showed us how to filet the fish, and obviously - it's something they've done before... Make a deep cut behind the pectoral fin, turn the knife towards the tail, drag it along the spine almost to the tail, turn the knife around, go along the skin back to your original cut, lay the filet down & cut out the ribs, then freeze it up!
It was a good day on the Lake - tossing a line, kicking back, and getting credit for it!
I personally would like to thank our guides for this trip and extend the gratitude of the class to the anglers from the Western Basin Sportfishing Association - thanks for a great day guys!!!
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Quick Update - Post 11
Well - I'm back in Columbus and exhausted. I will try to post in the next day or two about the trolling trip on Friday, the last day on the Island, and my final appraisal of the week @ Stone Lab :-/
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Thurs Recap - Post 10
Perch fishing in Lake Erie. We started out not too far from S. Bass Isl. and had some moderate success, but the fishies were small. We moved to a few other places but met w/ limited success in each of those, before finally returning to our starting point.
I reeled in an 11" Yellow Perch (tied for the boat leader board w/ one of my classmates), another one I didn't measure since it was only in the 6-8" range... We started throwing the little ones back, since we were getting so many of them...
Most of the guys were catching more Sheepsheads - and promptly tossing them back. And a few White Bass were also hauled aboard.
This was also my first experience w/ keeping a fish I caught and cleaning them. I tried out a couple of techniques and have 2 fillets and 2 basically whole fish that were just beheaded and cleaned... I guess you snap out the spine and rip out all the rib bones once you cook them...
Friends are pouring in suggestions as to cooking instructions. We'll see how that goes.
Today was also our last set of lectures. Tomorrow we will be out Trolling for Walleye w/ some tournament pros. Should be a good learning experience and a chance to do something I doubt I would otherwise have an opportunity to pursue.
I reeled in an 11" Yellow Perch (tied for the boat leader board w/ one of my classmates), another one I didn't measure since it was only in the 6-8" range... We started throwing the little ones back, since we were getting so many of them...
Most of the guys were catching more Sheepsheads - and promptly tossing them back. And a few White Bass were also hauled aboard.
This was also my first experience w/ keeping a fish I caught and cleaning them. I tried out a couple of techniques and have 2 fillets and 2 basically whole fish that were just beheaded and cleaned... I guess you snap out the spine and rip out all the rib bones once you cook them...
Friends are pouring in suggestions as to cooking instructions. We'll see how that goes.
Today was also our last set of lectures. Tomorrow we will be out Trolling for Walleye w/ some tournament pros. Should be a good learning experience and a chance to do something I doubt I would otherwise have an opportunity to pursue.
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