One gem from the archives

There's a few stories that will survive the test of time from my job. This one goes back to when I first started working after getting my masters degree. I was working on a huge pipeline relocation job that went through Staten Island and several lovely NJ cities. I got to be inside the scary post-modern nuclear holocast land of blue flame smokestacks that's visible from the turnpike. But the best story for that project comes from Staten Island. The night before our field visit I had seen on the news that someone had been attacked by a dog on the beach of either Staten Island or Queens. We get to our pipeline easement that's pretty much surrounded by chop shops and burnt out crack looking houses. The woods and surrounding fields are a mess with garbage and garbage vegetation. Our mission was to delineate the wetland boundary along the easement so that they can get the permits to replace the pipeline.

We pause to look at the easement and I see a large german shepard on the easement looking right at us in our truck. I don't think my coworker saw the dog. The dog is obviously not on a leash and not the friendly variety. I reluctantly get out of the truck and grab my trusty soil auger. At least I have some sort of weapon to defend myself. We spot some recent dog tracks so at least I have proof that there was a dog there. We work our way down to the shoreline without incident. The shore is also a complete mess. It's covered in old staked railroad ties so it's a challenge to walk. Of couse, there's a ton of floatable garbage to make it more interesting. Then I spot a machete lying on the shore. It's a bit rusty but that doesn't stop me. Once I had it in my hands, I was really to go Xena on that dog if it ever tried to attack. I'm sure this machete has many stories to tell...probably a whole lot of real bad ones...but I had my dad sharpen it and I still have it in my field supplies. I've only used it once....actually the intern used it since I don't have the upper body strength to really be able to use it. But it saved the day that time.

Eggs!

We went back to the control site on Monday after the big rains and found salamander eggs. Everything was super flooded and I was really restricted to a few feet from the edge of the pond...thanks to my knee boots. Those people with hip waders could really go in. We didn't find a large amount of eggs but the action may still be going on. We looked under a few good logs and didn't find any adult salamanders, so they may still be getting some action in the pond. Hopefully no one squished any salamanders while walking around the pond. That's the type of stuff I don't like to think about.

Let the games begin

Spring has sprung in the salamander and frog world. Frog eggs have already been spotted in central NJ. So that marked the beginning of the fun time of year at work. Friday we went out looking for a rare salamander. They travel from the woods down to ponds to lay their eggs. We went to what's known as a "control site" where there's a known population of this rare salamander. There were no eggs in the pond yet and we had searched under logs around the pond with no success. We were about to give up and it was really raining at this point. I just wasn't ready to leave and give up when I said that we should walk to the next pond just for comparison (and to make sure we were at the correct pond...which I had a 90% confidence). On the way there, we stopped by a larger log aka an actual fallen tree, when we found one hiding out beneath it. The salamanders are still enroute to the pond and are taken cover under logs in the surrounding woods. So we were excited and scoured under more logs and found three more. I'd like to think I had a hand in finding at least two since I grabbed the first one under a log that I liked the looks of. The second one was found under a log I liked but couldn't lift. So I had two guys come help me. It became like potato chips. You said just one more log and then we can go....but that went on for awhile. Unfortunately the best logs are ones I really can't move so that limits my luck in finding them.

It's pouring now and during the night that's when the action will really be on. So I may go out to the road that goes through my local wetland to see what sort of action is going on. I remember way back in the day driving through the Great Swamp where there would just be thousands of frogs jumping around on the road. I'd love to see that spectacle again.

Goodbye winter?

I was out all day in the field. It was a delightfully warm day but overall quite boring. So boring that I won't even bother showing any pics taken today.

But on saturday after the sheep visit, we got hit by a few snow squalls. I experienced for the first time the same smell that comes after the first rain. It must be a combo of wet pavement and all the pollutants being pulled out of the air. It was quite warm so there was no way the snow was going to stick. But it was enough to freak out my elderly neighbors who thought it was a snow storm coming.

This recent squall reminded me of a time a few years back that must have been in late March. Frog and salamander eggs were already out, but it was snowing like there was no tomorrow. We were unprepared so we didn't have winter jackets. It was freezing and practically a white-out, but we had to check for frog and salamander eggs in these ponds. The snow was sticking too. I'd say there was at least an inch on the ground. Then after an hour of this it finally stopped and got real warm. By the time we left, there was no snow left.

I put my snow shovel back in the basement. That's the cue for a blizzard.

Sheep can jump

I was getting back from harvesting some firewood at my parents place. On my way back, I was drove past the bagel eating sheep and saw that three sheep had escaped. The three escapees were in road or right next to it. Two were eating grass in someone's lawn and the third was eating the deliciousness of salt and dirt covered leaves, twigs, and road debris along the road edge. Apparently not the brightest or more discerning of the three. I stopped my car and tried to find the hole in the fence. All I found was a slightly bent over section of fence that they must have jumped or walked over. They must be rams, because there was a bit of competition between two of them and I really don't see how ewes with lambs would jump a fence that the lambs would not be able to. I was debating whether to stop by the house to let the people know about the sheep, but it didn't look like anyone was home. Besides I think their neighbors must be used to this sort of antics and can maybe even herd the sheep back in.
The rest of the herd was hanging out in the corner and baaing a bunch.

Please stand by

We're in the latter half of winter and starting to feel its stir crazy effects in the office. I haven't been out in the field in weeks. Field work is slow so everyone is mostly in the office. Sickness also abounds in the office, but I've successfully avoided it so far. You know it's boring in the office when a simple thing like a uncommon swan sighting becomes the excitement. We all started making random bird and frog calls to see who's is the best and to test our identification skills.

Finally a snow day!

Finally some actual snow has fallen! It's been almost two years. Last year we got a few sleet/freezing rain days and a few inches of snow this year. I have a big project due today, which had to be driven to Trenton...not by me thankfully. I reasoned that I can't lift the numerous boxes of materials nor was either of my vehicles suitable for a long snowy drive. We had prepared as much as we could yesterday and I reluctantly walked out to my snow covered car this morning. There was about three fluffy inches that I had to brush off and then I started off. By the time I hit the real road, I already saw one car driving erratically with its hazards on. Not a good sign even if it was a real wheel drive car. So after passing this scary car, I pulled over and called work. Do they really need me to help finish up the project or can I work for home today? They said I was not really needed so back home I went. Woohoo. So I've been working from home while catching up on my stories. Funny how some soaps just never change. Patch and Kalya are back on Days of our Lives. I guess once you are on a soap, it's next to impossible to really leave.