friday july 5TH TO SUNDAY JULY 7TH 2019
Frogs and salamanders may be familiar creatures, but their aquatic larval stages certainly are not. Spend a weekend learning how to identify these animals and exploring the fascinating diversity of Algonquin Park's amphibians--at all stages of their development. This workshop is geared for anyone, including those with a general interest in amphibians, amateur naturalists, and professional biologists and consultants.
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$350 per participant
FRIDAY:
- Dinner (5:30 p.m.)
- Introduction to Algonquin Amphibians and Metamorphosis by Peter (8 p.m.)
- Breakfast (8 a.m.)
- Vernal Pool Outing
- Dip-netting for frog and salamander larvae in small woodland pool temporarily filled by rain and meltwater
- Target species: Spotted Salamander (Ambystoma maculatum), Blue-spotted Salamander (Ambystoma laterale), American Toad (Anaxyrus americanus), Spring Peeper (Pseudacris crucifer), Gray Treefrog (Hyla versicolor), and Wood Frog (Lithobates sylvaticus)
- Excellent opportunity to observe invertebrates that amphibian larvae feed on, and in turn get eaten by
- Lunch (12 p.m.)
- Canoe outing to Broadwing Lake
- Short paddle and walk to scenic forest lake; dip-netting for frog larvae
- Target species: Eastern Newt (Notophthalmus viridescens), Mink Frog (Lithobates septentrionalis), Green Frog (Lithobates clamitans), American Bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus)
- Return to AWRS grounds
- Search mouldering logs in hardwood forest for nests of Eastern Red-backed Salamander (Plethodon cinereus)
- Short presentation on "Unisexual" Mole Salamanders by Peter
- Use of microscopes to examine anatomy and eggs; optional tadpole dissection
- Dinner (5:30 p.m.)
- Visit to acidic, fishless Bat Lake with researcher Patrick Moldowan
- Why is Bat Lake so unique for local amphibians?
- Presentation by Dr. Thomas Hossie
- How do predators influence the behaviour and body shapes of developing amphibians?
- Optional night walk
- Breakfast (8 a.m.)
- Trip to woodland stream
- Dip-netting in small, shady, stone-bottomed brook
- Target species: Northern Two-lined Salamander (Eurycea bislineata, our only stream-breeding amphibian)
- Lunch (12:30 p.m.)
- Concluding remarks, and end of workshop
ACCOMMODATION
The workshop is held at the Algonquin Wildlife Research Station (AWRS). The Mew Lake campground, which can be easily found on Google Maps, is just south of HWY 60 while the wildlife station road heads north immediately opposite the campground road.
The AWRS is a rustic facility located on the shores of Lake Sasajewun. Since its inception in 1944, this facility has provided logistical support for scientists as they undertake various research projects within Algonquin Park.
Sleep accommodation is in wooden cabins on vinyl mattresses. You are required to bring a sleeping bag and pillow, and can count on sharing a cabin with at least one other same-sex participant. The station has a centralized basic washroom facility with running water and showers. Meals are provided at the cookhouse three times per day where workshop participants eat and socialize among other AWRS researchers and staff. Station food and accommodation is guaranteed to be functional, professional, punctual, and satisfactory, though this facility is not geared toward culinary or hospitality delights. Nestled in to the magnificent Algonquin landscape, the AWRS serves as a platform for people who intend to spend most of their time out of doors.
The workshop is held at the Algonquin Wildlife Research Station (AWRS). The Mew Lake campground, which can be easily found on Google Maps, is just south of HWY 60 while the wildlife station road heads north immediately opposite the campground road.
The AWRS is a rustic facility located on the shores of Lake Sasajewun. Since its inception in 1944, this facility has provided logistical support for scientists as they undertake various research projects within Algonquin Park.
Sleep accommodation is in wooden cabins on vinyl mattresses. You are required to bring a sleeping bag and pillow, and can count on sharing a cabin with at least one other same-sex participant. The station has a centralized basic washroom facility with running water and showers. Meals are provided at the cookhouse three times per day where workshop participants eat and socialize among other AWRS researchers and staff. Station food and accommodation is guaranteed to be functional, professional, punctual, and satisfactory, though this facility is not geared toward culinary or hospitality delights. Nestled in to the magnificent Algonquin landscape, the AWRS serves as a platform for people who intend to spend most of their time out of doors.
GEAR
All participants will be given a complementary copy of METAMORPHOSIS, and no prior knowledge of amphibians is needed for this workshop. Broadly speaking, participants should come with attire that will be functional in an outdoor setting, which could include walking along forest paths, through waist-high vegetation, and at the muddy margins of wetlands in either rain or shine.
Your Feet
Footwear is particularly important to consider, and I recommend bringing two pairs. One pair will serve as a field shoe that you are willing to get dirty and wet, and preferably even be willing to wade in. I use an old pair of sneakers for this, or shin-high rubber boots that I am willing to flood at times. Flooding the boot is harmless, and a flooded boot remains practical since it serves as tough and protective. Nothing else better optimizes durability, easiness to clean, and quickness to dry. I use the cheap and generic pair from Walmart or Canadian Tire. Your second pair of footwear could be saved for drier adventures, and for wearing around the station.
Biting Flies
Participants need to have a plan for biting flies. The Algonquin landscape is truly wonderful, but from late May through July these flies can be very aggravating. Have pants and long-sleeved clothes to solve this, along with a hat. Shirts with hoods are useful for keeping bugs off your neck. I would recommend having bug spray as well, and will add that I would not count on anything being effective unless it contains DEET. Because these sprays are known to be harmful to thin-skinned amphibians, I provide latex surgical gloves which insects cannot bite through. This prevents bites on your hands without having to compromise the health of an amphibian while handling it. If you have not experienced mid-summer biting insects and are feeling unsure how to proceed, I recommend purchasing a screen jacket designed to offer total protection (e.g. here). Despite the potentially serious annoyance these insects can pose, a well-prepared naturalist need not be bothered.
In over a decade of wandering in this area I have never picked up a tick.
Dip Nets
Participants will want a dip net since the main aim of the weekend is to observe aquatic larval amphibians. Dip nets are mesh bags with long handles that can be swept through the water to capture tiny organisms. If you have your own, please bring it. Assess if it will be satisfactory by imagining lifting it up and out of a wetland with a few pounds of mud in it. Many readily available nets are too cheap to withstand basic use and will quickly turn out to be a disappointment (avoid toyish nets with bamboo handles). A useful net will have finely-woven mesh (a fishing net is too coarse for amphibian larvae) and a handle of similar length and girth to a broom handle.
Odds and Ends
Lastly, I would recommend a flashlight or head lamp for any night excursions, but also navigating the station's grounds at night. Each participant should bring some sort of clear plastic container to temporarily house and observe amphibian larvae. These should be more or less one litre, have a large open top (no water bottles), and angular edges (larvae inevitably end up in corners, and rounded edges will frustratingly distort their image). Some may wish to bring/buy a small magnifying glass or hand lens (e.g. here). These can be fun tools to observe small larvae or their anatomical structures in detail, though are not necessary.
All participants will be given a complementary copy of METAMORPHOSIS, and no prior knowledge of amphibians is needed for this workshop. Broadly speaking, participants should come with attire that will be functional in an outdoor setting, which could include walking along forest paths, through waist-high vegetation, and at the muddy margins of wetlands in either rain or shine.
Your Feet
Footwear is particularly important to consider, and I recommend bringing two pairs. One pair will serve as a field shoe that you are willing to get dirty and wet, and preferably even be willing to wade in. I use an old pair of sneakers for this, or shin-high rubber boots that I am willing to flood at times. Flooding the boot is harmless, and a flooded boot remains practical since it serves as tough and protective. Nothing else better optimizes durability, easiness to clean, and quickness to dry. I use the cheap and generic pair from Walmart or Canadian Tire. Your second pair of footwear could be saved for drier adventures, and for wearing around the station.
Biting Flies
Participants need to have a plan for biting flies. The Algonquin landscape is truly wonderful, but from late May through July these flies can be very aggravating. Have pants and long-sleeved clothes to solve this, along with a hat. Shirts with hoods are useful for keeping bugs off your neck. I would recommend having bug spray as well, and will add that I would not count on anything being effective unless it contains DEET. Because these sprays are known to be harmful to thin-skinned amphibians, I provide latex surgical gloves which insects cannot bite through. This prevents bites on your hands without having to compromise the health of an amphibian while handling it. If you have not experienced mid-summer biting insects and are feeling unsure how to proceed, I recommend purchasing a screen jacket designed to offer total protection (e.g. here). Despite the potentially serious annoyance these insects can pose, a well-prepared naturalist need not be bothered.
In over a decade of wandering in this area I have never picked up a tick.
Dip Nets
Participants will want a dip net since the main aim of the weekend is to observe aquatic larval amphibians. Dip nets are mesh bags with long handles that can be swept through the water to capture tiny organisms. If you have your own, please bring it. Assess if it will be satisfactory by imagining lifting it up and out of a wetland with a few pounds of mud in it. Many readily available nets are too cheap to withstand basic use and will quickly turn out to be a disappointment (avoid toyish nets with bamboo handles). A useful net will have finely-woven mesh (a fishing net is too coarse for amphibian larvae) and a handle of similar length and girth to a broom handle.
Odds and Ends
Lastly, I would recommend a flashlight or head lamp for any night excursions, but also navigating the station's grounds at night. Each participant should bring some sort of clear plastic container to temporarily house and observe amphibian larvae. These should be more or less one litre, have a large open top (no water bottles), and angular edges (larvae inevitably end up in corners, and rounded edges will frustratingly distort their image). Some may wish to bring/buy a small magnifying glass or hand lens (e.g. here). These can be fun tools to observe small larvae or their anatomical structures in detail, though are not necessary.
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FOOD
As mentioned above, meals are covered in your workshop expenses. Station food is basic, tasty, and nourishing. Stations cooks prepare a particular dish for each meal; there are no menus. Participants should bring their own snacking food for while in the field.
HEALTH
The workshop is recommended to anyone in reasonably good physical shape. We will not be doing any arduous hikes, though we will undertake a walks up to a few kilometres long on forest paths. The plan is also to do at least one very short canoe foray. Please bring all appropriate medications. There is no defibrillator at the AWRS. The nearest hospital is either in Huntsville (to the west) or Barry's Bay (to the east). I would like to be aware of any pertinent health issues you may have, though your safety is your own responsibility.
As mentioned above, meals are covered in your workshop expenses. Station food is basic, tasty, and nourishing. Stations cooks prepare a particular dish for each meal; there are no menus. Participants should bring their own snacking food for while in the field.
HEALTH
The workshop is recommended to anyone in reasonably good physical shape. We will not be doing any arduous hikes, though we will undertake a walks up to a few kilometres long on forest paths. The plan is also to do at least one very short canoe foray. Please bring all appropriate medications. There is no defibrillator at the AWRS. The nearest hospital is either in Huntsville (to the west) or Barry's Bay (to the east). I would like to be aware of any pertinent health issues you may have, though your safety is your own responsibility.
ABOUT ME
I worked as a naturalist in Algonquin Park's education department since 2008. I know the area intimately from having spent so much time living and working in this landscape. I hold a B.Ed. from Nipissing University and a M.Sc. in Biology from Trent University. My Master's work focused on a bizarre group of all-female salamanders, some of which are listed as Endangered in Canada. In the spring of 2016 I released "METAMORPHOSIS: Ontario's Amphibians at all Stages of Development". My intent in writing and illustrating this book was to reveal the hidden and unfamiliar lives our frogs and salamanders live underwater as larvae.
I worked as a naturalist in Algonquin Park's education department since 2008. I know the area intimately from having spent so much time living and working in this landscape. I hold a B.Ed. from Nipissing University and a M.Sc. in Biology from Trent University. My Master's work focused on a bizarre group of all-female salamanders, some of which are listed as Endangered in Canada. In the spring of 2016 I released "METAMORPHOSIS: Ontario's Amphibians at all Stages of Development". My intent in writing and illustrating this book was to reveal the hidden and unfamiliar lives our frogs and salamanders live underwater as larvae.
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HOW TO REGISTER
If you wish to participate, please send me an email (see Contact page). Please copy and paste the following list and provide answers. Shortly after you reach out I will confirm your place in the workshop by collecting 50% of the registration fee ($175). I prefer to send an invoice to your inbox that you will find payable by any major credit card. If you do not like this payment method please inquire—there are other options available.
This workshop needs a minimum of 8 participants for it to run. The maximum is 14 participants. The remaining 50% of the registration fee is due June 1st. Please see below for more detail on the payment timeline and the cancellation policy.
EMAIL ME WITH:
Name:
Coming from:
Dietary restrictions:
Do you own a good dip net (durable bag, broom-length handle)?
Do you own an Ontario Parks vehicle pass?
Are you coming alone or with others you would like to share cabins with?
Have you been to Algonquin Park before?
If you wish to participate, please send me an email (see Contact page). Please copy and paste the following list and provide answers. Shortly after you reach out I will confirm your place in the workshop by collecting 50% of the registration fee ($175). I prefer to send an invoice to your inbox that you will find payable by any major credit card. If you do not like this payment method please inquire—there are other options available.
This workshop needs a minimum of 8 participants for it to run. The maximum is 14 participants. The remaining 50% of the registration fee is due June 1st. Please see below for more detail on the payment timeline and the cancellation policy.
EMAIL ME WITH:
Name:
Coming from:
Dietary restrictions:
Do you own a good dip net (durable bag, broom-length handle)?
Do you own an Ontario Parks vehicle pass?
Are you coming alone or with others you would like to share cabins with?
Have you been to Algonquin Park before?
Payment Timeline and Cancellation Policy
