On the Beach with Dr. Shabica

Check out this video featuring Dr. Charlie Shabica and his work with students in Wilmette on the beach.

The suckers are in!

Matt Jennings from Trout Unlimited took this video at our ravine on Monday. We are happy to report that they are chilling on their spring break as well.
We are looking forward to you guys seeing the fish!

Tolerance Ranges

Here is some research that Liz has gathered on the tolerance ranges for a healthy, diverse stream ecosystem for students to use as a guide while analyzing your own findings:

Tolerance Ranges Document

Trout on Tape

Dan Kullman from Bitter Jester was on hand yesterday to record the happenings and a few students from Mr Hill's morning Environmental Science class scored a chance to work with Dan on a video of our ravine project!   We are excited to see the results.  If anybody else is interested, get in touch with Dan at dkullman@bitterjester.com

Fish Tagging Update

After we met at the High School, Sean, Matt and Rebecca did a trial run of the FLOY tags on the Rainbow Trout that are to be released this week from a Winnetka school.  We determined that the Rainbow Trout in the Classroom are too small to handle being tagged right now.  Though the Braeside School fish will be a little bigger (about 15 days to go) on April 13th, we don't want to risk losing any due to the tagging process.   This is a good example of the importance of trying out methodology before hand!

Students:  you are helping with protocols for monitoring the movement of our Rainbow Trout.   From your research, what ideas come to mind to continue the effort, now that we have ruled out tagging the fish at this time?  Comment on this post if you have any suggestions!

Keep checking the hpravines blog to learn what we decide!

Mrs. Hill's Environmental Science Students Got to Practice Tagging Fish!

What a remarkable day we had yesterday with our HPHS AP students and the Trout Team including Sean Landsman from the Illinois Natural History Survey, Matt Jennings and Jim Tingey of TU. 

Sean gave us an overview (100,000 years in four slides!) of Great Lakes formation and then launched into the "tasty" part of the presentation:  native, non native and invasive fish species, how they use the lakes, and how scientists such as Sean record their movements in the water.  We learned that monitoring techniques should vary depending on the Research Question being asked.  Some things that fisheries biologists want to know:  how do fish move between harbors; how do fish move to and within spawning habitats, do fish move between different jurisdictions (do they, for example, do they pop over to Canadian waters every now and again?).  Questions like these are important because they inform management practices and also can drive funding for restoration projects! 

Speaking of restoration, Jim and Matt told the students about the Trout in the Classroom program which is going on over at Braeside School.  The fourth grade has been raising baby trout from eggs which are going to be released at Ravine Drive on April 13.  We are looking for a way to track the fish--our Research Question being:  will the fish return to our stream when they are adults (in about three years) to spawn?

Next we gathered around a lab table to practice one method of tagging, which uses a "FLOY" tag and a device very much like the one that stores use to put hanging tags on clothing.  We practiced on minnows called Golden Shiners.  Some of the students even gave it a try.  Afterwards, we cut the tags off the fish and they were released to freedom in the pond at Heller Nature Center.

EColi Counts from Ghotio March 13th

We sampled the ravine and lake water on March 13th at 1:05pm, the lake sample used 1ml of water there were 31 colonies, the creek sample used 1 ml of water and had 120 colonies +/- 10 colonies. The pH results were as follows:  at all the places tested in the stream, the pH was 8.5.  The lake had a pH of 7.75.  Temperature in the creek ranged from 12-17.5 degrees celcius, the temperature of the lake was 10 degrees celcius.  The total suspended solids (TSS) showed that the lake was less clear than the creek.  For the creek we recorded 35 mg/l and the lake was 10 mg/l. 

Baby Trout in the Classroom

Braeside School Trout Pics

Fourth Grade Students at Braeside School have been raising Rainbow Trout since Thanksgiving as part of a program called Trout in the Classroom which is sponsored by Trout Unlimited.  

They started with eggs provided by the IDNR and will soon release the fish to the stream at Ravine Drive.  

Salmonids such as Rainbow Trout imprint on their "natal" stream and may return to it after they become adults (about three years).  So we hope the baby trout we release will move out to Lake Michigan and then migrate back to Ravine Drive.  We are going to tag the fish and some HPHS students are helping us figure out how to record the tags and when and where any tagged fish eventually go.  

LIFE CYCLE OF TROUT

Braeside School Fourth Grade 2012

A beautiful day for some water quality testing!

On Tuesday we met with the Environmental Science students from HPHS for our second session. We enjoyed the sunshine while testing the water quality of the ravines and lake. We were fortunate enough to have Dr. Charles Shabica of Shabica & Associates and Josh Arrigoni, a Field Ecologist with the Conservation Land Stewardship to join us and share their knowledge and efforts in ravine restoration.

Dr. Charlie Shabica of Shabica & Associates has students look at the ravine formations

Students measure flow of the stream, first by measuring and timing the speed a ball travels...

Then by using a velocity meter 

Josh Arrigoni of Conservation Land Stewardship talking to a group of students about the phase II stream restoration and how his organization helps improve water quality 

Checking the turbidity of the water: measuring clarity and determining the level of  suspended solids

Jim Tingey of Trout Unlimited testing the pH levels in Lake Michigan 

Wrapping up a great day with a group discussion at the lakefront 

Back row from left: Rebecca Grill, Natural Areas Manager of the Park District of Highland Park,  Annie Mantynband of PDHP, Josh Arrigoni, Field Ecologist at Conservation Land Stewardship, Jim Tingey of Trout Unlimited, Dr. Charles Shabica of Shabica & Associates. Front row from left: Jessica Soto of Heller Nature Center and Liz Ettelson of PDHP.

Thanks again to everyone who came out and got their boots wet today! Check in soon, we will be posting more about how to interpret your findings from today and what an ideal ecosystem for fish spawning should look like. Thanks to the students for posting your results and impressions of the day!

We are looking forward to our next session and will hopefully see some fish then!

I am Daniel Gabay.

My group and I are going to be finding out about the types of fish near the ravine. we will find out the types by looking into the ravine for all the fish that live there. we have the coolest team. Daniel, Kirby, Joey, Christian

Our group investigated the PH and E. Coli bacteria concentrations in the ravine. Although we do not yet have the results of the E. Coli tests, we predict that the recent restoration will result in less E. Coli this year than last year. Our PH tests determined that the stream is relatively basic while the lake is almost completely neutral. We believe this is because the new rocks brought in during the restoration are made of limestone, which is fairly basic, and that over time, as the softer parts of the rock wear away, the stream will become more neutral.

Here is our results we found on march 13:
Our Hypothesis was that the water would be clearer as we went down the stream. But our results showed the opposite.
When we went to the ravine our group was to test the clarity and the temperature of the water. As we went down the stream towards the beach we noticed the water getting cloudier and colder.

Team GHOTIO went to the ravine march 13th to conduct water quality tests. it was abnormally warm day- 70. calm, clear, and sunny. there was know leaves on trees, but some plants where budding we heard chickadees and red-headed woodpeckers. we saw water strides and midges. we want to thank everyone who came and worked with us.
Thanks again,
GHOTIO

White Breasted Nuthatch:

Color Pattern:

The bird has a gray-blue back with a frosty white face and under parts. Lower tail and underbelly are often chestnut.

Measurements

Both Sexes

Length

5.1–5.5 in
13–14 cm

Wingspan

7.9–10.6 in
20–27 cm

Weight

0.6–1.1 oz
18–30 g

Habitat:

Prefer mature deciduous woods, woodland edges, wooded suburbs, and yards

Food:

Mainly eats insects ex: weevil larvae, wood-boring beetle larvae, tree hoppers, ants…

Nesting:

Builds nests in natural tree cavities or abandoned woodpecker holes, rarely excavates its own holes.

Behavior:

Forges up, down, and sideways over tree trunks and large branches, usually starts high on a tree and moves down head first. To open nuts and seeds, they jam them into the bark and hammer them open, store food under loose bark in their territory. They live in pairs year-round, and chase others away from their territory. When agitated, they fan their tails, flick their wings or raise feathers. To back down, a bird will raise its bill and tail, and droop its wings.

Team Awesome Turbidity and pH Data Tables

Here is the data Team Awesome collected...more to come later!

Turbidity Table

Location 1	15.8, 15 mg/l
Location 2	35 mg/l
Location 3	21.4 mg/l
Location 4	35 mg/l
Location 5	35 mg/l

Temperature Table

	PCS Tester  (◦C)	Thermometer (◦F)
Location 1	17.6	38
Location 2	11.6	38
Location 3	11.2	51
Location 4	10.2	52
Location 5	10.5	54

pH Table

Location 1	8.0
Location 2	8.0
Location 3	8.0
Lake	7.5

**Our location numbers refer to unique points we chose on the graph of the ravine



We tested the Salinty, Conductivity, and TDS in the stream to see if the riffles that were implemented were working. Our results showed that as we moved downstream, the levels of all three categories were decreasing; meaning that infact the riffles and other implementations are working great!

-Jeremy, Andrew, and Wes

On Tuesday March 13, 2012, we tested the streams clarity and temperature. We found that the temperature of the water varied between 9 and 12.5 degrees Celsius. The lakes temperature was around 11.11 degrees Celsius. This could have been due to the wind coming from the southwest. Therefore, it was colder out in the lake rather than in the Ravine where it was calm and mild. As we tested the clarity of the stream, we found that after the riffles it was 35 cm which is the most clear it could be. We also found that it was least clear in the pools of the stream, with the clarity at 19. This is due to stagnant waters in pooling. The lake's clarity was 12. This is because there is more wind and sediment in the lake and there arent any riffles to naturally filter the waters.

Testing pH and E. Coli at Millard

We tested pH levels at four locations on 3/13/12. pH readings were taken next to a large rock slab (a fish hiding hole), on the upside and downside of the coconut fiber barrier, and at the lake. Throughout the ravine, pH levels were consistent at 8.0. Interestingly, the lake had a reading of 7.5. We are currently waiting on the E. Coli results derived from a water sample at the ravine.

-Claire and Alyssa

Testing Nitrates

On Tuesday, we tested the nitrate level in the stream. We tested in two spots, 1 spot right near the riffle and 1 spot right by one of the run off tubes coming from one of the houses. In both spots, the level of nitrates was approximately 13.6. 13.6 is a good number because we dont want too many nitrates in the water, but at the same time, we don't want very low levels.

Next Session!

Hello HPHS Environmental Science Students! We are looking forward to Tuesday, and very interested in hearing more about your research projects!

We will be performing water quality tests, so please wear waterproof boots if you have them and dress for the weather (which will hopefully be as nice as it has been lately!)

We perform water quality testing to monitor important habitat variables for fish. The variables we will monitor for include:

• Water temperature
• Turbidity (total suspended solids)
• pH levels
• Nitrates
• Conductivity
• Salinity
• Total dissolved solids
• Flow

Understanding the suitable ranges for these variables allows us to provide the best possible spawning habitat for fish. They are indicators of outside stressors that may negatively impact the streams' quality. We will discuss what purpose each test serves, how to interpret our results, and what the ideal numbers would be for each test.

Thanks everyone and see you next week!

John and Jacob are interested in researching the vast species of salamanders that reside in our local ravines. It is our understanding that the fish eat the salamanders and they are helpless critters.

- The better half of MAN SWEAT 2012

HP Ravines through Photographs

I will be documenting the Highland Park ravines as well as our work in the ravines in the form of a photo journal.

-Claire

History of Highland Park
By Zach Kalter, Jane Seder, Danny "Makesyourday" Breiter

In our research we will be discussing the historical events surrounding the town and how it affected the land and urban life.

Our group is researching invasive species specific to the lake and the local watershed. We are currently looking at the potential threat that the Asian Carp may pose if it established itself here.

-Karaline Cohen, Danielle Poteshman and Morgan Bartelstein

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdcQ56OpxNE

Geography and Land Formation of Northshores' moraines and ravines:
Endy Marban, Nate Echt, Attilio La Valle, Ryan Pikofsky

In our research we will be discussing the glacial movement that took place roughly 7000 years ago from Canada and exactly how it formed these geological features.

Water Quality Testing

By Zach Kolman, Josh Castellanos, Dylan Langer

In our group, we are going to be researching the water quality within the ravines. We will carry this out through visits to the ravines with class, research on the history of what made the ravine water so quality for fish to spawn, how houses being built on top of the ravines affects them, such as runoff polluting the waters, and what kinds of fish will be likely to appear there when the ravine is restored. We will be looking at where the water comes from, and how the lake is affected by them.

By the end of this project, we will hope to have provided supplementary information to be used in the future of the restoration, and to see much aquatic life return to the vital habitat.

Here is our stream after a big storm on Memorial Day last year.  Where is all this water coming from?

Danny Breiter taking in the moment at the ravine!! 

Ravine Maps

Ravines Map

Credit: Lake Michigan Watershed Ecosystem Partnership

Map of Ravines in South Lake County

Credit: Lake Michigan Watershed Ecosystem Partnership

Contour Map of Ravine 7L
Can you figure out which colors represent high elevations?
Credit: Lei Wang, Park District of Highland Park

Drainage Area Map of Ravine 7L

Shows the three drainage areas (blue line) and drainage points (green dots) for the Ravine 7 Watershed. Which drainage area will have the most impervious surface, and what will this mean for surface runoff?

Credit: Lei Wang, Park District of Highland Park

Research for "Want to Know"

“The Lake Michigan ravines of northeastern Illinois range from 10 to 75 feet in depth and extend as much as 2 miles inland from the lakeshore. The ravine systems are an important natural legacy, as they represent the only remaining natural drainage systems in the present-day Lake Michigan watershed in Illinois. Historically, almost 673 square miles of northeastern Illinois drained into Lake Michigan via the Chicago and the Calumet River systems and the coastal bluff/ravine systems (Map 1). By 1922, canals had diverted the majority of flow in both the Chicago and the Calumet River systems into the Des Plaines River watershed (within the Mississippi River basin) as a way to provide safe drinking water and alleviate flooding in the Chicago metropolitan area, and to allow for cargo traffic between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River. The land area of Illinois currently draining to Lake Michigan covers only 88 square miles, or 12 percent of its extent at the time of Euro-American settlement. Of this remaining drainage area, over 50 square miles lie in Lake County, with ravines covering less than 1.6 square miles. The ravine systems are, therefore, both an important and uncommon resource for both Illinois and the Great Lakes watershed.”

Ravine Systems in the Lake Michigan Watershed, Illinois

More articles:

Coastal Erosion along the Illinois Coastal Zone

The Illinois Coast of Lake Michigan

Discovering the Benefits of On-site Stormwater Management

Ravine Definitions

Definitions for Ravine Restoration

Posted by Zach Kolman from Mr. Hill's Environmental Science class

Riffles - A fast-flowing, shallow part of a stream.

Gabian baskets - In civil engineering, gabion wall is a retaining wall made of rectangular containers (baskets) fabricated of thick galvanized wire, which are filled with stone and stacked on one another, usually in tiers that step back with the slope rather than vertically. They may be used to direct the force of a flow of flood waters around a vulnerable structure. Gabions are also used as fish barriers on small streams.

Aeration - The process by which air is circulated through, mixed with or dissolved in a liquid or substance.

Substrate - The earthy material that exists in the bottom of a marine habitat, like dirt, rocks, sand, or gravel.

Dissolved Oxygen - A relative measure of the amount of oxygen that is dissolved or carried in a given medium. It can be measured with a dissolved oxygen probe such as an oxygen sensor or an optode in liquid media, usually water.

Turbidity - The cloudiness or haziness of a fluid caused by individual particles (suspended solids) that are generally invisible to the naked eye, similar to smoke in air.