Citizen Science: Princeton 7th Grade Worm Watch Project

May 4 2012. Four groups of seventh grade students from Princeton, MN, came to the refuge to experience Citizen Science by working on the Great Lakes Worm Watch project. The goal of the refuge project is to determine presence/absence and abundance of earthworms, which are not native to our area and are extremely destructive to our northern forest ecology.The goal of the state-wide project is to identify areas that have not been invaded by earthworms that are destructive to our northern forest ecology.

Major funding for the project was provided by a Nature of Learning grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.Data collected will be submitted to Great Lakes Worm Watch, Duluth , to be analyzed and added to their database.

The hands-on project action consists of using a solution of mustard powder in water to bring up the earthworms in a small, defined area. The worms are then soaked in alcohol, popped into a labeled bottle of preservative, and shipped off to the UMD scientists at the project center in Duluth. Every aspect of the action is fully documented on forms submitted along with the specimens.

Sue Hix, President, Friends of Sherburne NWR, and Jess Johnson, project co-organizer, welcomedstudents and reviewed the procedures taught earlier in a class room session. Beth Watson, the refuge employee in charge of visitor services, also served as an organizer for this outing.

Each group of students picked a location near the beginning of the Mahnomen Trail and filled out the data sheet that would pinpoint he location with GPS co-ordinates.

Mustard water is poured within a frame that defines the area for worm extraction.

The next part of the job is to wait for the mustard-hating worms to pop up.

Extracted worms are soaked in alcohol, then placed in a labeled vial of preservative to be shipped to project headquarters in Duluth.

Because the refuge is such a great home for all sorts of wildlife the adventure went beyond extracting and preserving earthworms. Along the way a few local residents presented themselves. Here are some pictures of the day's exciting discoveries.

Note that normally visitors are prohibited from handling wildlife on the refuge. The presence of refuge personnel and trained leaders made it possible to hold these finds for close-up inspection.

Co-leader Jess Johnson holds a gopher snake (aka bull snake), Minnesota’s largest snake species, found along the trail. This snake likes gophers - as a meal that is.

Mr. T, teacher and co-organizer, examines the gopher snake. He knows that snakes are interesting, not creatures to be feared. Of note is the fact that there are no venomous snakes

in this part of Minnesota. The gopher snake, if threatened, will do a good imitation of a rattlesnake, but it is all just a bluff.

This northern skink was in the process of growing a new tail to replace one lost to a would-be predator.

An early season grasshopper hitched a ride on a sleeve.

An adult redbelly snake, one of Minnesota's smallest snakes, is not much bigger than a night crawler, which is one of the things it eats.

This picture shows the docile little snake's red belly.

A young garter snake is easily held in one hand.

Co-organizer Jess Johnson holds an adult garter snake

Group leader Wyatt Anderson found pupa that will e a buzzing cicada in the heat of summer.

This tree frog was enjoying the warm sun after being underground, frozen nearly solid, all winter.