Chicaaaa-go!

Taking in a White Sox game at the U.S. Cellular Field.

Watching the El train go by the Chicago Library Centre.

Checking out the skyline from the Museum park grounds.

Watching people check out their reflections in Millennium Park's Cloud Gate sculpture.

A view of the Mayor's green roof atop of City Hall.

Water Tower and John Hancock building.

Jelly fish exhibit (totally awesome) at the Shedd Aquarium.

And the classic Chicago sign for the Chicago Theatre.

It has been ages since I've posted on this blog, so I decided to pick it up again, mostly because I had the above fun photos to share from a recent trip to Chicago. I've been looking forward to visiting the "windy city" ever since the company I work for was acquired by a Co. based in one of the neighbouring cities. I had the weekend to go exploring on my own and I have to say, it was a lot of fun.

Highlights from this trip were: eating deep dish pizza at Lou Malnati's (it was so good, I felt a little sick after); taking in a Sox game (even in the freezing rain - the beer kept me warm, sort of); going on a green architecture tour with the Chicago Architecture Foundation (I highly recommend this as you get to see the Mayor's green roof - not visible to the average tourist); seeing countless Impressionist and Modern works of art at the Chicago Art Institute (this was recommended to me and I'm so glad for it!); and meeting a very cool local designer at her store - Workshop.

Here are all of the photos I have uploaded from Chicago:

Chicago Apr 25, 2011

This was a trip that I took on my own and I was glad to have done it. It's a great feeling to know you're not afraid to travel when single. Yahoo!

Until next time, kate.

Rock bang!

There was a time when I thought I might retire this blog, but my Dad's questions about when the next post was going to be up changed my mind.

Lots of changes have happened over the past month and a half. I made my move back up to Canada, left beautiful South Carolina behind and settled into a new city: Ottawa.

The transition has been pretty smooth. I was lucky to know that I had a part-time job waiting for me, and a sister to live with, when I arrived in this new place. I'm working for TerraChoice Environmental Marketing as a communication and media consultant. And you'll never guess what one of my tasks is... to write for their blog. It's been a big learning curve and I'm very glad for it. I suppose those of you who are interested can let me know what you think: http://blog.terrachoice.com/.

I guess I'm going to keep my own blog, er, thing going. I'll write about some of the issues around sustainability and climate change that I've been learning about, and share with you some of the adventures I take part in. I know you all really care about that.

I'll leave you with a video I took of the fireworks display in Ottawa this past July 1. There are some funny and overly enthusiastic Canadian chanters toward the end. Oh, and I should explain the title of this blog. Alexiss took me to a completely laugh-your-ass-off rockband play as part of the Ottawa Fringe Festival. Imagine two young White Stripes-but-Germans rocking out on super tiny instruments (and playing well) and having the audience chant, "Rock, bang. Rock-bang!" Funny. And as a teaser for the blogging that is to come, I will say to watch out for it... change is afoot.

Sunsets over South Carolina

I can’t believe it’s come so fast… my last day in South Carolina is finally here. It’s hard to put this experience into words and just sum it all up, but I can't leave without saying goodbye.

Nine months ago I set off on this adventure to teach students environmental science in a place that received some very high praise. I was told I would see dolphins swimming by the beach every day and that I would learn to hold snakes and alligators. The first week I spent in this southern paradise, I could hardly believe my eyes (and much to my fellow staff members amusement) - I never grew bored of the sight.

Some of the things I will remember most are the kayak paddles across the estuary to Botany Bay island, walking the various staff members' dogs on the beach, and working with the many young students and trying my best to answer their curious and bright questions. I know this is a place I would like to come back to and visit and I would also like to invite my friends to come up and visit Canada. Yes, it is colder up in the great north, but we know how to have a good time, too.

I'll leave you and this adventure with a few sunset pics taken from the camp's beach on Seabrook Island (thanks for the idea, Dad).

Alligator wrangling in four steps...

American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) - direct descendant of 45 ft. crocodiles that roamed the Earth with the dinosaurs.



Did you know...

Alligators have a third eyelid called a nictitating membrane, which is transparent and allows them to see underwater.

In their lifetime, alligators can grow up to 2,000 teeth. Imagine being this guy's tooth fairy!

If you thought alligators were around all year, think again. Though the weather is quite nice in the southeastern United States, gators go into hibernation from December to March.

Alligators are now under protection and their numbers, once listed as an endangered species, are slowly climbing. They can live to be between 30 and 50 years old.

Barrier Island's alligator, Carolina, is roughly five years old and small for her age. She's been in captivity her entire life and will probably not grow to normal size. Alligators can get to be up to 10ft in length, but records have shown some to reach up to 19ft. We know we have a gator because Carolina has a rounded snout, only a slight overbite and is fairly dark in colour.

Easter tales and a romp through a swamp

Easter is usually a time when families get together over dinner or a meal and hang out. This Easter, being far away from home, I took advantage of the weekend to go "swampin" with some of my staff who were also spending this holiday sans family (though one had a few members with them... a very funny bunch, too, I might add).


Nine of us took off on Friday to start a trip that would take us to a dark and murky place - Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia. We overnighted at Laura S. State Park just outside the swamp... and let me just say that the mosquitos were bad. We did make it through the night, despite some having eaten a rather unsavoury can of beans, and woke up bright and early to get our canoes in the waters at Okefenokee.

And paddle we did. You can see from the pictures just how amazing the swamp is. We did see a number of gators, though nowhere near as many as if we'd paddled further into the swamp. I'm alright with that. I got close enough to them to have had my fill. We even named one that made camp right beside our overnight platform. He will forever be one-eyed George to us. Though we did tease him a bit, we were reminded by a slow and toothy display that he was a threatening predator to be respected.


Ooo, check out this cottonmouth snake (venomous) that one of our campers almost stepped on. It gets its name from its pink (cotton-coloured) mouth that it displays to ward off enemies. Worked for me!

After a peat moss fight (one of the best mucky messes you can ever get yourself into), lots of paddling, water snakes and other wildlife sightings and joke battles overflowing, we all got back safe and sound. This swamp is totally worth visiting. Our only regret was not being able to spend more time there, to get deeper into its belly... er, not an alligators.

For more photos from this trip, you can visit my album on google's website:

Okefenokee Adventure

In other travels, I visited Alexiss in Ottawa last weekend. It was super nice, despite circumstances including poor Lexy falling down some stairs. We celebrated Easter over some gifts sent to us from Mom and Dad and made a video of a "chick vs. bunny" race:



The weather made sure not to disappoint and snowed steadily while I was there. I took pictures of the paths that had to be carved out of the stuff to show my southern counterparts that, yes, we Canadians do endure a blustery winter. It's a bit embarrassing to admit that I've never been to Ottawa before, but I liked what I saw and met with some very exciting organizations/companies while I was there (so keeping my fingers crossed that something will come through from this visit). Seeing our parliment buildings was also kind of uplifting and made me feel proud to know my sister was starting her career with them. That's all for now folks. Remember to drop me an email to let me know how you're doing.

It's been a while

I'm in it real deep this time. Well, the water and the mud, that is.

Most of these pictures were taken in January. I really shouldn't rub it in, but it's really not that cold here right now. Granted, I am wearing a wet suit while seining with Jessica and I'm freezing in our infamous "mud pit" on a Let's Sea class, but that's nothing compared to Canada.

I've been rather tardy with a post because let's just say things have been up and down with the program down here. Our staff has been rather occupied with the comings and goings of bosses and, well, I can't really write more. It's enough to say that my southern experience has been quite the full one. This post will be a short, but I just wanted to share a few photos and will try and write something more meaningful soon.

Hope you are all well.

Bottlenose dolphins galore

Nature's body surfers. (from Tideland Treasures, great book, by the way)

Bottlenoses cavort in ships' wakes and near shore waters. This social mammal travels in "pods" or herds of 4 to 6. Members tend or defend wounded, sick or young. They communicate underwater by high-frequency squeaks and whistles emitted through their blowholes. Dolphin navigate and locate food by making guttural clicks and responding to echoes made when the sounds rebound from objects. This built-in sonar is known as "echolocation".

I got the above footage from the beach in front of the camp I work at. The dolphins regularly swim in this bit of the water known as the "estuary". The island across the way is known as Botany Bay. On a side note, I went kayaking there today to collect some shells. The temperature was above 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Mmmm, I'm kind of digging this weather.

Autumn leaves in Tennessee

Who would have thought I'd see autumn leaves at the end of November! Our Canadian Thanksgiving came and went more than a month ago, but I was able to celebrate this holiday over five whole days with our American friends who like to be extra festive. A friend and fellow staff member was very kind and invited me to spend time with her family in Knoxsville, Tennessee, and I graciously accepted. So into a car we got and off we went to see the Smoky Mountains to eat a delicious turkey meal.

As part of our vacation, Callie and I made a visit to the Tennesse Aquarium in Chattanooga. Callie and I worked our way through the facilities two buildings, which housed maccaroni penguins, seahorses, jelly fish, octupus, zillions of butterflies, sharks, stingrays and more. I took some pictures (see below) and would love to show you the rest of them when I see you. This aquarium was pretty impressive with all its hands-on displays and numerous exhibits. Chattanooga itself is a beautiful city with an impressive arts and culture vibe. I think I'll have to come back to this place and spend more time here.






























Another thing that was interesting about the American Thanksgiving that I had not yet experienced is "Black Friday." Get this - people actually get up at 3 a.m. to go to the stores for 4 a.m. in hopes of buying some of their Christmas gifts on sale. And they come out in hoards... yikes! So the big meal usually happens on Thursday and then the families pile into cars, drink coffee to offset the turkey, and get ready to be jolly for the next holiday spectacular. Oi. Er, but I did end up going shopping.

The weather is still getting cooler here, but no snow on the ground. I was covered from head to toe in mud today wearing but a t-shirt and shorts. There is talk that some of the staff might go ice skating this weekend. Don't worry, I'll show them what great skaters we Canadians are ;) 'Til next time!

A tailgate party, football fans and a Canadian

Ah, the college football experience. It's something I realized I could not escape while living here in the south. Not only are my roommates avid college "chuck the ball" fans, so are the locals, and just about anyone you might meet down here. An opportunity came up one weekend a short while ago to go and see one of these American games in action. I couldn't resist - I chalked it up to a cultural field trip and made an afternoon of it.

The Citadel versus Wofford College (one of our staff went to this school) was what we had on tap.

As I learned, one has to bring beer and be ready to tailgate pre-game. We parked the car and set up shop... I wasn't about to break the tradition. A few hours later, fans waving flags and Wofford clearly winning, I had had my fill of that football game.

Other weekend activities included turning 27 (yes, it was difficult, but it had to be done), cutting my hair short again, and romping through a corn maze. Check out the picture of me feeding a cow. This topped off our visit to the biggest corn maze I've ever seen. The children we took with us had a great time, especially when the cows came down the field to our hayride tractor to slurp up some treats.

Come back to rompwithrusnak soon and feel free to send an email to let me know what you've been up to.

Where the river meets the sea

Answer: The estuary.

Estuaries usually end where the mouth of a river meets the sea. They act as nurseries for many marine organisms. They are also important for flood control... resilient salt marsh soils and grasses absorb flood waters and dissipate storm surges. Interactions between open waters and estuaries that line the coast occur during the exchange of tidal waters and help living organisms to feed and spawn. Cool.

Well, it has been quite a while since I last typed a post. A lot has happened since the last time I wrote. I'll do my best to sum it all up. Teaching has been going very well. I just received three letters from students who took part in my classes last week. We caught a stingray in one of our seine nets and most of them were anxious to know how it was doing. I am pleased to say that our stingray is doing very well in the touch tank in our aquarium.

Some other fun things that have happened in some of my classes; dolphins swam up into the tidal creek my students and I were crabbing in and they started doing this cool thing called strand feeding (working together as a pod "group" to catch fish, one of the dolphins will actually beach itself to eat fish its group has forced onto land), my seining class had to pull nets and themselves out of the water as a school of mullet (fish - not the haircut) leaped out of the water as they tried to evade the sharks that were thrashing themselves after them, and so much more. This experience is full of surprises and a lot of fun.

In other news, Mom and Dad came to visit me last week. We had a super nice visit over six days touring around Charleston and then making our way south to Savannah, Georgia. We took in the South Carolina Aquarium, a fun Ghost Tour in Charleston, dinned at many yummy southern restaurants and had our fill of crab and shrimp, rode on a river boat and trolley (neither were the real thing, but did have a certain atmosphere), bought some art in Savannah and ate delectable sweets from the candy shops. I'm so glad that my parents were able to see this place (they even took in one of my classes at Barrier Island) and experienced the south. I already miss them a lot, but am excited to hear about how the rest of their trip up the eastern seaboard went. Here are two pics from our trip:


And finally, here is a photo of some of my fellow staff members (Jenn B. [far left], Callie, myself and Olivia) out for a night of dancing in Charleston. We did cut a rug on that dance floor. Until next time.

Photos tell the story best

Perhaps that's my excuse for being a bit lazy today, but I hope those of you who enjoy a picture or two will like these ones. Here I am with my fellow Naturalists from all parts of the eastern United States. We're learning how to run our "Let's Sea" class (all about the five ecosystems of a barrier island). It's amazing how warm and salty our estuary is.

I think I'm in love.
Our management team took the staff this past Monday to the South Carolina Aquarium. What an amazing place. My mouth nearly dropped when I rounded a corner to see a 330,000-gallon Great Ocean Tank, filled with sharks, big fish and a loggerhead sea turtle (the tank is 27ft tall). This aquarium has amazing exhibits, from a cool touch tank to a re-creation of a salt marsh. Many more trips will be required. Plus, I think the young loggerheads (second turtle pic) could use my company.


We've started teaching and it's going to be hard for me to put this whole experience into words.
Our training has been pretty great, but nothing will prepare you like jumping in feet first. Having my first class in a pond while an 8ft alligator hung out in the opposite one (was later removed) was a special treat. Yikes! There has been a lot of studying, very long days and lots of laughs. I think the Grade 5's especially enjoyed it when I strode into the "mudpit" with them and plastered stinky muck all over my face. They looked at me with big smiles and asked if they could add to the mess. How could I say no to that?

I'm very excited because, this week, I also get to run my first dance class in the evening. We do the Virginia Reel (Barrier Island style). It's going to be great. I've also been lucky to be able to make it into Charleston over the past few weeks. What an amazing city. Strolling around the streets really does feel like stepping back into history. I'm looking forward to taking in some of the more touristy stuff. Which reminds me, Momma and Poppa Rusnak will be visiting the Lowcountry in roughly a week and a half. I'm really looking forward to taking them around and dropping down to Georgia to visit another historic city, Savannah.
That's all for now, but I hope you're all well and would love to hear from you.

Kate and the Corn Snake -Tales from a Barrier Island

Barrier Island - def. Nature's speed bump.

Just five days ago, I arrived in Charleston, South Carolina, and was greeted by two of my lovely and kind supervisors, Meg and Robin. They came to pick me up from the airport and drive me back to the place I will call home for the next nine months - Seabrook Island.

As we left the airport, I stepped outside and was met by a warm and humid breeze (it must have been way over 30 degrees outside). This has taken some getting used to. My body is also taking some time adjusting to the rigorous activities we've taken part in as part of our training. To give you a taste of what we've been up to, there has been some Lifeguard training and sunburns in outdoor pools (I'm not a great swimmer, so this has been quite the experience), lessons in handling alligators (our mascot is Carolina, a four-year-old alligator, which I hope to show you shortly) and snakes (see below), practice dragging and casting nets through the ocean and pond, respectively, as well as playing some team building and challenge-based games. We did all of this in the span of four days and there is still plenty more on the way.

The days, as you can see, are just packed. But we can't complain; they are treating us very well. I am writing this post from our two-storey staff house which houses 14 naturalists, some experienced biology and marine graduates and other talented, environmentally-minded folks. We are fed three fantastic meals of fresh fruit, vegetables and the catch of the day (flounder, crab and shrimp) with grits (kind of like cream of wheat) and mac'n'cheese being a steady staple. And the beach and ocean are at our doorstep. This is truly an amazing place. Over the coming weeks and months, I will do my best to chronicle the happenings of this place and tell you a bit about it's history.

So in keeping with my last post, I will try to explain a Barrier Island to you...

These chain of islands can be found all the way from Canada to Florida. Aptly named, barrier islands act as an outer line of defense, protecting the mainland from the effects of sea storms. Reading through our very comprehensive curriculum, I found out that the many environments of barrier islands are flooded twice daily by the tide, which drastically changes the environment plants and animals inhabit. Pretty neat, heh?

Barrier Island Evironmental Education Centre first started its programs in 1980, offers an abundance of hands-on environmental education classes to elementary school students, and has nearly 300 acres of property on one of these islands, called Seabrook (a private, gated island resort, with around 1250 residents surrounded by the estuary, intertidal beach, sand dunes, salt marsh and maritime forest).


Oh, and here I am holding a corn snake. The adult usually measures between 3 and 4 feet and they feed on mice and rats by constricting their bodies. I won't lie, I was definitely nervous... but am glad to be learning more about these slithery guys.

Why do turtles and snakes sunbathe?

Okay, if you got this far, you'll notice my blog isn't quite ready yet. Everything should look a bit better in the next few weeks once I'm down in South Carolina.

For those of you who don't know, I'm going to be teaching environmental education to students on a barrier island called Seabrook. This is an amazing opportunity to learn all kinds of cool stuff about ocean and maritime forest ecology, it's a chance to meet new people and share an experience, and put my Ontario Parks interpretive skills to work.

Now let's get back to the question up at the top of this post. This is a taster of some of the things I will be teaching the students. If it goes over well, I might keep this going for those who are interested.

(From Nature Smart, a cool nature guide by Stan Tekiela and Karen Shanberg)

These critters are cold-blooded (ectothermic), which means having a a body temperature that changes with the outside temperature. Since snakes don't produce heat, they must get it from the sun. That's why you see snakes and other herps absorbing the heat of sun-warmed roads and trails, or sitting on a rock; they are basking. When they become too warm, they go underground or under leaves to cool off.

If you liked that tidbit, then you'll like this:

The word reptile is Latin, repere. Like the Greek work herpeton, it means to creep, which very well describes how these animals get around.