Hermit Lake plug

2009-06-02 06:11:11.000 – Cara Rudio,  Marketing and Communications Coordinator

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It’s not every day that an accomplished scientist welcomes the general public to tag along on a research expedition, but this weekend that is exactly what we’re inviting you to do.

Join Biologist Scott Smyers and Mount Washington Observatory Educator Casey Taylor June 6-7 for ‘Hermit Lake Adventure,’ an overnight exploration of this high alpine pond. Located about halfway up Mount Washington at the base of Tuckerman Ravine, Hermit Lake is one of the few high-altitude bodies of water in the White Mountains.

Smyers has studied the behavior and ecology of amphibian and reptile species for more than a decade, and is excited to learn more about life in Hermit Lake. He’ll enlist your help in live trapping, dip-netting, photography, measuring animals, up-close observations of behavior, and other activities. Special dawn and dusk sessions will take advantage of certain creatures’ unique nocturnal behavior.

The workshop will meet at the AMC Pinkham Notch Visitor Center on Saturday morning, and then depart to Hermit Lake for the weekend. En route, Smyers will discuss the ecological possibilities and constraints present in the mountain environment, as well as what types of creatures are found in the northern hardwood forest and the colder, wetter transition zone above it.

After arrival at Hermit Lake, you will begin surveying and trapping, with informal educational sessions about the animals that live in this area and how they cope with the harsh environment. There will also be free time for sight-seeing, bird-watching, relaxing, and exploring. In the evening, you’ll have the rare opportunity to assist with searching for nocturnal amphibians and insects throughout the area. Sunday will include a dawn session and more field time, with an early afternoon departure.

The fee for current Observatory members is $75 per person, or $120 for non-members. For more information or to register, visit our education pages.

Cara Rudio,  Marketing and Communications Coordinator