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RAVENSWOOD
MEDIA
NEWSLETTER
Issue #2, October 2007
Providing a conduit between science and the public |
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RAVENSWOOD MEDIA'S WEBSITES
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CATCHING UP WITH KAREN SHAPIRO
Karen Shapiro continues her research on the parasite Toxoplasma gondii. The parasite has contaminated habitat along the California coast, and has infected threatened sea otter populations in Morro and Monterey Bays. The parasite can survive in both terrestrial and aquatic habitats. What concerns Shapiro and her colleagues even more than the danger to sea otters, is the threat this parasite poses to humans. The parasite recently surfaced in waterborne outbreaks and humans have become infected by drinking contaminated water in Canada, Brazil, Panama, and India. T. gondii is excreted in cat feces and researchers believe the parasite is then washed into the ocean by rain water. Karen's current research is to test this hypothesis and look for ways to prevent further outbreaks. During veterinary school, Karen attended Envirovet, an extensive course for wildlife biologists and veterinarians, in 2000. Attending the Envirovet course helped her decide to focus her career on wildlife health issues.
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“For me, a lot of it was an ethical decision to work with wildlife. I felt that the world is changing, that we're making the environment less and less able to support wildlife species. And it really affected me and I wanted to do something about it.”
To view Karen Shapiro's Envirovet clip, click here |
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When the parasite is in its environmental stage, outside a living host, it is called an oocyst. It is very hard to study because it's dangerously infectious to humans, almost impossible to detect in the environment, and releasing the organism to monitor its behavior would be unacceptable due to potential environmental contamination. Ingeniously, Karen is developing synthetic beads that act as surrogates for oocysts, and can be safely monitored. These beads will react like the oocysts in the environment and will provide important clues to how the parasite moves from terrestrial to aquatic habitats. She will begin testing the beads in controlled lab experiments with tanks that simulate wetlands. Ultimately she plans to release the surrogates in the field and evaluate their transport in estuarine wetlands. Dr. Patricia Conrad, Center for Wildlife Health at U.C. Davis, leads the research team and provides guidance for Karen’s experiments. The National Science Foundation is their primary funder. |
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Sea otters are considered a nuisance by fishermen because they compete for the same aquatic fauna. However, sea otters are also regarded as a keystone species by wildlife biologists because of the critical role they play in the nearshore marine environment. In addition, many people consider them part of the beauty and character of the California coast. Karen hopes to find ways to reduce contamination of coastal waters with pathogens such as T. gondii that pose a health threat to wildlife and people. There is strong evidence that humans are altering their environment and unknowingly creating conditions for outbreaks of disease. A first step in preventing outbreaks of waterborne toxoplasmosis in humans is determining how the parasites are transmitted between terrestrial and aquatic habitats. |
For more information on sea otter health and research visit: www.seaotterresearch.org
Ravenswood Media was fortunate to find Yuexia Wu to translate transcripts from the Cave Biota site into Chinese. Yuexia Wu lives in Chongqing, China and works at the School of Geographical Sciences & Institute of Karst Environment and Rock Desert Rehabilitation at Southwest University. Yuexia is working on her master's degree in quaternary geology & karst hydrogeology.
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GUFO-YANGKOU CAVE Written by Yuexia Wu - Photos courtesy of Cheng Zhang, PhD.
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The Gufo-Yangkou cave system developed in Permian limestone underlain by Silurian shale and sandstone at the top of Jinfo Mountain. Jinfo Mountain is approximately 2100 meters above sea level and it is located south of Chongqing city. The limestone is so rich in fossils that you can easily find coral, Crinoid, Brachiopod, Gastropod, Bryozoan and similar fossils. If you are very lucky you might even find a pretty, transparent quartz crystal in the rock outcrop. |
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It is a double-layer cave system that extends a total length of 6.02 kilometers and covers an area of 85,000 square meters. The upper cave passage is relatively dry and stable, while the lower, more narrow cave is still developing through erosion by flowing ground water. However, due to the low mineral content of the water there are not many cave formations except for a few small stalactites. |
Fossils and ice provide some of the wonderful physical phenomena in this cave. Near the entrance rainwater sprinkles from shafts in the ceiling. Sunlight shining through the dripping water creates a magical rainbow across the entrance passage. In winter it becomes a world of ice and snow. “Ice tongues” of 10 to 20 meters hang from the ceiling of the entrance. Air currents on the surface of the rock push the water into needle-like and feather-like ice flowers. Gufo-Yangkou cave is a masterpiece of the nature.
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Research shows the land was revealed when the sea level dropped in the late Triassic Era. It was largely uplifted during Yanshan and Himalayas movement. It is agreed by most scientists that the cave developed at the beginning of Quaternary Period when there was abundant surface water draining from the Silurian stratum into the Permian limestone underground. The proof can be seen in the alluvial gravel left in the cave today. There are five cave entrances formed on the escarpment due to the differential and backward erosion of limestone. During rainy season the cave entrances produce beautiful waterfalls. The northern, biggest entrance looks like a Buddha and suggests the name of the cave. |
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WHAT'S HAPPENING AT RAVENSWOOD MEDIA |
LAKE STURGEON SPAWN
Jacek Lupina and David McGowan used an underwater camera to film the lake sturgeon spawn last spring. These huge fish, five to seven feet long, spawn every three years in the tannin rich black rivers of northern Wisconsin. This group is the last robust population of lake sturgeon left in the Great Lakes basin. Normally, the fish are very skittish, making it difficult to approach them even from the riverbank. When they're spawning, however, they lose their shyness. McGowan was able to wade into the icy river and stand among the jostling fish.
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A dozen males will swarm over a single female, sidling up to her while splashing their tails on the surface. The males manipulate their swim bladders to produce barely audible “thumps” that are more felt than heard. Scientists think this is a signal to other males that a receptive female is in the area.
“I stood waist deep in the river, holding the camera underwater. I couldn't look through the lens while shooting so I relied on auto focus and iris and kept the lens at its widest focal length.” says McGowan. “The river was fast and the fish kept bumping and pushing into me. My biggest concern was falling and letting go of the camera because the current was so strong.”
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The spawn lasts about 12 hours, once it's over the fish vanish from the site. “In the morning, I could pet them in the water.” McGowan observed. “By the late afternoon, the last one rocketed out of sight when I got within five feet of the shore.”
Ron Bruch of the Wisconsin DNR is instrumental in keeping this population safe from poaching. He manages a group of "watchers" that stand guard along the river wherever the sturgeon chose to congregate. These people, mostly retired men, spend up to 24 hours in one spot, making sure no one takes advantage of the fish when they're the most vulnerable. |
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WOODRATS IN INDIANA
Scott Johnson of the Indiana DNR took David McGowan on an invigorating hike up and down the limestone cliffs overlooking the Ohio River. They were searching for the elusive wood rat. “We've got to find a new name for these things.” Scott opined.
The wood rat, or Neotoma magister, lives in the caves and crevices of limestone outcroppings from Indiana to New York and south through Tennessee into Alabama. Their numbers, particularly in Indiana, have reached historic lows.
Scott had set nearly sixty traps the day before in small nooks and crannies of the rock. Only two males had been captured. Scott and his colleague, Cassie Hudson, weighed, measured and tagged the animals before releasing them. Despite its name, the creatures look more like slimmed down squirrels than rats. With the help of Beth Geboy and Jeff Thompson Dave was able to go back
the next day to film again. |
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McGowan found an opportunity to film the animals after they were released. “The first time we released the wood rat, it immediately scurried into the crack of the cliff. I got, maybe, two seconds of footage. Later, Scott and Cassie stood on either side of the animal just outside of my frame. Their presence discouraged the rat just long enough for it to settled down and do some grooming. They look the cutest when grooming.”
McGowan hopes to follow through on more shots of wood rats in their natural environment in caves. “It'll be challenging to sit in a cave waiting for wood rats to get used to me but I think it's important to let the public know these things exist.” |
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Sept. 7 Screening of the cave movie and video clips from Midwest Frogs for PARC (Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation) at the Indiana Dunes Environmental Learning Center.
Sept. 30 “Envirovet: Preparing for Tomorrow” was completed. Megan Vandehey is putting on the finishing touches to the fine cut and is assisted by Kathryn Robinson. The thirty minute documentary profiles the important work being done by Envirovet and its alumni. They bring veterinary medicine to wildlife health issues.
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| Ravenswood Media begins production for The Nature Conservancy about the Blue River Project in southern Indiana. The Blue River is one of the most pristine, high water quality rivers in the Midwest. In anticipation of the aquatic nature of the project, Ravenswood Media has purchased an underwater housing unit for their camera. The Blue River is the last spot in Indiana that has populations of a giant salamander called the Hellbender. |
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Like to have this Blue River picture as desktop wallpaper? click here |
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Oct. 1 Screening the cave movie for the Threatened and Endangered symposium, a group of DNR and Fish and Wildlife Service employees who deal with T&E animals.
Oct. 8-12 Screening the cave movie at the National Cave and Karst Management Symposium in St. Louis. Cindy Sandeno of the Forest Service and Kriste Lindberg of the Indiana Karst Conservancy will present the program for this gathering of cave conservation people. |
Oct. 23. The Forest Service Washington office is hosting a screening of the cave movie. We anticipate a large audience of policy makers and public opinion influencers. |
Megan Vandehey is new to Ravenswood Media and is currently the finishing editor for Envirovet: Preparing For Tommorow. Megan comes to us with a diverse background. She graduated from Mount Holyoke College in 1998 with a degree in European Studies and French. She worked for several years at the Newberry Library and then returned to school to study film. She graduated from Columbia College in 2005 and has spent the last several years working in the post-production industry. In addition to her work at Ravenswood Media, Megan has been assisting with post -production for the Obama presidential campaign. |
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