Bessemer students explore Ottawa National Forest

IRONWOOD TOWNSHIP - Earlier in May, Dave Rowe's biology classes at A.D. Johnston High School made their annual trek to some vernal ponds in the Ottawa National Forest, near Copper Peak.

This year's outing was guided by Rowe, USFS Wildlife biologist Brian Bogaczyk and USFS Conservation Education Coordinator Joe Ponci. 

"You never know what you are going to find when you are out in the field and each year seems to present some interesting finds," Rowe said

This year, a red back salamander that was regenerating a previously broken tail was found.

According to Bogaczyk, "Regeneration is a trait of amphibians." Bogaczyk also pointed out that, amphibians have a slow metabolism and may live up to 15 years.

For a salamander, like the red back salamander, "There are very few offspring but there is high survivability," Bogaczyk said.

Rowe said another interesting find on the outing was a large wood frog.

"We have been seeing wood frog egg masses for years but we never actually caught a wood frog until this trip" Rowe said.

Ponci said "in the spring when you hear the familiar loud peeping of the spring peepers, if you  hear what sounds like a quacking sound, it is the wood frog."

Sophomore Jake Suzik said he enjoyed going on the field trip.

"I like field trips because you go outside and everyone gets hands on experience learning and searching for critters and touching plants and animals," he said.

Fellow sophomore Isaiah Aili said he learned "a lot about salamanders."

"I didn't know that the gel around the egg expands 100 times its original size when submerged under water," he said.

Rowe said sophomore Summer Kalinovik summed up the feelings of many students.

"10 years from now, I will still remember walking back to the bus from the bog completely happy with what I had accomplished that morning," she said.

-Tom Stankard