I am loving the Dry Tortugas! I have spent the last week and a half focusing on getting to know the current NPS staff at the park, monitoring nesting turtle activity, exploring Fort Jefferson, and of course, getting in the water!

The current crew out at the park has been extremely welcoming and friendly. Employees here work on an alternating schedule, so generally only half the staff is here at any point in time, thus I haven’t met everyone who works out here. The current crew includes: Elizabeth Ross, the acting site supervisor who maintains order among the many facets of the park, Kim Pepper, John Chelko, and Sharon Hutkowski, Park Rangers who ensure enforcement of laws within the park, Tracy Ziegler, Fisheries Biologist who coordinates research activities, Drew “Tree” Gottshall, Allen “Zam” Zamrock, Brion Schaner, and Patrick Moran who work hard to maintain the fort, boats and other facilitates, Jeff Reckner and Zach Gibson, who work on restoration projects, Julie Marcero, Juli Niswander, Judy and John Simmons, the volunteers who interface with visitors, run tours and help out with whatever needs to be done, and Kayla Nimmo, Biological Technician as previously mentioned. I am spending the week as a volunteer under Kayla’s direction, assisting with natural resource management projects.

Most of the people who work here stay at the fort for 1-2 weeks at a time, then take a few days off back in the Keys. It is a 2.5-hour commute via ferry from Key West, so committing to a job out here is not to be taken lightly. NPS employees live at the fort with very limited communication outside the park, in close quarters to each other, reliant on a desalination unit for water, and have to bring in all their food and supplies. Clearly, these people are a dedicated group. They are all committed to keeping the park in working order so that visitors can come and experience the history and natural beauty of this spectacular island group. Tourists come every day from Key West on the ferry, Yankee Freedom, or by seaplane, as well as in personal boats. They can take a historical tour, snorkel, kayak, fish, and explore the fort by foot, or SCUBA dive if they come via dive boat. For such a small place there is a lot to do, with opportunities both topside and underwater.

Aside from a few campers, the majority of the tourists leave in the mid-afternoon, so in the evenings the fort is eerily quite. When I stop to think about how far we are from Key West and that we are surrounded by a huge expanse of open ocean, it makes me feel like I have fallen off the face of the earth. Then I wake up to a boatful of tourists disembarking the next day, and it snaps me back to reality! I like this contrast.

Map of the Dry Tortugas

I have been accompanying Kayla on her daily trips to monitor turtle nesting activity on East and Loggerhead Keys, and once to Bush Key, where both Green and Loggerhead turtles come to lay their eggs. East Key is a tiny, sandy cay, and the turtles that nest there apparently have no lack of energy and indecisiveness. I have had some previous experience monitoring turtle nests, but these nesting tracks are particularly remarkable to me in that they are very long and complex—not your typical crawl to the top of the beach and back. Turtles also nest on Loggerhead Key, which is larger and has a lighthouse and a few historic residences that are sometimes occupied by Park Service personnel. Only a small number of turtles nest every year on Bush Key, which could practically be swum to from the fort, although it is off limits to visitors to minimize impacts on sensitive vegetation, and the Brown Noddies, Magnificent Frigatebirds, Brown Pelicans, and Sooty, Roseate and Bridled Terns that nest on the island. During nesting season as many as 10,000 Brown Noddies and 100,000 Sooty Terns come to Bush Key to nest!

The number of nesting turtles this year is very low in comparison to prior years—about half of what is typically expected. Monitoring nesting sea turtle activity is crucial to tracking the population health of these enigmatic and endangered species, and the previous baseline of data has enabled park researchers to see the dramatic decline in nests this year. Apparently the nesting populations of Green Turtles normally fluctuate quite a bit, but the low numbers of nesting Loggerheads this year is a concern to park researchers. A year after the devastating oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, monitoring these nesting sites gives researchers insight into how populations of turtles in this region may be affected.

Sea turtle nest monitoring consists of walking the nesting beaches every day or every other day and marking all the new tracks with their dates and likelihood of nesting. Often sea turtles will haul themselves out of the water and all the way across the beach just to turn right back around without nesting—this is called a false crawl. They may even dig a few pits without laying eggs. A real nest is obvious, due to its size, shape, and the amount of sand flung back over it in the end of the nesting process to disguise the nest from predators. In about 52 days, the nests hatch if they are successful, and the hatchlings make their way to the sea under the cover of darkness. A minimum of three days after that, Kayla excavates the nests whenever possible to determine their success. Nest digging is no easy task—it can be backbreaking work with nests buried more than shoulder-deep, which must be dug with care to avoid collapse. The empty shells are examined and inventoried to monitor predation rates, un-hatched eggs are noted and any straggling hatchlings are collected for release that night. A few days ago we found one Green and seven Loggerhead hatchlings that were still buried in their nests and released them later that evening. The importance of nest monitoring cannot be understated; it is one of the few glimpses we get into the life cycle of sea turtles, and provides researchers and managers with critical information for protecting these species. While we cannot know how many of these hatchlings survive to adulthood, at least knowing when and where nesting occurs and the success of particular nesting areas enables managers to protect critical habitat such as the Dry Tortugas.

The most exciting part of the past week was definitely getting underwater with the camera for the first time. I joined Kayla on a couple of dives to search for and eradicate invasive lionfish. Lionfish are a Pacific species, and they have no natural predators in the Atlantic. Without natural predators to keep their population in check, they are able to consume an inordinate number of native reef fish and outcompete native fish for food, thus have a devastating effect on local reef habitats. They were first spotted in Atlantic waters off of Biscayne Bay in 1992 (thought to have escaped from an aquarium tank that was broken in Hurricane Andrew), then spread north and eventually throughout the Atlantic, from Massachusetts to Venezuela. In the park, visitors are requested to report any sightings to park officials so that they can be removed before they can cause any more harm. Kayla knew of a particular lionfish that had eluded capture several times before, so we went out in search of it on our first dive. She found it quickly and skillfully speared it, ensuring that this fish and any of its potential offspring would not be able to degrade the reef systems here. We continued to search for more lionfish among the pilings of the old south coaling dock (a relic from the days when the Fort was used as a Naval refueling station), and I experimented using the camera. I was actually quite surprised at how difficult it was! I figured I would be good at multitasking due to my previous scientific diving experience, but it was definitely a challenge at first. I have been in the water with the camera every day since, and think I am starting to learn what works and what doesn’t. The winds that dominated my first few days here have died down and now the water is as smooth as glass, a rare treat in the open ocean! I have been photographing as much as possible –check out the pictures and let me know what you think!

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This week I arrived in paradise. Its other name? The Dry Tortugas, a group of seven, small, low-laying, sandy islands west of the Florida Keys. It is home to Fort Jefferson, the largest masonry structure in the United States, and critical habitat for nesting sea turtles, migratory sea birds, and endangered corals. To top it off, the waters are a crystalline aquamarine, the beaches are soft white sand, and the sky is as big as it gets. Like I said, paradise.

I left my new friends at the SRC early last Wednesday morning and was in Key West, Florida, by the afternoon. Kayla Nimmo, a biological technician for the South Florida Natural Resources Center, met me at the airport. She works on a variety of natural resource projects at Dry Tortugas National Park, which include monitoring sea turtles, seabirds, vegetation, reef fish, and corals, among other things. Thursday, bright and early, we boarded the ferry Yankee Freedom and were at Fort Jefferson by 10:30 am. I spent the day getting reacquainted with the fort and the current activities at the park, and accompanied Kayla to East Key in the late afternoon to monitor nesting activity of Green Turtles (more about that in upcoming blog entries). I visited Dry Tortugas National Park once before in 2007, and have wanted to return ever since. I am so thrilled to be spending the next three weeks here!

This place is magical for photographers, wildlife enthusiasts, divers, snorkelers, history buffs, and anyone who can appreciate the beauty of being on small, sandy islands that are literally in the middle of the ocean. These islands are located on the edge of the natural shipping passage where the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic Ocean, and the western Caribbean Sea meet, 70 miles from Key West and about 90 miles from Cuba. It is the only moorage between the Rio Grande and Chesapeake Bay that is large enough to contain a battleship fleet. This strategic position inspired the construction of Fort Jefferson on Garden Key to protect the trade routes to the southeastern United States. The project began in 1846, but was never fully completed. Today, the fort is slowly succumbing to the erosive powers of nature and time; however, the Park is committed to preserving the fort for future generations. Current conservation efforts involve bringing in teams of masons to repair the crumbling brick walls. The fort, which is now frequented by visitors and provides housing to National Park Service staff, was used as a military prison until the late 19th century. Dry Tortugas, including Fort Jefferson, was designated a National Park in 1992 and covers 100 square miles (only 0.15 sq. miles of that is terrestrial). Underwater, one can find beautiful reefs and lots of shipwrecks–shallow shoals and hurricanes caused ships to wreck in this area throughout history.

It is not simply the remoteness and history of the Tortugas that is so awe-inspiring. The quality of light is so different from anywhere I have been on the mainland. The air, while humid, is refreshed by ocean winds that bring in dramatic cloud formations, which change colors throughout the day like a mood ring on a teenage girl. The white sand, which can be blindingly bright at midday, turns a deep gold as the sun’s rays illuminate it late in the afternoon. The ephemeral nature of the islands themselves is fascinating; in fact, several islands have been swept away by storms since the discovery of the Dry Tortugas by Ponce de Leon in 1513. And the water—Oh that water! It is the type of water that makes you believe in mermaids and Atlantis–like peering into another world with lenses made of turquoise glass. This is a truly awe-inspiring place.

Three weeks in paradise—not a bad start to the summer! I can’t wait to get to know everyone here and explore the park, both topside and underwater. My days will be filled with turtle monitoring, diving, snorkeling, photography, exploring, and learning the history of this one-of-a-kind landmark surrounded by some of the most pristine coral reefs in the United States. Hint: underwater photos coming soon!

To learn more about Dry Tortugas National Park, please visit http://www.nps.gov/drto/index.htm

Getting here was the easy part—now for the true test of whether or not I am worthy of being a National Park Service diver! In addition to extensive medical testing (I have been poked, scanned, monitored, and beeped at in five different doctor’s offices) and a written exam, I needed to demonstrate my physical fitness and dive skills in order to obtain my Blue Card, which is required to dive through the NPS. This afternoon I joined the SRC divers (excluding some divers who are away on assignment) and headed to the local recreation center to do our swim tests and demonstrate safety skills. I quickly learned that being a mile up in elevation and getting over a cold make long-distance swimming much more challenging! I have been living at sea level for the past few years and swam regularly in the ocean—but this was a completely different workout. Nevertheless, I made it within the required time for all the swim tests including underwater, assisted and unassisted swims.

Next it was time for us to complete the required skills under the direction of Steve Sellers, the National Dive Safety Officer. We ditched and donned our equipment at the bottom of the pool, practiced out of air and unconscious diver rescue scenarios, and many other skills. It was a great to practice all these skills and have them fresh in my mind before embarking on this journey, just in case I am ever present in an emergency. Diving is an inherently risky activity, and one can never be too prepared for unexpected situations.

After completing all the Blue Card skills, Susanna had me practice setting up the camera in its underwater housing and with strobes. We leak tested it in the pool and I took my first shots! Granted, they were not masterpieces, but the mere act of pressing the shutter lever filled me with excitement and confidence. We had some trouble synching the camera with the strobes, but back at the office we got the whole setup working perfectly. I can’t wait to take it out in the ocean! I hope that the shots I take on this trip will be able to inspire all who see them to explore the submerged parks and care for all the spectacular submerged resources we have in the US, and the world.

Practicing the assembly of the underwater camera system to leak test it in the pool at the Green Mountain Recreation Center in Lakewood, CO.

I have just finished my first week as the 2011 Our World Underwater Scholarship Society’s National Park Service Submerged Resources Center Intern—try saying that seven times fast! The flight from San Jose, CA to Denver, CO, was very scenic. After a quick stop in Los Angeles, part of the route took us along the Colorado River, over the Grand Canyon and Lake Mead, which were spectacular to see from the air. I arrived in breathtaking Denver, Colorado, through dense cloud cover over jagged peaks and lush valleys that reminded me that I was no longer in the arid Sonoran Desert of northwestern Mexico, which had been home for the past three years.

John Bright and Susanna Pershern from the Submerged Resource Center greeted me at the airport in a huge Chevy Suburban that would be entrusted to me for the week to get around town (possibly more for the amusement of my SRC officemates to watch me park it every morning then anything else!). Susanna is a photographer for the SRC, and would be orienting me to the camera gear that I am so graciously being lent for this internship. John is an MA student in Underwater Archeology at East Carolina University, and has been working with the SRC on park projects and his thesis research in North Carolina through the Student Career Experience Program (SCEP). They were both extremely welcoming and friendly, as was the rest of the SRC staff when we arrived back at the National Park Service Intermountain Regional Office in Lakewood, where the SRC office is located. There I met Steve Sellers, the National Dive Safety Officer who kindly hosted me during my stay in Denver, and Desiree Sousha, the program administrator who is helping with many of the logistical aspects of my internship, such as booking travel plans. Finally, I met Dave Conlin, the SRC Chief, and Sami Seeb, one of the underwater archeologists at the Center. Having been in contact with them for the last few months, it was great to meet them in person and I could tell that they are as excited for my upcoming adventure as I am! Together they are helping me plan my journey through the submerged National Parks.

If you were unaware, the National Park system includes submerged lands in addition to the terrestrial parks that many of us are so familiar with, such as Yosemite and Yellowstone National Parks. These submerged parks are located throughout the US and its territories, and range from tropical reefs to frigid kelp forests and alpine lakes. In addition to their natural beauty and biological resources, many of these sites contain cultural resources as well, such as shipwrecks and remnants of human settlement. The SRC was born out of a large-scale inventory of cultural resources in dams in the southwestern United States (if you are interested in the history of the SRC, or underwater archeology and cave diving, I would strongly encourage you to read Submerged by Daniel Lenihan, the founder of what is now the SRC). The Center works with submerged parks across the nation to survey, inventory, and document submerged resources. Their projects vary widely in scope, and include the mapping of the USS Arizona, which was sunk by the Japanese in Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7th 1941, and 3-D filming of pristine coral reefs in the Dry Tortugas off of Florida.

My internship, which is supported by the Our World Underwater Scholarship Society and the National Park Service, provides me with an incredible opportunity to travel throughout the United States to SCUBA dive at a variety of submerged parks within the National Park system. On of my main responsibilities is this blog, and I am looking forward to sharing all my adventures with you! As I have a strong background in photography and one of my ultimate goals is to be an underwater photographer, they are even providing me with an awesome underwater camera system to document my experience. I am so thrilled to have this opportunity, and at the same time humbled by the extraordinary generosity of the OWUSS and NPS-SRC in giving me this chance to pursue my dreams. Thank you, and I hope to make you all proud!

After my short stay at the Delaware Water Gap, I packed my bags and drove from Milford, Pennsylvania to Washington, DC. It was a decent drive and there wasn’t much traffic, but I was still thankful to have a GPS system to help me navigate the way. I was instantly aware of when I was approaching the city because traffic was thicker and there were fancier cars around me. When I entered the city, the traffic increased and I slowly rolled from light to light until finally making my way to my hotel.  Once I got there and unloaded my bags, it took me an hour to drive 5 miles to the airport to drop off the rental car. I felt liberated when I could finally travel the city either by metro or on foot.

To my surprise, I was amazed by the number of people in the city and how they acted and dressed differently here. It was not because I had never experienced a big city before, because I have; but because it was the first time I had been somewhere so urban after spending time in highly remote areas this whole summer. The contrast between places I visited like Dry Tortugas, Kalaupapa, and Isle Royale to a big city like Washington, DC is stark and dramatic. My appreciation for isolation and untouched natural beauty has definitely increased over the past few months. However, I also realized that none of that isolated, natural beauty would be here if people in Washington, DC didn’t work for these fantastic natural and cultural wonders to be set aside, protected, and managed by the federal government for all to enjoy. After everything I had seen, it was hard to wrap my mind around the fact that I was actually here, at my last stop, to visit the national headquarters which is where all of the important decisions are made that affect National Parks.  

My first day, I headed over to the National Park Service headquarters on “Eye” street  to meet with Marine Resource Management Specialist, Cliff McCreedy. Then, Cliff and I took the subway over to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administrations Headquarters where I gave a speech about my summer adventures to several different program directors there. After that, we took a quick lunch break and then headed back to the NPS headquarters building. I was invited to share my experiences in a “Brown Bag Seminar” in the Office of International Affairs conference room.  They are called “Brown Bag Seminars” because people bring their food to eat while they listen to speakers during their lunch hour.  After my speech, I sat down with Cliff and he explained his role in the Washington Office to me and told me about some key issues that are affecting the marine resources in National Parks and what he is doing to help manage them. Among other tasks, he provides technical assistance for outreach and education program development for ocean parks as well as parks in the Great Lakes. Also, he is the Natural Resource Representative on the NPS National Dive Control Board (NDCB.) The NDCB is the administrative council of regional dive officers and other representatives who make sure that the diving done within the park service is complying with safety standards and regulations as well as ensuring that park divers receive the proper training to become or remain certified park divers.

The following day I got to listen in on a conference call Cliff was having regarding ocean resources. Then, I walked past the White House on my way to the National Park Service Director’s Office to give my speech one last time as well as meet with key people who influence NPS policies.  After that, I went back to the headquarters on Eye Street and met with Public Risk Management Specialist, Sara Newman. She told me about the measures they are taking to keep employees and visitors safe in National Parks, which are inherently dangerous because they are in the wilderness and can be remote. Then, Cliff and I met with Wendy Davis, Servicewide Education Program Coordinator, in a conference call with Lynn Murdock, Interpretive Specialist Liaison. We discussed education in national parks and how to be more effective by connecting the public to the natural resources available to them. They are trying to go in a new direction by making more information available on the internet and also using films or live interactive video programs such as “Channel Islands Live” to inform people about their National Parks.

Ending my internship in Washington, DC was very beneficial to my understanding of the system in which all of the National Parks I visited operate under. Because of those who navigate the legal and political field of resource management and funding here in Washington, all of the world can enjoy the pristine natural beauty found in North America in areas that have been designated as National Parks. This internship as a whole has been so incredibly valuable to me and I feel tremendously fortunate to have experienced America’s underwater National Parks from the inside, by working and diving with the key experts in the fields of biological and cultural resources, maintenance, and law enforcement. Having seen all that I have, I feel proud to be an American and appreciate what our country has done to preserve our wild lands, lakes, rivers, and oceans to keep them pristine for future generations.

 Thank you to Cliff McCreedy, Jeff Olson, Sara Newman, Wendy Davis, Lynn Murdock, Jonathan Jarvis, and everyone who came to listen to my speeches about my internship!

Also, I would like to thank the Our World Underwater Scholarship Society and the National Park Service’s Submerged Resources Center for making this amazing opportunity possible for me.  This internship has surpassed even my highest hopes and expectations, and I feel so lucky to have been given the chance, funding, and support to make it all happen. You have changed my life by widening my perception of the United States, the National Park Service, and professional scuba diving.  Thank You!

After arriving in Allentown, Pennsylvania, I rented a car and drove to the headquarters of Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area to meet up with Law Enforcement Ranger, Mike Croll. After he showed me the dive locker, he gave me a tour of the park while telling me about his job there. Mike has been working at Delaware Water Gap for over 20 years and has a wealth of knowledge about the resources and extensive experience working Law Enforcement in the park. The Law Enforcement division at Delaware Water Gap differs from other parks I’ve been to this summer because some of their rangers also work as park divers. These rangers are trained to retrieve lost bodies with the use of scuba. Some parks rely on external agencies for this, however, at Delaware Water Gap the logistical circumstances and response times of other agencies make it a necessary responsibility of the Delaware Water Gap dive team.

Since it is not the most pleasant job, the dive team members cope by focusing on the most important reason they are doing it: returning the missing person is essential for family and friends to have closure and start the process of grieving a death. While not everyone is suited for this job, it must be done for the sake of those who care about the person.  One of the more difficult things that Mike explained to me was that while they try to stay emotionally disconnected while searching for the body, they are also involved in notifying the families which requires a deeper level of compassion.

The following day I made a dive on the only cultural resource in the river, a boxcar that fell into the river from a train wreck at Kittatinny point. This also served as a checkout dive to familiarize myself with the river conditions. The water was clearer than at the St. Croix, and much warmer than Isle Royale, so I considered it to be a nice dive. Also, I was surprised by the amount of fish I saw while down there. On the next dive I practiced navigation in the current. I did this by taking a compass bearing on a point a little farther up river from where I wanted to end up on the opposite side of the river, and swimming towards it underwater. I was surprised at how accurately it worked even in a current and I was right on my target.

The next day, I participated in a training that was held for the divers to refresh their search and recovery skills.  Mike created a mock drowning scenario by dropping a dummy body in the river and acted as a witness. It was my job to interview the witness and get a “point last seen” in order to mark a place to begin searching. Mike told me that multiple witnesses are helpful, but the quality of information that the witnesses give is more important. For example, it would be a very traumatic experience for someone who was connected to the victim to watch the event take place, therefore their perception of the experience may be altered. However, someone unrelated who happened to see it may give better information. Factors such as the vantage point, currents, and other circumstances may also affect where the body may be found. However, the most important factor is the safety of the dive team. Since drownings often occur in swifter conditions, it is the crucial to evaluate the scene to determine whether or not is appropriate at that time to put divers in the water and conduct a search. Although it is important to find the person as quickly as possible, it is not worth risking the lives of the recovery team.

Also, divers use full face masks and two way communications like the ones used at the Channel Islands and the USS Arizona for safety purposes. The support team on the boat can speak with the divers to guide them in their search. Additionally, when the body is found, those on the boat are alerted and can prepare to bring it up. Another advantage to the mask is that it protects the divers against contamination from the person they are bringing up, who may have been in the river for an extended period of time.

After we marked the point last seen with a buoy, the divers swam to it and performed a search by drifting in the current while feeling along the bottom. Because the currents make entering and exiting the boat difficult with full scuba gear in deeper water, all of the dives were conducted from the shore. The divers found the dummy body on the third drift near the buoy, and brought it to the boat where we pulled it out of the water. If they had not found the body after a few drift dives, then systematic search patterns involving ropes would be used to comb the bottom of the river until an area could be considered “cleared” and the body was not there. If the body drifted significantly, this could be a particularly arduous task. Searching every surface of the bottom in a wide river in low visibility can take weeks and is discouraging for divers, especially while trying to help the family of the victim.

Although I learned that it is not necessarily something that I am cut out to do, I appreciate the courage of those who perform this service for the benefit of the people who need it most-the families who are mourning the loss of a loved one. My goal during this summer internship was to experience the diversity of diving that is executed by the National Park Service. Visiting the Delaware Water Gap taught me about a type of diving that I had not yet experienced, Law Enforcement diving. I would like to give a sincere thank you to Mike Croll, Bill Weber, Andy Olexon, Chris Kross, and Eric Lisnick for teaching me about the service that they do there.

To make my way to my next destination, Isle Royale, I met Susanna Pershern from the Submerged Resources Center (SRC) at the St. Croix National Scenic River headquarters in Wisconsin. We drove to her brother’s house to meet with Brett Seymour and Tara Van Niekerk who pulled the trailer full of gear from the SRC headquarters in Denver, Colorado. The SRC team was on its way to Isle Royale to work with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI) to film shipwrecks in the park using special cameras that enable the production of 3-D videos. One thing I learned during my experience in Michigan was the amount of equipment it takes to run a complex operation such as filming something underwater. It only gets more complicated when it is in a remote location such as an island like Isle Royale or Dry Tortugas. Added to the dive equipment and camera equipment are personal belongings and 3 weeks of food for 8 people, as well as extra supplies that must also be brought along.  Once we had transferred our gear into the trailer, we hit the road for Houghton, Michigan and arrived there about 5 hours later. Dave Conlin, who had flown in from Denver, Colorado was already at the hotel when we arrived.  

The following morning we drove down to the dock with the trailer and put all the gear into carts that would be loaded on to the ship with an ATV before boarding. Then, we all headed to the grocery store to pick up food for the trip. While the rest of the crew was shopping for three weeks of food, I was only shopping for one week since I would be leaving the island that weekend to move on to my next destination.  As you may imagine, shopping for food for that amount of time and knowing that you will not eat anything other than what you bring is not an easy task. The SRC crew, Susanna especially, knows that it is easier to buy more than you think you will need and have extra instead not having enough and going hungry. I followed the same principle knowing any food I left behind would be used by the crew after I left. Once we bought all the groceries, we took them back to the dock to load them into more carts. Our perishables were stored in the refrigerator on the boat to ensure they did not spoil before we left.

The boat was supposed to take us out to the island the next day, but it was cancelled due to stormy conditions on the lake.  We went down to McLain State Park to look at the waves, and I was amazed how much Lake Superior looked exactly like the ocean. The water was the color of the sea and had waves that broke on the sandy beach. Plus, it was so vast it stretched as far as the eye could see along the horizon. However, the one and only thing that told me I was still not at the ocean was the fact that I could not taste the saltiness in the air and it did not have that same ocean smell. Even though the water is fresh, it can be just a perilous as the salty seas and heavy fog can make navigation difficult, especially with the lake’s unexpected shallows and many islands. This is why there are so many wrecks to be found in the lake.

By the next day, the weather had calmed down enough for the Ranger III to make her journey out to Isle Royale. It is about a five hour boat ride from the Houghton, Michigan shore to Mott Island on Isle Royale. The Ranger III moves fairly quickly for being the largest ship owned and operated by the National Park Service and it is very stable as well.

When we arrived, it was time to unload our gear from the carts that had been stored on the big boat into three smaller boats. These boats would bring us and our gear to our housing at Windigo on the west side of Isle Royale. Packing the gear in the boat in an organized manner while making sure the weight was distributed equally was important to make the 3 hour trip safely. When we got there, we loaded up a trailer attached to a tractor to bring the gear up to the house where we would be staying. When everything finally was unloaded, we sorted through it to find our own groceries and belongings. I made myself dinner then went straight to bed because I was so exhausted after the long day of boat travel, loading, and unloading of gear.

During my brief first encounter while moving from the mainland to the island, I was amazed by the natural beauty of Isle Royale. The air was so crisp, clean, and pure-it simply felt good to breathe. Also, the bright green foliage was lush, and I marveled at the different types of wildflowers. The wilderness is outstanding and like no other place I have ever seen in my life. I also noticed that visitors seemed well prepared. The campers who go there are seeking that fantastic wilderness experience, and are aware of the requirements to stay somewhere so remote. 

Due to its isolation, any medical emergency on Isle Royale could potentially be more dangerous because of the amount of time it would take to get to a hospital, or in the case of scuba diving injury or illness, to get to a hyperbaric chamber. So, the first thing we did the next morning was discuss the safety and emergency management plan for diving incidents for the park. Given the conditions of the lake and the remoteness of the island, caution and safe decision making are of utmost importance. We also discussed how we would be using Nitrox, which is compressed air with higher concentrations of oxygen. The air in our atmosphere contains 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen.  However, Nitrox typically consists of 32% to 36% oxygen. Nitrox is used to extend dive times at mid range depths and reduce the amount of nitrogen that accumulates in the body tissues.  However, we used the same diving tables and bottom times that we would normally use for air, with the added safety of using of Nitrox. Since high concentrations of oxygen become toxic at certain depths, one critically important aspect of using Nitrox is setting a maximum operating depth, or the deepest you can safely go during a dive. Also, all tanks must be personally analyzed by the diver using that tank for him or her to know the concentration of oxygen before it is used on a dive. This is because higher concentrations of oxygen have shallower maximum operating depths, so if your mix is supposed to be 34% oxygen and it is actually 65% it would become lethal before you hit what you thought was your maximum operating depth.

We were asked to look for Zebra mussels while diving.  These are invasive in Lake Superior. If we did find a mussel, we were told to make a mental note of the depth, the water temperature, and the material onto which they attached. Another reason it is so important to film the underwater cultural resources now is because in the future, it is likely that the resources will be covered with Zebra mussels. This, for example, is happening on the archaeological sites in Lake Mead National Recreation Area as a result of the invasive Quagga mussels.

For our first dive, we did a “shake down” dive at the dock, where everyone got into the shallow water to make sure all of the gear functioned properly. Tara and I spent time getting familiar with our drysuits because neither of us had much experience in drysuits outside of the initial training. Also, Dave and Brett made sure their rebreathers, or closed circuit scuba systems which recycle exhaled air to make it breathable again, were working as well. The water was about 46 degrees Fahrenheit and hurt my hands and face until they went numb. The drysuit took some getting used to, but it was comfortable. I was amazed at the crystal clarity of the water; however, there was a layer of gelatinous silt at the bottom that created clouds cutting the visibility if it was disturbed. Mainly I saw logs and sticks, a few items visitors had dropped, and moose antler. However Paul Brown, Chief of Natural Resources, found a single adult zebra mussel. They believe that since it was an adult and no juveniles were around it may have fallen off of a boat and landed there. 

Our next goal was to do “condition assessments” for the shipwrecks the SRC and WHOI would be filming for the next two weeks. The purpose of a condition assessment is to go down and visually inspect an archaeological site to note any changes that may have occurred since the previous assessment.  The first wreck was SS America.  Even though there was no loss of life when this vessel sank in 1928, there is something incredibly eerie about seeing a ship underwater that is still intact with remnants of familiar things such as sinks and stairs. It was an unusual experience to swim down a staircase and out the side of a boat-something that I had never experienced before.

After we got back to Windigo, I got the opportunity to see a moose! Sometime in the early 1900’s moose immigrated to the island and continue to survive out there to this day. At this time of year, they are “rutting” which means that the males are actively looking for females to mate with and are seen more commonly on the island.

That night, I packed up my bags because I was leaving Windigo the next day to go to Mott Island, where I would be taking the Ranger III back the following day. However, I did get the chance to squeeze in one more dive before I left. When we docked at Mott Island and refueled the boat, we headed over to the wreck of Algoma to do another condition assessment. The Algoma wrecked in 1885 causing the largest loss of life on Lake Superior, 48 lives.  However, diving Algoma was not as spooky as diving America because it does not resemble a ship whatsoever, but rather consists of torn fragments of what used to be a ship. There were lots of interesting artifacts such as pieces of china that usually are not found on most wrecks because they typically have been picked clean by divers looking for souvenirs to take home. During this dive I was extremely cold. When I first jumped in and descended, I got a brain freeze. After that, I was comfortable for about the first five minutes before I started to shiver through my regulator and my hands become so cold I did they did not even feel cold anymore, they just stung badly. Even when I got out of the water, it took about 5 minutes for the blood to circulate back into my hands and for the pain to go away. I don’t know if I have spent too much time in tropical waters and have lost my cold tolerance or I have been too spoiled, but I must say that those who decide to jump in and submerge themselves in Lake Superior for more than 10 minutes are a tough breed of truly dedicated divers.

After our dive, we went back to the dock at Mott Island to greet the Ranger III and the crew from WHOI. After their gear was loaded up on the boats, they took the ride back to Windigo while I stayed at Mott Island to catch the Ranger III out the next day to be off to my next destination, the Delaware Water Gap.

Although I did not stay at Isle Royale long, I felt incredibly fortunate to have experienced a place filled with such pristine shipwrecks and wilderness. It was a unique opportunity that enriched my understanding of the diverse diving in the National Park Service.  It also gave me a newfound appreciation for all the hard work that goes on behind the scenes of a huge underwater filming project and for those who are willing to regularly dive in water that cold.

Thank you to Dave Conlin, Brett Seymour, Steve Martin, Val Martin, Susanna Pershern, Tara Van Niekerk, Dan Pontbriand, Paul Brown, Sean Curry, Marshall Plumer, Maryann Morin, Becky Kagan Schott, and John Roark.

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When I arrived at the airport in Minnesota I received a warm greeting from Bob Whaley, Chief Ranger, and his wife Barb Griffin, the Superintendent’s Secretary, who are both park divers.  On Monday, we loaded up the pontoon with tanks and dive gear. Also, Bob showed me how to prepare the boat trailer for driving on the road and how to change the boat battery.

When we got down to the river to launch the boat, the color of the water surprised me-it looked like cloudy iced tea! The orange hue of the water comes from tannins that are leeched from the leaves that fall from the trees as they biodegrade in the water.  For the first time in months, I put my 2 piece, 7 millimeter wetsuit on again. I forgot how restricting it is because this was the first time I wore it since diving in warmer water. It worked well and I was not cold in the water, but it certainly limits mobility and feels clumsy on land.

First, we did a check out dive so I could familiarize myself with the river current and visibility. Another goal of this dive was to search for zebra mussels by picking up rocks and feeling around their edges. Once underwater, I understood why, prior to the dive, Bob explained to me how a Zebra mussel feels instead of how it looks. He described them as feeling like a loose tooth that will wiggle but won’t come off of the rock.  Even in only 4 feet of water the visibility was very low. I knew Bob was right by my side because I could hear him breathing through his regulator, but if I drifted more than 4 feet away from him, he became invisible. When we were less than 4 feet from each other, I would look for either his hand or his yellow regulator hose which were the only visible objects because everything else was dark colored and practically disappeared underwater.  Also, since I have never been diving in a river before I had to get used to the current. To me, it felt like a strong ocean surge that only pulled in one direction.  In swifter conditions, a device called “The Creeper” is used. They are not manufactured, but are known among river divers and scientists who need to stay in one place while working. Barb, a woman who built her own beautiful log house, welded up a fine creeper over the weekend that worked very well. Later during the week I joked that Barb probably sewed the dive flag herself, and she actually had. It seems to me that Midwesterners have more of a “Do it yourself” mentality compared to the rest of the nation.

Later that day, Law Enforcement Ranger Anna Snyder drove us to another site to dive along a retaining wall to look for more mussels. Luckily, we still found none. Mussels were discovered downstream but still have not been found farther up river. The dive team continues to monitor various places along the river checking for mussels to make sure they have not spread.

Next, I dove a known mussel bed looking for an endangered species of mussel.  As we worked along the bottom, every time I found a new mussel and showed it to Bob, we stood up in the 4 feet of water we were diving in and he told me its name. I was impressed by the wide variety of mussels and was humored by their creative names, such as the Monkeyface mussel, the Purple Wartyback, the Strange Floater, the Pistolgrip mussel, the Pink Heelspitter, or the Fat Mucket among others.  Out of the 42 known species found in the river, only two have disappeared. Part of this study is to discover why those mussels have disappeared, and why others are becoming endangered. We were looking for gravid Winged Mapleleaf mussels.  Gravid is a term used to describe mussels that contain fertilized eggs and are looking to lure in a host fish.

Winged Mapleleaf mussel reproduction is a very interesting process. After the males shed sperm into eggs on the gills of females are fertilized when the female siphons in water containing sperm. After fertilization, the female mussels store the developing larvae in their gills. The larvae must attach to the gills or fins of a specific fish in order to complete development, so the female displays the packet of larvae so it looks like the natural prey of the host fish. When the packet is bitten by the fish, the larvae inhabit the gills. Without harming the fish, the larvae grow in its gills and transform into juveniles. Then, they drop off and land on the river bottom where they mature into adults.

The next day Bob, Barb and I dove to look for invasive Zebra mussels again. For this dive, the river entry and exit were a little more challenging because the water was about 7 feet deep. To prevent from getting swept away, we jumped in holding on to the anchor line and descended along it. Then, we crept along the bottom with The Creeper, and surfaced along the anchor line as well. Bob and Barb completed the next dive while I explored on land to see a beaver dam.

The next day, Jon Putnam, acting chief of resource management, joined Bob and me to team up with the Department of Fish and Wildlife divers to return to the same site we visited before to continue to search for gravid Winged Mapleleaf mussels. We did find the right species of mussels, but none were gravid. However, it is still early in the season so it was proposed that they may not be fertilized yet.

The following day, a thunder storm rolled through so I took the opportunity to catch up on emails and paperwork, as well as plan the rest of my internship. I never realized how challenging it would be to keep up with that aspect of the program, but it is difficult because I have been in the field or traveling constantly. Also, I am often in remote locations with no internet and spotty cell phone coverage.  Luckily, I tied up everything until the end of my internship so I had airplane tickets to the final destinations and cars to drive to the places I would stay when I arrive.

On Friday, I acted as the surface support for Bob and Barb as they dove looking for either invasive Zebra mussels or endangered Winged Mapleleaf mussels.

The next day, I had the chance to attend the Minnesota State Fair to have a true Midwestern experience. It was a huge event with so many interesting things to see. I watched a demonstration on harvesting honey, saw an enormous 1,036 pound pumpkin, watched a chicken hatch and saw a calf that had been born hours earlier.  Also, I was amused by the “all you can drink” milk stand, and pretty much anything you can imagine fried on a stick, even Snickers bars and cheesecake! Yuck! I did have fried cheese curds though, which everyone told me is a must have at the fair. As odd as it sounds, they were pretty good! All and all I had a wonderful time at St. Croix, enjoyed the kindness of the people there, and appreciated the unusual experience of diving in the river looking for mussels.

Thanks to  Bob Whaley, Barb Griffin, Anna Snyder, Scott Yess, Phil Delphey, Jorge Buening, Jon Putnam, Woody Wimberely, Julie Galonska, and Mindy Coy.

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On one of my days off while interning at Biscayne National Park, I got an unexpected opportunity to take a two hour helicopter ride over Everglades National Park, which is not far from Biscayne. Having never been in a helicopter before, I could feel my heart race as we lifted off of the ground and into the air. The propeller spun with a choppy roar as I looked out the side, which had no doors, and felt the wind hit my face. The ride was smooth and didn’t feel as though we were going as fast as we were. It felt as though we were just floating through the air above the city below us which slowly turned to marshland as we ventured away from the airport.

 From what I had learned earlier, Lake Okeechobee sits at a higher elevation north of the Everglades and contributes to the unique ecosystem found below it. During the rainy season, it overflows and sends the water down to the lower elevation south of the lake. From there, it spreads out and covers the porous limestone ground while flowing to the sea, serving as the lifeblood to the Everglades. The marshes there looked like they were solid ground until the reflection of the clouds could be seen peeking through the blades of grass below us.  The freshwater sloughs and prairies were yellow in color which I learned was a result of periphyton, a type of algae mixture at the bottom of the food chain for all of the animals in this ecosystem.

 Areas of slightly higher elevation poke out from the water and are dry enough to allow trees to take root. These areas are known as tree islands and are shaped like tear drops from the air, a result of years of water flowing around them.

 As we flew west, the landscape began to change. The sawgrass marshes gave way to large stands of cypress tress, the namesake of Big Cypress National Preserve, which borders the Everglades to the north. Also, instead of the entire landscape being covered with water, there were more lakes which I was told are referred to as “Gator Holes.”

 Farther west, the rivers became defined and mangroves began to appear below us. Then we flew over the Gulf of Mexico in a district of the park called Ten Thousand Islands. Here, thousands of little spots of land were scattered just off of the coast. Flying above we saw pink spoonbill birds, eagles, and cormorants, as well as dolphins, sharks, and at least 20 alligators off the shore of one small island.

 On our way back to the airport we flew over the site of two wrecked airplanes, the result of a mid-air collision dating to the cold war.

 All and all, I was so impressed by the diverse landscape and ecosystems I managed to see in such a short amount of time. From above, the specialness of the Everglades was immediately evident and I became aware of how important it is for the National Park Service to protect this area and keep it pristine. Wow!

 Thank you so much to Keith Whisenant, Mike Barron, Henry Delvalle, and Paul O’Dell for an impressive once in a life time experience that was completely unforgettable!

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Within 24 hours of arriving at Biscayne National Park, I had seen thunderstorms, an alligator, sea turtles, a manatee, frogs, blue crabs and the biggest spider I had ever seen in my life! Needless to say I was impressed by the landscape and amount of biodiversity I found in one small area. When we went out on the boat, I was amazed at the clarity of the water but also by how shallow it was. It made me understand why there were so many shipwrecks here when we had to slow down in our little boat in certain areas so we didn’t hit the bottom. Also, it stayed shallow for miles offshore. Once again I was back in the warm turquoise waters off of southern Florida and no longer needed to wear a wetsuit. The first week I was there I worked with Chuck Lawson, Archaeologist and Cultural Resources Manager, to survey the shipwrecks that were scattered about the park.  Chuck checks on the wrecks annually to look for any changes such as natural degradation or signs of looting as well as making notes of portable artifacts or any other significant details. 

The mission of the National Park Service is taken from the Organic Act of 1916 with the intention to “Conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and wildlife therein, and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.” If Chuck finds any significant issues with a wreck, his goal is to change the management of the resources in order to be congruent with the mission statement and keep resources “unimpaired.” In order to protect the secrecy of the wrecks I have not labeled the photos, but during the week I surveyed the Leadbury Reef Wreck, the Fowey, Triumph Reef Ballast, Long Reef Cannon, Ring Wreck, Outline Wreck, the Lugano, the Mandalay, Erl King, Captain Ed’s Populo, Pacific Reef Wreck, Second Wreck, Alicia, Keel Showing Wreck, Arratooon Apcar, Fowey Rocks Barrels, Boxcar Wreck, and English China. I had never before in my life seen so many wrecks and structures at the bottom of the sea and looked at them with awe and wonder. There is something magical and mysterious about shipwrecks and it made me understand the thrill that comes with diving wrecks. For me though, the true thrill was to be able to dive and explore the wrecks and still see the structures and artifacts intact.

In 1979 there was a significant lawsuit involving the person who found and claimed salvage rights on the HMS Fowey. The National Park Service won the case claiming that since it was in Biscayne National Park it was public property and part of the United State’s heritage and should be managed in the best interests of the American people instead of being salvaged and sold for private profit.

The next week I took the National Park Service “Blue Card” Diver Annual Refresher Course in which certified park service divers have to run through a series of drills to keep their skills sharp and maintain their certification. The criteria included swimming 2,700 feet with a mask, fins, and a snorkel within 18 minutes, demonstrating three entries with SCUBA, buddy breathing, ditch and recovery, towing another diver, and rescuing and towing another diver for 25 yards. “Buddy breathing” is when one regulator is shared between two divers when one diver takes two breaths and passes it off and then exhales while the other diver takes their two breaths. Also, a “ditch and recovery” is when the diver removes all of their gear including their fins and mask, turns off their air, swims away while exhaling, and swims back to their gear to put it all back on. Holding your breath underwater while breathing compressed air at depth can have dangerous physiological consequences and doing so during the skills test will cause you to fail the refresher course. After the course was finished, the group searched for and captured invasive lionfish. Also, on one of the wrecks I dove the previous week we found an invasive lionfish and Chuck promptly removed it.

All and all I enjoyed the amazing weather at Biscayne and saw some great wrecks as well as refreshing my NPS diving certification. Thanks so much to Chuck Lawson, Shelby Moneysmith, Vanessa McDonough, Paul O’Dell, James Johnson, Amy Renshaw, Tom Strom, Doug Morrison, and Captain Bob.

To learn more about the ships that are part of the Maritime Heritage Trail in Biscayne National Park visit: http://www.nps.gov/bisc/historyculture/maritime-heritage-trail.htm

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