Hammerhead worms (Bipalium adventitium) Along Hardwood Ridge Trail in Oglebay Park

By Jake Francis, Director of Environmental Education – Recently, while catching my wits on the forest floor after a fall, I noticed an interesting invertebrate moving through the decaying leaves. This organism is closely related to the aquatic planaria that many of our Nature Day Campers and School Groups would recognize by its ‘crossed eyes’ and it ability to regenerate from both ends if cut in half. This turbellarian, known commonly as the hammerhead worm, is in the same order (2 taxanomic levels higher than genus) as the common freshwater planarian in our streams, and shares its ability to regenerate after an injury.

The hammerhead worm (Bipalium adventitium) preys primarily on earthworms,which they locate using chemical sensors along the front of their enlarged head. To eat the worms they exude their pharynx (located in the middle of its body), digests the worm, then absorb the nutritious liquid. Here is a link to a hammerhead worm digesting an earthworm showing the pharynx (large white appendage), but be warned the image of digestion is not for the faint of heart! 

This species of flatworm is introduced from Asia, and some scientists believe they pose a threat to north american earthworm populations. For more reading on this interesting beast check out some scientific articles at:

Feeding Behavior of a Terrestrial Turbellarian Bipalium adventitium

Reproductive ecology and evolution in the invasive terrestrial planarian Bipalium adventitium across North America

Observations on Feeding Behavior by the Terrestrial Flatworm Bipalium adventitium (Platyhelminthes: Tricladida: Terricola) from Illinois

Permanently Monitoring our Streams

By Jake Francis, Director of Education, Schrader Center — As part of the expansion of our Mission Ground Truth:21 program, which gives regional 8^th graders a chance to explore the process of inquiry and careers in science while immersing them in nature, we have installed three permanent stream probes in the streams in and around Oglebay Park.  We have received six probes, called Waterbots, through our partnership with the Community Robotics, Education, and Technology Education Lab (CREATE) at Carnegie Mellon University, that strives to empower communities through robotic technology.

Permanent stream probes are not a revolutionary new idea; in fact many old dams and weirs served the purpose of measuring stream discharge.  What is revolutionary about the CREATE Lab’s Waterbots is their low cost, which increases citizen scientist’s (like our Mission Ground Truthers) access to high quality continuous water quality data sets.

Waterbots measure two stream parameters, conductivity and temperature.  Conductivity is a measurement of how quickly electricity passes through water.  Conductivity is a good indicator of pollution because any chemical dissolved in the stream (e.g. nitrate fertilizers, ammonia based soaps, oils, etc) will change the conductivity, thus a large

unexpected fluctuation in the conductivity of our streams will indicate that we need to investigate that area a little more closely.  Temperature fluctuations affect conductivity measurements, and when both parameters are combined we are able to estimate the Total Dissolved Solutes (TDS) in the stream.  The data we collect using our Waterbots will be open to educators and the general public who are concerned about threats to our local water quality.

North Dakota State Univ Students Spring Clean at Schrader Center

A group of 28 students from North Dakota State University spent a day at the Schrader Center this week helping with spring cleaning. The warm weather really encouraged both staff and students to head outside and work on re-chipping the trails, hosing the walkways, washing windows and giving the place a general sprucing up!

The ND State University students were participating in the Students Today, Leaders Forever Pay It Forward Tour, a multi-day, multi-city experience that engages students in service and leadership, travel to and service in a new city each day, learning about social issues, building lasting relationships, and making a commitment to continued action when they return home. All STLF College Pay It Forward Tours travel to six cities across the country over the course of nine days. Each tour consists of up to 40 students. The ND State University Tour departed from Fargo, ND on March 9 and made stops along the way to their destination of Washington, DC in Mason City, IA, Quincy, IL, Salem, IL, Cincinnati, OH and Wheeling, WV.

A BIG thanks to the group for all of their help and hard work!

Oglebay Institute Helps Wheeling Country Day School Deliver Community Initiatives

Photo Provided--At Wheeling Country Day School, students may be found learning outside of the classroom. For example, here they learn about the habits and habitats of local birds at the Oglebay Institute Schrader Environmental Education Center.

Wheeling Country Day School is embracing the ‘anytime, anywhere, any place’ learning concept that allows students to  experience learning outside of the classroom walls and discover that education is more than just classroom work.

It’s a concept the Schrader Center also implements when delivering programming to local school children and through public programs and community events. We’re proud to partner with Wheeling Country Day School in its effort to provide hands-on, participatory education. Read the full article in the February 21, 2012 edition of the Wheeling Intelligencer/News-Register.

Schrader Center “REACHes” Out to Ohio County 5th Grade Students

Students at Madison Elementary creating "Madison Square Garden" with the help of Schrader Center educator, Greg Moore

Through a grant funded by the  JP Morgan Chase Foundation, the Schrader Center is “REACHing” out to 5th grade students in Ohio County schools. The REACH grant (Resources for Environment, Arts, Cultural and Humanities) is designed to enhance or fulfill school’s curriculum objectives while focusing on Oglebay Institute’s five areas of discipline: environmental education, dance, museums, performing and visual arts. Eight Ohio County elementary schools are participating in REACH programming including Ritchie, Steenrod, Warwood, West Liberty, Bethlehem, Woodsdale, Elm Grove and Madison Elementary Schools.

Specifically, the Schrader Center has tasked its educators with increasing the amount of hands-on science in Ohio County elementary schools and building a connection between OI staff, classroom teachers and students.

“As a science and natural world educator, it’s quite fulfilling to be able to bring hands-on learning into the classroom and see the excitement as the students are able peer through a microscope or dissect the parts of a flower,” says Robin Lee, M.A., Education Program Coordinator at the Schrader Center. “And, part of the success of the REACH program is that we interwine native wildlife and nature with the overarching themes of the science curriculum that coincides with the teacher’s and school’s objectives.”

Over the course of eight weekly visits to Ohio County elementary schools, the Schrader Center’s educators provide hands-on science lessons covering topics such as earth cycles and processes; decomposers, producers and soil; predators and carnivores; and, the adaptations of endangered species. A pretest is conducted at the beginning of the series, and a post-test is administered at the end to track the students’ progress. 

“I love that the lessons are related to the children’s lives. They are learning scientific concepts in a way that’s specific to them and are realizing that science is all around them,” says an Elm Grove Elementary 5^th grade teacher.

“Mrs. Lee, I’m going to miss you and you are the best science teacher ever!” says Chase from Ritchie Elementary School. “I can’t believe it’s the last day. Your science projects are so fun, and you taught us a lot in just eight days.”