AMS teacher to research polar bear dens in Alaska
Matthew Hundley / (matthew.hundley@averyjournal.com)
Presumably, most English teachers read outside of class, most teachers occasionally need to crunch some numbers, most music teachers play music and most art teachers occasionally sit down to paint. But how many science teachers actively engage in scientific research? More than you might think.
April Cheuvront, eighth grade science teacher at Avery Middle School, will set off in the last weeks of January on an expedition to join a group of scientists on the north slope in northernmost Alaska in their effort to map the dens of new polar bear mothers.
“We’ll have these FILDAR heat detection systems,” explained Cheuvront. “They will detect where the mother polar bear is denning. We’ll get the GPS coordinates and then go 100 meters away from the den to take our snow measurements for depth and density. Dr. Liston, the modeler, will then use that information to map the locations.
“We’re looking at the snow characteristics – such as depth, density, crystal types and layering – they are choosing to make their dens. Liston will take that and run it through his modeler so we can get a map of where some potential sites are for them to den.
“Why this is important, is oil companies need this information to see where they can drill without disturbing denning polar bear mothers.”
Several questions arise out of that explanation, but one of the most obvious is: “How does a middle school science teacher end up traveling to the Arctic Circle to do polar bear research?”
“This is a grant through U.S. Fish and Wildlife to map polar bear denning sites. I’m involved in it because, 10 years ago, I was part of a National Science Foundation Grant, through a program called TEA, Teachers Experiencing the Arctic. I was one of those lucky enough to be chosen. On that trip in 2002, we went to Barrow, Alaska, and we took over 5,000 snow measurements. One of the researchers I worked with was Dr. Glen Liston, out of Colorado State University. He is a modeler, studying snow and how it is redistributed across the land by wind and topography.”
Through her connection with renowned scientists like Liston, Cheuvront was invited to serve as the education and outreach coordinator for the project, which means that, in addition to searching for polar bears and taking measurements of their snowy habitat, Cheuvront will continue to act as an educator by creating a series of web journals, video journals and interactive education tools to disseminate across the country as well as back in Avery County.
“They like to see that there is an education element; that the science is being conveyed to the public,” said Cheuvront. “I am responsible for the educational part of it. How we are covering that is through web journals and video journals and I am producing an interactive lesson that will guide the students, and ultimately they will act as a mother polar bear and make decisions on where to den.”
Along with Dr. Liston, Cheuvront will meet up with two bear biologists, Dick Shidler of Alaska Department of Fish and Game and Craig Perham of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Predicting an obvious question, Cheuvront explained that the denning mothers will not be disturbed, while the male polar bears should be farther north, hunting on the sea ice.
“If the trip goes well, I should not see a polar bear,” said Cheuvront, who explained that the mother bears will be undergoing metabolic shifts that should keep them safely under the snow. “She picks her denning sites in November. For six to eight months, she does not eat. The cub or cubs are born in January, so by the time I get there the cubs will be in the dens. The mom does not exit the den this entire time. She stays in there and nurses her young. Her metabolic process actually slows down to the rate where she can reabsorb her urine, so she will not urinate or defecate the entire time.”
In anticipation of the trip, Cheuvront has been working with her students at AMS on a variety of lessons related to the scientific research in which she will participate.
“We’ve been doing polar bear lessons and arctic lessons,” said Cheuvront. “We have talked about why the arctic and Antarctic ice is important, as far as global climate and weather systems. We talk about how our climate is changing globally.”
Cheuvront’s two-week trip at the end of January is actually only the first of two. She will return to Alaska from April 4 to 18 to investigate the polar bear dens after the mother bears and the cubs have abandoned them.
“She does not emerge from the den until April, then her cubs come out with her and they venture out on the sea ice to hunt. It is expected that the cubs will have emerged by the beginning of April.”
Clearly, the difference in the April trip is that the bears will be out and about, but Cheuvront said that all safety precautions will be taken.
“The guy from Fish and Game has dogs he uses to detect the bears, which will help us stay away from the bears. Again, we do not want any confrontation with the polar bears. It’s like driving your car through New York City, if you follow the traffic lights and the rules and you are not going to get in trouble.”
Cheuvront’s web journals and video journals, which she will post throughout the trip, will be available through the Avery County Schools website by clicking to http://www.averyschools.net .
April Cheuvront, eighth grade science teacher at Avery Middle School, will set off in the last weeks of January on an expedition to join a group of scientists on the north slope in northernmost Alaska in their effort to map the dens of new polar bear mothers.
“We’ll have these FILDAR heat detection systems,” explained Cheuvront. “They will detect where the mother polar bear is denning. We’ll get the GPS coordinates and then go 100 meters away from the den to take our snow measurements for depth and density. Dr. Liston, the modeler, will then use that information to map the locations.
“We’re looking at the snow characteristics – such as depth, density, crystal types and layering – they are choosing to make their dens. Liston will take that and run it through his modeler so we can get a map of where some potential sites are for them to den.
“Why this is important, is oil companies need this information to see where they can drill without disturbing denning polar bear mothers.”
Several questions arise out of that explanation, but one of the most obvious is: “How does a middle school science teacher end up traveling to the Arctic Circle to do polar bear research?”
“This is a grant through U.S. Fish and Wildlife to map polar bear denning sites. I’m involved in it because, 10 years ago, I was part of a National Science Foundation Grant, through a program called TEA, Teachers Experiencing the Arctic. I was one of those lucky enough to be chosen. On that trip in 2002, we went to Barrow, Alaska, and we took over 5,000 snow measurements. One of the researchers I worked with was Dr. Glen Liston, out of Colorado State University. He is a modeler, studying snow and how it is redistributed across the land by wind and topography.”
Through her connection with renowned scientists like Liston, Cheuvront was invited to serve as the education and outreach coordinator for the project, which means that, in addition to searching for polar bears and taking measurements of their snowy habitat, Cheuvront will continue to act as an educator by creating a series of web journals, video journals and interactive education tools to disseminate across the country as well as back in Avery County.
“They like to see that there is an education element; that the science is being conveyed to the public,” said Cheuvront. “I am responsible for the educational part of it. How we are covering that is through web journals and video journals and I am producing an interactive lesson that will guide the students, and ultimately they will act as a mother polar bear and make decisions on where to den.”
Along with Dr. Liston, Cheuvront will meet up with two bear biologists, Dick Shidler of Alaska Department of Fish and Game and Craig Perham of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Predicting an obvious question, Cheuvront explained that the denning mothers will not be disturbed, while the male polar bears should be farther north, hunting on the sea ice.
“If the trip goes well, I should not see a polar bear,” said Cheuvront, who explained that the mother bears will be undergoing metabolic shifts that should keep them safely under the snow. “She picks her denning sites in November. For six to eight months, she does not eat. The cub or cubs are born in January, so by the time I get there the cubs will be in the dens. The mom does not exit the den this entire time. She stays in there and nurses her young. Her metabolic process actually slows down to the rate where she can reabsorb her urine, so she will not urinate or defecate the entire time.”
In anticipation of the trip, Cheuvront has been working with her students at AMS on a variety of lessons related to the scientific research in which she will participate.
“We’ve been doing polar bear lessons and arctic lessons,” said Cheuvront. “We have talked about why the arctic and Antarctic ice is important, as far as global climate and weather systems. We talk about how our climate is changing globally.”
Cheuvront’s two-week trip at the end of January is actually only the first of two. She will return to Alaska from April 4 to 18 to investigate the polar bear dens after the mother bears and the cubs have abandoned them.
“She does not emerge from the den until April, then her cubs come out with her and they venture out on the sea ice to hunt. It is expected that the cubs will have emerged by the beginning of April.”
Clearly, the difference in the April trip is that the bears will be out and about, but Cheuvront said that all safety precautions will be taken.
“The guy from Fish and Game has dogs he uses to detect the bears, which will help us stay away from the bears. Again, we do not want any confrontation with the polar bears. It’s like driving your car through New York City, if you follow the traffic lights and the rules and you are not going to get in trouble.”
Cheuvront’s web journals and video journals, which she will post throughout the trip, will be available through the Avery County Schools website by clicking to http://www.averyschools.net .