ES 546 Announcements

Dec. 3: Most final reports on physiographic regions are now online--see student reports. Final grades will be recorded by the end of the week.
Nov. 17: Several final reports on physiographic regions are now online--see student reports. More will follow by the end of the month. Have a nice Thanksgiving break!
Nov. 12: Final webpage reports on Kansas physiographic regions are due this week. Please submit necessary html and image files to your instructor according to instructions.

Nov. 5: Your final webpage report on a Kansas physiographic region is due on Nov. 15th. Students who wish to submit "draft" versions for comments and revision, may do so this week.

Last Friday, your instructor and his wife acquired blimp aerial photographs at Woodson County State Fishing Lake and Wildlife Area in the Chautauqua Hills, one of the most scenic regions in Kansas. Autumn tree color was at its peak in the oak forest adjacent to the lake. Once again spiders were numerous along with lady bugs.

Superwide-angle view toward the north over the lake and adjacent oak forest. Canon Rebel camera.
Closeup view of the picnic area and oak forest on the eastern side of the lake. Canon S70 camera.
Superwide-angle view toward the west over the lake and dam; Toronto Lake can be seen in far left background. Canon Rebel camera.

Oct. 29: This past weekend, we had excellent weather and success conducting blimp aerial photography in the Cherokee Lowlands and Ozark Plateau, both in Cherokee County, southeastern Kansas. Thanks to all students who participated in the field trips and assisted with aerial photography. Images are available online for FTP.

Blimp aerial photographs from Big Brutus.

	Superwide-angle overview of Big Brutus museum site with the town of West Mineral in the right background. Canon Rebel camera.
	Closer oblique view of Big Brutus and surrounding displays at the museum. Big Brutus stands 160 feet tall, one of the world's two largest shovels. Canon S70 camera.
	Vertical view directly over Big Brutus. Note the distinctive shadow that portrays a silhouette side view. Canon S70 camera.
	Superwide-angle overview to the south. Reclaimed mined land to the left and in distance; unmined cropland to right. Canon Rebel camera.

Looking upward to the blimp flying over Big Brutus. Blimp is 13 feet (4 m) long. Note Canon Rebel camera suspended underneath the blimp.

We often collect a few spider strings on our kite or blimp line. But this day was exceptional! Upon reeling in the line, our gloves were covered with spider webs, and we observed several species of spiders. Photos courtesy of G. Corley.

Blimp aerial photographs from Schermerhorn Park.

	Superwide-angle view eastward over Shoal Creek. Forested limestone upland to left; valley bottomland to right. Canon Rebel camera.
	View toward the northwest. Kansas highway 26 curves across the foreground. City of Galena in right background. The reddish-brown patches in distance mark former Pb-Zn mining sites. Canon S70 camera.
	Superwide-angle view over Shoal Creek, Schermerhorn Park and Kansas highway 26. Canon Rebel camera.
	Closeup oblique view of the bridge over Shoal Creek and the picnic area at Schermerhorn Park. Canon S70 camera.
	Vertical view of blimp launching site on gravel bank beside Shoal Creek. Note long shadows cast from trees across the creek. Canon Rebel camera.

Oct. 26: Our trip to Pomona Lake was quite successful yesterday. Thanks to Julie Mueller for hosting our visit. Pictures from Pomona will be placed online for FTP this afternoon. Meet tomorrow morning at 8 o'clock for Big Brutus and the Cherokee Lowlands. Sunday we will visit the Ozark Plateau; meet at 7:30 am.

Kite aerial photographs from Pomona Lake.

	Wide-angle overview of Pomona dam with the outlet tower in the foreground. Canon S70 camera.
	View toward east; outlet area below the dam. Canon Elph camera.
	Detail of the outlet tower near the southwest end of the dam. Notice shadow of the power pole in lower right corner; mid-day shadows are long at this time of year. Canon Elph camera.
	Overview of USACE headquarters with radio tower. Canon Elph camera.
	Testing the camera rig before launch. Dina Wingfield (left) and Paul Lewis. Canon Elph camera.
	Old (left) and new (right) US highway 75 crossing Dragoon Creek in the wetland area west of Pomona Lake. Canon Elph camera.

Panoramic view of wetland area along Dragoon Creek looking southeast toward Pomona Lake in the distance. This image was created by joining two Canon Elph pictures together using D Joiner software.

Oct. 24: Final fall-break field-trip schedule. Trip days are forecast to be partly to mostly sunny with high temperature in the upper 50s or low 60s F. Nice "Indian summer" weather following our first frost yesterday morning. Bring your lunch and beverage, notebook, and digital camera. Waterproof shoes/boots are advised for wetlands at Pomona Lake.

Thursday: Pomona Lake in the Osage Cuestas. Meet at 9 o'clock.
Friday: mostly cloudy, no trip, work on reports.
Saturday: Big Brutus in the Cherokee Lowlands . Meet at 8 o'clock.
Sunday: Ozark Plateau region, KS/OK. Meet at 7:30 am.

Oct. 22: Looks like we should have some good kite/blimp weather for the upcoming field trips, Oct. 25-28. However, it's too soon for an exact schedule. Check announcements again on Wednesday for final instructions; see below for more information about the trips.

Note: your instructor and his wife, Susie, visited Ross Reservation this past Saturday for kite aerial photography of new study plots in the northeastern portion of the reservation in connection with EB/ES 351--see announcements.

Oct. 15: We're now halfway through October, and stormy autumn weather continues in Kansas. Our next series of field trips will take place Oct. 25, 26, 27 and 28 during the fall-break period. These trips will begin and end each day in the ESU north parking lot. Bring your lunch/beverage, appropriate field clothing, footwear, notebook, camera, etc.

At this time, we have definite field sites for Big Brutus in the Cherokee Lowlands coal mining district and Pomona Lake in the Osage Cuestas. Additional field sites are identified in the Chautauqua Hills, Flint Hills, and Ozark Plateau regions.

Daily trips and destinations will depend largely on suitable weather conditions. Check announcements next week for further details. Note: these trips are required for on-campus students; trips are optional for distance-learning students.

Oct. 2: All our kite aerial photographs are now available via FTP. In the "datasets/geomorph" directory, you will find three folders representing the three cameras we used. Students will need a high-speed internet connection to download all image files quickly.

Oct. 1: We completed an extensive and successful field tour of central and west-central Kansas, including the Smoky Hills, Blue Hills, High Plains, Chalk Buttes, Arkansas River Lowlands, and Flint Hills physiographic regions this past weekend. And we experienced an impressive display of Kansas weather conditions. Our second series of trips will take place Oct. 25-28 into eastern and southeastern Kansas. Check announcements later in the month for further details.

Kite aerial photographs from the Smoky Hills region.

	Group photo at the observation tower, Maxwell Wildlife Refuge, McPherson County.
	Wide-angle view toward northeast, Maxwell Wildlife Refuge, Canon S70 camera.
	Superwide-angle view toward the west, Maxwell Wildlife Refuge, Canon Rebel camera.
	Smoky Hills Bison Co. main building. Kite flyers are in lower right corner. Saline County, Canon Elph camera.
	Overview of maze and pumpkin patch at Smoky Hill Bison Co. Canon Elph camera. See Bison.
	Closeup vertical view of maze at Smoky Hill Bison Co. Note people in top-center of scene. Canon Elph camera.
	Closeup vertical view of pumpkin patch. The small tent protects a giant pumpkin; note person in lower left corner. Canon Elph camera.
	Old railroad grade curves through cropland at Smoky Hill Bison Co. in Saline County. Canon Elph camera.

Sept. 24: Meet at north parking lot (north of recreation building) Friday morning at 9 o'clock. Bring your lunch for Friday. Students will buy their own dinners Friday and Saturday. Your instructor will provide food for breakfast and lunch on Saturday and Sunday. Our primary focus on Friday will be the Smoky Hills, including Maxwell Wildlife Refuge and the Smoky Hill Bison Farm--see Bison.
For Saturday and Sunday, our tentative plan is to head west into Hodgeman and Finney counties to examine the Blue Hills and High Plains. Potential sites include Horse Thief Canyon, Finney Wildlife Area, and Concannon Lake. The newest reservoir in Kansas is about to start construction at Horse Thief Reservoir. Other regions we may visit include the Red Hills, Chalk Buttes, and Arkansas River Lowlands, depending on weather and available time.
Long-range weather forecast calls for high temperatures in upper 70s to ~80°F, mostly sunny, chance of isolated thunderstorms, and south wind.

Student roster (ver. 1.0).

Sept. 17: To date your instructor has received the special fee from the following students: G. Corely, A. Holt, P. Johnson, S. June, P. Lewis, L. Massey, C. McGee, K. Moore, T. Ringler, T. Schroeder, J. Whittington, K. Woodbury, and B. Zabriskie. Other students planning to stay at Camp Aldrich need to send your fee now!
In addition to the items noted below, students may wish to bring leather gloves for kite flying. Please contact your instructor with any questions about arrangements for the field trip. Now all we need is good weather!
For some Classic Peanuts field-trip and kite-flying humor, download the peanuts.pdf files from the course FTP site. See FTP instructions and contact your instructor for the necessary password.
Sept. 10: Your special fee is due by the end of this week. Owing to the large size of our class, we will stay in a bigger cabin at Camp Aldrich for our field trip at the end of the month. Continue background reading with GeoKansas. Focus on all regions west of the Flint Hills.

Trail's End cabin at Camp Aldrich. This cabin has a large common room, small kitchen, bathroom, and instructor's room. A separate shower house is located next door.
Your instructor will provide all necessary tools and supplies for aerial photography--see airphoto equipment. He recommends that each student have the following personal field items: hand lens, field notebook, sample containers, day pack, canteen, first-aid kit, digital camera, binoculars, field clothing, appropriate footwear, and other personal gear. You may also bring a laptop computer. Please contact your instructor with any questions.
Sept. 3: Happy Labor Day! Your instructor has returned from a successful and productive sojourn in Slovakia and Poland. Each student should confirm your participation on the field trip for Sept. 28-30; the special fee is due at this time.
Our primary goals are to observe typical landscapes in central and west-central Kansas as well as to conduct kite/blimp aerial photography to document these landscapes. Physiographic regions include the Smoky Hills, Arkansas River Lowlands, Blue Hills, High Plains, etc. See physiographic regions map.
Plan to meet in the ESU north parking lot--north of recreation building, next to Wildlife and Parks Office--at 9 am, Friday, Sept. 28. You may park your vehicle in the "free" zone immediately north of the practice football field.
We will stay at a cabin at Camp Aldrich, near Great Bend, Friday and Saturday nights. Bring a sleeping bag, personal items (towel, toiletry), and extra field clothing. You may bring a lunch for Friday. Food for breakfast and lunch will be provided for Saturday and Sunday. We will eat at restaurants for dinner on Friday and Saturday (not included in the fee). Please let your instructor know about any questions or special situations.
August 27: The course begins next week. Our first field trip is Sept. 28-30 to central/western Kansas. See syllabus for more details--note the special fee of $35 due by Sept. 14th. In the mean time, read all online material for this course, particularly the project summary.
Your instructor has completed a field geomorphology program in Slovakia and Poland using kite aerial photography--see Tatra Mountains. During the coming week, he will be traveling and away from email. Please do not send any messages until after Labor Day.
July 26: Your instructor has achieved preliminary success in Slovakia using kite aerial photography to document the geomorphology of the Tatra Mountain foreland. Next week he will work on the northern side of the Tatras in Poland.

Tatra Mountains kite aerial photography.

July 5: Your instructor will be out of the country from July 11th until Sept. 3rd. He will conduct geological field work in the Tatra Mountains of Slovakia and Poland. See SAIA program. During this period, email contact may be delayed at times.

This course begins officially in September (see syllabus).

Sample image: Dry Lake is the terminal point of an enclosed drainage basin on the High Plains in Scott County. This year it's full of water from heavy winter snow and spring rain. Notice the small boat overturned on the shore in lower left corner. May 2007.

Welcome! ES 546 will be offered again in the fall semester, 2007. Our field subject this year is physiographic regions of Kansas. For more information about course content and format, please contact the instructor, J.S. Aber, e-mail: jaber@emporia.edu.

	Superwide-angle view toward the north over the lake and adjacent oak forest. Canon Rebel camera.
	Closeup view of the picnic area and oak forest on the eastern side of the lake. Canon S70 camera.
	Superwide-angle view toward the west over the lake and dam; Toronto Lake can be seen in far left background. Canon Rebel camera.