thank you!

sara langmack

I didn’t see your name anywhere and am not going back to look in case I lose this thread.

I’m not a real scientist. I’m an amateur. But I’ve been very interested in the subjects of your blogs – particularly zooplankton.

Since about 1963, I’ve been in and out of vernal ponds as well as other bodies of water. Fell into my share of them as you no doubt have too.

What is most interesting to me is that you exist.

Among other things, I fight battles to save what I believe to be valuable land from development.

Not the way most people do. I use the Criminal Code against the government.

Unless you are a student of legislation as I am, you would probably not be aware that Ontario’s envrionmental legislation is essentially of little value to the point of being nearly worthless. Almost all of it amounts to being a cost of doing business to offenders.

When I first started defending land, I looked to see what if any species at risk there might be on it if any. Here in Durham Region, most species at risk have passed beyond that point.

But we do have a lot of vernal ponds. And in those vernal ponds are some interesting things.

So far I’ve only been able to find one fairy shrimp pond with a few daphnia in it. There are lots with cyclops and bosnia as well as plenty of insect larvae.

One pond has nothing but daphnia. Not even mosquito larvae. other than insects I mean. All of the ponds are on private lands so access is awkward at times.

Anyway, one of the species I hoped to find (out of your league) was chimney crayfish.

Your comment about the totality of the experience and looking at the species as a continuing story as part of a bigger picture is exactly how I like to view vernal ponds. Chimney crayfish when present add a completely different dimension to the vernal pond story since when the ponds dry up, they retreat into the substrate and probably into the near surface aquifers.

Their presence along with daphnia, fairy shrimp and other hard shelled animals is important for tracking chemcial contamination. Crayfish in particular are valuable since they shed their exoskeletons and thus can be tagged or otherwise marked without harm. They can thus be tracked from season to season in a manner that no other organism I’m aware of can be.

That means the vernal pond and the aquifers can be tracked. I’m sure the chemical make up of the exoskeletons would tell amazing and important stories if only someone were doing it.

You are the closest I’ve come to finding someone like that.

I’m hoping I can encourage you to look at a slightly bigger picture.

The other thing is that when the chimney crayfish withdraw into the aquifer, a certain amount of microbial life as well as larger bio and zooplankton life has to go with them to sustain them. I can’t believe they could exist for 3/4s of a year with nothing to eat. Some chimney crayfish grow enormous and must live exceptionally long lives. Each one is a living record of biotope potential.

I believe these crayfish could be seeded back into areas they have disappeared from as could fairy shrimp and daphnia.

As such they could become tiny defenders of the land.

Fairy shrimp range is shrinking rapidly. They are a marker species that go unrecognised by the Ministry of Natural Resources. They are too small.

I have complained vigourously about this some years ago.

But without some sort of census or other record of where they once were, their biodiversity is in jeopardy in Ontario. You and your colleagues are likely in a position to provide leadership. Or hopefully entice younger people to take an active interest.

My interest was due to tropical fish. I raised and bred almost any fresh water species that could be bred back in the sixties. In the hunt for live food, I had to acquire knowledge and information. In those days there was very little written. So the only way to acquire knowledge was to be observant and pay close attention to anything that moved. You had to look at the big picture because if you didn’t something important could be missed.

Therefore my observations included insects of every sort. It proved to be a very complex and interesting world. Unlike you I’ve never had the opportunity to spend a lot of time at it. My time was moments stolen from other things. But those were the moments when I was happiest I think.

Anyway I hope you see this and reply since you are likely a fount of knowledge I wish I had and a potential opportunity to ensure that organisms we care about survive human tenancy.

Thanks for your thoughtful posts.