Some General Background Information for Field Trips to Pandapas Pond

INTRODUCTION

Pandapas Pond is a seven acre lake located at the headwaters of Poverty Creek. It may be reached by driving approximately 3.5 miles on Rt. 460 west of Blacksburg, to Rt.621 and taking a left turn onto the forest service road leading to the Upper and Lower Parking areas. The pond is man made and maintained by an earthen dam on its western end. It drains second growth mixed hardwood forests watershed area

The road to the pond ends in a lower small parking area blocked on the pond side by a gate. A short walk on the dirt road behind the gate or on the trail at the west side of the parking lot leads to the pond. The trails around the pond are gravel covered and easy hiking. There are several side trails through the surrounding forest. These side trails vary in difficulty and are not gravel covered. There are several picnic tables and grills available. There is no potable running water available, but pit toilet facilities are available.  Maps are available using the resources at this site or at the United States Forest Service office in Blacksburg. One may also approach the Pond from the Upper Lot by following Horse Nettle Trail to the east or Poverty Creek Trail to the west. In either case, one should be sure to make the appropriate turns on these trails, as they are not direct routes to the Pond.

SOME POSSIBLE OBJECTIVES (There are many, see the Activities Links)

  1. To observe a variety of plants in their native habitat;
  2. To observe vegetation gradients on a small scale;
  3. To observe animals or evidence of animals in the "wild";
  4. To observe and investigate a forest ecosystem with pond and stream interfaces.
USEFUL PREREQUISITE STUDENT BACKGROUND
  1. Plant and animal identification at least to the class and family level
  2. Plant and animal form identification to broad groups such as herbs, shrubs, trees; reptile, amphibian; etc.
  3. Knowledge of the concepts of succession and ecosystem components;
FIELD SKILLS
  1. Observation of plant materials and animal characteristics used in identification;
  2. Observation of significant field data concerning growth form, habitat, and life cycle;
  3. Field identification to family level (at least)
  4. Measurement and documentation of field observations
INFORMATION AND PLANNING

Materials (dependng on purpose of trip)

Seasonal limitations There are no limitations to this trip, weather permitting access.

Time required Transportation to the site will vary with the starting point. At the site allow 3-4 hours for the hike around the pond with side trail trips and discussions and sample collections.

Transportation Transportation by bus or car is possible to the parking area. The walking is generally easy, with no rough spots on the main trail. If it is wet weather, be prepared to traverse small streams or puddles on the trails.

Organization Students will be walking through woods. If they wander from the trails, they may get lost. Have them thoroughly understand what to do if they become confused (Sit down and blow the whistle). As long as the students stick close to the main trail, there will be no problems. If trips on the side trails are taken, precautions should be taken to make sure that the leader knows how to find the way back (a compass may help).

The United States Foerst Service Office, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University,  and the Virginia Museum of Natural History in Blacksburg have  excellent botany, zoology, forestry, entomolgy and ecology  staff and graduate programs. Graduate students, museum personnel, or professors may be willing to lend expertise in identification of difficult samples or may even be willing to lead the trip. Be sure to call in advance if you want someone along. ( Using the resources of this web site will provide information and activitiy ideas).

As always, be sure that you have proper permission to take students on the field trip. Caution the students concerning poison ivy, ticks, and hazardous plants. DO NOT COLLECT ANY PLANT WHICH IS THREATENED, ENDANGERED,  or RARE. YOU MAY NEED A COLLECTING PERMIT. CHECK WITH THE FOREST SERVICE. Do not collect if you can fashion activities which do not need it. (And you should be able to).

APPROPRIATE CLOTHING Appropriate clothing depends on the weather. Light hiking clothing appropriate to the season is suggested.

PRECAUTIONS Precautions against insect and snake hazards are recommended. On sunny days, sunburn  protection is needed.

SITE PRESERVATION If collecting permits are needed, then they should be obtained. Stay on the trails as much as is possible. Carry out all materials that you carry in. If you go off the trails to collect or discuss, do so in small groups. Again, with modern photographic equipment available, collection should not be needed. Additionally, this is an excellent trip to allow artistically inclined students to document observations in non-destructive ways.

PRETRIP INTRODUCTION ACTIVITIES

Using a key may be  an essential skill for many activities at the Pond. Several key construction and use exercises are available. The teacher should select an appropriate activity to teach this skill prior to the field trip. Depending on the level of the group, the teacher may want the students to be able to classify by general characteristics (herb, tree, shrub, vine, monocot, dicot, fish, bird, mammal. reptile, etc.) to family level (Asteraceae, Aceraceae, Fagaceae, etc.) or to genus level (Acer, Juncus, Quercus, Rana, Culex, Natrix etc.) This will depend on the level of student and intent of the trip.

Classification of communities into successional states is helpful. The teacher will want to teach the students to identify primary, secondary, and climax communities as well as ecosystem types such as terrestrial, forest, and aquatic systems. The physical characteristics and common plant  and animal types associated with these ecological terms should be mastered prior to the field trip.

These two essential skills can be practiced on the school grounds. A brief field trip around the campus can be used to introduce the students to field classification and the use of keys as well as non-destructive documentation techniques. Additionally, if ecotones are available on school sites, these may be investigated. Most schools will have microecotones where the concept can be developed even if no large edges are present.

The Virginia Tech Museum of Natural History MINTS curriculum materials are excellent resources for pre-trip, and perhaps even trip, activities and skills development.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Forest  and wetland ecosystems are extremely important. The interaction of humans and these is  of great economic and aesthetic importance as we seek to manage them  for both commercial products and recreational use. An understanding of the development of these ecosystems and their associated uses should be meaningful to all students.

As the forests , streams and ponds become more accessible to students and as student knowledge grows, the appreciation of the complexities of the  ecosystems should also grow. As our urban and global population grows, demands placed on the forests and streams  will increase. In some areas, no virgin forests remain, so great have been the pressures to harvest the forest products and the expansions of the farm and home sites.

This field trip will give the students the oppportunities to investigate a forest and pond  in transition. The second growth mixture of trees, the pond forest interface, the successional changes which can be observed, and the components of the ecosystems easily accessible here provide excellent opportunities to expand knowledge of the forest ecosystem.