Dare I say it? Do I need to remind you? I love my job! The field season will start next week, if the forecasted thunderstorms don't preclude this from happening. Happy to report that after much phone tagging with various ranger stations, at least one of the collecting sites we'll be able to camp within walking distance of the monitoring stations. The ranger recognizing the value of us needing to be as close to the collection site as possible and making special arrangements with local authorities to not disturb us while camping out at a place not at all legally outfitted or designated for camping. So, we were told there is a gas station and a restaurant nearby if we needed water or facilities, just a brief little hike. That's much better than having 25 miles separating us from our collection site. The other site is surrounded by state forest lands, where camping is free anyway, but we're still going to end up being about 7 miles from the site. There is no other solution to this problem. Even armed with permits from the EPA, you still just can't set up camp any where. There are six sites scattered along the Susquehanna drainage basin. The two sites I'm collecting from are both on the West Branch Susquehanna. One site is fairly close to pristine while the other site is a half mile down stream from a power plant. When visiting the latter site last fall, the water temperature felt like bath water, the air was full of vapor on the cool September afternoon. The entire group was somber approaching this site. We are collecting from the two most disparate sites. I will get to see first hand and in dramatic fashion the effect on the diversity and density of the insect species and populations. The purpose of this study is to collect baseline data comparing high quality environments with those with disruption, where the natural health of the riparian zone has been compromised. The study does not just involve insects. Already the wetland vegetation has been surveyed, invasive species are being closely monitored, soil analysis and classification has occurred, and there will be a collection of voucher specimens of small mammals and bats (the rest released back into the wild). The idea is to capture a snapshot, of the ideal and the not so ideal. The final assemblage of species data will be pooled into a state wide biodiversity assessment database for future use in developing conservation strategies. Out of the whole experience I will gain a much stronger understanding of local insect fauna, as up until now my research focus has been on neo-tropical moths almost exclusively. The target taxa which I have been busily outlining: All Macrolepidoptera, not so much butterflies as they are not as affected nor as dependent on the riparian communities as a larger number of moths are, but some butterflies will be netted as some food and host plant associations will be meaningful. Coleoptera families: Carabidae (ground beetles), Cerambycidae (long horned beetles), Scarabaeidae (scarabs/dung beetles), and Silphidae (carrion beetles) Diptera families: Tipulidae (craneflies) and Tabanidae (deer and horse flies) Odonata (dragonflies) This is really just a drop in the biodiversity bucket, there will be more specimens not prepared from the residue than will actually be used for the purposes of this survey. I need to get very good at identifying the families (most in particular the beetles) very quickly. With six sites and twelve anticipated visits to each, there will be 144 light trap samples to sort through, anywhere from 288 pitfall samples to muck through, and a similar amount of hand collected samples as well. This will be a lot of insects. And I have to pick out just the target taxa so I can prepare them and send them off to be identified, later in the fall I will database this vast amount of information. In another one of those shockingly confidence inspiring moments, my mentor put the responsibility of the finer sort of the macroleps into my hands. I will send the beetle and fly families off to resident and far off specialists, but the leps, they will be in my hands. I have samples from a similar study in PA to compare notes off of and they will get the once over by my mentor before they get officially determined. But still, it's another one of those moments where I am overwhelmed by the confidence other people have in my skills. The learning curve over the next few months is going to be exponential, another notch or two on the expertise belt.