The Marsh Giveth and the Marsh Taketh Away

  The wise words I chose to title this blog with are not my own, they belong to my friend Eric, who has used them to console me more times than I care to enumerate.  I study wetlands, and I love it.  I think they’re insanely interesting and ecologically important.  Wetlands are great places to watch for birds, the plants that grow there are the bad-ass, and these systems can improve water quality and prevent floods.  All-in-all, wetlands are super cool.  But wetlands are also very muddy, very wet, and very productive systems.  This means that while they have given me many great experiences, they have also swallowed many things, literally.

In the last year, I spent four months gathering data in the wetlands of Great Salt Lake, I also got to spend a week in the wetlands of the Chesapeake Bay.  There were some amazing times; I've had my mind blown by these ecosystems.  But I’ve also cried a lot, and risked my sanity to gather data. 

Let me list what I have lost to the wetlands in 2012:

• 1 key/remote to a 2009 RAV4: $175

Said remote might have been lost here, in this field of Hordeum jubatum, or anywhere in the mile it takes to get to the field site here. 

• 1 clutch on a 2002 Forester: $1400

It was difficult to capture just how much of my engine and car was covered by pollen.  It was enough for the mechanic who fixed to clutch to remember.  

• 2 soil probes, bent to hell in the summer's heat: $140

• Lost productivity: $390 (conservatively estimated as 1 hour of crying per week at minimum wage)
• Sleep: priceless, 1-2 hrs/night for 90 nights. 

But the marsh has given me many more things, unfortunately, they are less tangible:

• 5 GB of pictures 

• 731 completed data sheets 

• Tan lines 

Note quite tan lines, but beneath the dirt I had some sweet Chaco lines.  

• Understanding of complex ecological processes

These piezometers provided lots of data I hope will improve my understanding of wetland management.  

• Laughs 

I’ve found this especially important in the last week, where I have had to replace the key I lost to the wetlands and get an additional part put on my Forester, in hopes that it will not die again next year.  It all leaves me to wonder, what should I drive next field season?  I know I shouldn’t take my car because it doesn’t have high enough clearance to keep it safe from the bad-ass wetland plants.  But if I take the field vehicle, I will spend the entire time wondering if the key is stowed in a safe place. 

Eh.  I suppose I can wait until March or April to figure that out.  In the meantime, I will be trying to enjoy the snow and Powder Gods have blessed us with.   Here’s to hoping the marshes will be more generous in 2013.