Discovering Watery Wonders

Mar 4, 2008 Jeff Smith
Fish aren't the only captivating life forms to discover on a peaceful lake. We called Doug Fuller, aquatic biologist with SEE North, Petoskey, and asked him for tips on becoming a savvy lake explorer.

1. Wear polarized sunglasses. You will see far more good stuff under the water — fish, crayfish, frogs, turtles…. Know that glasses with UV protection aren't necessarily polarized.

2. Take a mason jar and a magnifying glass. Dip the jar into shallow water and you will catch all sorts of phytoplankton and zooplankton, like copepods and cladocerans — microscopic animals with antennae and outer skeletons.

3. Pack a good pond life identification guide. Fuller likes the Golden Guide Pond Life (widely available). For the more hardcore, try Pond and Brook: Guide to Nature Study and Freshwater Environments.

4. Buy an underwater viewing scope. It's like snorkeling without getting wet. Aqua-Scope II, $65, Ben Meadows, benmeadows.com.

5. Be quiet. "Don't bang the oars — turtles have ears too," Fuller says.

Jeff Smith is editor of Traverse, Northern Michigan's Magazine.
smith@traversemagazine.com

Add your comment:

Create an instant account, or please log in if you have an account. Anonymous comments are enabled.
Verification Question. (This is so we know you are a human and not a spam robot.)

What is 6 + 3 ? 

Download our Best Docs Up North PDF to have a handy print version of the Northern Michigan Medical Resource Guide, as well as our articles on the Best Docs Up North.

Download Filmgoer
(4.6MB PDF)



Subscribe Now
 
Marketplace Links