Essay Contest Winners
REMINDER!
Since the 2006 Jeepers Peepers Earth Day Essay questions are the same as the 2005 Contest Essay questions, the DEP reminds and encourages 2006 Essay writers to use creativity and orginality in their writing! The 2005 Essay Contest Winners are posted here in order to honor last year's winners, as well as serve as an example to this years writers.
2005 Essay Contest Winners
Note: Some essays have been edited and/or excerpted by DEP staff. Have questions? Contact DEP's Jeepers Peepers Coordinators: Barb Welch at (207) 287-7682, or Deb Avalone-King at (207) 287-7028.
4th Grade
What is it like to be a living creature that lives in or near a Maine lake that freezes every winter? We asked Maine students to imagine being a lake animal or plant that is experiencing the transition from winter to spring.Two essays tied for first place. "Life as a Beaver" by Caitlin Denegre and "Water Striders" by Ian Sampson.
First Place: Life as a Beaver by Caitlin Denegre from Conners-Emerson School in Bar Harbor
Life as a Beaver can be hard. It's March and I am living in a beaver lodge on a lake with nine other beavers. Last fall we rebuilt the lodge with Mom to three feet instead of its usual two to make the lodge stronger against predators like bears, coyotes, foxes, and lynx.
Our winter food stores of bark, plants and grasses are growing low because the ice is really thick this year. I can't wait until there's an ice-out and we can replenish our food cache. We're looking forward to easier access to fresh food. Also, the wood we use for repairing our lodge and dam will be easier to get to. We do worry about spring melt water flooding the lodge or predators that could slip through ice damaged areas in the lodge walls.
First Place: Water Striders by Ian Sampson from the Conners-Emerson School in Bar Harbor
Have you ever wondered about those little insects that dart about on the surface of lakes and ponds? Water Striders are important to the lake ecosystem.
Water striders, like me, are the largest and most active insect that lives on the surface of the water. We can be found on the surface of ponds, streams and marshes soon after the ice melts.
We are usually brown or black, and have six legs as thin as human hairs. The front two are short, made for grabbing prey. The middle pair is for pushing forward, and our rear legs are used to steer. Striders can grow to just over half an inch long.
We have a sharp mouth part, called a rostrum, to suck up food. Water striders have very keen vision and can move very fast on the water to catch our prey. Our favorite foods are: giant willow aphids, crane flies, field crickets, fungus gnats, black carpenter ants, Asian tiger mosquitoes, water fleas, mayflies, stoneflies, fireflies and eastern Dobson flies.
We like to hang out in large groups, and we prefer the protection of overhanging trees and shade to hide from our predators. There are lots of predators that like to eat us such as: the green frog, three lined salamander, eastern newt, southern leopard frog, bullfrog, black crappie, largemouth bass, golden shiner, creek chub, yellow perch and bluegill.
Water striders come to the surface of the water in spring breeding season, and we communicate by sending ripples to each other on the surface of the water.
5th and 6th Grade
What is it like to be a living creature that lives in or near a Maine lake that freezes every winter? We asked Maine students to imagine being a lake animal or plant that is experiencing the transition from winter to spring.
First Place: The Big Mistake by Seth Batty, 5th grader from St. George School in Tenants Harbor
Help me! I am near the line of a fisherman's pole and I want to eat that juicy worm but it's on a hook! My name is Big Bob, the bass. Spring is coming and I've been waiting to find some delicious fat worms to eat.
I live in a lake in Tenants Harbor, Maine. I really like it when the water temperature is between 65 and 85 degrees (Fahrenheit), but I can live in hotter or colder waters, too.
In the winter, fish like me are usually hanging out between the cold water and the transition layer. There are layers of different temperatures in lakes. The cold water is on the bottom of the lake and the warm water is on top during summer. But, in the winter when the ice is on, the cold water is on the top and the warm water is on the bottom. The transition layer of water is the area of change between the two other layers.
In the spring when the water mixes (called lake turnover), and all the good food and oxygen gets mixed up in the lake, hunting for prey gets easier. I hunt for fish, frogs, bugs, salamanders and worms. I love worms! I eat tons of food after the ice melts. When the ice melts, life gets easier because my food is more plentiful. The frogs, bugs, salamanders and worms all come out in the warmer waters. I am considered a predator in the lake, because I will eat anything I can fit into my mouth.
But I can be prey for some animals too. I watch out for those tricky fishermen, because they are one of my main predators and they dangle those delicious worms to try to catch me. I have to watch out for loons, because they can catch me with their sharp beaks. I defend myself by going down to the bottom of the lake or hiding in the rocks or in the weeds.
In the spring, after ice-out, is the time for nesting and laying spawn. I make nests in shallow water to spawn my eggs. But in the spring, the loons are also eating more fish and feeding young chicks and I don't want to become someone's prey. I'll be safer soon when my favorite hideouts in the weeds grow back.
I just have to swim away from that luscious dangling worm, here under the dock, where I've been hiding today. I did not think anyone would be fishing so soon after ice out. It would be a big mistake to eat that worm!
7th and 8th Grade
We asked Maine students to examine some USGS data on ice out dates in Maine lakes over the last 100 years, and to write about whether spring weather is coming earlier than it used to. This essay was written by Jade LeBlanc from Skowhegan HS. It is the 7th and 8th grade first place winner in the 2005 Jeepers Peepers Essay contest. It has been edited by DEP staff. We invite you to visit our website at www.mainedep.com and look for the Jeepers Peepers links to find out more about this emerging issue.
First Place: Is Spring Coming Early?By Jade LeBlanc, Skowhegan High School
It may seem months behind us now, but winter and the coming of spring are an important part of life to many of us here in Maine. In this story about the coming of spring, this student wants us to become more informed about how our climate is changing.
Snowmobiling, ice fishing, skiing and ice-skating are all very exciting. Most people of Maine love doing these activities during winter, but don't you get tired of the snow? Most of us hate shoveling. Winter is fun but don't you feel a bit relieved when you hear; "Tweet, tweet, tweet; Chirp, chirp, chirp!" These sounds are a sure sign of spring, and after many months of putting up with the harsh, frosty, snow on the frozen ground, these are really wonderful to my ear.
"Tap, tap, tap." Another sign of spring is the sweet scent of maple syrup bursting from the sugar shacks. Flowers will soon be in bloom and bears will come out from their hibernation. Boats, bathing suits, and sunglasses are soon on their way after this. These are all key signs that winter months are nearing an end and our short Maine summer is at hand
Do you think spring has been coming sooner each year? Let's find out! In the next few lines, I will explain what I've learned about the timing of spring over the last 100 years. I have studied graphs of ice out dates from Moosehead and Rangeley lakes. Then I compared those ice out trends to average March - April air temperatures from Portland, Maine for the same time period.
At Moosehead, the recorded data shows that the "ice outs", have indeed been occurring earlier overall. The data from Rangeley Lake, shows the same pattern. In addition, the average spring air temperature in Portland has been increasing. The correlation of the earlier ice out dates and overall rising temperatures indicate we are generally seeing earlier springs.
Many people have noticed this change and animals have as well. Flowers and trees come out earlier. Birds, butterflies and insects emerge earlier. Mammals like skunk, raccoon, porcupine and even bears are climbing out of their dens, burrows, and caves a lot earlier than in the 1800s. What is the reason for all of this?
I can't help but wonder why this is happening. Are we burning more fossil fuels that could be adding to a warmer climate? I would like to find out more about that. Maybe if we are part of the cause and continue to do this, there could be dramatic changes in future weather, like drought and flooding at odd times of year.
Spring is fun, but I think having it transpire sooner might not necessarily be such a good thing, if it leads to a dramatic, unwelcome change happening in our lifetimes. Most of us like this moderate four-season climate we've gotten used to. I'd like to learn more about what we can expect, what about you?
