Ice-Out Update: March 7, 1997

Susan Wheelright

So ends our 1997 Internet Ice-Out contest for Walden pond, a full month earlier than the deadline! If you live in the Eastern United States and you think it's been a warm year, now you have solid facts to prove it. We've included Thoreau's ice-out records from the 1800's in the chart below and added records for the 1900's, collected by Journey North students. This has been an unusually warm year!

Ice-Out Records for Walden Pond
Collected in the 1800's by Henrry David Thoreau
1845 April 1
1846 March 25
1847 April 8
1851 March 28
1853 March 23
1854 April 7
……and in the 1900's by Journey North students
1995 March 18
1996 March 23
1997 February 22

"One attraction in coming to the woods to live was that I should have leisure and opportunity to see the Spring come in. The ice in the pond at length begins to be honeycombed, and I can set my heel in it as I walk. ............. One year I went across the middle only five days before it disappeared entirely."
Henry David Thoreau in Walden

Susan Wheelright continues, "As you can see from Thoreau's records, the ice on Walden Pond usually goes out sometime in late March after the first day of Spring or during the first part of April. Denise Morrissey of the Park Service at Walden Pond reported ice skaters and ice fishermen on the frozen pond over the weekend of February 8th. Since then, the weather has been unusually warm with a couple of days reaching a temperature of 60 degrees or more. Snowdrops are blooming in sunny areas and crocus shoots are also up.

"E.B. White, the author of Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little once called Thoreau's book Walden, "an invitation to life's dance".

How to Report Ice-Out
Please report to Journey North when the ice melts from your local lake, pond, river, estuary or ocean. We're waiting to hear from you!

To Report: Press the Owl Button on the left and a Field Data Form will appear.

Nothing Escapes the Eagle Eye
Last week, Aaron Parks of Lock Haven Junior High in Lock Haven, PA (nheilman@oak.kcsd.k12.pa.us) reported ice-out on the Susquehanna River. At the same time, one of Peter Nye's satellite-tracked eagle flew down from New York State for a little fishing in the Susquehanna! Where is the eagle now? Read next Monday's Bald Eagle update and find out.

Any Sign of the Red-Winged Blackbird?
Northern regions of the Midwest are still waiting for ice-out. Here's an Illinois High School with a great idea. While you're waiting, watch for the arrival of Red-Winged Blackbirds:

"We are located in the chain 'o lakes area of Northern Illinois in Lake County. We are at the Southern tip of the Kettle Morraine area which reaches up to Wisconsin. Antioch Community High School is considered a suburban high school of Chicago but we are 65 miles from the 'Loop'. The school is 3 miles from the Wisconsin border.

"We will be reporting sightings of ice melting from our various wetland areas which are unique to our state. These wetlands bring a species of bird which is one of the first species to migrate north, the Red Winged Black Bird. We will be letting you all know when the arrival of the male black bird which should be any day now. We will post our sightings and hope that this will add to your data and future reports." (sscott@achs.lake.k12.il.us)

How to Report Red-Winged Blackbirds
Our Field Data Forms have a catch-all category called, "Other Signs of Spring". It is designed for you to use freely. Let's see how many Red-Winged Blackbird sightings we can collect this spring for the Antioch students. When you see your first Red-Winged Blackbirds this season, report to Journey North.

To Report: Press the Owl Button on the left and a Field Data Form will appear.

The Next Ice-Out Report Will be Posted on March 21, 1997.