During stage 1 we will kayak 1,400 miles from Seattle, Washington to Skagway, Alaska. The Pacific Northwest is home to a wide range of aquatic and terrestrial animals. We will be studying whales and other marine mammals, kelp forests, salmon, and many other species.
The Pacific Northwest is home to a variety of large land mammals including Grizzly Bears, and Black Bears. Above and below the surface we are sure to find plenty of things to learn about. Many of these large mammals need large undeveloped spaces to thrive and the roadless sections of British Columbia and Alaska provide the perfect habitat.
From Skagway, Alaska we will hike over the Chilkoot Pass in the footsteps of thousands of gold seekers who struggled across the pass to reach the Klondike. Many of artifacts remain from those early days, and we will follow their path all the way to Dawson City along the mighty Yukon River.
From Bennet Lake on the eastern side of the Chilkoot Pass we will canoe through a chain of lakes that form the headwaters of the Yukon River past White Horse and down the swift flowing Yukon River to Dawson City. 
From Dawson we will hike 100 miles through the mountains to the headwaters of the Blackstone River. The Blackstone flows into the Peel River, which flows in the McKenzie River, which will lead us to the Arctic Ocean. The rivers flowing through these rugged mountains as some of the most pristine wild rivers in North America, with hundreds of miles of flowing waterways between towns or roads.
After over 2,600 miles of paddling and hiking we hope to reach the Arctic Ocean before freeze up. We will spend the month of October,2010 training our dogs, and learning about native life in the Arctic. In November we will head south along the McKenzie River by dog team, crossing 1,800 miles of frozen wilderness. There are many remote native communities along our way and we are sure to learn a lot from the people we encounter.
When the ice melts in the Spring of 2011 we will transition from dogsled to canoe and paddle 2,300 miles along the historic travel and trade route pioneered by Alexander McKenzie, Samuel Hearne, and other Canadian Explorers in the 1700's. We will finish this stage of our journey in the fall of 2011 by completing the 8 1/2 mile Grand Portage which will lead us to the rock shore of Lake Superior.
After spending the winter giving presentations and making final preparations we will begin 4,800 mile kayak journey from Grand Portage, Minnesota to Key West, Florida. The first 2,200 miles will take us through the Great Lakes and out the Saint Lawrence Seaway. 
During the final stage of our journey we will kayak the length of the Atlantic Coast from the Saint Lawrence Seaway to Key West, Florida. We will be following the seasonal whale migration from the Bay of Fundy in Maine to the warm clear waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way we will visit cities large and small, and study a variety of ecosystems and environmental topics. We also plan to take side trips into the cyprus swamps and Everglades National Park looking for Alligators, birds, and other critters.
Expedition Blog Navigating the Dams on the Winnipeg River
Navigating the Dams on the Winnipeg River
Friday, 23 September 2011 12:52
Student Response Worksheet (Lower)
Student Response Worksheet (Upper)
Dave and I got into a rhythm of paddling and portaging last week. We were paddling our canoe on the Winnipeg River. Each time that we portaged, we carried our canoe, food, and equipment around dams that blocked the river. We had to portage past eight dams in total. Sometimes it was difficult to scramble up a rocky bank and then find a spot to launch our canoe on the other side. Other times, there was an obvious trail or road. We actually got lucky twice, when we met someone who threw our packs in their truck and drove us to the boat launch at the top.
Last week's Cast YOUR Vote was focused on these dams. The vote was very close, but the topic that won was about the environmental impacts of dams on the river. After paddling up the river, all the way from Lake Winnipeg to Lake of the Woods, we have made many observations about how the river has been changed by the dams. I was able to do a little research too.
Let's consider why the dams were built in the first place. Before the dams were there, the Winnipeg River had several waterfalls and rapids. These waterfalls made good spots for producing hydroelectric power. Mrs. Doxstader’s class wanted to know what a hydroelectric dam looks like and how it turns water energy into electricity. Well, we have included a couple of photographs for you and this is how the energy from moving water is turned into electricity: If a dam is built, blocking the waterfall, a lot of water can be stored in a reservoir. Gravity causes water to fall inside the dam and through a turbine propeller. The moving water turns the propeller, which turns a metal shaft in an electric generator. The generator is the motor that produces electricity. Power lines then transmit the electricity to homes throughout Canada and the United States. Check out the first link below to learn more about this process.
Hydroelectric power is a renewable resource and no greenhouse gases are produced when the energy from the moving water is converted into electricity. The dams do have effects on the environment though. Dave and I noticed that below a dam, the water level would be really low. The high water line on rocks was often several feet above the current water level. At the top of a dam, the water level would be very high. Basically, a lake (or reservoir) gets created upstream of the dam. These water levels can changed, depending on the amount of rainfall in an area and the demand for power. Changing the water levels causes changes in the types of plants and animals that can live along the banks of the river.
In the reservoirs or lakes formed behind a dam, the water doesn't move like it normally would and the lake can be quite deep. This causes surface water to get warmer than normal and the water that is down deep can be quite cold. These layers of different water temperatures affect what fish can live in the lake.
Mr. P’s class wanted to know the effect the dams have on the fish and other animals living in the Winnipeg River. We know that dams can change the habitats in the area, which causes different fish and animals to live in these habitats. We have learned that the dams have a negative effect on the sturgeon living in the river. See the link about Lake Sturgeon below for more information.
The changing water levels can cause erosion. Erosion is when soil from the sides of the river gets washed away. This soil that gets washed away can build up behind a dam. This can cause a build up of excess nutrients behind a dam and a decrease in nutrients below a dam. We learned last week if there are excess nutrients in the water. Algae blooms can happen and the oxygen in the water decreases. The downstream habitat can decline because it doesn't get enough nutrients.
The dams on the Winnipeg River have been in place for a long time. When the dams were built, most likely, habitats changed. Some plants and animals didn't survive and others moved in and thrived. There is a new balance in the environment above and below the dams.
Additional Resources:
Great information about how a hydroelectric dam works: http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/hyhowworks.html
Foundation for Water and Energy Education: http://www.fwee.org/hpar.html
Lake Sturgeon in the Winnipeg River:
http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/species-especes/species-especes/sturgeon5-esturgeon-eng.htm
Lesson plans about energy from wind and moving water: http://www.science.gc.ca/Lesson_Plans/Lesson_Plans:_Energy_from_Wind_and_Moving_Water-WS77C669F4-1_En.htm
Fennel's Field Notes
The weather is changing. Fall is here! I love this time of year. Well, I like winter even better. It is a relief for me to have this cooler weather. The summer is too warm for me! In the summer, I am sluggish. I spend most of my time sleeping. I pant a lot. I don't like to move around much. Now that fall has arrived, I am full of energy. I love the cold weather (except for when it rains-- I really don't like rain).
I like to run around when Dave and Amy stop on shore and let me out of the canoe. At times, I have been so eager to get out of the canoe that I whine and groan. Dave doesn't like that very much, but I can't help it! There is so much to explore! I just want to run around the woods and smell stuff!
Daily Data
Date, miles traveled, animal sightings
9/16 - 20 miles, 11 deer, 4 bald eagles, 6 ring-billed gulls
9/17 - 22 miles, 2 beaver, 3 bald eagles, 10 ring-billed gulls
9/18 - 23 miles, 4 beavers, 2 golden eagles, 1 loon, 4 deer, 5 bald eagles, 4 mergansers, 12 ring-billed gulls,
9/19 - 25 miles, 3 beavers, 2 otters, 2 golden eagles, 1 loon, 2 deer, 9 bald eagles, 11 mergansers, 32 ring-billed gulls, 40 Canada geese, 4 sandhill cranes
9/20 - 18 miles, 2 loons, 3 bald eagles, 6 mergansers, 10 ring-billed gulls, 3 cormorants
9/21 - 28 miles, 2 beaver, 7 loons, 6 bald eagles
9/22 - 6 miles, 2 bald eagles, 4 ravens, Huskie the Muskie
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