Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head!

To contact us Click HERE

The Lighthouse Center in Waretown, NJ has recently been hit with several substantial rainstorms. During the most recent storm, there was quite a bit of flooding and a tree actually toppled over on to the roof of the dining hall! The fearless groundskeeper, Pola Galie, snapped a few pictures of the damage. Although our summer home may not be in perfect condition right now, I have no doubt we will be back in business by mid-June and completely ready for our first Earthwatch team!

Abby's visual ecology research

To contact us Click HERE
Hello terrapin enthusiasts!

Wow, so much has happened this year, I don't even know where to start!

First of all, the Drexel terrapin crew went to Chauvin, LA in November to present our research findings at the diamondback terrapin working group symposium on the ecology, status, and conservation of the diamondback terrapin. We learned a great deal about other kinds of studies being conducted on the terrapin; most of all though, we learned how much we still don't know about the terrapin, and more research is necessary to gain a greater understanding.

Over the Summer of 2010 I collected over 500 reflectance spectra from more than 60 individual terrapins. From these data I have been able to compare coloration within and among individuals, as well as model the visual system of the terrapin. From these analyses and from previous research on turtle vision, I speculate that terrapins have tetrachormatic vision (UV, blue, green, red), and communicate across all color channels, especially in the UV. Intra- and inter-specific signaling in the UV has been documented in flower-pollinator relationships as well as a signal communicating fitness to potential mates (e.g. birds, jumping spiders, ocellated lizards).


In addition to the vision modeling, I have processed most of my blood and tissue samples. I hope to finish these up and send them out for genotyping so I can correlate possible differences in reproductive success with differences in phenotype (coloration). If UV patterning or coloration is a signal of fitness in the terrapin, then I may find that terrapins with a brighter UV signal may have higher reproductive success.

On top of all this, last March I completed my written candidacy exam, and on April 12 completed my oral exam to become a PhD candidate! Now that I am a candidate, the work has really started!

This Summer I hope to gather more reflectance spectra data, blood samples and hatchling tissue samples for genotyping, as well as design a system for measuring in situ underwater irradiance. But the only way this can be done is if you sign up to become an Earthwatch volunteer! Not only will you help me collect data to elucidate the visual ecology of the terrapin, you will get to join one of the research staff everyday to collect, track, and release terrapins. Some weeks we collect almost 100 terrapins! That's a lot of processing...so come sign up and help us out!

Sandy's Effects

To contact us Click HERE
Super storm Sandy has been devastating across the entire coastline of New Jersey.  We know that there has been damage to diamondback terrapin nesting areas, and shifting of sands may even become new nesting areas.  However, our study sites along the mainland part of Barnegat Bay (Forsythe Refuge) have held up.  The same is true for North Sedge Island (destruction to the docks), but the structures held up.  Reports from Kathy Lacey is that the northern parts of LBI (Barnegat Light) have also withstood the devastation.  Island Beach State Park Manager Ray Bukowski, brought terrapins to MATES to care for that were from the Nature Center at the Park.  There will be more to follow as we assess the damage personally, and in terms of terrapin habitats. 

I'm On The Huffington Post!

To contact us Click HERE
photo: aaronyoungphotography.com


Although it’s been a while since Iblogged here, I have been busy writing. One of my goals for this year was to have a posting published on TheHuffington Post and I’m thrilled to say that this month I became a blogger inthe Weddings Section!
The post is titled:  The Two Most Common Lies Couples Buy Into When Planning Their Wedding
Enjoy!
I recently met with a couple tofinalize their ceremony.  When I askedhow they were doing, Meredith, the bride, sighed, “Well, we’re not as happy as when we first met you.  We’re just so tired of dealing withpeople––we want it to be over!”
You don’t need me to tell you thatplanning a wedding is a wild, wacky emotional roller coaster ride.  But here’s the thing about emotions.  Emotions can either allow us to react topeople and situations in a healthy way OR they can trip us up and cause us tosabotage our relationships and plans. 
What we “think” influences what we “feel.”
Emotions that prevent us fromacting in a way that is in our own best interest are grounded in some veryirrational thoughts—lies––we play so often in our heads that we simply acceptthem as true, even though they’re not.    
There are two common “lies” couplestell themselves while stressing with wedding planning.  Buy into them and your emotions quickly getout of whack.Continue reading. . .

With Gratitude For 2012

To contact us Click HERE


www.josevillaphoto.com
NewYear’s Eve I received an email from a former UCLA Extension student.  Because of her work schedule, Vanessa missedalmost half the classes and I presumed that she took little, if anything, awayfrom the course (Interpersonal Communications). And so I was puzzled when I found her email and just presumed she waslooking for a favor, perhaps a recommendation. 

Theemail contained just one sentence:
“Thinking of everything I learned in yourclass and feeling oh so very grateful for the positive impact it's been in mylife. . .HAPPY HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!”
Iwas beyond surprised but also grateful and happy that I actually had reached aperson whom I had written off.  Ah, life!
Sohere it is a New Year and Vanessa reminds me that the best and happiest way tomake a new beginning is by giving thanks.
What am I thankful for as I stand facing out to 2013?
2012 would have been far lessenergizing without the 70 couples who invited me to officiate their wedding. 
2012 would have been a dull andconsiderably complacent year without the humor, creativity and generosity ofall my colleagues––event planners and on-site directors, photographers andvideographers, floral designers, musicians, sound techs and even a dovewrangler all of whom I collaborated with each week to create celebrations thathelped cheer and refresh not just the couples but their thousands of family andfriends.
I’m often asked why I officiateweddings.  Well, I can’t imagine not celebrating wedding ceremonies.  And while it’s not the only thing I do––Ialso teach, write, consult and speak––it is a dimension of my life that givesme life.
Why do I love weddings?  The simpleanswer is that I love stories.  Everycouple that comes to me not only hasa story, every couple is a story!
I love listening to the myriad waysin which people first met, and I especially enjoy having them tell me the storyof what happened after that first meeting––the story of how they’ve gone aboutcreating a life––often times a life that has surprised them in terms of whereit has taken them and what their newly formed and forming dreams are all about.
Why do I love weddings?  Ilove them because I continually stand in awe of people’s courage and daring andhope.  It’s simply not possible to committo another person without courage and daring and hope, which undergird all thatfaith and love.
I love weddings because I love looking at a couple’s guests as theymingle about before the ceremony and then as they sit in anticipation of theceremony’s start.  I love feeling thewave of emotion that ripples throughout the gathering (whether it’s two peopleor two hundred and fifty people).
I look at the guests and I knowthat they know how brutally tough, demanding and too often disappointing lifecan be.  That not every day can be asjoyful as that day, BUT I see the hope and the excitement in their eyes.  They’ve come to root on the couple, “yes, you can live life in a way that willgive you life, in a way that is meaningful, no matter the mistakes.”
I love standing in the middle of somuch hope.
I love witnessing a couple’scourage, no matter how nervous they may be.
The painter Vincent Van Goghbelieved that “The best way to know life is to love manythings.”
Weddingshelp me love many things and many people.So,I begin 2013 remembering what I’m grateful for. . .I’m grateful that I’m ableto do and be a part of what I love.
Ieagerly embark on this year of fresh, new stories. . .

Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head!

To contact us Click HERE

The Lighthouse Center in Waretown, NJ has recently been hit with several substantial rainstorms. During the most recent storm, there was quite a bit of flooding and a tree actually toppled over on to the roof of the dining hall! The fearless groundskeeper, Pola Galie, snapped a few pictures of the damage. Although our summer home may not be in perfect condition right now, I have no doubt we will be back in business by mid-June and completely ready for our first Earthwatch team!

Abby's visual ecology research

To contact us Click HERE
Hello terrapin enthusiasts!

Wow, so much has happened this year, I don't even know where to start!

First of all, the Drexel terrapin crew went to Chauvin, LA in November to present our research findings at the diamondback terrapin working group symposium on the ecology, status, and conservation of the diamondback terrapin. We learned a great deal about other kinds of studies being conducted on the terrapin; most of all though, we learned how much we still don't know about the terrapin, and more research is necessary to gain a greater understanding.

Over the Summer of 2010 I collected over 500 reflectance spectra from more than 60 individual terrapins. From these data I have been able to compare coloration within and among individuals, as well as model the visual system of the terrapin. From these analyses and from previous research on turtle vision, I speculate that terrapins have tetrachormatic vision (UV, blue, green, red), and communicate across all color channels, especially in the UV. Intra- and inter-specific signaling in the UV has been documented in flower-pollinator relationships as well as a signal communicating fitness to potential mates (e.g. birds, jumping spiders, ocellated lizards).


In addition to the vision modeling, I have processed most of my blood and tissue samples. I hope to finish these up and send them out for genotyping so I can correlate possible differences in reproductive success with differences in phenotype (coloration). If UV patterning or coloration is a signal of fitness in the terrapin, then I may find that terrapins with a brighter UV signal may have higher reproductive success.

On top of all this, last March I completed my written candidacy exam, and on April 12 completed my oral exam to become a PhD candidate! Now that I am a candidate, the work has really started!

This Summer I hope to gather more reflectance spectra data, blood samples and hatchling tissue samples for genotyping, as well as design a system for measuring in situ underwater irradiance. But the only way this can be done is if you sign up to become an Earthwatch volunteer! Not only will you help me collect data to elucidate the visual ecology of the terrapin, you will get to join one of the research staff everyday to collect, track, and release terrapins. Some weeks we collect almost 100 terrapins! That's a lot of processing...so come sign up and help us out!

Sandy's Effects

To contact us Click HERE
Super storm Sandy has been devastating across the entire coastline of New Jersey.  We know that there has been damage to diamondback terrapin nesting areas, and shifting of sands may even become new nesting areas.  However, our study sites along the mainland part of Barnegat Bay (Forsythe Refuge) have held up.  The same is true for North Sedge Island (destruction to the docks), but the structures held up.  Reports from Kathy Lacey is that the northern parts of LBI (Barnegat Light) have also withstood the devastation.  Island Beach State Park Manager Ray Bukowski, brought terrapins to MATES to care for that were from the Nature Center at the Park.  There will be more to follow as we assess the damage personally, and in terms of terrapin habitats. 

I'm On The Huffington Post!

To contact us Click HERE
photo: aaronyoungphotography.com


Although it’s been a while since Iblogged here, I have been busy writing. One of my goals for this year was to have a posting published on TheHuffington Post and I’m thrilled to say that this month I became a blogger inthe Weddings Section!
The post is titled:  The Two Most Common Lies Couples Buy Into When Planning Their Wedding
Enjoy!
I recently met with a couple tofinalize their ceremony.  When I askedhow they were doing, Meredith, the bride, sighed, “Well, we’re not as happy as when we first met you.  We’re just so tired of dealing withpeople––we want it to be over!”
You don’t need me to tell you thatplanning a wedding is a wild, wacky emotional roller coaster ride.  But here’s the thing about emotions.  Emotions can either allow us to react topeople and situations in a healthy way OR they can trip us up and cause us tosabotage our relationships and plans. 
What we “think” influences what we “feel.”
Emotions that prevent us fromacting in a way that is in our own best interest are grounded in some veryirrational thoughts—lies––we play so often in our heads that we simply acceptthem as true, even though they’re not.    
There are two common “lies” couplestell themselves while stressing with wedding planning.  Buy into them and your emotions quickly getout of whack.Continue reading. . .

Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head!

To contact us Click HERE

The Lighthouse Center in Waretown, NJ has recently been hit with several substantial rainstorms. During the most recent storm, there was quite a bit of flooding and a tree actually toppled over on to the roof of the dining hall! The fearless groundskeeper, Pola Galie, snapped a few pictures of the damage. Although our summer home may not be in perfect condition right now, I have no doubt we will be back in business by mid-June and completely ready for our first Earthwatch team!

Abby's visual ecology research

To contact us Click HERE
Hello terrapin enthusiasts!

Wow, so much has happened this year, I don't even know where to start!

First of all, the Drexel terrapin crew went to Chauvin, LA in November to present our research findings at the diamondback terrapin working group symposium on the ecology, status, and conservation of the diamondback terrapin. We learned a great deal about other kinds of studies being conducted on the terrapin; most of all though, we learned how much we still don't know about the terrapin, and more research is necessary to gain a greater understanding.

Over the Summer of 2010 I collected over 500 reflectance spectra from more than 60 individual terrapins. From these data I have been able to compare coloration within and among individuals, as well as model the visual system of the terrapin. From these analyses and from previous research on turtle vision, I speculate that terrapins have tetrachormatic vision (UV, blue, green, red), and communicate across all color channels, especially in the UV. Intra- and inter-specific signaling in the UV has been documented in flower-pollinator relationships as well as a signal communicating fitness to potential mates (e.g. birds, jumping spiders, ocellated lizards).


In addition to the vision modeling, I have processed most of my blood and tissue samples. I hope to finish these up and send them out for genotyping so I can correlate possible differences in reproductive success with differences in phenotype (coloration). If UV patterning or coloration is a signal of fitness in the terrapin, then I may find that terrapins with a brighter UV signal may have higher reproductive success.

On top of all this, last March I completed my written candidacy exam, and on April 12 completed my oral exam to become a PhD candidate! Now that I am a candidate, the work has really started!

This Summer I hope to gather more reflectance spectra data, blood samples and hatchling tissue samples for genotyping, as well as design a system for measuring in situ underwater irradiance. But the only way this can be done is if you sign up to become an Earthwatch volunteer! Not only will you help me collect data to elucidate the visual ecology of the terrapin, you will get to join one of the research staff everyday to collect, track, and release terrapins. Some weeks we collect almost 100 terrapins! That's a lot of processing...so come sign up and help us out!

Sandy's Effects

To contact us Click HERE
Super storm Sandy has been devastating across the entire coastline of New Jersey.  We know that there has been damage to diamondback terrapin nesting areas, and shifting of sands may even become new nesting areas.  However, our study sites along the mainland part of Barnegat Bay (Forsythe Refuge) have held up.  The same is true for North Sedge Island (destruction to the docks), but the structures held up.  Reports from Kathy Lacey is that the northern parts of LBI (Barnegat Light) have also withstood the devastation.  Island Beach State Park Manager Ray Bukowski, brought terrapins to MATES to care for that were from the Nature Center at the Park.  There will be more to follow as we assess the damage personally, and in terms of terrapin habitats. 

I'm On The Huffington Post!

To contact us Click HERE
photo: aaronyoungphotography.com


Although it’s been a while since Iblogged here, I have been busy writing. One of my goals for this year was to have a posting published on TheHuffington Post and I’m thrilled to say that this month I became a blogger inthe Weddings Section!
The post is titled:  The Two Most Common Lies Couples Buy Into When Planning Their Wedding
Enjoy!
I recently met with a couple tofinalize their ceremony.  When I askedhow they were doing, Meredith, the bride, sighed, “Well, we’re not as happy as when we first met you.  We’re just so tired of dealing withpeople––we want it to be over!”
You don’t need me to tell you thatplanning a wedding is a wild, wacky emotional roller coaster ride.  But here’s the thing about emotions.  Emotions can either allow us to react topeople and situations in a healthy way OR they can trip us up and cause us tosabotage our relationships and plans. 
What we “think” influences what we “feel.”
Emotions that prevent us fromacting in a way that is in our own best interest are grounded in some veryirrational thoughts—lies––we play so often in our heads that we simply acceptthem as true, even though they’re not.    
There are two common “lies” couplestell themselves while stressing with wedding planning.  Buy into them and your emotions quickly getout of whack.Continue reading. . .