PANTHER
      POST
     
    
   
   
    
     
      September
      21,2009
      15
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Can
      We
      Save
      the
      Saint
      Lawrence
      Aster?
     
    
   
   
    
     
      by
      Bob
      DEZIEL
     
    
   
   
    
     
      One
      of
      many
      questions
      being
      an-
     
     
      swered
      by
      graduate
      studies
      at
      UPEI.
     
    

    
     
      The
      Saint
      Lawrence
      aster
      is
      a
     
     
      flowering
      plant
      found
      primarily
      on
     
     
      the
      North
      Shore
      in
      PEI
      National
     
     
      Park,
      in
      the
      salt
      marsh
      regions
      filled
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Look
      at
      the
      pretty
      flower.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      with
      sink
      holes
      and
      hungry
      mosqui-
     
     
      toes
      (as
      I
      discovered).
     
    

    
     
      Kerry-Lynn
      Atkinson
      is
      a
      gradu-
     
     
      ate
      student
      researching
      the
      aster
     
     
      who,
      having
      worked
      at
      P.E.I.
      Na-
     
     
      tional
      Park
      for
      a
      number
      of
      years,
     
     
      was
      approached
      to
      do
      a
      Master’s
     
     
      project
      by
      Dr.
      Christian
      Lacroix
      in
     
     
      the
      Biology
      Department.
      Kerry-
     
     
      Lynn
      explained
      to
      me
      that
      once
      a
     
     
      species
      inside
      any
      National
      Park
      is
     
     
      found
      to
      be
      endangered,
      the
      Cana-
     
     
      dian
      Government
      is
      mandated
      to
      _
     
     
      monitor
      the
      species
      which
      is
      be-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ing
      negatively
      affected
      and
      will,
      at
     
     
      times,
      initiate
      research
      in
      order
      to
     
     
      find
      solutions
      to
      prevent
      its
      com-
     
     
      plete
      disappearance.
     
    

    
     
      Kerry-Lynn
      has
      been
      working
      on
     
     
      multiple
      sites
      in
      the
      park,
      and
      the
     
     
      site
      that
      we
      visited
      was
      a
      marsh
      on
     
     
      Robinson’s
      Island
      where
      the
      species
     
    
   
   
    
     
      was
      being
      reintroduced.
      Kerry-Lynn
     
     
      had
      planted
      asters
      in
      the
      marsh
      the
     
     
      previous
      season
      and
      was
      coming
     
     
      back
      this
      season
      to
      see
      how
      many
     
     
      seeds
      had
      sprouted.
      Unfortunately,
     
     
      just
      under
      a
      dozen
      had
      germinated.
     
     
      What,
      specifically,
      is
      responsible
     
     
      for
      the
      depletion
      of
      the
      aster
      popu-
     
     
      lation
      during
      the
      last
      10-15
      years?
      I
     
     
      assumed
      that
      the
      cause
      was
      anthro-
     
     
      pogenic,
      seeing
      as
      how
      humans
      are,
     
     
      of
      course,
      the
      cause
      of
      everything
     
     
      bad
      in
      the
      environment.
      But
      humans
     
     
      are
      only
      half
      the
      problem.
      In
      areas
     
    
   
   
    
     
      where
      cottages
      are
      built
      and
      salt
     
     
      marshes
      are
      destroyed,
      the
      reason
     
     
      there
      are
      fewer
      asters
      is
      obvious:
     
     
      there
      is
      no
      proper
      habitat.
      However,
     
     
      within
      the
      National
      Park
      itself,
      such
     
     
      developments
      are
      non-existent.
     
    

    
     
      So,
      why
      are
      the
      aster
      populations
     
     
      decreasing?
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      One
      of
      the
      possible
      reasons
      for
     
    

    
     
      this
      depletion
      is
      a
      change
      in
      the
     
     
      microclimate
      of
      the
      marsh
      itself.
     
     
      The
      Saint
      Lawrence
      aster
      requires
     
     
      “disturbances,”
      meaning
      areas
      in
     
     
      the
      salt
      marsh
      where
      the
      top
      layers
     
     
      of
      soil
      have
      been
      removed
      by
      force
     
     
      or
      have
      eel
      grass.
      These
      disturbanc-
     
     
      es
      in
      the
      marsh
      are
      typically
      caused
     
     
      by
      retreating
      ice,
      which
      clears
      the
     
     
      ground
      below
      and
      allows
      this
      plant
     
     
      to
      grow
      the
      following
      year.
      In
      some
     
     
      places,
      human
      disturbances
      in
      the
     
     
      marshes
      (ATV
      tracks)
      have
      actually
     
    
   
   
    
     
      helped
      the
      growth
      of
      the
      aster,
      as
     
     
      the
      tire
      tracks
      allow
      fresh
      ground
     
     
      for
      the
      aster
      to
      germinate
      and
     
     
      thrive
      (though
      this
      is
      not
      a
      license
     
     
      to
      joyride
      in
      the
      National
      Park...).
     
     
      Another
      potential
      cause
      of
      depletion
     
     
      is
      an
      increase
      in
      the
      amount
      of
      veg-
     
     
      etation
      in
      the
      marsh.
      Eel
      grass
      (and
     
     
      trust
      me,
      there
      is
      loads
      of
      dead
      eel
     
     
      grass)
      could
      potentially
      be
      choking
     
     
      out
      fertile
      ground
      that
      allows
      the
     
     
      aster
      to
      grow.
      The
      increase
      in
      dead
     
     
      eel
      grass
      could
      be
      anthropogenic
     
     
      in
      origin,
      but
      it
      is
      not
      certain
      at
      this
     
     
      time.
     
    

    
     
      Much
      progress
      has
      been
      made
     
     
      in
      the
      past
      two
      field
      seasons,
      and
     
     
      this
      year’s
      field
      season
      has
      yielded
     
     
      interesting
      information
      about
      the
     
     
      requirements
      necessary
      for
      this
     
     
      flower’s
      survival.
      So
      there
      is
      hope
     
     
      for
      the
      species
      on
      PEI.
      Thank-
     
     
      fully
      Kerry-Lynn’s
      sites
      other
      than
     
     
      Robinson’s
      Island
      yielded
      hundreds
     
     
      of
      offspring.
      With
      further
      research
     
     
      into
      planting
      and
      conservation
     
     
      methods,
      the
      Saint
      Lawrence
      aster
     
     
      could
      once
      again
      thrive
      along
      the
     
     
      salt
      marshes
      of
      the
      North
      Shore.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      TFLN:
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Texts
      from
      last
      night
     
    
   
   
    
     
      (603):
      GUESS
      WHAT
      I
      JUST
      LICKED
     
     
      (1-603):
      I
      feel
      like
      half
      our
      conversations
     
     
      start
      this
      way.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      (902):
      I
      didn’t
      notice
      until
      this
      morning
      that
     
     
      he
      had
      a
      six
      inch
      RAT
      TAIL...
     
    
   
   
    
     
      (902):
      The
      walk
      of
      shame
      is
      so
      much
      worse
     
     
      when
      you’ve
      spent
      the
      night
      third
      wheel-
     
     
      ing.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      (310):
      so
      i
      had
      a
      choice
      between
      studying
     
     
      for
      my
      physics
      test
      on
      fluid
      dynamics
      or
     
     
      spend
      the
      night
      with
      my
      girlfriend.
      hello
     
     
      doubletasking.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      (314):
      What
      happened
      to
      the
      watermelon?
     
     
      (1-314):
      You
      fucked
      it.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      (519):
      and
      then
      she
      said
      I
      drew
      a
      line
      on
     
     
      her
      forehead
      with
      my
      cum
      and
      whispered
     
     
      “Simba”