A Kolt Update

After reading the latest Alumni Newsletter, I was reminded how great it was to be a part of ECU Geology. I’m sad to say that I won’t make this year’s Pig Pickin’, so will have to pass on a few updates via the interweb.

This past summer has been very busy with a host of projects, a drought, and lots of extra-curricular activities. Recent issues surrounding water allocation in Hawke’s Bay have highlighted the need for updated information on fundamental catchment hydrology. One of our projects this year has been a concurrent gauging program in the Ruataniwha Plains. This involves 36 sites on 5 river systems, all gauged for flow at the same time. Irrigation bans were also imposed to allow the catchments to equalize before gauging to ensure that natural conditions were measured – not an easy pill to swallow for farmers during a drought! We have since pushed through the hard times and the results are looking good.

Micheal Taylor gauging the Maharakeke Stream in the Ruataniwha Plains

The Mangatewai Stream at the base of the Ruahine Ranges

Work on the Tutaekuri River has also kept me busy. This is a continuation of last year’s survey on habitat-flow relationships. A lot of meticulous measurements afield have led to successful modeling back in the office. This project will end soon and the results will be fed into the flow-setting process, which will ultimately provide a sound basis for water management in this catchment.

Walking the Tutaekuri River during a habitat mapping exercise

In other news, this past summer provided some amazing underwater experiences. The Extreme Freedom divers went near and far and pulled up a few denizens from the deep. Highlights are hard to separate from the ordinary – it’s just too good here! There are a few notable things to mention – Me and Nick Williams teamed up for both the North Island and NZ National Spearfishing Championships and earned respectable 7th and 13th place finishes, respectively. I’ve also taken to hunting with a polespear – the most primitive form of spearfishing. It really tests the skills of an underwater hunter and has given me some great memories. I’m currently developing a polespear for the NZ market. Finally, I’ve been documenting my adventures and sharing them with the rest of the world through the magazines NZ Spearo and Hawaii Skin Diver. If you ever see one on the shelf, grab a copy!

23kg yellowtail kingfish by polespear

Another polespeared yellowtail kingfish on a rough day

Pink Maomao from Gisborne - see http://www.vimeo.com/3553489

My best wishes go out to ECU Geology and the faculty, staff, and students. I’ll have to book my flights for Pig Pickin’ 2010!

No hydrologist is complete without a fly rod...Tukutuki River rainbows agree!

Pigs and Dogs, Oysters and Music, Water and Sun ... and Friends

Steamed Oysters, barbequed pork, Richard at the helm.

This past Saturday, May 3rd, 2008, marked the annual ECU Geology Barbeque at the Ranch. If you made it to the event, I don't have to tell you how much fun it was. These things are family reunions. If you missed it ... well, I'm really sorry for you.

The Old Farts Club held several impromptu meetings.

This year the Department is celebrating its 40th anniversary. Started way back when by Dr. C.Q. Brown, and staffed by Drs. Stan Riggs, Mike O'Connor, and Jean Lowery. C.Q. was at the party on Saturday; Stan was there; and, I know that Jean was there in spirit. Jeff Brame flew in from Durango, CO. Jeff was a member of the founding class (and spoke of a recent sighting of Mike O'Connor). Scott Hartness was there, another member of the founding class. Bill Crew was there; I'm not sure if Bill was in the founding class, but if not, he only missed by a week or two. (I, on the other hand, like to remind myself whenever I'm feeling old, that when C.Q. and Stan were starting the department, and the guys mentioned above were playing "Rat Patrol" with departmental vehicles over the dunes on the NC Outer Banks, *I* was 8-years-old and riding my new "banana bike" to cub scout meetings. Heh heh ... bunch'o old farts, those guys are!)

"The Revelators"

A bazillion thanks are due to Lisa and Richard, for once again offering their place and their gracious hospitality as hosts for this event. Nearly as many thanks are due to "The Revelators" for providing live music throughout the day. But most important, without a doubt, are the faculty and current students who ARE the ECU Department of Geological Sciences. These are the folks who make it happen. These are the folks who keep it going. The are the folks who make me proud to be an East Carolina geologist, a member of the alumni.

Marshmallows and Beer

So now ... How about a little game? You may have seen me making photographs on Saturday, and I've posted a few here. I think there were quite a few "nice 'uns" in the bag; far too many to post here on this blog page. So, what I've done is to post them on a web gallery. You can get there by clicking this LINK. "So what's the game", you might ask? Glad you did. When you go to that web photo gallery, YOU get to test your recognition and departmental history skills by identifying the most people in the most photos. The winner on each photo is the one who first leaves a comment with everyone correctly identified. Remember, spelling counts. The overall winner is the one who wins on the most individual photographs. I will select what I think is the best caption suggestion, or you all can vote for those previously posted. You don't have to leave your full name in the comment - though you can - but we'll need some way to identify you if you want to be a contender.

Again, the link to the web gallery is HERE.

Have fun. And thanks again to everyone for an excellent day last Saturday!

NZ Update

Glad to be on board! I figured that describing some of the work I've been involved in lately would be a good addition to the fish stories!

For those that don't know, I'm the Surface Water Quantity Scientist at Hawke's Bay Regional Council, in Napier, New Zealand. The Regional Councils are charged with the sustainable management of New Zealand's natural and cultural resources. I direct the science programs that deal with surface water resources in our region, which provide the necessary data for sustainable water management.

















Hawke's Bay has a very similar climate to North Carolina, including it's susceptibility to very low streamflows in the the summer. Agricultural intensification and it's increasing irrigation demand is a direct stress on the Hawke's Bay rivers. Low-flows keep me busy!

The latest project I have been involved in is on the Tutaekuri River, modeling habitat availability for native and introduced fish species and invertebrates. The results of which will be used alongside economic and cultural values to set a minimum flow and allocable abstraction volume for the upper reaches of the Tutaekuri.
















No good story is complete without a fish tale, so here's the latest.

My birthday was last weekend, so after my trip to the South Island for some modeling work and a workshop (tough job, I know), I was dying to go diving to try out the two new spearguns that I just finished. After a furious round of texting, I was able to put a trip together to dive Kapiti Island, north of Wellington.

The new guns performed awesomely and I was able to bring home some really nice blue moki, red goatfish, and terakihi (not pictured). The day was beautiful with relatively calm seas and just a little rain to keep things interesting. On the way back from Kapiti, I got a call from some other spearos, saying that I needed to hurry up and meet them for a bluewater trip off Mt. Taranaki, one of the more famous spots in New Zealand. I got home at 10pm, left the house at 12:30am and met up with the guys for the drive to New Plymouth. We were at the boat ramp before dawn and headed out into the open ocean. To make a long story short, we didn't get any fish, but the purple-blue water and incredible backdrop made it worth wile!

Kolt in New Zealand

Here's an email I received from Kolt along with some pics from New Zealand:

One of the most magical places in the world is located northeast of Auckland, New Zealand, off of the Coromandel Penninsula. Great Barrier Island and outer islands like the Mokohinaus are simply a diver's dream.The Hawke's Bay Freedom Divers organized a GBI trip this past weekend and it was spectacular. We "hooked" up with a local named Alfie, who we just called The Pirate. As rough as a sailor and nice as can be. He let us stay in his "new" guest house - an old caravan with added roof and bunk area. Highlights of the trip were going to The Needles and shooting a monster yellowtail kingfish and taking pictures of all kinds of sea life, then heading to the Mokohinaus and getting some beautiful, elusive, and extra tasty pink maomao, while swimming with penguins, then getting to swim with wild dolphins at Wellington Head, GBI. A trip for the record books.Kolt

Kolt Johnson, Pete Parham

Kolt Johnson (MS, 2007) is one of the more adventureous students to come along in a while. He has a strong interest in spearfishing while freediving. While here, he brought back lots of good fish from his expeditions off the North Carolina coast, and got Pete Parham involved as well. Pete was with us during the late 1980's, and is now back working on a PhD involving the NC pleistocene. Pete will be presenting some of his work to the department at a seminar on Friday.

After getting his MS, Kolt managed to land a job in New Zealand, where he is now living.

Here are a couple of pictures Kolt and Pete on some of their spearfishing expeditions off the NC coast. Kolt tells me they were spearing fish at 70 feet without SCUBA. Top pic is of Kolt among a school of Amberjack. Below, we see Pete with an African Pompano he has just landed the same way.

Walter Hale

Walter Hale (MS, 1985) dropped by the department a few weeks ago. Walter has been managing the Ocean Drilling Program core repository in Bremen, Germany for many years since leaving the oil patch in New Orleans in the 1980's. Interesting to hear his perspective on the US of A from the other side of the pond. Walter regularly receives international dignataries who are interested in his facility. One recent visitor was the son of Fidel Castro, who evidently is a scientist, and has a prominent position in Cuba's science beaurocracy.

I'd like to invite one and all to contribute to our ECU Geology alumni blog by emailing your submissions to me. I will copy/paste your text and pictures into the blog. And let me know if you'd like to become a regular contributor. Pat and I will be happy to send you a password so you can contribute on your own.

Call for contributors

Lately, it seems I have to start each post with an apology, because it has been too long since the last one. Work and life conspire to prevent full-time blogging. Besides, the last thing this page needs is a personal stream-of-consciousness coming from a single alumnus (me) working in one portion of the geologic community (gold exploration and mining).

So, I have an idea (as scary as that may be). *We* need a few people who'd like to write for this page. There are no minimum number of posts per week/month required. No credentials other than being an alumus or affiliated with the ECU Geology Department in some way. Pay is commensurate with requirements. Jim Watson is in to represent departmental news and happenings. If you'd like to take a shot at a post or two, give me a shout at patrick.mallette [a-t] newmont.com; I'll set you up. (If you can't figure out my email address from the way I wrote it - hopefully to foil spam bots - well, I guess I won't hear from you.)

I am at home, on a break from Mexico field work, and had the pleasure to attend Geology's Friday Noon Seminar yesterday. Dr. David "Spike" Mallinson and Dr. J.P. Walsh gave talks on their respective backgrounds and past and current research. I sat in the audience, asked a few unintelligible questions, didn't get thrown out, and had a great time hanging out once again, after all these years, in Graham #309 for some stimulating geological discussions. Stan Riggs, Steve Culver, Jim Watson, Dick Mauger, Dave Lawerence, Mike O'Driscoll, students ... the gang is alive and doing very well. If you get a chance to stop by Graham building one Friday, do it!

You'll find a schedule for the Friday Seminar Series here on the department's web site.