Group+1+Ecopuppet

So we are working with the Don River Valley. We have two slightly messed-up fish as characters. I noticed that we are supposed to talk about adaptations now, according to the instructions on the HomeFun page. If these two are our survivors, let's decide why they have survived and which kinds of animals did not and why (i.e. how has the third eye helped?).

__Pertinent Research:__ From the City of Toronto website:
 * "Invasive plants like dog-strangling vine, knotweed, purple loosestrife and Norway maple continue to spread through large tracts of the valley, crowding out native vegetation."
 * Maybe we should talk about plant species as well.

Warren, Lesley A. and Ann P. Zimmerman. "Suspended particulate grain size dynamics and their implications for trace metal sorption in the Don River." //Acquatic Sciences// 56.4 (1994):348-62.
 * As temperature increased, so did the amount of large particles, silt and algae
 * Probably due to flocculation
 * Important to know not just what but how big and chemical properties when studying sediment
 * “treated sewage effluent" and road salt flow into the Don
 * pH ~7.5
 * major transporter of trace metals into Lake Ontario
 * contains Cd, Zn, Mn

Bodo, Byron A. “Heavy Metals in Water and Suspended Particulates from an Urban Basin Impacting Lake Ontario.” //The Science of the Total Environment// 87/88(1989): 329-344.
 * right after rainfall, flows pick up drastically
 * North Toronto sewage treatment plant consists of 8-10% of mean annual flow (331)
 * Other pollutants come from street snow disposal dumps, old landfill sites and agricultural activity in northern tributaries (331)
 * Water contains Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Ni, Pb, Zn, As (332)
 * pH 6.3-8.8 (334)
 * run-off events bring most metals to the Toronto Harbour (342)

Ohlendorff-Moffat, Pat. “Rebirth of a River.” //Globe and Mail Toronto Magazine//. April 1989.
 * Apparently one member of the Toronto Field Naturalists had skin peel off after coming in contact with the Don river
 * Still some fish in the Don: sunfish, perch, sculpin, dace, trout, creek chub, white sucker
 * “Because of silt and pollutants, most of those fish grow no bigger than a finger”
 * Runoff includes grease, oil, herbicides, pesticides, dog feces from parks
 * 154 000 cubic yards of polluted silt in Keating Channel (at Lake Ontario) every year)
 * Wetland plants like cattails take up heavy metals and organic pollutants

Script: I have edited a bit and added some. Please feel free to edit what's there. //Narrator: It's a clear night sometime in the not so distant future, and under the stars two fish are looking for love..or more specifically a suitable partner for propagating their genes. The // pheromones are floating in the night air... hey wait... it's inorganic! That shouldn't be in the water! Ah whatever.... let's keep on going with the story. //( BRUCE ) and ( BUBBLES ) are meeting for a first date just upstream from the North Toronto Sewage Treatment Plant on the Don River... will the two fish find love tonight?! - - Maybe we can have a narrator say this // (scene about them meeting) -- We only have 2-3 minutes, so we can skip right to dinner.

I changed 1 and 2 to F (female) and M (male) so we can tell the boy from the girl. Anyone creative enough to come up with names?

F: Bruce, It's so nice to meet you. I've been in so many dead end relationships lately... M: Guys didn't treat you so well eh, lassie? F: No, they actually died. They just weren't very well adapted to the Don's shifting pH. M: I see, the Don Valley River aiint what it used to be. that's for sure. F: But you look great, and pretty big for a Don fish, you must be what, 10, 12 centimeters long? You make all those other guys look like guppies! M: Well I hope I continue to measure up. F: So what's good to eat at this place? M : I am planning to take you to the Don Valley Eatery! This really nice Italian place just around the corner from here. There are a lot of new choices on the menu--very exotic. All fresh from the shore: dog-strangling vine, knotweed, purple loosestrife and Norway maple...They all add a special flavour to the basic algae salad. F: I used to enjoy the cattail variety. Where is it though? There used serve it all the time here! M. Those were taken off the menu a while ago. Too much metal taken up into them--you might as well just eat a fish hook, and we all know that's not going to happen. F. Oh, that reminds me of a joke. A sunfish said to a perch: Hey Shirley, did you hear about all the heavy metals in the river nowadays? Seems us fish are full of them. And Shirley says, Not me! I'm watching my weight. M. Haha, //heavy// metals, haha. Algae waiter: Ah miseur and Madaaam, welcome To the Don Valley Eatery! Can I take your order? F: I'll try the loosestrife M: And I'll go for the dogweed. Algae waiter: Ah I see you are being very adventurous there! Trying out the new items from our menu, and can I get you anything to drink? F. Do you have any fresh water? Algae waiter: Fresh water?! , we haven't had access to any of that for several years now. So I am very sorry miseur and madaam, is there anything else I can get to for you to drink? F. That's ok then, just the loosestrife. Algae waiter: If zaat is all for you two want, i'll be back in 10 minutes, once zee cheff prepares your food. (leaves) M. So (Bubbles) What do you do? F: I usually spend my days looking for my old friends, but most of them are gone now. M: You're lucky you can see well enough to do that with all the silt in this water. F: Yea, I was born with 2 mutations that really help me in this environment, my third eye helps me to see a little better through the silt and my square scales help me survive the spring runoffs when all that salt enters the water. M: Ew thats an eye?! I thought that was just a really bad zit ugh, But I always try to hide in the spring to get away from that salt. How do your scales help? F: I'm not really sure, but it seems like the salt beads on them and then breaks off, they so not get coated in salt like other fish do...That's how my best friend died. All covered in salt. So what mutations do you have? I know none of us living here these days can survive without them. M: Well, my doctor says I produce a very high level of testosterone which helps me to combat all the estrogen in the water. F: Oh really? Maybe that's why I haven't seen any males swimming around in this phytogen filled part of the river any more... (sigh) M: yes, I have been able to produce many healthy young. F: Well you have sold me. Together with my mutations and yours we may be able to pass on genes that could have our young survive and populate this place well into the future! M: Well it seems like we have a busy night ahead of us, forget dinner! Let's go and spawn!

Narrator: (Bruce) and (bubbles) go off into the night to lay eggs and fertilize them in the hopes their offspring will be strong and survive in this harsh climate.

M: hey narrator, keep it down over there! We are trying to spawn!

(telling each other about themselves--here we can throw in some stuff about scales, eyes, etc) -- Maybe we need one more mutation for the male? Maybe the male can have a lantern thingy dangling from his forehead which gives him the ability to see through all the grease and polluted waters?

** An easier to read version: **
//**A Fishy Love Story **//

//**Narrator **////: It's a clear night sometime in the not so distant future, and under the stars two fish are looking for love..or more specifically a suitable partner for propagating their genes. // //The // pheromones are floating in the night air... hey wait... it's inorganic! That shouldn't be in the water! Ah whatever.... let's keep on going with the story. //BRUCE and BUBBLES are meeting for a first date just upstream from the North Toronto Sewage Treatment Plant on the Don River... // //will the two fish find love tonight! //

**Bubbles**: Bruce, It's so nice to meet you. I've been in so many dead end relationships lately..


 * Bruce: ** Guys didn't treat you so well eh, lassie?


 * Bubbles ** : No, they actually died. They just weren't very well adapted to the Don's shifting pH.


 * Bruce: ** I see, the Don Valley River ain’t what it used to be. That's for sure.


 * Bubbles ** : But you look great, and pretty big for a Don fish, you must be what, 10, 12 centimeters long? You make all those other guys look like guppies!


 * Bruce: ** Well I hope I continue to measure up.


 * Bubbles ** : So what's good to eat at this place?


 * Bruce **** : ** I am planning to take you to the Don Valley Eatery! This really nice Italian place just around the corner from here. There are a lot of new choices on the menu--very exotic. All fresh from the shore: dog-strangling vine, knotweed, purple loosestrife and Norway maple...They all add a special flavour to the basic algae salad.


 * Bubbles: ** I used to enjoy the cattail variety. Where is it though? There used serve it all the time here!


 * Bruce: ** Those were taken off the menu a while ago. Too much metal taken up into them--you might as well just eat a fish hook, and we all know that's not going to happen.


 * Bubbles: ** Oh, that reminds me of a joke. A sunfish said to a perch: Hey Shirley, did you hear about all the heavy metals in the river nowadays? Seems us fish are full of them. And Shirley says, Not me! I'm watching my weight.


 * Bruce: ** Haha, //heavy // metals, haha.


 * Algae waiter: ** Ah miseur and Madaaam, welcome To the Don Valley Eatery! Can I take your order?


 * Bubbles: ** I'll try the loosestrife


 * Bruce: ** And I'll go for the dogweed.


 * Algae waiter: ** Ah I see you are being very adventurous there! Trying out the new items from our menu, and can I get you anything to drink?


 * Bubbles: ** Do you have any fresh water?


 * Algae waiter: ** Fresh water?!, we haven't had access to any of that for several years now. So I am very sorry miseur and madaam, is there anything else I can get to for you to drink?


 * Bubbles: ** That's ok then, just the loosestrife.


 * Algae waiter: ** If zaat is all for you two want, i'll be back in 10 minutes, once zee cheff prepares your food. (leaves)


 * Bruce: ** So Bubbles What do you do?


 * Bubbles: ** I usually spend my days looking for my old friends, but most of them are gone now.


 * Bruce: ** You're lucky you can see well enough to do that with all the silt in this water.


 * Bubbles: ** Yea, I was born with 2 mutations that really help me in this environment, my third eye helps me to see a little better through the silt and my square scales help me survive the spring runoffs when all that salt enters the water.


 * Bruce: ** Ew thats an eye?! I thought that was just a really bad zit ugh, But I always try to hide in the spring to get away from that salt. How do your scales help?


 * Bubbles: ** I'm not really sure, but it seems like the salt beads on them and then breaks off, they so not get coated in salt like other fish do...That's how my best friend died. All covered in salt. So what mutations do you have? I know none of us living here these days can survive without them.


 * Bruce: ** Well, my doctor says I produce a very high level of testosterone which helps me to combat all the estrogen in the water.


 * Bubbles: ** Oh really? Maybe that's why I haven't seen any males swimming around in this phytogen filled part of the river any more... (sigh)


 * Bruce: ** yes, I have been able to produce many healthy young.

**Bubbles: ** Well you have sold me. Together with my mutations and yours we may be able to pass on genes that could have our young survive and populate this place well into the future!


 * Bruce: ** Well it seems like we have a busy night ahead of us, forget dinner! Let's go and spawn!


 * Narrator: ** (Bruce) and (bubbles) go off into the night to lay eggs and fertilize them in the hopes their offspring will be strong and survive in this harsh climate.


 * Bruce: ** hey narrator, keep it down over there! We are trying to spawn!