Biosphere 2 - giant science experiment

Much like the TV reality series, “Big Brother,” the scientists had to make things work while they spent 12-14 hour days running their experiments, maintaining the equipment that kept their oxygen and other essentials functioning, cooking and growing crops.  They did not leave Biosphere 2 during the two years, but did maintain a connection with the outside world using telephones.

Two-story crew quarters at Biosphere 2

The Biosphere no longer has crews that live exclusively in closed environments, but important experiments are still being conducted on 3 acres of the 34-acre campus of the 1,600-acre property, now managed by the University of Arizona.  The facility is able to simulate environments like rainforests, savannahs, deserts, tropics and marshes, while controlling every aspect of moisture levels, nutrients and the like.  So, experiments can be conducted that teach scientists about the impact of droughts and other climatic changes that impact people.

"Rainforest" in Biosphere - every plant was quarantined for a year before planting

In addition to the 8-member crew in the early ‘90s, in 1994, a 7-member crew lasted about six months in the environment.

What made it difficult was that during their long working days, they were only able to grow enough to live on 1,200 calories a day, considered a very low calorie intake.  They raised goats, chickens, rice, tilapia and vegetables.

Biosphere 2: The buildings

Spending $150 million to build the facility, every effort was made to use, then current, state of the art environmentally friendly materials and standards.  The 6,500 windows of the project used double glass panes with plastic sandwiched in the middle to insulate.  They only used second growth lumber, natural oils for wood stains, low volatile organic compound materials, and other appropriate earth friendly products.

Amazing geometry makes up the buildings

The geometry of the buildings is an interesting juxtaposition against the desert hillsides where they are tucked in, not visible to the outside world. The ceilings soar to as high as 90 feet, so the buildings are impressive.

Now, conferences can rent use of the casitas, campus-like buildings that skirt the Biosphere 2 experimental area.  The environments themselves can be simultaneously testing projects like the decomposition of consumer materials (soda cans, etc.) in several different environments.  For example, the schoolchildren running the desert trash project found that it was not decaying rapidly at all in the desert areas, but were experiencing faster decomposition in the wet environments.

Touring Biosphere 2

Visitors are welcomed on a daily basis with fees as high as $20 for adults, $18 for seniors and a discount for AAA membership to $18. Young children may have a hard time keeping up and would probably not find the tour compelling.

Tours are given about every 45 minutes that last 1 ¼ hours.  The tour guides are knowledgeable and do not drone on, but have interesting information to share.  They will answer questions.

Come prepared to walk – up, down, around.  The walking is strenuous and some of the buildings are not handicapped accessible.  There are ramps for same of the campus walkways, but much of the tour involves stairs, which can be slippery from the wet environments.

Visitors can tour some of the areas on their own, like the crew habitats and the tropical displays with very colorful fish.  Otherwise, you follow the tour guide.  (We had 31 people on our tour.)

There is a campus café, if you get hungry.  The guide who greets you suggests you head to the movie theater where all visitors are directed to see a film on an endless loop with background about Biosphere 2.  I recommend that you see the film so you know something about what you will see.

Science does come alive on some parts of the tour.  It is amazing to think of the variations scientists can use to study the earth’s environments.

One major message is how very expensive it is to do these studies, thus the pricey admission fee for the tour.

If you have any interest in the earth and science, I highly recommend a trip to Biosphere 2.

Extra added attraction

Phoenix Mars Mission spacecraft

Oh, and if you visit before May, 2010, you can see the Phoenix Mars Mission spacecraft before it heads to the Smithsonian in Washington, DC.  Before it returned to earth, it had generated 25,000 images from Mars.  That’s a lot of photos, but for the price tag ($457 million) that’s a pricey set of photos!

www.B2science.org

Come back tomorrow for a visit to the southernmost Arizona casino hotel.

For the rest of the population, the Capilano Suspension Bridge is a fascinating diversion that gives you a rare vantage point high above the river and forest.  

When you enter the park (admission charge – about $30 Canadian per person for adults), you briefly see some totem poles, snack locations and a store, but the real reason you came is waiting for you.  

Step down from a platform area onto the suspension bridge and you will feel a swaying.   Look down the 200-plus feet to the water below and you will have a sense of just how high up you are.

Capilano Suspension Bridge - spans the Capilano River -over 200 feet below

The bridge is fairly steady, unless you have some high school-aged students who decide to jump up and down – strictly forbidden and nipped in the bud quickly – who cause the bridge to sway.   We crossed with little incident and very few people.  

A sense of perspective - high up

A friend who is fearful of heights and the wife of a man we met from Winnipeg were too fearful to cross, so they stayed on the entry side.  They missed a lot!

Treetops Adventure

After you walk across the bridge, your next experience is “Treetops Adventure,” a series of foot paths suspended from the trees – high up, of course.  Informational displays explaining that the trees have not been harmed allow you to  enjoy the experience of walking among the tree branches.    A collar bolted only to itself around the trunk allows the walkways and vantage points to be suspended to hold up the walkways.  

No tree is harmed in the making of this adventure! A collar supports and holds the Treetops Adventure's walkway in place without piercing the trunk.

You are up where you can hear the birds, see the forest and some of its creatures and get a sense of the life of the forest.  Displays also reinforce the knowledge that there is a symbiosis in the forest.  Even dead trees play their part in the life cycle.  When  a tree dies, it becomes the food for insects, a home for moss, a place where hemlock seedlings can take root.  Nothing is wasted.

Standing dead trees – “snags” – can become the home for eagle nests, which can be six feet across and weigh up to 1,000 lbs.

Walking along the path, we reached a section that had sunlight coming through the leaves.  Steam was coming off the wooden board rails since it had rained and the sunlight was causing it to evaporate right before our eyes.  

Signage seemed to be in conflict over which was the biggest tree in the forest.  We saw one sign that said “Grandma Capilano,” at over 200 feet, was the tallest and had lived for over 500 years; “Big Doug” was also labeled as the tallest at over 250 feet and over 300 years old.  We caught an oversight that none of the park staff had noticed.  In any case, these are very BIG trees.  

Cliff Hangar Walk – not scary

Our last adventure was walking the “Cliff Hangar Walk,” not scary as the name would imply.  Actually, it was a peaceful walk at ground level (the ground still being quite high above the river),  There were ponds stocked with trout and an avid little squirrel eating with a crowd watching.  

The abundance of old-growth trees certainly gives a human visitor a sense of how short their life is in comparison to the trees in the forest.  

Not to worry about the bridge holding up

One display showed how the cables that support the Capilano Suspension Bridge are extremely strong.  A sample and display indicated that the cables can support “up to 8 fully-loaded 18-wheeler semis.” 

Bridge supports up to 8 loaded semis - and many humans

Imagine, as when they first constructed the bridge that you were only supported by hemp ropes.  Then, I would worry.

And, finally…

Once back across the bridge, there is a large store with souvenirs of your experience.  I now sport a T-shirt proclaiming, “Capilano Suspension Bridge – Naturally Thrilling since 1889.”

It was fun!

(The bridge is not handicapped accessible, but a wheelchair can enter the park, just not get across the bridge or see the Treetops Adventures or Cliff Hangar Walk.)

www.capbridge.com

Tomorrow… Visit Vancouver neighborhoods