Home! A Regional Reader Quiz Questions and Reflection

Quiz complied by Leonard Charles, Jim Dodge, Lynn Milliman, and Victoria Stockley and  edited by Van Andruss, Christopher Mart, Judith Plait and Eleanor Wright

Reflection on the Quiz

Note: I do not know much about the local population or ecology of the Lake Coeur d’Alene Basin/Silver Valley because I have not lived here nor have I grown up in its culture(s). Hence, I decided to do this quiz for both Washington, DC (my hometown) and the Lake Coeur d’Alene Basin. The following reflection accounts for both of these experiences. Photo: Silver Mountain Resort

I knew very few answers to this quiz for both DC (maybe 7 correct, being generous and giving partial credit) and Lake Coeur d’Alene.   Being from a city, I am not surprised that I did not know the answer to many of these questions.  For DC, I could trace the city’s drinking water pretty well. It is sourced from the Potomac River and stored in a reservoir before being pumped through the tap. Also, winter storms generally come from the West.  I was also relatively close to how much rainfall there is annually, knew some native edible plants and birds, and was able to give a rough timeline to deer mating season and the harvest season.  I suspect that many in my community would not be able to identify most of these questions, and I would probably be around average in my knowledge of my surroundings.  Many lack knowledge of specific details, but are still connected to nature through parks and green spaces across the city (urban Rock Creek Park, Great Falls National Park, the Capital Crescent Trail, US National Arboretum, Botanical Gardens). DC is also proud of its cherry blossom trees, which can be found across the city and in high concentrations by the Tidal Basin (Jefferson Memorial) and in Kenwood neighborhood.  Hence, I think the DC region will continue to support nature, while still being relatively ignorant to the questions that are asked in the survey.  In the future, I see a continued connection and affection for nature, but it will be superficial in its examination. 

I have not had enough experience in Idaho to know the answer to many of the questions.  I could name a species extinct in the region (Caribou), when the last fires were (wildfires will occur in the summer/fall), where the storms come from (West), some migratory birds (tundra swan, bald eagles), some methods of primary subsistence (hunting, fishing), and some of the history of the land (part of the Rocky Mountains, Coeur d’Alene tribe lived across the whole region before settlers came and used the area for mining and agriculture).  In Idaho, most full-year residents are strongly connected to the land.  These residents understand the importance of land and nature to their lives, and will most likely answer a number of the questions correctly.  It is part of both tribal and white american experience to be in awe of the natural world, understanding one’s small place in relation to the environment (accentuated during harsh winters).  Even former miner communities understand the environmental degradation and pollution caused by the industry, as people get sick from lead poisoning and pollution.  As the region shifts to more seasonal tourism (summer houses, winter ski resorts) I think the level of knowledge about the environment will decrease.  Like DC residents, people from Seattle or California may appreciate nature, but will be less likely to understand the underlying ecology or specific environment of the region.  Many will move to the area to serve this tourism, and these residents will not have the same connection to the land as those who have been living in the area for decades, if not centuries. 

I think the quiz is better suited for rural areas rather than urban environments. I would have also included questions about population density and economic driving forces, as human behavior can influence a region’s environment greatly. Many of the questions seemed somewhat irrelevant to living in the DC region or other major cities, but that may also be because of my own urban bias. To appreciate a region, I think it is vital to explore the structures directly supporting human environments (water, energy, waste management), the climate (precipitation, temperature, days of sunlight, which also leads to whether fires burn often), the former and current ecology of the area (plants, birds, animals, fish), and the region’s geography (both human and natural: roads, cities, mountains, forests, etc.).  I think these categories give a well-rounded view of how the region is currently and ways the region could evolve. 

Quiz Questions:

1. Trace the water you drink from precipitation to tap.
2. How many days till the moon is full?
3. What soil series are you standing on?
4. What was the total rainfall in your area last year (July-June)?
5. When was the last time a fire burned your area?
6. What were the primary subsistence techniques of the culture that lived in your area before you?
7. Name five native edible plants in your region and their season(s) of availability.
8. From what direction do winter storms generally come in your region?
9. Where does your garbage go?
10. How long is the growing season where you live?
11. On what day of the year are the shadows the shortest where you live?
12. When do the deer rut in your region, and when are the young born?
13. Name five grasses in your area. Are any of them native?
14. Name five resident and five migratory birds in your area.
15. What is the land use history of where you live?
16. What primary ecological event/process influenced the land form where you live? (Bonus special: what’s the evidence?)
17. What species have become extinct in your area?
18. What are the major plant associations in your region?
19. From where you’re reading this, point north.
20. What spring wildflower is consistently among the first to bloom where you live?