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TEACHING-BASED POSTERS
A Day in the Life of the Hudson River: Place-based Science Education Throughout the Estuary
AUTHOR: Chris Bowser, Science Educator, NYSDEC Hudson River Estuary Program and Research Reserve
ABSTRACT: On one day each autumn, hundreds of students from New York City to Troy participate in the annual "A Day in the Life of the Hudson River" event. Students collect scientific information to create snapshots of the river at dozens of locations, then share their data using Web-based technology so they can better understand how their piece of the river fits into the larger Hudson estuary ecosystem. In 2009, more than 3,000 students and educators from 70 schools participated at 60 on the estuary.
Citizen Science in Action: Researching Eel Migrations in the Hudson River Estuary
AUTHOR: Chris Bowser, Science Educator NYSDEC Hudson River Estuary Program and Research Reserve
ABSTRACT: The Hudson River Research Reserve and the Hudson River Estuary Program have for two years conducted a community-based study of recruitment of glass eels or “young American eels“ into Hudson River tributaries. The study involves high school students (including urban minority students), college interns, and watershed groups in real and needed research about the occurrence and behavior of these fish, which are in decline in North America. This project has taken place at six sites from Westchester and Rockland to northern Dutchess Counties. With its focus on a surprisingly charismatic creature in streams that flow through local communities, this project brings parents and even grandparents down to see what their kids are up to.
The Dutchess Watersheds website project: environmental research, academic collaboration, community.
AUTHORS: Allison Chatrchyan, Environment Program Leader, Cornell Cooperative Extension Dutchess County, / Stuart Belli, Director, Environmental Research Institute, Vassar College / Carolyn Nurre, Environmental Resource Educator, Cornell Cooperative Extension Dutchess County / Cristian Opazo, Academic Computing Consultant, CIS, Vassar College / Cat Foley, Environmental Research Institute, Vassar College / Emily Vail, Environmental Research Institute, Vassar College / Debby van Dongen, web designs, www.Conk.nl / Josh deLeeuw, web programming, Vassar College.
ABSTRACT: Environmental problems are inherently complex and must be approached from multiple disciplines with multiple perspectives and require complex solutions that involve many people interacting in many ways. A frequent barrier to constructive, multidisciplinary collaborative research and teaching is communication, and this project is about facilitating a conversation with the aid of a website. Our goal is to make this a hub for collaborative learning and scholarship.
Integrating Hudson River Data into the High School Classroom
AUTHORS: Harris, Cornelia; Ecology Program Leader, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies / Berkowitz, Alan; Head of Education, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies / Strayer, Dave; Aquatic Ecologist, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies / Findlay, Stuart; Aquatic Ecologist, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies.
ABSTRACT: The Changing Hudson Project began in 2006 with the goal of reconnecting students to the watershed by engaging them in scientific study using lessons based on research by Cary Institute scientists during the last 25 years. Students can learn about invasive species such as the zebra mussel or water chestnut, the warming trend of the river, how land use and pollution levels have changed in the region, and the complex food webs of the river, among other topics. We trained teachers to use the curriculum materials, which are available for free online, and provided them with classroom and field work support. More than 250 teachers have used our materials, reaching thousands of students throughout the watershed. Data sets, visualizations, a climate change simulation, background readings, and lesson plans are resources for all educators throughout the region who would like to use the Hudson River as a platform (or focus) for teaching ecosystem concepts. This curriculum meets the science and math standards for New York State and the AAAS national benchmarks, and specific indicators for courses such as Living Environment and AP Environmental Science are provided for each lesson.
The Water Resources Initiative (WRI) at Skidmore College
AUTHOR: Karen A. Kellogg, Director and Associate Professor of Environmental Studies, Skidmore College.
ABSTRACT: The Water Resources Initiative (WRI) at Skidmore College is administered by our interdepartmental Environmental Studies (ES) Program. WRI integrates coursework, team-based research, and engagement with local and international concerns for water resources. Interdisciplinary, community-based research is a major emphasis of the initiative, and the research focus is currently our local Saratoga Lake watershed. The Saratoga Lake watershed is large and encompasses many land use patterns and ecologies, and Saratoga Lake is a controversial, potential supplemental drinking water source for our growing community. WRI research brings together our diverse students, faculty, and community partners to explore the natural, social, and cultural influences that shape our interactions with local water resources. Field trips to water-stressed regions of the world help faculty and students place our local water issues in a more global context.
Weaving an Interdisciplinary Curricula: "I See Freedom" The 1829-1868 journal of freed slave James F. Brown and his life in the Hudson Valley
AUTHORS: Susan Handler Konvit Project Leader of "I See Freedom" Executive Director The Arts Alliance of the Lower Hudson Valley Regina Barry Co-Author of Art Unit of "I See Freedom" Forensic Artist Dutchess County District Attorney Office Susan Mitchell Author of Science Unit of "I See Freedom" Geologist & Science Instructor Assistant CSA Manager Holcomb Farm, West Granby, Connecticut Jeffrey Haynes Author of Drum and Spoken Word Unit of "I See Freedom" Percussionist Komunyaka Music, Beacon, New York Kayleen Campion Author of Social Studies Unit of "I See Freedom" Elementary Education Graduate Student SUNY New Paltz, New York Renee Ferrara Author of Library Technology Unit of "I See Freedom" Library Media Specialist Sargent Elementary, Beacon School District Sallie Farkas Co-Author of Art Unit of "I See Freedom" Art Teacher Glenham Elementary, Beacon School District Cathy Pezzo Co-Author of Art Unit of "I See Freedom" Art Teacher J. V. Forrestal Elementary School, Beacon School District Lynn Greco Author of Language Arts Unit of "I See Freedom" 5th Grade Elementary J. V. Forrestal Elementary School, Beacon School District Susan Wright Author of General Music Unit of "I See Freedom" Music Teacher J. V. Forrestal Elementary School, Beacon School District Gerald Husted Author of Math Unit of "I See Freedom" Retired Elementary Teacher Wappingers Central School District
ABSTRACT: An interdisciplinary approach to education embraces the concept of multiple intelligences by integrating multiple disciplines around one topic. With this in mind, in the spring of 2008 work began on a project that would take the words of one man and create eight lessons in seven disciplines for the fifth grade level. The man was James F. Brown and the project is “I See Freedom”. Mr. Brown was a 19th century resident of Dutchess County New York who was born into slavery in Maryland, and settled in this area as a fugitive runaway eventually purchasing his own freedom. In his unpublished 1829-1868 detailed journal, Mr. Brown documented his observations, and participation in Hudson Valley life. With funding from Teaching the Hudson Valley, a team of educators, the Dutchess County DA’s forensic artist, a CSA farm manager, a cultural musician, and I began the creative and educational process of developing curricula that would meet NYS Standards. The subjects and topics selected were Mathematics: Using Math to Investigate Weather Patterns, Library Technology: Library Information Literacy, Social Studies: Hudson River Transportation and Industry in the Mid-19th Century, Science: Growing Vegetables – Seasons of Eating, Language arts: Life After Freedom, Art: Portraiture - Is That You James?, General Music: African American Spirituals of the 1800’s, and Drum and Spoken Word. The lesson plans were piloted during the winter and spring of 2009 in four elementary schools in the Beacon School District. Two hundred fifty students and twenty-three teachers participated in the project. Teachers have supplied feedback and the curricula will be incorporated into lessons plans for the 2009/2010 school year. This project embraced the diversity of the individual learning styles and interests of the students.
Planning Land Use with Students: Engaging Students in the Changing Face of the Hudson Valley
AUTHOR: Margie Turrin, Education Coordinator, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory / Andy Stewart, Executive Director, Keep Rockland Beautiful / Sonia Cairo, Education Coordinator, Keep Rockland Beautiful / Jason Klein, Curator, Westchester County Parks Conservation District / Scott Williamson, Curator, Westchester County Parks Conservation District
ABSTRACT: Much of the Hudson Valley is facing pressure for development, redevelopment and river front revitalization. The local land use decision-making process, and the large cast of participants, offer exciting real-life opportunities for creative and critical thinking by students. Engaging students in an active land use decision in their community can be tied directly to curriculum and learning standards for students at all levels, but is especially well suited for the high school age student. Students in Environmental Science and Public Policy courses are able to look at complex planning and land reuse issues, and emphasize sustainable development practices and green choices as they connect abstract concepts to real world situations, and develop the tools for continued involvement in the land use process.
The program is built around three key components: classroom workshops; a case file document; and a capstone symposium event. Classroom workshops focus on building new development around community enhancing features, understanding the history and strengths of a community, applying collaborative development concepts, and an introduction to the State Environmental Quality Review Act. The case file document is based on environmental impact studies for the development including a synthesis of local history and community demographics. Both the classroom workshops and the Case File document provide the students with tools for successful participation in a larger symposium event. The capstone symposium event is focused at the County level, bringing together students from multiple schools to work as teams in developing planning scenarios. The planning teams are connected with local professionals who serve as mentors to offer guidance and feedback on their development plans. This successful program has worked closely with several local colleges who have served as hosts and facilitators for the events.
STUDENT/FACULTY RESEARCH, POSTERS, MULTI-MEDIA PRESENTATIONS
Consequences of composting: A case study in biofilter efficiency and nutrient leaching at the Greenway Composting Facility
AUTHOR: Poster 1: Maya Acavedo, Kristin van der Kloot, Ethan Rundell, & Matthew Zeltzer
Poster 2: Anna Tweten, Elizabeth Pacheco, Lindsay Magida, Nate Sutton, & Tristan Feldman
ABSTRACT: Composting is an effective “organic” method of dealing with green waste, including food scraps and yard waste. But is composting a benign solution to our waste issues? Composting can take place at a variety of scales and impacts social, economic, and environmental factors. The benefits or consequences of composting depend in part on the input materials, location, and management of the compost. In our Essentials of Environmental Science class, we studied soil and water samples at a composting facility run by Greenway Environmental Services in Poughkeepsie, NY. Our objective was to determine if management practices employed by the facility reduced nutrient runoff and leaching to adjacent wetlands. Our preliminary research indicates that retention ponds at the facility effectively reduce heavy metals concentrations from compost runoff. The facility also effectively manages nutrient leaching (nitrate and ammonium), as we found no significant differences for these nutrient concentrations between compost runoff locations and non-compost runoff locations. With proper management, commercial-scale composting facilities can effectively reduce impacts to the local environment.
Perfecting Solar Greenhouse Design for Hudson Valley Winter Vegetables
View poster.
AUTHORS: Gidon Eshel, professor physics, Bard College / Kylie Collins, Nolan Gardner, Bridget
Hallowell, Natalie Narotzky and Simon Topp, students in of Environmental and Urban Studies, Bard College
ABSTRACT: The idea of "local food" currently enjoy wide acceptance and is supported by varied and compelling arguments. However, life-cycle analyses have shown that transportation accounts for only 10% of the total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of food production. This figure only pertains to industrial scale agriculture. The total GHG emissions of small-scale and organic agriculture is significantly lower because fossil fuel inputs like fertilizers and other petro-chemicals are absent from the organic life-cycle. Therefore, in these cases transportation contributes to a larger percentage of the total GHG emissions. Based on these facts we would like to answer the question: Is it possible to grow food organically near metropolitan centers while reducing the food's total GHG footprint? To answer this question through a course at Bard entitled Planetary Consequences of Dietary Choice we will attempt to produce organic food in the winter in the Hudson Valley Region of New York State. Typically greenhouses are heated with fossil fuels and are notoriously inefficient. We will try to determine if there is an alternative greenhouse design efficient enough to get close to carbon neutral production. We are currently in the process of planning construction for a greenhouse heated with a network of solar heated hot water pipes below ground covered with a thermal mass of pebbles. In addition to this alternative heating method we will experiment with several ways to prevent heat loss. We will insulate the north wall using a renewable soy based spray foam insulation. Trombe wall constructions will minimize heat loss on the south facing wall. We are also working to maximize r-value and minimize water condensation on the plastic sheeting integral to greenhouse design. Once completed we will install measurement tools to properly gauge the structure's thermal operating properties. This measurement will continue throughout the winter and spring.
The Red-eared Slider Turtle: A Study of a Non-Native Species in a Tidal Estuarine Environment
AUTHORS: Matthew Francis, Marist College; Lori Jaeger, Sullivan County Community College
ABSTRACT: Red-eared slider is a common turtle of the pet trade, native to the Southeast portion of the United States and introduced to Northeastern waterbodies primarily by pet owners releasing unwanted turtles. A small population of red-eared slider turtles was observed on Denning’s Point as part of a site survey conducted by Hudsonia during the summer of 2008. An undergraduate summer research experience was created to locate, tag and monitor red-eared slider turtle movement around Denning’s Point.
Student researchers were instructed by the Hudsonia project advisors how to catch, measure, and tag the turtles, identify their locations, and made observations on condition (health) of individual turtles.
Solving Complex Problems Using Linear Programming
AUTHORS: James Griesemer, Associate Professor, Mount Saint Mary College
Gerry Mileo, Student, Mount Saint Mary College
ABSTRACT: Linear programming can be used to solve a number of challenging problems facing businesses today. This case study addresses minimizing the purchasing cost of coal from various suppliers having both fixed and open-ended contracts. Consideration is also made of the different BTU levels of various sources of coal and the needed BTU requirements at five generating plants.
Benthic Macroinvertebrate Sampling along the Normanskill
AUTHORS: Tyler Hassenpflug and Adam Leis, The College of Saint Rose
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Paul Benzing.
ABSTRACT: Benthic macroinvertebrates are widely used to estimate the quality of stream ecosystems by sampling the variety and distribution of species and calculating taxonomic abundance. As part of a broad ecological assessment of the Normanskill, focusing on areas that the public can use as a recreational resource, we chose three sites along the river to sample for macroinvertebrates. All three sites are currently used for public recreation. Of the three sites, the Tawasentha Park reach was located furthest upstream and in the most suburban setting of the sites tested. The Knott Road Fields, located slightly further downstream is just upstream of the Guilderland water treatment plant. The Normanskill Farm, which proved to be the most difficult reach to sample for macroinvertebrates, is located in the most urban section of the river that we tested. At this site it was not possible to sample at our originally chosen location because the river bed was scoured from heavy water flow leaving only bedrock. To remedy this we found an area further upstream from the original reach that had substrate conditions more like the other two sites. Three macroinvertebrate samplings were taken from each site using a Surber sampler to ensure that a standard sampling area was used. To further ensure sampling standardization, each sample was conducted in a riffle area at each of the three sites. Each riffle area sampling consists of a sample from the beginning, middle, and end of each riffle. The samples were preserved in 70% ethanol for further taxonomic identification to be performed in our lab. These samples provide baseline data for further research into restoration of the Normanskill River.
Stream Visual Assessment Protocol Of The Normanskill River
AUTHORS: Tyler Hassenpflug and Adam Leis, The College of Saint Rose
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Paul Benzing.
ABSTRACT: The purpose of our research was to establish baseline ecological assessment data at three sites along the Normanskill. We chose the Normanskill because of its potential as a recreational and aesthetic resource due to its ideal location along the western edge of Albany. We assessed these sites according to the National Resources Conservation Service’s stream visual assessment protocol. Each of these assessments includes channel conditions, bank stability, habitat value, and riparian impacts among others. Assessments, though taken along the same river, differed greatly in all categories. The categories were scored on a scale ranging from 1 to 10, 10 being the best possible score and 1 being the lowest. The Normanskill Farm reach proved to be in the highest need for restoration having only received minimal scores such as; 6 for channel condition, 4 for viable invertebrate habitat, and only a 3 for bank stability. The Nott Road Fields and Tawasentha Park of Guilderland, New York, although located in the same geographic area demonstrated differing qualities of conditions but both proved that they are still in high need of restoration having received scores of 9 and 5 respectively for channel condition, 9 and 3 for invertebrate habitat, and 8 and 2 for bank stability. Our initial observations suggest that all the sites show some degradation. Much of the degradation appears to be due to highly erosive flood flows. While further understanding of the sources of these erosive flows is needed, it is likely that the Normanskill could benefit greatly from restoration efforts that focus on mitigating the rapid flooding that is typical of developed watersheds.
Chloride in the Casperkill
AUTHORS: Katie Interlichia '11, Jeremy Teperman '11, Liz Jones '11, & Kirsten Menking, Associate Professor of Earth Science, Vassar College.
ABSTRACT: In our project we attempted to derive a mass balance (inputs minus outputs) for chloride (Cl?) in the watershed of the Casperkill Creek in Dutchess County, New York. The Casperkill, a tributary of the Hudson River, flows through land uses ranging from pristine to fully urbanized and exhibits several characteristics of unhealthy streams, one of which is a heightened level of chloride from road salting within the watershed. The Environmental Protection Agency sets the hazardous standard for chloride levels at 230 mg/L, and the Casperkill frequently exceeds this level, negatively impacting stream biota. Additionally, the perennially high level of chloride in the groundwater (revealed in the base level of Cl? in the stream) presents a problem for households dependent on groundwater. The Casperkill is not unique; the effects of road salting have caused a steady rise in Cl? levels in many streams in cold, urban environments, so the Casperkill is a microcosm of a global problem. In order to derive a mass balance, information from highway departments was collected to estimate how much chloride was applied to the watershed during winter salting events while data-logging equipment was used to derive chloride and discharge measurements to form a continuous record of chloride flux from fall 2007 to summer 2009. During the 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 salting seasons 1,829,000 and 2,044,000 kg Cl- respectively were applied to impervious surfaces within the watershed. Based on our stream gauging station we estimate that at least 25% of the chloride applied washed down the stream during and after each salting season. When examined over a long term (2-year) record, the amount of chloride washed down jumped to as much as 69% of that applied.
Study of a Constructed Wetland
AUTHOR: Lily Jefferies (Vassar College), Stuart Belli (Vassar College), Lynn Christenson (Vassar College).
ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study is to ascertain how effectively a constructed wetland mediates the nutrients from compost leachate. Greenway, a commercial composting site located at the Vassar Farm, built a wetland to purify the runoff from the compost heaps before the runoff entered a local stream. The samples are being analyzed for both organic and inorganic carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus. The water samples undergo a persulfate oxidation reaction; the gas phase is then analyzed for carbon, followed by an analysis on the IC for the nitrogen and phosphorus. The concentrations of these three elements will serve as evidence of desired microbial activity.
I.D.E.A. (Independent Dutchess Energy Alliance)
AUTHORS: Professor Lucy Johnson, IDEA Board of Directors: Chairman / Rosa Speranza, Student Intern
ABSTRACT: The Independent Dutchess Energy Alliance or IDEA is a soon to be non-profit organization whose mission is to promote both efficient & clean energy in order to: save money on energy costs, create green jobs in the Dutchess County, NY, keep dollars local, and reduce the county’s carbon footprint. Inspired by various other green models, IDEA will serve as a catalyst, resource center, clearinghouse, and facilitator for sustainability within the county. Using data collected and analyzed by David Dell, PhD, a member of the IDEA board of directors, our goal is to the save the county a billion dollars within ten years through tax benefits, government stimulus grants, geothermal/solar rebates as well as a 10% total savings from ‘no cost behavior change’. IDEA will provide links, guidance, resources and examples in order to help the county achieve this monetary goal. Student interns are working to compose a website resource for the public by spring 2010.
Weaving an Interdisciplinary Curricula: “I See Freedom” The 1829-1868 journal of freed slave James F. Brown and his life in the Hudson Valley
AUTHORS: Susan Handler Konvit, et al.
ABSTRACT: [See abstract under “Teach-Based Posters (Friday)” section above.]
White-tailed deer overabundance in the Northeastern U.S.: concerns for our future forests
AUTHORS: Carrie Rose Levine (student - Vassar College and ESF at Syracuse University), Lynn Christenson (Visiting Assistant Professor, Vassar College and Cary Institute for Ecosystem Studies), Meg Ronsheim (Associate Professor, Vassar College).
ABSTRACT: Increasing numbers of white-tailed deer in the Northeastern US exert a strong influence on the community composition of regenerating forests in both urban and rural environments. We used long-term data from a deer exclosure study located in Dutchess County, NY, USA to investigate the interaction between seed availability, sapling community composition, and deer herbivory in regenerating forests in this area. Results indicate that eliminating deer foraging in areas with high deer densities can significantly increase both tree sapling abundance and diversity over a relatively short period of time. In contrast, completely eliminating deer browsing with fences in an area subject to long-term management to reduce deer density through doe hunting did not result in changes in sapling abundance and diversity. This suggests that there are threshold levels of deer density below which deer do not have significant effects on forest regeneration. In contrast to the sapling response, our study found that the response of the seed bank does not occur within the same decadal timeframe, indicating the importance of the role that herbivory plays as a top-down control of forest structure and composition when deer are present in high densities. The results of this study highlight the importance of deer management for encouraging the growth of diverse tree communities in these regenerating forests.
Carbon Cycling in Small Streams of Dutchess County
AUTHORS: Erika R. Noll (Vassar College '11) and David P. Gillikin (Earth Science, Vassar College).
ABSTRACT: Carbon moves in and out of streams through a variety of processes, entering through groundwater carrying respired/weathered carbon and leaving through aquatic primary production, sediment storage, and evasion to the atmosphere (Jones and Mulholland 1998). We aimed to track carbon as it moved through our five watersheds in Duchess County from headwaters to where each stream entered the Hudson River. The streams we looked at were the Crum Elbow (CE), Casperkill (CK), Fall Kill (FK), Landsmanskill (LK), and Sawkill (SK). We took samples and in situ measurements at various sites along each stream through the summer to get an idea of overall variation and also at every site in a period of three days to get a snapshot of water chemistry we could use to find carbon values. We tracked the daily changes in the streams and tried to get a broader view of the streams’ chemistry by sampling one site over 24 hours and analyzing collected organic tissue samples, which record the chemical composition of the stream as they grow. We hoped to find the net efflux and evasion of carbon from Duchess County’s watersheds to determine whether the streams are a net carbon sink, primarily transporting it to the Hudson River, or a net source of carbon to the atmosphere via evasion. |
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