Ohio State’s Climate Change Outreach Team, whose members include CFAES scientists, presents a webinar on “Climate Change and Harmful Algal Blooms in Lake Erie” from noon to 1 p.m. today. Get details and register here. (Photo: Algal bloom in Lake Erie at Point Pelee by Tom Archer, Michigan Sea Grant.)
Month: November 2013
Watch: ‘The vast majority of coyotes pose very little threat to people … but a very few do cross the line’
A 3-year-old Chicago boy may have been attacked by coyotes, say news reports by the city’s ABC, NBC and CBS affiliates. CFAES scientist Stan Gehrt talks about the growing number of urban coyotes, the risk they may pose to people and his ongoing 13-year study of Chicago’s coyotes in a new video (1:31.) (Previous related post.)
New CFAES study: Urban coyotes protect a city’s natural areas from feral cats
Cats that live outdoors in the city do their darnedest to steer clear of urban coyotes, says a new study led by CFAES scientist Stan Gehrt. The cats cause less damage to wildlife in urban green spaces, such as city parks and nature preserves, because of that dodging, the study suggests. And they live longer and are healthier than previously thought. Read the story …
Sustainable pineapple, sustainable environment?
What are we willing to give up to improve the environment? Michigan State University’s Robert Richardson looks at one example when he presents “Understanding Household Tradeoffs Regarding Pineapple Production and Environmental Management in Costa Rica” from 4-5:30 p.m. today, Nov. 14, in 103 Kottman Hall, 2021 Coffey Road, at Ohio State in Columbus and by video link to 123 Williams Hall, on the Wooster campus of CFAES’s research arm, OARDC, 1680 Madison Ave. The findings of his study, he says, have implications for policy decisions that aim to reflect public attitudes.
Student symposium now underway
Today’s Environmental Science Student Symposium is in full swing, says Molly Bean of CFAES’s School of Environment and Natural Resources, who shared this shot at 10:30 a.m. The event features 632 poster presentations by Ohio State students. It goes to 3 p.m. in Columbus. Free admission. Everyone’s welcome.
The E words (because we just learned how to use Wordle)
Here’s a word cloud showing the most common words in the titles of the 632 presentations scheduled for Tuesday’s (Nov. 12) Environmental Science Student Symposium:
Ohio State students set to give 632 presentations on the environment — in just 1 day
Ohio State’s second annual Environmental Science Student Symposium, which features 632 presentations by students in ENR 2100, an introductory course taught by CFAES’s School of Environment and Natural Resources, goes from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 12, in Columbus. Details about the program are on the school’s website. Check out the lineup of topics (pdf). It’s fascinating. Amazing. Encouraging. (Also: This.) (Photo: SENR.)
Comeback kids? Bobwhites seen in Columbus
Steven Lowe writes in the following:
“I’m a 20-year employee of the city of Columbus, Department of Public Utilities, Watershed Management Section. I’m currently responsible for land stewardship around the three drinking water reservoirs owned by the city of Columbus, and I’m also a non-traditional student in (CFAES’s) School of Environment and Natural Resources.
“Prior to attending my ENR 3400 lecture this morning, I came across the following article, ‘Ohio State Scientists Work to Bring Back the Bobwhite,’ and thought you might find my recent observation interesting. Monday morning, while conducting a shoreline restoration project at O’Shaughnessy Reservoir, I observed a covey of very healthy (plump) quail on the shoreline of the reservoir just east of 5701 Dublin Road.
“My observations were from a distance of several feet as they held pretty tight before busting out for parts unknown. … I haven’t seen a wild quail in the area in over 20 years.”
The northern bobwhite “is a sensitive indicator of ecosystem health in openlands,” says CFAES scientist Bob Gates in that article. “(It’s) just one species in a guild of edge-dependent federal trust species that depend on early successional habitats that are disappearing from much of the eastern U.S.” (Photo: Northern bobwhites by Steve Maslowski, USFWS.)
Tomorrow, Saturday: ‘Planning and design for new urban food systems’
Ohio State hosts “Situating Food: Planning and Design for New Urban Food Systems” Friday and Saturday, Nov. 8-9, in Knowlton Hall in Columbus. The symposium “will identify models and foster innovation along with criticism of issues that impact food security, food justice, production, access and cultural awareness, especially as they influence trends in urban revitalization.” One of the sponsors is CFAES. CFAES’s Yael Vodovotz speaks Saturday on functional foods. (Photo: USDA.)
Serve a part of Ohio State’s campus this Thanksgiving
Looking for garlic and sweet potatoes? Get them fresh, local and organic — and support Ohio State’s Student Farm in the process. But you have only until Monday, Nov. 11, to do it. Details and link to order form. (Photo by Llez via Wikimedia Commons.)