Month: May 2019

Study: Harmful algae in central Lake Erie too

A new study of harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie’s central basin, mentioned in an April 23 post, gets deeper coverage in a story today by Ohio State science writer Misti Crane.

Not only do blooms routinely occur in the lake’s central basin, the story says, they can also produce types of cyanobacterial toxins—toxins produced by cyanobacteria, the organisms responsible for harmful algal blooms—that typically aren’t detected through routine water-safety monitoring.

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Saturday: Go west for sustainability fest

Go west, everyone, to learn more about sustainability. Ohio State’s West Campus Science and Sustainability Festival—or WestFest for short—is set for Saturday, May 18, on the university’s West Campus Quad. Featured will be demonstrations and displays by more than 20 sustainability-related organizations from Ohio State and the Columbus community, including CFAES’ Wilma H. Schiermeier Olentangy River Wetland Research Park and Stone Laboratory on Lake Erie. Admission is free. Find out more.

Expert to speak on controlled environment ag

More and more farms could be under a roof. Meiny Prins, CEO and co-owner of the Dutch company Priva, presents “Do You Know the Green Belt? Sustainable Urban Agriculture in a Challenging World” from 10–11 a.m. Tuesday, May 21, on Ohio State’s campus in Columbus. The event is billed as an industry summit on controlled environment agriculture, a technology-driven way to produce food in greenhouses, buildings, grow rooms, and the like. Admission to the event is free, but attendees are asked to register in advance. There’s also a way to watch online. Find full details.

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Helping people understand coyotes

Stan Gehrt has recent reason to howl. The scientist in CFAES’ School of Environment and Natural Resources, who has pioneered research on urban coyotes, was featured in the March edition of the National Wildlife Federation’s Ranger Rick magazine for children (“Coyotes in the City”); and was quoted in Newsweek magazine on Feb. 14 and April 26 (“Are Canada Goose Jackets Inhumane? The Controversy Explained” and “Coyotes Are New York’s Newest Immigrants,” respectively).

More information on Gehrt’s work is available on the website for his Chicago-based Urban Coyote Research Project.

Also check out CFAES’ Urban Coyotes: Conflict and Management fact sheet. (Photo: Getty Images.)

Regenerative agriculture a ‘win-win-win’

An op-ed in the May 13 edition of the Los Angeles Times quotes CFAES scientist Rattan Lal on the benefits of regenerative agriculture—practices such as using compost, minimizing tillage, and growing cover crops. Regenerative agriculture is a “win-win-win option” that can make the soil healthier, increase food production, and help fight climate change, he is quoted as saying. But it is “not widely understood” yet by policymakers, the public, and many farmers.

Lal, a recent recipient of the prestigious Japan Prize, is Distinguished University Professor of Soil Science in CFAES’ School of Environment and Natural Resources.

Read the op-ed.

40-plus ways to explore sustainable ag

The schedule is out for the 2019 Sustainable Farm Tour and Workshop Series, which runs from June to early December, features 40-plus events at organic and ecological farms and businesses—mostly in Ohio but also in Michigan and Indiana—and counts CFAES’ Sustainable Agriculture Team among its presenters. Learn more.

What do Americans think about wildlife?

By Mary Guiden, Science Writer and Senior Public Relations Specialist, Colorado State University

Abundant and healthy wildlife populations are a cultural and ecological treasure in the United States. Over time, however, decisions about how agencies manage wildlife have become highly contested: How should managers handle human-wildlife conflict, endangered species restoration, and predator control?

A new 50-state study called America’s Wildlife Values—the largest and first of its kind—describes individuals’ values toward wildlife across states. Leading the study were researchers from Colorado State and Ohio State, including Alia Dietsch and Jeremy Bruskotter of CFAES’ School of Environment and Natural Resources.

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Get expert advice on organic lawn care

“More people are asking for information regarding organic lawn care,” says CFAES’ “Natural Organic Lawn Care” fact sheet, which aims to answer any questions you may have about mowing, fertilizing, weeds, pests, and more. It even offers a spring-to-fall calendar of what you should do and when. Check it out. (Photo: Getty Images.)