What’s New in EcoEdDL

Activity- Investigating Human Impact on Stream Ecology: Locally and Nationally, by Stephanie Hampton and Amelia Nuding of the National Center for Ecological Analysis & Synthesis at University of California, Santa Barbara

Photo credit from TIEE, Waterfall in Quinalt near Olympic National Park by Robert Kraft

Activity- Demography from physical cemeteries, "virtual cemeteries," and census data by Janet Lanza, Biology Department at University of Arkansas

Photo credit from TIEE, Haven of Rest Cemetery, an African-American cemetery in Little Rock, Arkansas by Janet Lanza

Collection: Lake Christina
Press Release- Mud Manifests History of Clear Water in Murky Minnesota Duck Depot Lake Christina: Implications for Ducks, Fish, and Landscape Management, by Liz Lester of the Ecological Society for America
Photographs- by Thomas Carlson of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

Celebrate! Earth Day is April 22nd!

Use this map on the EPA website to find an event or a volunteer project happening in your neighborhood.

Photo credit from NASA

SEEDS Update                          

During the month of April, SEEDS Chapters are celebrating the local biological diversity in their communities by doing biological inventories over periods of time ranging from a four to 24 hour period.  The SEEDS NCCB is working with iNaturalist to upload Bioblitz data and coordinate the events into one national project.

The following eleven Chapters will be participating in the 2012 SEEDS National Coordinated Chapter Bioblitz (NCCB):

Spotlight

The National Environmental Education Foundation announced Greening STEM: The Environment as Inspiration for 21st Century Learning as the theme for this year’s Environmental Education Week.  Read about five organizations and their innovative approach to STEM education.  

Reports

Getting Ideas into Action: Building Networked Improvement Communities in Education
The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching released this report promoting networked improvement communities to conduct research and development for solving problems in education.

Human Alteration of the Global Nitrogen Cycle- Causes and Consequences
From ESA’s Issues on Ecology (Issue 1), this report discusses how humans have altered the nitrogen cycle and the adverse effects this has on the ecosystem.

Excess Nitrogen in the U.S. Environment: Trends, Risks, and Solutions
From ESA’s Issues on Ecology (Issue 15), this report published 15 years after the former reflects on nitrogen levels in the US and projections for environmental impact with the continuance of the current trend.

Resources
April’s Featured Resource Topic: Soil

The US Forest Service’s Western Wildland Environmental Threat Assessment Center
This seed zone map is intended for use as a planning tool for restoration projects by helping select seed sources that are adapted for growth in a location’s soil and climate.

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
US Department of Agriculture’s NRCS provides resources for classroom activities, videos and fact sheets, including soil profile reports for each state.

The Agricultural Sustainability Institute at the University of California, Davis
Access profiles of earthworm species and read articles about the benefits of these creatures in maintaining a nutrient-rich soil environment.