ES 237 Spring 2020

These queen two spotted bumble bees (Bombus bimaculatus) just started coming out so look out for them. Can you see the two spots of splotches of yellow on their back? Queens are the only ones to survive the winter and they store sperm from males that they mated with last fall. They are currently laying fertilized eggs that will develop into worker females.

This article is kind of interesting…..

Pathogen transmission and Habitat loss

Hi all,

Hope you and your families are doing ok out there. I have been preparing materials for the rest of the semester online with help from my cat Sandy (above) and dog, Rosemary and two chickens, Gwen and Iris (pictures coming).

What about class and our ACE projects?

We should be just fine, and I am trying not to change too much so we are really doing most of the things we would normally have done. My hope is that this won’t feel too different.

Please keep in touch!

As we move online, one of my biggest concerns is not being able to keep in touch with each and everyone of you. I know you all are not excited by online learning. I am not excited either, but we will be fine.

Please feel free to contact me with any concerns! If my instructions are not clear or if links are not working, let me know.

Hang in there and I can definitely say I am missing yall already!

Take care and wash your hands,

Diane

• Homeowners-Cultivate your carbon education and information-might include information on increasing carbon sequestration in lawns, promote composting, growing appropriate trees and providing some areas where more native pollinator friendly species can be established (not all short green grass). Reconsider fertilizer applications (just makes grass grow faster so you have to mow-small engines like landmowers are terrible in terms of emissions.)
• Explore “park stewardship” program. Some parks have a “friends of” group but maybe more education and structure is needed that is geared towards carbon sequestration opportunities (and because there are state grants coming up in fall where it would be nice to say we have these programs so Northfield looks organized and competitive)
• Local carbon offset fund-just for Northfield. Who cities or towns have done this before? How do they work? Perhaps the funds could be used to plant trees locally.
• Help research and establish a “tree policy” for the city. What do other cities and towns do?
• Schools/education-Easy opportunity would be to try something with 5^th graders this spring. How the heck do you talk about carbon sequestration with elementary schoolers?
• Materials/displays/communication library locations/public graphics to promote an understanding of this aspect (carbon landscape) of the Climate Action Plan. Might involve some calculations about trees/natural landscapes in Northfield and their benefits.
• Possibility of Demonstration Projects in prominent locations. Take a city location that maybe is just currently mowed and create a planting plan that would educate folks on the potential to plant a diverse landscape that stores carbon.
• Help implement a grant that we already have that involves helping landowners plant pollinator friendly gardens in their yards. We need helpers to come along to talk to landowners, come up with planting plans and maybe facilitate plant purchasing and planting.
• We have earth day coming up-what can we do for that? Maybe one group could take on that? Northfield has a big event downtown. Do we want display materials? A little demonstration?? Activity? Seed to give out for free? Native prairie seed balls? (That is where you make a mud ball with some seed in it to smack into the ground in your yard. I have some seed.)
• More specifically explore the health co-benefits of trees in Northfield to advertise to the public health community here?
• Funding for tree planting in small towns and cities. Apparently there are some organizations that provide this funding. Explore and write a draft grant!
• Could pitch raingardens-city has a program but maybe establish and communicate the importance of their carbon sequestration potential.
• Analyze mowing for the city. Are there areas we could not mow? Write a proposal to pitch to the grounds crew! (they are a tough crowd to convince)
• Work specifically with churches to examine the carbon sequestering potential of the green spaces that surround them.
• Works specifically with different business owners to examine the carbon sequestering potential of the green spaces that surround them. (Warning…businesses are usually not very motivated to do anything very quickly.)
• Work on policy for new developments in Northfield. What do other cities or towns require in terms of planting trees and/or other carbon sequestering landscapes?

Can you see where your boundaries are????

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/02/20/climate/climate-change-polls.html

https://www.coe.edu/academics/coe-difference-centers-and-programs/off-campus-study/wilderness-field-station