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Session 1b, Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute, University Of Kentucky

Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium

• University – Habitat for Humanity Green Infrastructure Demonstration Project, Nancy Givens and Terry Wilson, WKU Center for Environmental Education and Sustainability, Bowling Green, KY
• Effectiveness of Pollutant Removal in the McConnell Springs Stormwater Quality Wetland Pond and the Gainesway Pond Retrofit Project, Year Two, David J. Price and Susan L. Plueger, Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government
• Coca-Cola Stormwater Replenish Project, Eric Dawalt and Russ Turpin, Ridegewater, LLC and EcoGro, Lexington, KY
• ITEST and LFUCG Stormwater Professional Development, Brian Radcliffe and Carol D. Hanley, Tracy Farmer Institute for Sustainability and the Environment, UK

Proceedings Of 2012 Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium, Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute, University Of Kentucky

Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium

This symposium was planned and conducted as a part of the state water resources research institute annual program that is supported by Grant/Cooperative Agreement Number G11AP20081 from the United States Geological Survey. The contents of this proceedings document and the views and conclusions presented at the symposium are solely the responsibility of the individual authors and presenters and do not necessarily represent the official views of the USGS or of the symposium organizers and sponsors. This publication is produced with the understanding that the United States Government is authorized to reproduce and distribute reprints for government purposes.

Project Gaya: A Study Abroad Program Design For Fundación Operación Gaya Internacional, Lauren E. Johanson

Capstone Collection

Since 2008 Fundación Operación GAYA Internacional, a Costa Rican NGO has provided youth training and development programs to local youth in Costa Rica, empowering young people to be “architects” in the development of their own communities and to take the lead in creating a world that is more peaceful and just. Through the implementation of Project GAYA, the foundation will expand its programming to international youth for the first time.

The proposed program offers a comprehensive program design for a short-term study abroad experience for U.S. high school students to Costa Rica. Students will engage in experiential learning and critical …

Public Knowledge About Polar Regions Increases While Concerns Remain Unchanged, Lawrence C. Hamilton, Matthew J. Cutler, Andrew P. Schaefer

Carsey Publications

The authors of this brief conduct the first comparative analysis of the polar questions that were part of the National Opinion Research Center's 2006 and 2010 General Social Survey. Developed by scientists at the National Science Foundation's Office of Polar Programs, these questions covered topics such as climate change, melting ice and rising sea levels, and species extinction. The authors report that the public's knowledge about the north and south polar regions significantly improved between 2006 and 2010--before and after the International Polar Year. In addition, respondents who know more about science in general, and polar facts specifically, tend to …

Not A Walk In The Park: Environmental Justice In New York City, Lindsey Grier

Student Theses 2001-2013

Where a person lives dictates how that person lives. The environment plays a unique and critically important role in the day-to-day behavior of individuals. It also impacts peoples’ health. And in an urban environment, the affect of a person’s surroundings is further intensified by density, traffic, and congestion. Health disparities and environmental hazards throughout New York City are functions of environmental justice.

Parks make up approximately 14 percent of the New York City. Their placement is both practical and symbolic. Environmental justice issues are deeply embedded in park access, and these issues are especially evident in an urban setting such …

The Bottling Craze: Exposing The Environmental Effects Of Bottled Vs. Tap Water, Michele Paccagnini

Student Theses 2001-2013

Americans take water for granted on a daily basis when they can go to the vending machine or grocery store and pick up a cold bottle of water to enjoy. What people do not normally consider is where this water comes from or what chemicals are used to make the plastic bottle. Some may believe that they are doing something noteworthy when choosing a brand like Poland Spring that boasts “30% less plastic” used in their product, along with choosing a brand that uses smaller labels to save paper. The Poland Spring website claims that they are “drop by drop…one …

The Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program: A History And Overview Of The First Projects, Courtney A. Schultz, Theresa Jedd

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Working Trees For Communities

Working Trees (USDA-NAC)

Today, communities are challenged with accommodating new growth while maintaining the integrity of existing neighbor-hoods. Accommodating health, safety, transportation, quality of life, economics, environmental quality and infrastructure development can often lead to land use conflicts. Compromises are often needed to achieve a workable plan.

Today, community residents, businesses, rural landowners and local leaders must look beyond their own backyards. What is done by one resident or business can affect the community and the watershed. The cumulative effects of many individual actions can have significant impact on the overall landscape.

Working Trees for Communities are proven agroforestry technologies that are being …

Understanding Sand Mining On The Maha Oya: The Conflict Between Economic And Environmental Survival, Meredith Corea Talbert

Dissertations and Theses

River sand mining from the Maha Oya is the main source of income and a force that drives economic activity for residents along the river. This study takes place in Sri Lanka, there are three villages included in this project: Jambugaswatte, Janituspuraya and Thoppuwa. In Sri Lanka, sand serves as the main building material. It is used to make bricks, tiles, asphalt and concrete, therefore demanding a high market value. However, the over-extraction of sand comes along with significant environmental problems. These communities depend on the river in many ways and the health of the river directly corresponds to the …

Can Information And Communication Technologies Lead To Community Capital? An Analysis Of Development, Dave Kocsis, Sajda Qureshi, Jie Xiong

Information Systems and Quantitative Analysis Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

While it is widely accepted that the increasing interconnectedness of the world economy has been fueled by the innovative uses of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), little attention has been paid to the increasing inequalities within developed and developing countries. These inequalities manifest themselves in the form of communities in which incomes are considerably below the rest of the country and there is a rise in poverty. This paper investigates this trend by taking a community capital perspective to investigate how ICTs may or may not enable businesses to grow. As micro-enterprises are seen to contribute to the growth of …

Importing Democracy: Promoting Participatory Decision Making In Russian Forest Communities, Maria Tysiachniouk, Errol E. Meidinger

Contributions to Books

Published in Environmental Democracy Facing Uncertainty, Cécilia Claeys & Marie Jacqué, eds.

This paper describes how the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) jump-started democratic institutions in Russian rural communities to create a basis for social, environmental, and economic modernization within the Russian forestry sector. In Russia’s post-soviet markets and institutions, a host of multinational companies and large transnational environmental organizations sought to promote the restructuring of Russia’s legal and economic infrastructure and active subsidiaries in Russia. In order for modern forestry approaches to be imported, management practices that had developed in the West needed to be adapted to Russia’s …

Closure Planning In A Developing Country - A Case Study From The Phu Kham Mine, Laos, Southeast Asia, Amy Mauric, C. D. Mccullough, Charlie Wilson-Clark, Andrew Witcomb, Jeff Millgate

Research outputs 2012

Mining in developing regions face significant challenges for effective closure planning. A maturing mine closure regulatory environment and limited capacity within government to regulate mine closure issues can present considerable risk from an operation to the regional community and environment. Alternatively, if the operation adopts leading practice international standards in recognition of their corporate responsibilities and social license‐to‐mine in developing countries, there may be significant opportunities for enhanced social and environmental outcomes for host country and mining company. Using a case study from the Phu Kham Mine, Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Laos), we discuss some of the key challenges to …

Changing Lives In A Semester: A Teaching Approach To Help With Tenure And Promotion While Providing An Experience They'll Never Forget, Roslynn Brain

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

Do all university courses have to be structured in a traditional way? For many, the answer is a resounding, NO! Generally, we assume a course needs to have a midterm, final and at least one major project. Although this may fit well with many standard courses, it can be a wonderful experience to deviate away from the norm and delve into the world of service learning.

Creating Environmental Leaders Through Service Learning: A Transition From Theory To Real World Application, Roslynn Brain, Robert H. Schmidt

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Fostering University-Wide Sustainable Behaviors Through Service Learning: A Classroom Transition From Theory To Real World Application, Roslynn Brain

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Vermicomposting! Sustain Your Life: Utah State University Extension Sustainability, Roslynn Brain, H. Waldbillig, K. Ladd, J. Greene

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Sustainability Education As A Framework For Enhancing Environmental Stewardship In Young Leaders: An Intervention At Tryon Creek Nature Day Camp, Andrea Nicole Lawrence

Dissertations and Theses

UNESCO established Sustainability Education as a top priority when it declared 2005 - 2014 to be the global decade for sustainability. Sustainability education can be implemented in outdoor programs such as nature summer camps in order to build environmental stewardship and ecological literacy in counselors and campers. This study sought to determine the extent to which an ecology and leadership training given to assistant counselors at Tryon Creek State Natural Area day camp achieved the goals of sustainability education--for the assistant counselors to learn about ecology, develop stewardship attitudes and behaviors toward the environment, and become positive role models for …

The Distribution And Diversity Of Functional Gene Pathways Controlling Sulfur Speciation In Lower Kane Cave, Wyoming, Audrey Tarlton Paterson

LSU Master's Theses

Defining the linkages between microbial metabolic activity and environmental geochemistry can be used to understand how carbonate dissolution in sulfidic karst systems proceeds. In Lower Kane Cave, Wyoming, sulfidic springs support taxonomically distinct microbial communities that are also associated with putative sulfur metabolisms (e.g., oxidation of reduced sulfur compounds, sulfate reduction, and sulfur disproportionation) that influence carbonate dissolution. The distribution of diverse microbial groups in other terrestrial subsurface environments is not well understood, making Lower Kane Cave ideal for study. Molecular genetics techniques were used to uncover diversity of 16S rRNA genes and bacterial soxB and aprA functional genes. Aqueous …

Adapting To Climate Change While Planning For Disaster: Footholds, Rope Lines, And The Iowa Floods, Robert R.M. Verchick, Abby Hall

BYU Law Review

No abstract provided.

Do You Believe The Climate Is Changing? Answers From New Survey Research, Lawrence C. Hamilton

Carsey Publications

This brief explores how political views influence Americans’ understanding and perception of science. The research is based on a national version of the Community and Environment in Rural America survey called NCERA, and on New Hampshire’s statewide Granite State Poll. Author Lawrence Hamilton reports that most people on both surveys feel that they understand either a great deal or a moderate amount about global warming or climate change. However, deep partisan divisions affect both personal beliefs about climate change and perceptions of agreement among scientists. Democrats are much more likely to state they believe that climate change is happening, caused …

Ecological Revival And Sustainable Living In The Tropical Dry Evergreen Forest Of Tamil Nadu: A Measurement Of Residential Perception In Sadhana Forest, Elizabeth Collette Mcguire

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Since 1970, the role and function of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been to promote environmental quality and to form strategies for carrying out environmental policy¹. The EPA has committed to sustainability as the next level of environmental protection. The agency states that sustainability calls for policies and strategies that meet society’s present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs². Presently, society’s requirements have resulted in natural resource exploitation and population distention- projected to reach 10 billion people within two human generations³. These paired occurrences are …

Factors That Cause Growth And Development In The City Of Lincoln, Ne, Kaylene Tegtmeier

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

This qualitative study looks at what factors may contribute to the outward growth and development of the city of Lincoln, Nebraska. The two main factors the study discusses are the Lincoln Public School planners and their placement of schools in the city, and the “American dream” of the people, looking at where the people of Lincoln want to be living throughout the city and what some of their daily habits are. This study also discusses some of the main visions of the city of Lincoln’s 2040 Comprehensive Plan how the plan’s ambitions may affect the two factors looked at in …

Feasibility Study And Best Practices For A Campus Community Garden On The University Of Arkansas Campus, Samantha Jones

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Although community gardening on college campuses is not a new concept, campus community gardens have recently grown in popularity. Campus community gardens, however, have not been extensively researched. In order to better understand campus community gardens and to determine the feasibility of a campus community garden at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville (UAF), this study was conducted in three components. An online survey of 88 campus community gardens in the United States and Canada served as the first national survey of universities and colleges with campus community gardens. The survey included demographic information, management, funding, liabilities, risks, obstacles and …

The Fierce Green Fire: Vol. 2 Issue 10, Wofford College Environmental Studies Program

The Fierce Green Fire

No abstract provided.

Sustainability And Climate Models For The Intermountain West: An Annotated Bibliography, Marianne A. Buehler, William E. Brown Jr.

Brookings Mountain West Publications

This resource on climate models and sustainability in the Intermountain West, a region that includes the states of Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah, is a collaborative effort between the UNLV Libraries (http://library.unlv.edu/) and Brookings Mountain West (http://brookingsmtnwest.unlv.edu/).

The selected citations include academic, government, and non-profit information that highlight ongoing research on climate models and sustainability efforts in the region. The websites, government studies, independent reports, scholarly articles, and media reports reflect the diversity and complexity of climate change and sustainability issues in a region that contains widely varying ecosystems. The Intermountain West, with its deserts, basins, mountains, …

Local Solutions For A Global Problem: The Role Of Ngos In Maximizing The Efficacy Of Local Government Sanitation Efforts In Rural Maharashtra, Jorge Aceves

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This independent study project looks at the topic of sanitation within rural Maharashtra. Although the Government of India, through the state governments, has initiated nationwide campaigns against poor sanitation and waterborne illnesses, these programmes do not reach all communities or find significant success in improving sanitation. Recent revisions of these sanitations programs have shifted their focus from a centralized supply-driven approach to a localized demand-driven approach, yet the system requires more work to become fully functional. In some areas, non-government organizations, such as the Comprehensive Rural Help Project (CRHP), have stepped up to bridge the gap between the available government …

Integrating Ecosystem Services, River Restoration And Community: A Case Study At Fisher's Bend, Michael Carlson

Environmental Science and Management Professional Master's Project Reports

Natural areas and ecosystem services at the edge of urban areas are threatened by increasing development. This paper examines how community based restoration partnerships can work to identify, protect and restore ecosystem services provided by salmon and our local rivers. Floodplains provide a wide range of ecosystem services to urban and rural communities and we should work collaboratively to protect and restore them. Floodplains are especially valuable and important for salmon recovery. By using a case study, we explore the process and feasibility of restoring off-channel salmon habitat at Fisher's Bend in the lower Clackamas river. A feasibility study was …

The Fierce Green Fire: Vol. 2 Issue 4, Wofford College Environmental Studies Program

The Fierce Green Fire

No abstract provided.

Wku-Habitat For Humanity Green Community: A Model For Engagement And Partnerships, Nancy Givens, Rodney Goodman

Education for Sustainability Summer Institute

No abstract provided.

Art Gardens To Create Sacred Earth Connections, Education For Sustainability Summer Institute, Jim Embry

Education for Sustainability Summer Institute

No abstract provided.