Environmental Studies Commons^™

Compound Extremes Drive The Western Oregon Wildfires Of September 2020, John T. Abatzoglou, David E. Rupp, Larry W. O'Neill, Mojtaba Sadegh

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Several very large high‐impact fires burned nearly 4,000 km² of mesic forests in western Oregon during September 7–9, 2020. While infrequent, very large high‐severity fires have occurred historically in western Oregon, the extreme nature of this event warrants analyses of climate and meteorological drivers. A strong blocking pattern led to an intrusion of dry air and strong downslope east winds in the Oregon Cascades following a warm‐dry 60‐day period that promoted widespread fuel flammability. Viewed independently, both the downslope east winds and fuel dryness were extreme, but not unprecedented. However, the concurrence of these drivers resulted in compound extremes …

280— Bureaucracy And Inefficiency: Failures Of Cercla In Protecting Indigenous Communities, Mikaela Burke

GREAT Day Posters

In 1983, The Environmental Protection Agency created the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). The main goal of which is to protect human health and the environment by holding liable parties accountable for hazardous waste contamination. While CERCLA has been able to clean up many of the sites on their National Priorities List, it has failed to address many as well. Persistent problems with slow-moving bureaucratic structures and expensive oversight costs have forced people out of their homes, subjected them to long-term and short-term health problems, and have created an unlivable environment, particularly for those who rely on …

331— Temporal Trends In The Receding Glaciers In Glacier National Park, Montana, 1904 To 2020, Emily Keenan

GREAT Day Posters

Glacier National Park, located in Montana along the Canadian border, was comprised of approximately 80 glaciers following the Little Ice Age. During this time, the glaciers hit their peak; however, over the years, many of these glaciers have decreased drastically in size. As of 2015, only 26 of these glaciers still remain and meet the requirement to be considered an active glacier (being larger than 0.1 km²). As a result of climate change, both natural and anthropogenic, the glaciers are shrinking and the number is decreasing more and more each year. The purpose of this research was to …

Analysis Of The Socio-Economic Impacts Of A Proposed Highway Between Nuevo Italia And Puerto Breu, Peru, M. R. Place *, E. Zizzamia, D. S. Salisbury, V. Galati, S. Spera

Arts & Sciences Student Symposium

Road building is increasingly promoted in the borderlands shared by Peru and Brazil despite an incomplete understanding of the socio-environmental impacts of transportation infrastructure in the region. Amazonian roads often expand informally, without official government process, previous consultation by Indigenous populations, and environmental impact statements.. Amazonian road expansion also often follows a progressive feedback cycle, with new, unplanned roads begetting illegal logging pathways and agricultural expansion which in turn expands and formalizes road systems. One expanding road system is developing between the Ucayali River and the remote headwaters of the Yurua/Jurua River. The Carretera Yurua (officially trail UC-105), extended approximately300 …

Can’T Bear It! Employing Culturally Sensitive Initiatives To Reduce Bear Bile Demand In Northern Vietnam, Alicia Ngo, Shannon Randolph

EnviroLab Asia

Over the past 30 years, the combination of over-hunting, habitat loss, and increased bear bile demand has caused significant declines in Asiatic black bear (aka moon bear; Ursus thibetanus) and sun bear (Helarctos malayanus) populations. In Eastern medicine, bear bile is extracted from the gallbladders of bears and is then used to treat a wide range of inflammatory, liver, and degenerative ailments. However, the use of bear bile has had significant impacts on bear populations. Given that communities in Northern Vietnam have a lengthy history of using bear bile and bear bile is easily accessible, merely advocating …

Aspects Of Climate Change, Anthony Defusco

English Department: Research for Change - Wicked Problems in Our World

Climate change continues to become a global issue, and with that, more people being affected by the harmful factors that come with it. Climate change not only effects the environment, but also has aspects of cultural and health issues. Different cultures view this problem differently than other as it affects different aspects of that culture. Health risk is on the rise as air pollution is more prominent and diseases spread. The climate is being warmed, causing extreme weather and drought. These different perspectives on global warming allow for new and unknowing people to be exposed to this issue and allow …

Beyond The Trail: Exploring Our Timucuan Parks And Preserves, Sophia Bertolino

Showcase of Osprey Advancements in Research and Scholarship (SOARS)

Environmental Center Leadership Program Project Abstract: The UNF environmental center has been helping students live a life of sustainability along with educating students on what they can be doing to help the environment. Working with the UNF environmental center has been a great experience. I personally got to work with Felicia Boyd who is the program and outreach director of the Timucuan parks Foundation. As a student who is not a Jacksonville native, I was so surprised when I found out that there are so many parks here in the city of Jacksonville. After working with Felicia I have found …

Lights Out Northeast Florida Documentary, M. Ryan Nugent

Showcase of Osprey Advancements in Research and Scholarship (SOARS)

Environmental Center Leadership Program Project

Artificial light poses as an extreme threat to migratory birds. When migrating at night, birds use the stars and moon to navigate to their destination. However, because birds are attracted to artificial light, they frequently find themselves trapped in areas with a high density of artificial light such as major industrialized cities. Flying in a city with large artificially lit skyscrapers is terribly dangerous for migratory birds and, a majority of the time, results in the birds hitting buildings or exhausting themselves—both of which can be fatal. Each year, about one billion birds die from …

Community Cleanups And Plastic Reduction, Elena Pellumbi

Showcase of Osprey Advancements in Research and Scholarship (SOARS)

Honorable Mention Winner

Environmental Center Leadership Program Project

For this project I was part of the Environmental Center Leadership Program partnering with the Environmental Center to plan, execute and lead three community cleanups. The Environmental Center is working with a grant from the NOAA Marine Debris Program to reduce single-use plastic consumption and foster long-term pro-environmental behaviors among undergraduate students in coastal communities. This project aimed to create education and outreach activities to raise awareness about marine debris, facilitate understanding of the connections between actions and impacts in the marine environment, and encourage behavior change. The first cleanup took place …

Educating The Youth On Building A Sustinable And Eco-Friendly Planet, Anjelica Dasilva

Showcase of Osprey Advancements in Research and Scholarship (SOARS)

Environmental Center Leadership Program Project As a part of the Environmental Center Leadership Program, I was fortunate to be partnered with community partner Beaches Go Green. Our mission was held on educating the youth on the importance of creating a sustainable and eco-friendly planet. Specifically, the main impact of Beaches Go Green is to diminish the pandemic of plastic waste pollution and its damaging effects on the oceans. 275 million metric tons of plastic waste is produced each year and less than 9% are recycled or composted. 8 million metric tons of non-recycled plastic enters our oceans. I participated in …

Making Earth A Cleaner Place With Educational Videos, Madison Woodson

Showcase of Osprey Advancements in Research and Scholarship (SOARS)

Environmental Center Leadership Program Project In the 2020-2021 school year, the University of North Florida’s Environmental Center Leadership Program had students partnered with local community partners. This year, I was partnered with Beaches Go Green in Jacksonville, Florida. Beaches Go Greens’ mission was to inform the younger generation how to “go green” and practice core values of the 4R’s. The 4R’s are to refuse, reduce, reuse and recycle. The project that was implemented were videos advertising how to practice better habits to make Earth a cleaner place. These videos were around two-three minutes long. When creating these videos, modern and …

Sustainable Irrigation At The Ogier Gardens, Maria Pugliese

Showcase of Osprey Advancements in Research and Scholarship (SOARS)

Environmental Center Leadership Program Project

The UNF Ogier Gardens exists to create a healthier UNF community through nature contact by growing crops, demonstrating sustainability and biodiversity, and nourishing people with local, fresh, and delicious food. The appropriate watering of the Ogier Garden’s crops is pivotal to providing healthy options for the local community. Watering crops typically falls solely on the farmer, but proper watering is sometimes based on intuition and the working memory of the responsible party. Luckily, irrigation controllers provide a convenient and reliable method of watering for homeowners and farmers alike. A fully automatic sprinkler system means the …

Beaches Go Green Helps Jax Stay Clean, Emma Sheridan

Showcase of Osprey Advancements in Research and Scholarship (SOARS)

Environmental Center Leadership Program Project

The Beaches Go Green Team’s project consisted of cultivating sustainability awareness videos on both a micro and macro scale and hosting an in person beach clean up. On a micro scale, the team discussed going green in the North Florida Florida area by being knowledgeable of the recycling guidelines put in place by Jacksonville, thus being able to follow them. On a macro scale, the Beaches Go Green Team has created a plethora of videos. One of the videos created was about the negative health and environmental effects of the use of q-tips. The video …

Green Purchasing Guide In Health Care Offices And Clinics, Hannah Kim

Showcase of Osprey Advancements in Research and Scholarship (SOARS)

Honorable Mention Winner

Environmental Center Leadership Program Project

According to researchers at Northeastern University and Yale, the U.S medical facilities are nearly responsible for 10% of greenhouse gas emissions. Many of these institutions require significant amount of resources such as water, paper, plastic, and electricity but they are at often at a high cost, inefficient, and wasteful when inspecting at them closer. My project will provide a purchasing guide that will encourage to adopt environmentally, sustainable products that will save money and create a healthier environment. The main goal is to encourage offices to foster environmentally friendly products at an …

Crosby Sanctuary Tree Survey, Lexi Lindsley

Showcase of Osprey Advancements in Research and Scholarship (SOARS)

Environmental Center Leadership Program Project

In partnership with the Duval Audubon Society, over 280 trees were identified and virtually tagged within their diverse 510-acre property known as the Crosby Sanctuary. A basic survey was performed that included plants >25 feet in height and within 25 inches from the ~1.5 miles of trails winding through the entire sanctuary. In addition, the locations and names of the identified plant species were input onto an online map of the Crosby Sanctuary. The updated map also contains the location of the pre-existing trails, rivers, and other features within the property. Due to the map …

Community Cleanups And Plastic Reduction, Waheed Khalili

Showcase of Osprey Advancements in Research and Scholarship (SOARS)

Environmental Center Leadership Program Project As part of the Environmental Center Leadership Program at the University of North Florida, I would get the opportunity to assist on a federally funded research project from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This project primarily dealt with identifying and limiting the effects of plastic pollution on the environment in Jacksonville, Florida. Plastic pollution in recent years has become a growing epidemic in Jacksonville and all over the world. With more rivers and oceans being polluted with single-use plastic each year, it is not long before there is a significant impact on human …

Eliminating Hunger In North East Florida, Kristin Gonzalez

Showcase of Osprey Advancements in Research and Scholarship (SOARS)

Environmental Center Leadership Program Project

Food insecurity is generally defined as not having easy access to a grocery store or supermarket with fresh food and produce. The mission for working with Feeding NorthEast Florida is to give back to our community and help eliminate food insecurity in Jacksonville, one of the ways that Feeding NorthEast Florida does this is through the Mobile Corner Market. The Mobile Corner Market is a mobile truck that is located in different locations in order to implement this mission statement. The Mobile Corner Market offers a place for those in need to have an entire …

Rideout Point Nature Preserve & Observation Tower, Alec Gunn

Showcase of Osprey Advancements in Research and Scholarship (SOARS)

Project of Merit Winner

Environmental Center Leadership Program Project Rideout Point is a 578 acre nature preserve being constructed by the North Florida Land Trust, abbreviated NFLT. The preserve will consist of walking trails, kayak launches, picnic spaces, and a three-story observation tower for visitors to enjoy an elevated view above the preserve’s beautiful cypress swampland. The NFLT tasked the Osprey Engineering team with designing the observation tower in accordance with specified requirements and the towers intended use. The goal for the Osprey Engineering team was to design an aesthetically pleasing, safe, and accessible tower with multiple features that ensure …

Fostering Environmental Stewardship And Education At The Jacksonville Zoo And Gardens, Cassandra Cleland

Showcase of Osprey Advancements in Research and Scholarship (SOARS)

Environmental Center Leadership Program Project

Several studies have shown that currently more plants than ever are going extinct, and humans are the culprits. Plants are an important resource in our ecosystem whom without we would not survive. This is important to recognize because people’s actions on our environment can have a large-scale impact. Environmental stewardship refers to taking responsibility for the environment to improve its quality. The Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens values this and goes to great lengths in fostering it by educating their guests and instilling passion to the next generation, while simultaneously funding a wide variety of conservation …

Arlington Community Garden: The Benefits Of Community Gardens And Keeping Them Sustainable, Laurel Dalton

Showcase of Osprey Advancements in Research and Scholarship (SOARS)

Environmental Center Leadership Program Project

In a project for the Environmental Center Leadership Program, Laurel Dalton investigates the importance of community gardens, the issues they often face, and some possible solutions which were utilized for the benefit of the Arlington Community Garden at the Tree Hill Nature Center. Community gardens are a valuable resource to build community, allow participants to connect to nature, and help alleviate food insecurity. The foremost issues for the sustainability of community gardens are the lack of a sufficient, continuous workforce of paid workers and volunteers, and a lack of funding. To alleviate this issue for …

Bringing Awareness To Plant Conservation At The Jacksonville Zoo And Gardens, Anastasia Utley

Showcase of Osprey Advancements in Research and Scholarship (SOARS)

Honorable Mention Winner

Environmental Center Leadership Program Project

Plant conservation is essential to the survival of all species as they improve soil, water, and air quality and serve as a food source and shelter. Currently the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens (JZG) has limited information for the use of the education center about the variety of plant species that they host. Many of the plants in the zoo’s collection are representative species that play important roles in their environments from all around the world. Jacksonville Zoo and Garden’s education center has several volumes of books that contain information about all the …

St.John’S Riverkeepers Litter Capture, Alexandra Marshall

Showcase of Osprey Advancements in Research and Scholarship (SOARS)

Environmental Center Leadership Program Project

Rising Tides is an organization for young professional and community-minded advocates who want to help support the St. Johns River through membership and participation in a range of social activities such as monthly clean-up on Hogan and McCovey creek. Rising Tides wants to make a bigger difference on their monthly clean-up on Jacksonville mainstream. Rising Tides want to implement one or two litter captures on St. Johns’ mainstream, Trout River, McCoy’s Creek, and Hogan’s Creek. Watergoats are a floating buoy structure that helps capture litter before it can be carried through our waterways. Rising Tides …

Tourism And Sustainability: Tourism, Economics And Policy, Eshal Arooj, Hijab Bano

CBER Conference

The main purpose of this research was to examine the relationship between tourism and economic development in Pakistan. After using multiple secondary resources the conclusion to be drawn is that Tourism and Economic development are positively correlated meaning that if we work on our potential in tourism industry; Pakistan can witness huge change in its economic development and growth.

Sustainability Of Genetically Modified (Gm) Crops, Abdul Hakeem, Wajid Ali Shah

CBER Conference

This proposal identifies the methods used in the modification of crops, their production, modification, expansion, benefits, and carbon emission. Moreover, the special focus of this proposal is to explain the need for GM crops for developing nations which are witnessing exponential growth of their populations. Additionally, it pursues to determine how in the environmental and economic context, the significance of GM crops is overwhelming and cannot be overlooked. The greenhouse ePect reduction is the other essential output of the GM crops as shown through the illustrations.

Socio-Ecological Perceptions Of Wildfire Management And Effects In Greece, Palaiologos Palaiologou, Kostas Kalabokidis, Andreas Troumbis, Michelle A. Day, Max Nielsen-Pincus, Alan A. Ager

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Adapting to the growing frequency of catastrophic wildfires in Greece and mitigating their effects is a complex socio-ecological problem. We used an online survey to query more than 100 engaged stakeholders who can potentially influence possible legislation and fire management organizational reform, emphasizing civil protection agencies and research entities. We focused the questionnaire on the importance of different wildfire effects to understand which were considered negative or unacceptable, indifferent, or positive. For fire prevention, we examined the range of acceptance and views on fuel management and fire use activities that are limited in extent or not allowed in Greece. We …

Do Gender Differences Lead To Unequal Access To Climate Adaptation Strategies In An Agrarian Context?: Perceptions From Coastal Bangladesh, Saleh Ahmed, Elizabeth Kiester

University Author Recognition Bibliography: 2021

While people around the world are increasingly facing various climate-related stresses, women with limited resources in low income developing societies are often at a greater risk largely because of their pre-existing constraints on social, economic, political, and cultural resources and opportunities. In this paper, we investigate how gender differences influence farmers’ access to various resources that are critical for local climate adaptation in coastal Bangladesh. As one of the most climate-vulnerable regions in not only the country but the world, coastal Bangladesh is experiencing a significant increase in sea level rise, tropical cyclones, storm surges, coastal flooding, coastal erosions as …

Incorporating Environmental Justice Into Youth Education, Morgan F. Prittie

Community Engagement Student Work

Social Justice is a concept which is often glossed over or excluded from student education, particularly the issues associated with Environmental Justice. Discrimination, oppression, and poor environmental practices all coalesce into dangerously impactful issues, which can be combated by further education and exposure. This project seeks to spread awareness of Environmental Justice issues, provide educators with the tools to implement social justice education, and express the importance of such exposure to students. This interdisciplinary project utilizes the facilitation of a workshop with lessons, activities, and opportunities for participants to engage in discussions. The goal of the workshop was to describe …

Food Deserts In Indianapolis, Anthony Little

Environmental Justice

This project focuses on the issue of food deserts in Indianapolis.

Hostile Architecture, Hannah Sparks

Environmental Justice

This project is centered around the concept of public spaces and architecture that is intentionally designed to prevent unhoused people from having unlimited access to the environment for survival purposes.

Conservation And Its Effect On Indigenous Communities, Emma Vanderheyden

Environmental Justice

This project investigates the effects of conservation on indigenous populations.