Environmental Education Commons^™

The Promise Of An Energy Tracker Curriculum For Promoting Home-School Connections And Youth Agency In Climate Action, Elizabeth M. Walsh, Derek Jenkins, Eugene Cordero

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Formal classroom learning experiences that support sustainable behaviors outside the classroom necessarily must bridge students’ home and school lives, as knowledge and practice learned in the classroom is implemented outside of school. To this end, we study the impact of the Green Ninja Energy Tracker curriculum, which uses students’ home energy data in the classroom to promote engagement in climate change and conservation behaviors. Data is drawn from class observations, a focus group, and pre- and post- surveys of a pilot implementation of this curriculum in a diverse 12th-grade Earth Science classroom at an alternative school. We investigate what factors …

Wild Horse Management Of Carson City Nevada: What The Public Thinks, Katie Zuehlke

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

There are two types of management strategies that are used in Carson City, NV, which are the free roaming method and the immunocontraception method. Nevada is home to nearly half of the nation’s wild horses (7), and the Departments of Interior and Agriculture need to manage and protect the wild horses that reside on public land stated by the Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act of 1971 (1). The objectives of this study are to obtain articles about the management of wild horses from previous studies, specifically look at Carson City and the community opinion about the wild horse management …

Environmental Variables Affecting The Performance Of Large-Scale Solar Photovoltaic Power Plants, Parikhit Sinha

Climate Sustainability Lecture Series

The environmental sciences have been critical to identifying global environmental challenges such as climate change, but they have been less extensively utilized in deploying solutions to those challenges, such as solar energy. Environmental variables such as temperature, humidity, aerosols, clouds, soiling, and snowfall have important effects on solar PV performance, and these effects can vary regionally. The current status of large-scale solar PV deployment will be discussed along with the role of environmental variables on PV performance.

Powering The Planet: The Role Chemistry Plays In Solar Energy Technology, Amy M. Scott

Climate Sustainability Lecture Series

Global energy demands are projected to double by 2050, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, and solar energy has the greatest potential as the most benign, universal resource for generating electricity. However, harnessing the solar energy efficiently and converting it towards useful forms of power that are compatible with our current infrastructure remains an elusive goal. Today’s solar energy utilization relies on silicon-based photovoltaic (PV) technology, which converts photon energy to electrical energy. The efficiency of these devices remains low (< 30%) and the cost of processing silicon and installing solar panels in homes makes PV uneconomical compared to the current price of electricity. Research efforts towards developing new inorganic and organic materials for thin film PV to replace silicon are currently underway. Organic materials are particularly interesting from the standpoint of developing simple, cheap materials that can be easily tailored for future PV devices. The future of solar energy utilization relies on developing solar paints for vehicles, solar shingles for rooftops, and spray-on solar ink for small device applications, but continued fundamental research is needed for decreasing cost and improving efficiency for next generation devices.

Collegebound: History, Outcomes And The Future Of Outdoor Orientation At The College Of Saint Benedict And Saint John's University, Tyler Thompson

Forum Lectures

Outdoor orientation programs at four-year colleges and universities have a rich history of easing student's transition into college and helping students be successful. Collegebound is the outdoor orientation program for first year or transfer students at St. Ben's and St. John's. This program itself has a rich history with almost 30 years of trips that began in 1987. Recently the program grew nearly 50% in one year alone and received its highest participation rate in its history with 63 student participants in 2015. Collegebound is more than just a wilderness trip, but rather an experience that fosters community, learning, healthy …

Plant Community Composition And Structure Monitoring For Scotts Bluff National Monument, 2011-2015 Summary Report, Isabel W. Ashton, Christopher J. Davis

United States National Park Service: Publications

Executive Summary

The Northern Great Plains Inventory & Monitoring Program and Fire Effects Program have been monitoring vegetation in Scotts Bluff National Monument for over 18 years. While methods have changed slightly, this report summarizes data from over 80 locations from 1998-2015. Below, we list the questions we asked using these data and provide a summarized answer. For more details see the full report. A summary of the current condition (2011-2015) and trends (based on 1988-2015) in plant communities at Scotts Bluff is found in Table ES-1.

1. What is the current status of plant community composition and structure of …

Air Quality Related Values (Aqrvs) For Northern Great Plains Network (Ngpn) Parks, Effects From Ozone; Visibility Reducing Particles; And Atmospheric Deposition Of Acids, Nutrients And Toxics, Timothy J. Sullivan

United States National Park Service: Publications

Summary

This report describes the Air Quality Related Values (AQRVs) of the Northern Great Plains Network (NGPN). AQRVs are those resources sensitive to air quality and include streams, lakes, soils, vegetation, fish and wildlife, and visibility. This report also describes air pollutant emissions and air quality in NGPN, and their effects on AQRVs. The primary pollutants likely to affect AQRVs include nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S) compounds (nitrate [NO₃^-], ammonium [NH₄⁺], and sulfate [SO₄^2-]); ground-level ozone (O₃); haze-causing particles; and airborne toxics.

The 13 parks that are included in …

Increasing Middle School Students' Energy Literacy, Justin St. Onge, Karla Eitel

Research in Outdoor Education

The aim of this research was to examine the effectiveness of outdoor education on middle school students' energy literacy. An energy literacy curriculum was developed and taught in both outdoor and traditional, indoor classroom settings. Energy literacy constructs of knowledge, attitude, and behavior were evaluated and measured using a survey distributed pre, post, and 1–month after the curriculum was taught. The population (n=130) of this study was 6th grade students attending a five-day residential education program at an outdoor science school. Results showed greater increases in middle school students' energy literacy knowledge, attitude, and behavior when taught in …

Foreword, Tim O'Connell, Garrett Hutson

Research in Outdoor Education

The article offers information related to papers that were published in the publication "Research in Outdoor Education" Volume 14, as well as acknowledging the efforts of all who contributed to the publication.

Front Matter, Coalition For Education In The Outdoors (Ceo)

Research in Outdoor Education

The Coalition for Education in the Outdoors is a non-profit network of outdoor and environmental education centers, nature centers, conservation and recreation organizations, outdoor education and experiential education associations, institutions of higher learning, public and private schools, fish and wildlife agencies, and businesses that share a mission the support and furtherance of outdoor education and its goals.

This article includes the Editors and Research Committee for Volume 14 as well as the Table of Contents.

The North Carolina Outward Bound School Course Impression Survey: A Psychometric Investigation, W. Brad Faircloth, Andrew J. Bobilya, Alan W. Ewert

Research in Outdoor Education

This study investigated the development and psychometric properties of the North Carolina Outward Bound School Course Impression Survey (NCOBSCIS). The NCOBSCIS measures character development, leadership, and environmental service, and was adapted from the previously established Outward Bound Outcomes Instrument (OBOI). The purpose of this study was to both conduct a psychometric evaluation of the NCOBSCIS and to also describe the processes that were used to develop and validate a series of outcome measures. These processes are applicable to other programs interested in measuring participant outcomes.

Outcomes From An Undergraduate Cadet Women's Backpacking Experience, Guy Ilagen, Jill Ilagen, Annie N. Simpson, Todd Shealy, Jennifer Bennett-Mintz, Kally Mccormick

Research in Outdoor Education

Women undergraduates at military colleges are likely to experience challenges including heightened stress, isolation, and discrimination. Wilderness-based programs show promising outcomes in an array of areas including stress-coping, fitness motivation, self-efficacy, social support, and improved cognitive functioning. This mixed-methods exploratory study examined outcomes for 17 cadet women (N=17) who participated in a preparatory workshop series and backpacking event. Quantitative data indicated the backpacking workshop series was associated with decreases in perceived stress (p < .05). The backpacking trip was associated with increases in self-efficacy (p < .01). Cadets attributed decreases in perceived stress and increases in self-efficacy to interpersonal/intrapersonal factors and the wilderness/ backpacking experience. These results support the use of wilderness experience to bolster coping and wellness among cadet women.

Personal Meaning Mapping As A Tool To Uncover Learning From An Out-Of-Doors Free-Choice Learning Garden, Deborah L. Bailey, John H. Falk

Research in Outdoor Education

Garden-based learning (GBL), a form of outdoor education contextualized and framed within unpredictable and real-world learning environments, is ideally suited to the teaching of science. However, the vast majority of GBL educational research has utilized a cognitive and positivist research paradigm, one that artificially restricts the investigative lens. The goal of the larger project from which this paper was drawn was to develop a better understanding of how youth perceived a garden experience. This paper shares the affordances and constraints of the constructivist framework utilized and the primary measurement tool, Person Meaning Mapping (PMM). Despite some inherent limitations, the PMM …

The Function Of Field Study: Comparison Of Limited And Full Field Experience Courses, Lauren Fine, Telyn Peterson, Mat Duerden, Riley Nelson, John Bennion

Research in Outdoor Education

Fieldwork, an experiential and outdoor component of a traditional lecture class, has been effective in improving students' content knowledge and attitudes. However, most studies of these courses use a full lecture course as the comparison group rather than comparing amounts or types of fieldwork. This study compares two classes that incorporate fieldwork (n > = 18 and 12 participants, respectively) and uses both quantitative and qualitative methods to analyze changes in content knowledge, self-efficacy, and perceived value of the subject (entomology). Pre- and post-test scores suggest that information memorization is best taught in a traditional classroom environment. Qualitative data illustrate …

Identity Awareness Through Outdoor Activities For Adolescents With Serious Illnesses, Ann Gillard

Research in Outdoor Education

The purpose of this study was to (1) identify which activities in a seven-day outdoor-based program most related to adolescents’ identity awareness and (2) investigate potential changes in participants’ identity awareness. Seventy-four adolescents aged 16 – 18 with serious illnesses (e.g., cancer, sickle cell disease) answered an open-ended question about a time during the program when they “discovered who they were,” and completed an 11-item identity awareness scale. Results showed that structured activities (e.g., night climb, fire council) and unstructured activities (e.g., personal reflection, talking with others) most related to participants’ identity awareness, and that identity awareness increased some or …

Ex-Situ Conservation Programs: Worthwhile?, Nicolette Sliwa, Aaron Sieve

Biology: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

The effectiveness of conservation programs was researched, specifically within zoos, and their attempts to repopulate areas with captive-born individuals of endangered species. There are major biological and economic concerns with these programs focused on, including potential genetic adaptation to captivity, effects of inbreeding, and if this is a truly worthwhile use of funds to restore a species. Looking at the black-footed ferret, the whooping crane, and other supposed successful captive-breeding programs, it is explored whether reintroduced individuals thrive in their new habitats sufficiently enough to contribute to the restoration of the species, and more broadly, their ecosystems.

Ua12/13 Western Kentucky University Office Of Sustainability 2016 Year In Review, Christian Ryan, Sustainability Coordinator

Sustainability Publications and Resources

No abstract provided.

The Prairie Post Quarterly Newsletter Of The High Plains Regional Climate Center: January 2016, Martha Shulski, Natalie Umphlett, Crystal J. Stiles

Prairie Post: Quarterly Newsletter of the High Plains Regional Climate Center

Inside this issue:

Message from the director........................................1

Staff spotlight...........................1

HPRCC staff changes..............2

Product highlight....................2

Research highlight..................2

Partnership spotlight.............3

AWDN information.................4

Update on regional climate conditions..................................4

Outreach/engagement.........5

Recent and upcoming travel and activities.............................6

Late Holocene Expansion Of Ponderosa Pine (Pinus Ponderosa) In The Central Rocky Mountains, Usa, Jodi R. Norris, Julio L. Betancourt, Stephen T. Jackson

United States National Park Service: Publications

Aim: Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) experienced one of the most extensive and rapid post-glacial plant migrations in western North America. We used plant macrofossils from woodrat (Neotoma) middens to reconstruct its spread in the Central Rocky Mountains, identify other vegetation changes coinciding with P. ponderosa expansion at the same sites, and relate P. ponderosa migrational history to both its modern phylogeography and to a parallel expansion by Utah juniper (Juniperus osteosperma).

Location: Central Rocky Mountains, Wyoming and Montana, and Black Hills, Wyoming and South Dakota, USA.

Methods: Plant macrofossils were analysed in …

University Of North Florida Environmental Center Annual Report 2016, Natalie Sassine, Tiffany Torres, James W. Taylor, Maria Mark

Annual Reports

2016 Annual Report of the Environmental Center at the University of North Florida