Environmental Education Commons^™

The Prairie Post Quarterly Newsletter Of The High Plains Regional Climate Center- April 2015, Martha Shulski, Natalie A. Umphlett, Bill Sorensen, 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

Stakeholder engagement activities......................................2

Partnership spotlight.............2

AWDN information.................3

Update on regional climate conditions..................................3

Product highlight....................4

Research highlight..................4

Outreach events......................5

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

Cost-Availability Curves For Hierarchical Implementation Of Residential Energy-Efficiency Measures, Roman Villoria-Siegert, Philip Brodrick, Kevin P. Hallinan, Robert J. Brecha

Physics Faculty Publications

Historical residential electricity data and natural gas consumption data were collected for, respectively, 1,200 and 178 residences in a small town in the USA. These data were merged with local building and weather databases, and energy consumption models were developed for each residence, revealing substantial variation in heating and cooling intensity. After estimating approximate physical building characteristics, energy profiles for each residence were calculated, and savings from adoption of the most cost-effective energy-efficiency measures for each residence were estimated. Effectively, we wish to leverage commonly available data sets to infer characteristics of building envelopes and equipment, without the need for …

Sawmill Slough Preserve Expansion Proposal 2015, Unf Environmental Center, Unf Sustainability Committee

Professional Presentations

The Sawmill Slough Preserve is a living laboratory which not only promotes student and faculty research and education, but also, serves as a safe harbor and protects a unique biodiversity within a developing urban island environment. Many students choose UNF not just for the academic environment, but for the surrounding natural environment as well. The natural habitats and wildlife that reside on campus foster education and greatly enhance the experience of UNF students. The recommended expansion areas are fundamental in fulfilling the mission of the Preserve to encourage natural biodiversity, and the values of the University, such as “community engagement” …

The Repurposing Of Abandoned Buildings In Gary, Indiana With Sustainable Design: The Revitalization Of A Distressed City, Tatiana Height

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Abandonment has been a major problem plaguing the city of Gary, Indiana. The city saw its peak in the 1960’s and has since been the site of pollution due to the steel mill, a general lack of investment, and seedy behavior in empty buildings. Based on information gathered, such as the Broken Windows Theory, citizen testimonials, expert interviews, government initiatives, and revitalization plans of other cities, restoring abandoned buildings will prove socially and economically beneficial to the city of Gary. This research provides suggestions for how to mitigate the abandoned building problems, suggestions for possible funding of the abandoned building …

The Effects Of Urbanization On Fear In Wildlife, Sarah Spier, Joseph J. Fontaine

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Through this study we sought out to determine if Fox Squirrels in Lincoln, Nebraska exhibited a change in response to aerial versus terrestrial predators in urban areas. We addressed the possible consequences that human disturbance has on daily stimuli, predator behaviors, and, in turn, prey behaviors. Specifically, the experiment exposed Fox Squirrels to the vocalizations and visual models of an aerial predator, terrestrial predator, and a control species. Squirrels did not show a significant change in behavior between predator types. However, fox squirrels displayed correct anti-predator behaviors by only responding to the predators and not the control. The time it …

Signed Peer Reviews As A Means To Improve Scholarly Publishing, Linwood H. Pendleton

Journal of Ocean and Coastal Economics

Peer review is a necessary process with a long history of complaints, including over-solicitation of a small number of reviewers, delays, inadequate numbers of reviewers, and a lack of incentives to provide strong reviews or avoid reviews with little helpful information for the author. In the era of Web-based distribution of research, through working paper or project reports, anonymous peer reviews are much less likely. The Journal of Ocean and Coastal Economics will use signed peer reviews and an open communication process among authors, reviewers, and editors. This approach, to be developed over time, should lead to stronger communication of …

Plant Community Composition And Structure Monitoring For Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, 2014 Annual Report, Michael Prowatzke, Stephen K. Wilson

United States National Park Service: Publications

Abstract

This report presents the results of vegetation monitoring efforts in 2014 at Agate Fossil Beds National Monument (AGFO) by the Northern Great Plains Inventory and Monitoring Network (NGPN).

During the fourth full year of field work, crew members from NGPN visited six plant community monitoring plots to collect data on the vegetation at AGFO. This is part of a long-term monitoring effort that will sample six of 15 randomly located upland plots every year, so that each plot is visited for two consecutive years and then rested for three years, on a five-year rotating basis. NGPN staff captured data …

Plant Community Composition And Structure Monitoring For Scotts Bluff National Monument, 2014 Annual Report, Michael Prowatzke, Stephen K. Wilson

United States National Park Service: Publications

Abstract

This report presents the results of vegetation monitoring efforts in 2014 at Scotts Bluff National Monument (SCBL) by the Northern Great Plains Inventory and Monitoring Network (NGPN).

During the fourth full year of field work, crew members from NGPN visited eight plant community monitoring plots to collect data on the vegetation at SCBL. This is part of a long-term monitoring effort that will sample eight of 20 randomly located upland plots every year, so that each plot is visited for two consecutive years and then rested for three years, on a five-year rotating basis. Additionally, NGPN staff also visited …

Controlling Environmental Crisis Messages In Uncontrollable Media Environments: The 2011 Case Of Blue-Green Algae On Grand Lake O’ The Cherokees, Ok, Alicia Mason, James Triplett

Faculty Submissions

This chapter documents a content analysis of 62 media reports related to the 2011 blue-green algae (BGA) outbreak on Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees, Oklahoma. A three-stage crisis model is used to understand the media framing and crisis communication related to the event. Media reports were categorized according to modality. The data set included: traditional media reports (n=21, 33%), online blogs (n=7, 11%), and online press releases (n=34, 54%). These units of analysis represent both controlled and uncontrolled media representations of the crisis event. The objectives of this analysis are to understand how risk and crisis communication strategies were utilized …

Advocating For Mother Earth In The Undergraduate Classroom: Uniting Twenty-First Century Technologies, Local Resources, Art, And Activism To Explore Our Place In Nature, Christina Triezenberg Ph.D., Ilse A. Schweitzer Vandonkelaar

The Hilltop Review

Despite the growing evidence of humanity’s impact on the natural world and the urgent need to shape citizens who understand the impact that their choices and actions have on their local and global environments, colleges and universities throughout the United States have been slow to add environmental education as a core component of their undergraduate curricula. Harnessing our shared interest in environment issues and the humanities, we designed and taught an experimental course in environmental literature for the honors program at Western Michigan University that we hope will become a template of what is possible in postsecondary environmental education. Using …

What Is Valuable?, Kelly Harer

SR & SC Masters Projects

No abstract provided.

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 13, as well as acknowledging the efforts of all who contributed to the publication.

The Adolescent Social Group In Outdoor Adventure Education: Social Connections That Matter, Jeremy Jostad, Jim Sibthorp, Mandy Pohja, John Gookin

Research in Outdoor Education

Outdoor adventure education (OAE) experiences provide a unique context for adolescents to develop social connections with their peers. The social group atmosphere is a complex area to study due to the group's multiple components. This study examined key components of a social group model to understand the influences they have on the development of social connections. Using a group identification framework, this study investigated how 237 students from 22 different courses from the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) connected with their groups. The results suggest that goal conflict with other students, social status, leadership consideration and gender ratio were significantly …

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 13 as well as the Table of Contents.

Influences Of Resident Camp Experiences On Career Choice: A Case Study Of Female Alumnae, Barry A. Garst, Sarah Baughman, Anja Whittington, Ryan J. Gagnon

Research in Outdoor Education

Few studies have explored the long-term impacts of camp experiences on career choice, although there is a need to better understand how camp experiences may influence this decision to guide staff recruitment and retention efforts. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of camp experiences on future career paths for women. Twenty-two camp alumnae who attended an all-girls camp completed a retrospective online survey. Salient themes related to career impacts included human service career interest, outdoor career interest, leadership and interpersonal skill development, and social-emotional skill development. Considerations for future research include a national study of a …

The Use Of Biomarkers In Outdoor Education Research: Promises, Challenges, And The Development Of Evidence, Alan Ewert

Research in Outdoor Education

While widely used in research connected with outdoor education, self-report data can be subject to a number of issues related to validity and generalizability. This paper argues that biomarkers present another type of evidence that is equally or even more rigorous than self-report data. The paper describes several types of biomarkers that are commonly measured in other disciplines along with how data from those biomarkers are collected. Data from a recent study using two biomarkers commonly used for measuring stress is presented as an example of how the use of biomarkers can broaden the body of evidence being developed in …

“There Was More Out There Than Our Street”: Exploring Summer Camp Programming As A Context To Foster Social Capital And Civic Engagement After Camp, Tracy L. Mainieri, Denise M. Anderson

Research in Outdoor Education

The social capital and civic engagement literature indicate a similar concern: Americans today are less connected to their communities than in the recent past. The purpose of this study was to explore intentional summer camp programming as a possible avenue to engendering social capital and civic engagement in campers' home communities. Eight campers and their parents were interviewed at least three months after the campers participated in a structured camp program designed to increase campers' civic engagement and social capital. Campers experienced post-camp gains in their motivation for civic engagement and their bonding and bridging social networks; however, not all …

Cures Garden Program - Martha Baldwin, Center For Urban Resilience

Module 10: Garden Ecology

No abstract provided.

The Prairie Post Quarterly Newsletter Of The High Plains Regional Climate Center- January 2015, Martha Shulski, Natalie Umphlett, Bill Sorensen, Crystal J. Stiles

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

Inside this issue:

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

Stakeholder engagement activities......................................2

AWDN news...............................3

Marketing efforts.....................3

Climate services and information................................4

Product highlight....................5

Outreach events and research highlights.................5

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

Nurturing Environmental Literacy At Colby College: Higher Education And The Environmental Crisis, Molly Nash

Honors Theses

The environmental crisis will affect all people, career paths, and academic disciplines. Acknowledging this, does higher education have an obligation to educate all students for environmental literacy (EL)? This study reviews literature on how to effectively assess and implement EL initiatives and highlights how other colleges successfully nurture EL in all students. This study also uses quantitative and qualitative survey measures to understand student levels of EL at Colby College and to highlight specific programming or curriculum that leads to high EL levels in students. Findings include significantly different EL scores between environmental studies student respondents and respondents in all …