Subject: ECOLOG-L Digest - 26 May 2001 to 27 May 2001
To: Recipients of ECOLOG-L digests <ECOLOG-L@UMDD.UMD.EDU>
Status: R
There is one message totalling 162 lines in this issue.
Topics of the day:
1. Job Announcements
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sun, 27 May 2001 11:53:10 -0600
From: John Meakin <jmeakin1@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject: Job Announcements
This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
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Restoration Specialists/ Sales (Two) and
Restoration Services Manager-California
I. Bitterroot Restoration, Inc. is seeking qualified applicants for two =
Ecological Restoration Specialists (Sales), positions that will begin on =
or about July 1, 2001. The individuals selected for this position will =
be responsible for developing and maintaining new and established client =
relationships; generating sales of BRI products and services; preparing =
bid documents; writing proposals; marketing BRI's comprehensive =
ecological restoration services and participating in conferences and =
trade shows.
The successful applicants must have at least a Bachelor's degree in an =
applied ecological or natural sciences field, significant sales and =
marketing experience, excellent written and oral communication skills, =
and enthusiasm for advancing the field of ecological restoration as a =
Bitterroot Restoration employee. One position will be based at our =
Auburn, California office and will report to the California Sales =
Manager. The second position will be based at our Corvallis, Montana =
office and report to the Vice President/Sales Manager. For both =
positions, travel throughout the Western United States may be required =
up to 20% of the time.
II. Bitterroot Restoration, inc. is also seeking qualified applicants =
for the position of Restoration Services Manager, a position that will =
start about July 1, 2001. The successful applicant will have the =
responsibility to provide overall operational management for Restoration =
Services projects in California and surrounding states, and project =
management/crew supervision. Qualified applicants must have a Bachelor's =
degree in Restoration Ecology or a closely related field, three years =
experience in restoration or revegetation, demonstrated successful =
performance in a team environment, experience running large field crews, =
managing budgets and coordinating large projects. Hard physical work is =
often required. Communications and computer skills are essential. This =
is a department head position, reporting to the General Manager, =
California and will be based at our Auburn, California office.
About Bitterroot Restoration, Inc.=20
Bitterroot Restoration, Inc. is a rapidly growing, successful ecological =
restoration company widely recognized as the leader in our field. Our =
offices are located in Auburn, Lincoln and San Diego, California and =
Corvallis, Montana. The focus of our company is the comprehensive =
restoration of large disturbed or damaged landscapes and wetland areas =
throughout the western United States. Our services include ecological =
restoration design and planning, large scale native plant production, =
and revegetation project implementation.
For complete job descriptions, application instructions and additional =
information about our company, please visit our web site =
www.bitterrootrestoration.com/=20
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<META content=3D"text/html; charset=3Diso-8859-1" =
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<DIV><B><FONT face=3DArial>
<P align=3Dcenter>Restoration Specialists/ Sales (Two) </B>and<
/P><B>
<P align=3Dcenter>Restoration Services Manager-California</P><
/B><B>
<P>I. Bitterroot Restoration, Inc.</B> is seeking qualified appl
cants =
for=20
<U>two </U><B>Ecological Restoration Specialists (Sales)<
/B>, positions =
that=20
will begin on or about July 1, 2001. The individuals selected for this =
position=20
will be responsible for developing and maintaining new and established =
client=20
relationships; generating sales of BRI products and services; preparing =
bid=20
documents; writing proposals; marketing BRI’s comprehensive =
ecological=20
restoration services and participating in conferences and trade =
shows.</P>
<P>The successful applicants must have at least a Bachelor’s =
degree in an=20
applied ecological or natural sciences field, significant sales and =
marketing=20
experience, excellent written and oral communication skills, and =
enthusiasm for=20
advancing the field of ecological restoration as a Bitterroot =
Restoration=20
employee. One position will be based at our Auburn, California office =
and will=20
report to the California Sales Manager. The second position will be =
based at our=20
Corvallis, Montana office and report to the Vice President/Sales =
Manager. For=20
both positions, travel throughout the Western United States may be =
required up=20
to 20% of the time.</P><B>
<P>II. Bitterroot Restoration, inc.</B> is also seeking qualifie
=
applicants for=20
the position of <B>Restoration Services Manager, </B>a position
hat =
will start=20
about July 1, 2001. The successful applicant will have the =
responsibility to=20
provide overall operational management for Restoration Services projects =
in=20
California and surrounding states, and project management/crew =
supervision.=20
Qualified applicants must have a Bachelor’s degree in Restoration =
Ecology or a=20
closely related field, three years experience in restoration or =
revegetation,=20
demonstrated successful performance in a team environment, experience =
running=20
large field crews, managing budgets and coordinating large projects. =
Hard=20
physical work is often required. Communications and computer skills are=20
essential. This is a department head position, reporting to the General =
Manager,=20
California and will be based at our Auburn, California office.</P><
>
<P>About Bitterroot Restoration, Inc. </P></B>
<P>Bitterroot Restoration, Inc. is a rapidly growing, successful =
ecological=20
restoration company widely recognized as the leader in our field. Our =
offices=20
are located in Auburn, Lincoln and San Diego, California and Corvallis, =
Montana.=20
The focus of our company is the comprehensive restoration of large =
disturbed or=20
damaged landscapes and wetland areas throughout the western United =
States. Our=20
services include ecological restoration design and planning, large scale =
native=20
plant production, and revegetation project implementation.</P>
<P>For complete job descriptions, application instructions and =
additional=20
information about our company, please visit our web site </FONT><A=
0
href=3D"http://www.bitterrootrestoration.com/"><FONT=20
face=3DArial>www.bitterrootrestoration.com/</FONT></A><FON
=
face=3DArial>=20
</P></FONT><FONT size=3D2></FONT></DIV></BO
Y></HTML>
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------------------------------
Subject: ECOLOG-L Digest - 23 May 2001 to 24 May 2001
To: Recipients of ECOLOG-L digests <ECOLOG-L@UMDD.UMD.EDU>
Message-ID: <GDVJRG01.B7M@mail.iisc.ernet.in>
Status: RO
X-Status:
X-Keywords:
X-UID: 914
There are 21 messages totalling 851 lines in this issue.
Topics of the day:
1. arson destroys Populus genetic research at Univ. of WA and an OR
nursery
2. anti-research arson (3)
3. Martyred Mapmaker Myth: Washington Post Story
4. eco-design: reminder
5. Ph.D. Position
6. job posting
7. Smithsonian Institution - Senior Communications and Development Special
st
8. low budget aquatic arthropod sampling
9. Information about meetings is available on the ESA website (2)
10. Bibliography of Genetic Variation in Natural Populations
11. Wetlands Functions and Values -- EPA Watershed Academy
12. Canadian wild species
13. China Dust Bowl--Earth Policy Alert
14. Job: Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center
15. Environmental Job Openings from EnviroNetwork
16. 2001 Wildlife Society (TWS) Annual Conference Activities
17. Palms, notebooks ? (2)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 23 May 2001 00:41:55 -0500
From: Jonathan Haskett <jhaskett@MINDSPRING.COM>
Subject: Re: arson destroys Populus genetic research at Univ. of WA and an O
nursery
In addition to the scientific damage I think we should consider this.
If a person engages in arson then they should expect that there is a
distinct possibility that someone will be killed, maimed, disfigured, or
suffer life long physical pain as a result. There is no "careful" way to
commit arson. Even if no civilian is in or near the building, firefighters
will respond and the action of the arsonist has put them in harms way. In
some jurisdictions it is considered murder if a firefighter or anyone else,
dies as a result of an arson fire, even if that was not the intent. That is
as it should be, in my opinion.
Sincerely,
Jonathan Haskett
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 24 May 2001 01:10:51 -0400
From: Paul & Torrey <belmont124@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject: anti-research arson
Anti-research terrorists live in fear of the future. They're so afraid of t
e
"Frankenstein's monster" face of science that they can't even glimpse the
"utopia for all" possibility. (The reality, of course, lies somewhere
between.) Knowledge is power, and power corrupts, so no one can be allowed
to
know anything. The problem comes in trying to force all these beasties bac
into Pandora's box.
The sufficiently clever can turn any tool to evil intent. I'm sure they're
lso
clever enough to hide their unsavory research, leaving the rest of us to th
righteous anger of the fringe groups. Better, perhaps, that their paranoia
be
directed against the lab rather than the scientist.
Torrey Moss, field biologist
Kalamazoo Nature Center, Kalamazoo, MI
(smack-dab between Chicago & Detroit)
belmont124@earthlink.net
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 24 May 2001 08:57:41 -0400
From: "David M. Lawrence" <dave@FUZZO.COM>
Subject: Re: Martyred Mapmaker Myth: Washington Post Story
Actually I think there probably was some sort of conspiracy going on. I
think the Doonsebury strips shook them up, because when I was trying to find
out what was going on I was advised from on high that they should NOT talk
on record to members of the press. Their story has been inconsistent all
along -- some of them quite large in terms of what was being said at the
time, what I was told afterward and in terms of what was said to the
Washington Post. I suspect that there was a significant amount of mission
creep -- Thomas did what he was asked, but a lot of it wasn't specified in
the paper contract. Thus, the alleged contract is NOT the document we
should look at to see if he really was straying too far from his mission.
The stuff about the map data being out of date is a crock. No one has come
out on record and said that caribou breeding grounds change from year to
year -- by definition all data is out of date as soon as it is collected.
Thomas's map was a fancy version of another map posted on the FWS web site.
I have reason to believe that he may have inaccurately labeled his original
breeding ground map, however. His mistakes would have underestimated the
importance of the rest of ANWR as potential breeding grounds. I know that
ticked off some of the Alaska people, as it should have. Personally, I
thought the original FWS map was better than Thomas's revisions.
Thomas does seem to me to be a bit hard to control. But a good manager
would have reeled him in -- assuming that there was a clearly defined
chain-of-command. From what I've heard, it appears that no such
chain-of-command existed. The two scientists named in the Post story
weren't the only ones who could come to Thomas and ask for help.
Later,
Dave
------------------------------------------------------------------------
David M. Lawrence | Home: (804) 559-9786
9272-G Hanover Crossing Drive | Fax: (804) 559-9787
Mechanicsville, VA 23116 | Email: dave@fuzzo.com
USA | http: http://fuzzo.com
------------------------------------------------------------------------
"We have met the enemy and he is us." -- Pogo
"No trespassing
4/17 of a haiku" -- Richard Brautigan
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 24 May 2001 07:51:17 -0400
From: martin charter <101336.3560@COMPUSERVE.COM>
Subject: eco-design: reminder
EXCUSE ANY CROSS-POSTINGS
Please 'click on' the links for more information on:
* Eco-design for competitive advantage, June 28th 2001, London
<http://www.cfsd.org.uk/events/eco-d2001>
* Towards Sustainable Product Design 6, October 29th-30th, Amsterdam
<http://www.cfsd.org.uk/events/tspd6>
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 24 May 2001 09:31:45 -0500
From: David McNeely <mcneely@UTB1.UTB.EDU>
Subject: Re: anti-research arson
Paul & Torrey wrote:
> The sufficiently clever can turn any tool to evil intent. I'm sure the
're
also
> clever enough to hide their unsavory research, leaving the rest of us
o the
> righteous anger of the fringe groups. Better, perhaps, that their par
noia
be
> directed against the lab rather than the scientist.
>
> Torrey Moss, field biologist
> Kalamazoo Nature Center, Kalamazoo, MI
> (smack-dab between Chicago & Detroit)
> belmont124@earthlink.net
Wouldn't it be better if society and science could dialogue with these peopl
,
and
help them to find ways to constructively express their objections to scienti
ic
and
technological endeavors (hopefully, those objections are specific rather tha
generic!). Both they and we might learn something useful.
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 24 May 2001 11:22:23 -0500
From: Kay Arellano <karellan@TTACS.TTU.EDU>
Subject: Ph.D. Position
Please list the following Ph.D. announcement in your next publication.
Position: Ph.D. Assistantship in Wildlife Ecology
Project: Restoration Ecology of Riparian Habitat in the Middle Rio Gr
nde
Valley, NM
Qualifications: M.S. in ecological, natural resources or closely related
field
Salary: Starting assistantship is $13,000-$14,000/yr with health
insurance, benefits, and waiver of non-resident tuition.
To Apply: Send GRE scores, transcripts, resume, 3 letters of
recommendation, and letter of interest to Dr. Loren M. Smith, Department of
Range, Wildlife, and Fisheries Management, Texas Tech University, Lubbock,
TX 79409-2125, L.M.Smith@ttu.edu
Deadlines: Until suitable candidate is found.
**********************************
Kay Arellano
Range, Wildlife, & Fisheries
Texas Tech University
Lubbock, TX 79409-2125
806-742-2842
806-742-2280 (Fax)
KAY.ARELLANO@TTU.EDU
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 24 May 2001 09:17:26 -0700
From: jan.cyrus@ORST.EDU
Subject: job posting
Post Doctoral, Research Associate, Oregon State University. Log 001-1974.
This is a 12-month, 1.0 FTE fixed term position. Research with an
interdisciplinary project examining spatially intensive and regionally
extensive channel and substrate data to assess stream bed substrate
stability and develop a quantitative Index of Excess Stream Bottom
Sedimentation. For full consideration apply by July 1, 2001. For more
information please go to <http://osu.orst.edu/admin/hr/jobs/.> OREGO
STATE UNIVERSITY IS AN AA/EO EMPLOYER AND HAS A POLICY OF BEING RESPONSIVE
TO THE NEEDS OF DUAL-CAREER COUPLES.
Jan Cyrus
Administrative Manager
Fisheries & Wildlife
Oregon State University
jan.cyrus@orst.edu
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 24 May 2001 13:08:35 -0400
From: "James A. Comiskey" <JAC@SI.EDU>
Subject: Smithsonian Institution - Senior Communications and Development
Specialist
SENIOR COMMUNICATIONS & PROGRAM=20
DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST
Smithsonian Institution MAB Biodiversity =
Program=20
Washington, DC=20
The Smithsonian Institution Monitoring and Assessment of Biodiversity =
Program (SI/MAB) is seeking applicants
for a Senior Communications and Program Development Specialist. The =
position will be located at the
Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. Deadline for submittion of =
applications is June 30, 2001. The
position is for one year starting immediately, with potential for the long =
term.=20
The Senior Communications and Program Development Specialist reports to =
the SI/MAB program director and
works closely with staff to develop and implement a communications =
strategy for integrating conservation goals
with biodiversity monitoring and assessment projects. The Specialist will =
identify funding opportunities to carry out
the strategy, with emphasis on both existing and proposed international =
projects. Elements of the overall strategy
will include methods for communicating effectively with project stakeholder=
s; development of newsletters,
brochures, posters, websites and other publications, as well as media, TV, =
radio, video and others.=20
Specific tasks: Develop a general communications strategy for the SI/MAB =
Program- Shell Foundation activities in
three countries including developing guidelines for reaching the general =
public through the media (newspapers,
specialist magazines, radio, television, Internet, etc.); developing =
education awareness will include guidelines for
communicating with young people (children's television networks, children's=
pages in newspapers, in the classroom,
etc.); developing guidelines for reaching specialized audiences (symposia, =
conferences, annual meetings, etc.); and
developing web based outreach strategy. Work with field expeditions as the =
communications point person for all
reports and news to and from the field and as the Program liasion with =
project funders and in-country project
partners in all aspects of a well-rounded public relations effort. =
Organize meetings, open houses and public
relations events, most often in conjunction with project funders and =
in-country project partners. Develop
fundraising strategies to support the communications program.=20
Applicants must be highly motivated, creative, able to communicate well =
with diverse and multi-cultural audiences,
and possess demonstrated skills and experience in leadership and management=
of multiple tasks. The ideal
candidate will have excellent writing skills. French- and Spanish-speaking =
and writing skills desired. MS in
communications or journalism and five years experience in communications =
desired. Fund raising experience and
knowlege in proposal writing and seeking grants. The position will be =
based with the Smithsonian MAB Porogram
in Washington D.C. It will require national and international travel.=20
Interested applicants should submitt current CV, statement of work and two =
letters of recommendation to Alfonso
Alonso, Smithsonian Institution/MAB Program, 1100 Jefferson Drive, S.W. =
Suite 3123, Washington, DC
20560-0705, Fax 202-786-2557, Email: aalonso@ic.si.edu, http://www.si.edu/s=
imab. Please no phone calls.=20
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 24 May 2001 08:00:01 -1000
From: Dan Gruner <dgruner@HAWAII.EDU>
Subject: low budget aquatic arthropod sampling
Aloha,
I am involved with a demonstration project for a conference. As part of
this project, we will be sampling arthropods from Hawaiian fishponds. I
have expertise with terrestrial arthropod sampling, but not with aquatics.
Can someone suggest low budget methods for sampling arthropods (+
crustaceans etc) in aquatic/marine areas? I probably could find this
information from a catalogue, and order lots of fancy nets and tools, but
we want it to be low budget and easily accessible to the community, K-12
teachers, etc.
If you have any gee whiz techniques (using easily accessible, cheap
materials) for sampling terrestrial arthropods, I would not mind learning
of those either.
Thanks in advance,
Dan
---------------------------------
Daniel S. Gruner
Department of Zoology/U Hawaii
2538 the Mall - Edmondson Hall
Honolulu, HI 96822
Phon (808)956-4722 Fax (808)956-9812
email: dgruner@hawaii.edu
http://www.hawaii.edu/gk-12/evolution/
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 24 May 2001 14:40:36 -0400
From: "David W. Inouye" <di5@umail.umd.edu>
Subject: Information about meetings is available on the ESA website
The Ecological Society of America regularly posts information about
meetings on the ESA website.
If you are looking to attend a meeting in the next year you might want to
check the site out.
You'll find it at: << http://esa.sdsc.edu/meetingcal.htm >>.
If your organization would to post information about an upcoming meeting
you are planning, please contact me at the address below. Announcements
should include: date of meeting, name of organization hosting the meeting,
a contact name, address, phone number, email and (if possible) a website.
It is also best if you include one or two sentences describing the
meeting's theme and purpose.
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 24 May 2001 14:23:59 -0400
From: Brad Robbins <robbins@MOTE.ORG>
Subject: Re: anti-research arson
David McNeely wrote:
Wouldn't it be better if society and science could dialogue with these
people, and help them to find ways to constructively express their
objections to scientific and technological endeavors.
David,
The absolute last thing we should do is "dialogue" with terrorists! If a
bully is picking on you at school, a good remedy is to sock him in the nose.
Bullies like terrorists, are cowards that should be dealt with swiftly and
severely. I know that may sound harsh but once you give in to extortion
you'll always have to pay and the price will continue to increase. Another
option is that we (the scientific community) do a better job explaining what
we do and why we are doing it. Fear is the daughter of ignorance. So we must
teach in order to alleviate fear.
Brad Robbins, Ph.D.
Disclaimer: My opinions are based on life's lessons and because some of the
classes I've taken differ than those you've taken your opinions may differ
from mine. Good, if we all agree then only one of us is thinking.
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 24 May 2001 14:42:09 -0400
From: "David W. Inouye" <di5@umail.umd.edu>
Subject: Bibliography of Genetic Variation in Natural Populations
6. Bibliography of Genetic Variation in Natural Populations
http://www.lib.umt.edu/guide/allendorf.htm
Dr. Fred Allendorf, Professor of evolutionary genetics at the University of
Montana, has put together this substantial bibliography on Genetic Variation
in Natural Populations. Currently containing over 40,000 references, the
searchable bibliography has been compiled over the last 25 years and is
periodically updated (last update September 2000). The primary focus of the
bibliography is genetic variation in natural populations of animals, plants,
and microbes, with a taxonomic bias towards fish (salmonids); the secondary
focus is conservation, especially the application of genetic principles to
conservation. Nevertheless, Allendorf warns that this is "a somewhat
eclectic collection of titles" reflecting the interests and teaching
responsibilities of the compiler. In an era when most Websites try to do too
much, this one meets its goal to perfection: it provides a magnificent,
organized, and searchable collection of resources that will be of great
interest to both researchers and students. [LXP]
Note: I had trouble accessing this with Netscape 4.75, but it worked with
6.0. You may have to download a plug-in.
David Inouye
>From The Scout Report for Science & Engineering, Copyright Internet Sco
t
Project 1994-2001. http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 24 May 2001 14:42:13 -0400
From: "David W. Inouye" <di5@umail.umd.edu>
Subject: Wetlands Functions and Values -- EPA Watershed Academy
10. Wetlands Functions and Values -- EPA Watershed Academy
http://www.epa.gov/watertrain/wetlands/
This learning module on wetland functions and values is the newest addition
to the EPA's Watershed Academy Website (first reviewed in the January 19,
2000 _Scout Report for Science & Engineering_). The module explores the
ecological and societal benefits and values that wetlands provide, such as
"fish and wildlife habitats, natural water quality improvement, flood
storage, shoreline erosion protection, opportunities for recreation and
aesthetic appreciation," and much more. First-time users will find helpful
instructions at "How to navigate this module;" the hyperlinked instructional
text is also accompanied by useful color images. For anyone interested in
wetland ecology, there is much to be learned (or reviewed) here. [LXP]
>From The Scout Report for Science & Engineering, Copyright Internet Sco
t
Project 1994-2001. http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 24 May 2001 14:42:19 -0400
From: "David W. Inouye" <di5@umail.umd.edu>
Subject: Canadian wild species
13. Wild Species 2000 (homepage)
http://www.wildspecies.ca/en/home_E.html
Wild Species 2000 (report) [.pdf]
http://www.wildspecies.ca/en/Report.pdf
A partnership of Environment Canada (Canadian Wildlife Service) and
Fisheries and Oceans Canada, the Wild Species 2000 Website displays a recent
report on the status of Canada's wild species. Combining results from
Provincial, Territorial, and Federal monitoring efforts for the first time,
the report (.pdf format) represents a substantial contribution to
understanding the general status of species in Canada. The report provides a
contextual introduction to biological diversity, describes data and methods,
and gives general status assessments for ferns, orchids, butterflies,
freshwater fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals (terrestrial and
marine). Subsequent reports are planned, with anticipation of expanded
information so as to report on additional taxa. [LXP]
>From The Scout Report for Science & Engineering, Copyright Internet Sco
t
Project 1994-2001. http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 24 May 2001 14:07:24 -0400
From: Reah Janise Kauffman <rjkauffman@EARTH-POLICY.ORG>
Subject: China Dust Bowl--Earth Policy Alert
EARTH POLICY ALERT
Alert 2001-2
For Immediate Release
May 23, 2001
Copyright Earth Policy Institute 2001
DUST BOWL THREATENING CHINA'S FUTURE
Lester R. Brown
On April 18, scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) laboratory in Boulder, Colorado, reported that a huge
dust storm from northern China had reached the United States "blanketing
areas from Canada to Arizona with a layer of dust." They reported that along
the foothills of the Rockies the mountains were obscured by the dust from
China. (To view a satellite photo of the dust storm go to www.vgt.vito.be.
Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on storm image to enlarge it.)
This dust storm did not come as a surprise. On March 10, 2001, The Peopl
's
Daily reported that the season's first dust storm-one of the earliest on
record-had hit Beijing. These dust storms, coupled with those of last year,
were among the worst in memory, signaling a widespread deterioration of the
rangeland and cropland in the country's vast northwest.
These huge dust plumes routinely travel hundreds of miles to populous
cities in northeastern China, including Beijing, obscuring the sun, reducing
visibility, slowing traffic, and closing airports. Reports of residents in
eastern cities caulking windows with old rags to keep out the dust are
reminiscent of the U.S. dust bowl of the 1930s.
Eastward moving winds often carry soil from China's northwest to North
Korea, South Korea, and Japan, countries that regularly complain about dust
clouds that both filter out the sunlight and cover everything with dust.
Responding to pressures from their constituents, a group of 15 legislators
from Japan and 8 from South Korea are organizing a tri-national committee
with Chinese lawmakers to devise a strategy to combat the dust.
News reports typically attribute the dust storms to the drought of the l
st
three years, but the drought is simply bringing a fast-deteriorating
situation into focus. Human pressure on the land in northwestern China is
excessive. There are too many people, too many cattle and sheep, and too
many plows. Feeding 1.3 billion people, a population nearly five times that
of the United States, is not an easy matter.
In addition to local pressures on resources, a decision in Beijing in 19
4
to require that all cropland used for construction be offset by land
reclaimed elsewhere has helped create the ecological disaster that is now
unfolding. In an article in Land Use Policy, Chinese geographers Hong Yang
and Xiubein Li describe the environmental effects of this offset policy. The
fast-growing coastal provinces, such as Guandong, Shandong, Xheijiang, and
Jiangsu, which are losing cropland to urban expansion and industrial
construction, are paying other provinces to plow new land to offset their
losses. This provided an initial economic windfall for provinces in the
northwest, such as Inner Mongolia (which led the way with a 22-percent
cropland expansion), Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia, and Xinjiang.
As the northwestern provinces, already suffering from overplowing and
overgrazing, plowed ever more marginal land, wind erosion intensified. Now
accelerating wind erosion of soil and the resulting land abandonment are
forcing people to migrate eastward, not unlike the U.S. westward migration
from the southern Great Plains to California during the Dust Bowl years.
While plows are clearing land, expanding livestock populations are denud
ng
the land of vegetation. Following economic reforms in 1978 and the removal
of controls on the size of herds and flocks that collectives could maintain,
livestock populations grew rapidly. Today China has 127 million cattle
compared with 98 million in the United States. Its flock of 279 million
sheep and goats compares with only 9 million in the United States.
In Gonge County in eastern Quinghai Province, the number of sheep that
local grasslands can sustain is estimated at 3.7 million, but by the end of
1998, sheep numbers there had reached 5.5 million, far beyond the land's
carrying capacity. The result is fast-deteriorating grassland,
desertification, and the formation of sand dunes.
In the New York Times, Beijing Bureau Chief Erik Eckholm writes that "th
rising sands are part of a new desert forming here on the eastern edge of
the Quinghai-Tibet Plateau, a legendary stretch once known for grass
reaching as high as a horse's belly and home for centuries to ethnic Tibetan
herders." Official estimates show 900 square miles (2,330 square kilometers)
of land going to desert each year. An area several times as large is
suffering a decline in productivity as it is degraded by overuse.
In addition to the direct damage from overplowing and overgrazing, the
northern half of China is literally drying out as rainfall declines and
aquifers are depleted by overpumping. Water tables are falling almost
everywhere, gradually altering the region's hydrology. As water tables fall,
springs dry up, streams no longer flow, lakes disappear, and rivers run dry.
U.S. satellites, which have been monitoring land use in China for some 30
years, show that literally thousands of lakes in the North have disappeared.
Deforestation in southern and eastern China is reducing the moisture
transported inland from the South China Sea, the East China Sea, and the
Yellow Sea, writes Wang Hongchang, a Fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social
Sciences. Where land is forested, the water is held and evaporates to be
carried further inland. When tree cover is removed, the initial rainfall
from the inland-moving, moisture-laden air simply runs off and returns to
the sea. As this recycling of rainfall inland is weakened by deforestation,
rainfall in the interior is declining.
Reversing this degradation means stabilizing population and planting tre
s
everywhere possible to help recycle rainfall inland. It means converting
highly erodible cropland back to grassland or woodland, reducing the
livestock population, and planting tree shelter belts across the windswept
areas of cropland, as U.S. farmers did to end dust storms in the 1930s.
In addition, another interesting option now presents itself-the use of w
nd
turbines as windbreaks to reduce wind speed and soil erosion. With the cost
of wind-generated electricity now competitive with that generated from
fossil fuels, constructing rows of wind turbines in strategic areas to slow
the wind could greatly reduce the erosion of soil. This also affords an
opportunity to phase out the use of wood for fuel, thus lightening the
pressure on forests.
The economics are extraordinarily attractive. In the U.S. Great Plains,
under conditions similar to China's northwest, a large advanced design wind
turbine occupying a tenth of a hectare of land can produce $100,000 worth of
electricity per year. This source of rural economic regeneration fits in
nicely with China's plan to develop the impoverished northwest.
Reversing desertification will require a huge effort, but if the dust bo
l
continues to spread, it will not only undermine the economy, but it will
also trigger a massive migration eastward. The options are clear: Reduce
livestock populations to a sustainable level or face heavy livestock losses
as grassland turns to desert. Return highly erodible cropland to grassland
or lose all of the land's productive capacity as it turns to desert.
Construct windbreaks with a combination of trees and, where feasible, wind
turbines, to slow the wind or face even more soil losses and dust storms.
If China cannot quickly arrest the trends of deterioration, the growth o
the dust bowl could acquire an irreversible momentum. What is at stake is
not just China's soil, but its future.
<end>
Additional data and information sources at www.earth-policy.org or contact
jlarsen@earth-policy.org
The Earth Policy Alerts may be reproduced free of charge with due
acknowledgement given to Lester Brown and Earth Policy Institute. To help us
monitor this service, please mail or email a copy of the publication (or
link) in which the reprint appears to Reah Janise Kauffman, Earth Policy
Institute, 1350 Connecticut Ave., NW, Suite 403, Washington, DC 20036, USA.
Phone: 202.496.9290. Email: rjkauffman@earth-policy.org
Previous Alerts are available on the Web at: http://www.earth-policy.org
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 24 May 2001 14:56:18 -0400
From: "David W. Inouye" <di5@umail.umd.edu>
Subject: Job: Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center
Vacancy Announcement - Federal Government: USGS's Grand Canyon Monitoring
and Research Center, Flagstaff, Arizona USA. Biological Sciences Program
Manager. ONE permanent, full-time position for either GS-13 (Announcement
#USGS-2001-0553), or GS-14 (Announcement #USGS-2001-5749). Deadline June
18, 2001. APPLY ONLINE ONLY - get details and application at:
http://www.usgs.gov/ohr/oars
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 24 May 2001 14:57:07 -0400
From: "David W. Inouye" <di5@umail.umd.edu>
Subject: Re: Information about meetings is available on the ESA website
If you have information to advertise, please send it to:
Alison Gillespie
Public Affairs Officer
Ecological Society of America
1707 H Street NW
Suite 400
Washington, DC 20006
202-833-8773 ext 211
alison@esa.org
fax: 202-833-8775
http://esa.sdsc.edu
If you are looking to attend a meeting in the next year you might want to
check the site out.
You'll find it at: << http://esa.sdsc.edu/meetingcal.htm >>.
If your organization would to post information about an upcoming meeting
you are planning, please contact me at the address below. Announcements
should include: date of meeting, name of organization hosting the meeting,
a contact name, address, phone number, email and (if possible) a website.
It is also best if you include one or two sentences describing the
meeting's theme and purpose.
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 24 May 2001 16:00:37 -0400
From: EnviroNetwork@NATURALIST.COM
Subject: Environmental Job Openings from EnviroNetwork
Title: Membership/Volunteer Coordinator
Company: Gifford Pinchot Task Force
Location: Olympia, Washington
For more information click below:
http://www.naturalist.com/eco-jobs/index.cfm?temp=job&job=3854
Title: Executive Director
Company: Seatuck Environmental Association
Location: Islip, New York
For more information click below:
http://www.naturalist.com/eco-jobs/index.cfm?temp=job&job=3852
Title: Promotion and Marketing Intern
Company: TransFair Canada/Fair TradeMark Canada
Location: Ottawa and San Salvador, Canada
For more information click below:
http://www.naturalist.com/eco-jobs/index.cfm?temp=job&job=3851
Title: Media and Promotion Intern
Company: TransFair Canada/Fair TradeMark Canada
Location: Ottawa and San Salvador, Canada
For more information click below:
http://www.naturalist.com/eco-jobs/index.cfm?temp=job&job=3850
Title: Academic Writing Instructor, Environmental Science
Company: Central European University
Location: Budapest, Hungary
For more information click below:
http://www.naturalist.com/eco-jobs/index.cfm?temp=job&job=3849
Title: Environmental Specialist I
Company: Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Nat
ral
Heritage
Location: Richmond, Virginia
For more information click below:
http://www.naturalist.com/eco-jobs/index.cfm?temp=job&job=3848
Title: Environment Researcher
Company: Verification Research, Training and Information Centre (VERTIC)
Location: London, United Kingdom
For more information click below:
http://www.naturalist.com/eco-jobs/index.cfm?temp=job&job=3847
Title: Communications Assistant
Company: RARE Center for Tropical Conservation
Location: Arlington, Virginia
For more information click below:
http://www.naturalist.com/eco-jobs/index.cfm?temp=job&job=3846
Title: Photo Interpreter
Company: University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
Location: La Crosse, Wisconsin
For more information click below:
http://www.naturalist.com/eco-jobs/index.cfm?temp=job&job=3844
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 24 May 2001 15:17:07 -0700
From: Bill Standley <standleyb@WILDLIFER.COM>
Subject: 2001 Wildlife Society (TWS) Annual Conference Activities
A web site has been created to highlight the activities occurring in conjunc
ion
with the 2001 Wildlife Society (TWS) Annual Conference, September 25 - 29, 2
01,
in Reno, Nevada. The site includes information regarding the Student Quiz B
wl,
which includes sample questions and answers compiled from various TWS studen
quiz bowls and regional contests, and new questions and answers will be post
d
each week. These questions will not be repeated at the upcoming TWS confere
ce,
but we hope you enjoy this prelude to the quiz.
The site also includes information about the Student Dinner and
Student-Professional Mixer, Student Leadership Breakfast and Workshop, Caree
Center/Internet Caf÷, and also has information about places to visit while i
this wonderful part of the country. The web site is located at
http://www.tws-west.org/tws2001/activities.html and includes information not
contained on the main Conference web site located at
http://www.wildlife.org/2001.html.
We hope to see you in Reno!
Bill
********************************************************
Bill Standley; standleyb@wildlifer.com
Wildlifer.Com; http://www.wildlifer.com
Bill's Wildlife Sites; http://www.wildlifer.com/wildlifesites/
********************************************************
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 24 May 2001 19:49:18 -0300
From: Voltolini <jcvoltol@INFOCAD.COM.BR>
Subject: Palms, notebooks ?
Hi, I would like to receive suggestions about a good and
small computer to be used in collecting ecological field data.
I need a small machine with excel and word.
Thanks for any suggestions about products, sites,
or comments about you experience on collecting
field data with any small computers like palms,
sub-notebooks, palmtops, etc. !!!
Thanks.....
Voltolini
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 24 May 2001 21:37:17 -0400
From: Thom Cate <tcate@ZOO.UVM.EDU>
Subject: Re: Palms, notebooks ?
Voltolini wrote:
>
> Hi, I would like to receive suggestions about a good and
> small computer to be used in collecting ecological field data.
>
> I need a small machine with excel and word.
>
> Thanks for any suggestions about products, sites,
> or comments about you experience on collecting
> field data with any small computers like palms,
> sub-notebooks, palmtops, etc. !!!
Dear all:
I'll keep this short and sweet:
There is NO WAY you could get me to trust field data to a stylus-entry devic
.
I have a trusty Palm III, and it's OK, great even, for daily non-field use.
But judging by the number of wrong phone numbers in it, and the number of
wrong-character-delete-retry sequences I have done (N = eleventy kabillion),
stylus entry is simply too error-prone for collection of field data.
If I had to use an electronic device, I would want something in the
super-sub-notebook class, such as a Sony Vaio SR or C1 class. Yes these are
on the order of ten times the cost of a palmtop computer. And you're forced
o
use the MS Windows OS. But they have keys....and you'll be glad they did.
Styli are for offices and labs...not the field.
My $0.02,
TC
--
_______________________________________________________________________
|
Thom Cate | ÎBiology is the study of plants and
Graduate Research Fellow | their parasites¼
Proctor Maple Research Center | --unknown
|
University of Vermont | Î...that goat doesn t love YOU!¼
120-B Marsh Life Science | --Weird Al Yankovic
Burlington, VT 05405 |
| ÎFencers only recognise fencers,
Office: 802.656.8938 | potential fencers and hopeless
Lab: 802.656.0638 | individuals.¼
| - Aldo Nadi
_______________________________________________________________________
------------------------------
Subject: ECOLOG-L Digest - 24 May 2001 to 25 May 2001
To: Recipients of ECOLOG-L digests <ECOLOG-L@UMDD.UMD.EDU>
Status: RO
X-Status:
X-Keywords:
X-UID: 916
There are 15 messages totalling 1201 lines in this issue.
Topics of the day:
1. Palms, notebooks ? (3)
2. anti-research arson (4)
3. Assistantships in Plant Community Ecology
4. Congress Weighs Funding Decisions - Make Your Voice Heard Now!
5. FW: USGS Opportunities
6. Martyred Mapmaker Myth: Washington Post Story (2)
7. Environmental Job Openings from EnviroNetwork
8. Graduate research position available
9. Fw: Limits on Forest CO2 absorption
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 24 May 2001 20:20:52 -0700
From: Matt Kauffman <mattkau@CATS.UCSC.EDU>
Subject: Re: Palms, notebooks ?
Voltolini,
I have used FIELDWORKER software (www.fieldworker.com) for several years
now. This is very versatile and powerful software that runs on most of the
new palms and sub-notebooks. It was originally designed to collect and
display GPS data on the Newton (early Mac pda), but is very useful even if
you are not collecting spatial data. Fieldworker allows you to create your
own digital forms to collect the data you want. User-defined 'projects'
can be as complex as you like and may contain many different screens with
data entry fields. Fields can be defined to be text, number only,
picklist, numeric slider, etc. You can also define the fields to default
back to the last entry (e.g. plot id) or the next entry (e.g. for numbered
observations) and even user-defined formulas.
I use this software to map trees infected by a pathogen using a Newton and
a laser rangefinder. I was able to create a data entry system which
downloads the digital range and direction given by the rangefinder for each
tree directly into defined data fields. I then use the formulas field to
calculate the position which fieldworker stores and display in a map
function. Of course, I also can enter all the attibute data associated
with each tree into fields that will be associated with each observation.
A colleague of mine is also using fieldworker software to do timed
observations of pollinator visitation.
At the end of the day you just download all the data from palm to laptop or
desktop or whatever. The data files import seemlessly into Excel.
Last time I looked, this software was around $US 700. So, it is spendy,
but I think it is worth the up-front costs. They are also a very small
company known for their technical support. When I called them to get
assistance designing my system I was referred to the President of the
company, who, it turns out, also wrote the code. I doubt I will ever use
anything else.
Cheers,
Matt Kauffman
Doctoral Candidate
Environmental Studies Dept.
University of California
Santa Cruz, CA 95064
At 07:49 PM 5/24/01 -0300, Voltolini wrote:
>Hi, I would like to receive suggestions about a good and
>small computer to be used in collecting ecological field data.
>
>I need a small machine with excel and word.
>
>Thanks for any suggestions about products, sites,
>or comments about you experience on collecting
>field data with any small computers like palms,
>sub-notebooks, palmtops, etc. !!!
>
> Thanks.....
>
> Voltolini
>
>
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 24 May 2001 20:34:50 -0700
From: Jim_Boone@NOTES.YMP.GOV
Subject: Re: Palms, notebooks ?
For an opposing opinion, I think my Palm III is an amazing tool for field da
a
collection that has greatly simplified my life. Sure, it took some getting u
ed
to, but the data input is almost error free, and you quickly learn to verify
your entries as you "write" them in. If you don't verify them, you could mak
errors, but that is true for paper too.
Cheers,
Jim Boone
Ecologist
=============
Thom Cate <tcate@ZOO.UVM.EDU> on 05/24/2001 06:37:17 PM
Please respond to Thom Cate <tcate@ZOO.UVM.EDU>
To: ECOLOG-L@UMDD.UMD.EDU
cc: (bcc: Jim Boone/YM/RWDOE)
Subject: Re: Palms, notebooks ?
Federal Record Status Not Determ
ned
Voltolini wrote:
>
> Hi, I would like to receive suggestions about a good and
> small computer to be used in collecting ecological field data.
>
> I need a small machine with excel and word.
>
> Thanks for any suggestions about products, sites,
> or comments about you experience on collecting
> field data with any small computers like palms,
> sub-notebooks, palmtops, etc. !!!
Dear all:
I'll keep this short and sweet:
There is NO WAY you could get me to trust field data to a stylus-entry devic
.
I have a trusty Palm III, and it's OK, great even, for daily non-field use.
But judging by the number of wrong phone numbers in it, and the number of
wrong-character-delete-retry sequences I have done (N = eleventy kabillion),
stylus entry is simply too error-prone for collection of field data.
If I had to use an electronic device, I would want something in the
super-sub-notebook class, such as a Sony Vaio SR or C1 class. Yes these are
on the order of ten times the cost of a palmtop computer. And you're forced
o
use the MS Windows OS. But they have keys....and you'll be glad they did.
Styli are for offices and labs...not the field.
My $0.02,
TC
--
_______________________________________________________________________
|
Thom Cate | ?Biology is the study of plants and
Graduate Research Fellow | their parasites?
Proctor Maple Research Center | --unknown
|
University of Vermont | ?...that goat doesn t love YOU!?
120-B Marsh Life Science | --Weird Al Yankovic
Burlington, VT 05405 |
| ?Fencers only recognise fencers,
Office: 802.656.8938 | potential fencers and hopeless
Lab: 802.656.0638 | individuals.?
| - Aldo Nadi
_______________________________________________________________________
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 25 May 2001 10:19:34 -0400
From: Brad Robbins <robbins@MOTE.ORG>
Subject: Re: anti-research arson
Following is a "dialogue" between "j" (Singitdown@aol.com) and me (Brad
Robbins, Ph.D.) addressing whether anti-research arson is terrorism or
simply the desperate pleas for help by a group of misunderstood activists
who would act civilized if only we would let them have their way and, give
them money.
j: most likely the bully will punch back and win. this is exactly the kind
of mentality that reinforces the need (and continued practice) for
non-violent direct action that these folks do.
Although defending oneself against bullies, terrorism, or any other type of
aggression may result in your injury, principles are more important than
health. Bullies only win when their victims refuse to defend themselves.
Perseverance in the face of overwhelming obstacles leads to victory. Our
country was built on this ideal and draws its strength from it. Pacifism
leads to slavery. To paraphrase Ben Franklin, "those who are willing to give
up liberty for security deserve neither." And Patrick Henry, "...nothing
will preserve [liberty] but downright force. Whenever you give up that
force, you are ruined." Allowing terrorism to dictate your actions is
abdicating liberty for security.
j: it's hardly terrorism, we can leave that term for nationally- and
church-backed acts of violence.
>From Webster's New Universal Unabridged Dictionary -- terrorism -- the u
e
or terror or violence to, intimidate, subjugate, etc.
What else would you call the destruction of property to achieve a desired
goal?
j: it's a highly classist remark to say that such acts could not be avoided
with open dialogue, that these folks are a bunch of adventurists with no
agenda. i guarantee that contributes to the rift. without the billions of
dollars scientific research has behind it, it would not be able to
accomplish one inkling of its goals. property destruction is seen as a
playing field leveler. and since no one in this country is ever going to
grant an
environmental group the political or monetary clout to participate with
science on even footing, without struggle, these acts will continue. and
cutting off dialogue will do nothing more than widen the gap between those
who have access to the resources of power, and expand the reasons to do
property destruction, which, i should think we can all agree, is very
different than violence.
I said in my original post, scientists need to do a better job of teaching
to decrease ignorance instead of opening a "dialogue" with terrorists [don't
romanticize them by calling them adventurers]. This will result in a
lessening of terrorism. That isn't "classist," that's good sense. I choose
to win by presenting a cogent argument that is supported by data. A
terrorist chooses to win by inflicting bodily harm or property damage. If
they operated from a position of intellectual strength they wouldn't need
such devices.
It also seems that you are suggesting that we give research dollars to
environmental terrorists to make them "feel better." Your argument
advocating social justice is absurd at best. There are no guarantees that
your voice will be heard. If you want political clout, develop a grass roots
base for your cause and clout you shall have. Follow the example of the NRA.
They built a coalition whose members are willing to support and they didn't
burn down a single anti-gunners home to do it.
j: very few of these activists have any desire to go to jail, and often
don't feel comfortable taking the risks they do in order to defend what they
believe. i'm not saying i agree with it, but i am saying that many of the
disputes that are often settled in one side being bullied, often comes down
to either systemic violence or property destruction. Why not talk? Nothing
else is working. what have we got to lose? plus, we dialogue with terrorists
all the time on national and internation levels. we have to, or else wars
are started, as in the above case with the bully.
j: that's the power of the threat of terrorism, if it couldn't make us cave
in, it wouldnt be effective. how many labs must be burned before we agree
to hear them out and talk? how much research must be lost at the expense of
our
not working out our differences in other ways? are we too proud to talk
with (apparently) intelligent, dedicated, determined people? are we going
to wait for the situation to worsen? what's so scary about green anarchists
anyway?
I'm confused, are you suggesting that the scientific community is "bullying"
ELF and other such groups? I find your statement that terrorists are
"uncomfortable taking risks" incredible. These are not patriots defending
their country and freedoms. Nor are they modern Robin Hoods defending the
oppressed from the oppressor. They are terrorists with a political agenda.
That agenda often entails the loss of United States' sovereignty as well as
our personal freedoms. Often these groups advocate the destruction of our
culture and way of life. If you choose to live in a hut without running
water or electricity, raise vegetables that you fertilize with homegrown
fertilizer, bath once a year whether you need it or not, etc. then may I
suggest that you do that and leave me alone with my plumbing, electricity,
and supermarkets.
What do we have to lose? Our dignity. Wars are fought when all options have
been exhausted. We win when we inflict more damage on our opponent more
quickly than they can inflict on us. Terroristic acts only have power
because you j are willing to give them power. Let me be very clear -- if you
bow to extortion it doesn't end, it becomes a way of life. Liberty enables
the weak as well as the strong to prosper and thus must be defended.
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 25 May 2001 10:27:45 -0500
From: Robert Hamilton <RHamilto@MC.EDU>
Subject: Re: anti-research arson
This kind of issue actually provides us with an excellent oppotunity to =
make a strong statment of opposition that separates us from such organizati=
ons, who often claim some sort of ecological basis for their activites. We =
are planning to use this case, along with others as an ethics excercise in =
classes taken by all students. Our credibility as ecologists provides us =
with a very powerful tool; education.
Robert G. Hamilton
Department of Biological Sciences
Mississippi College
P.O. Box 4045
200 South Capitol Street
Clinton, MS 39058
Phone: (601) 925-3872=20
FAX (601) 925-3978
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 25 May 2001 08:22:28 -0700
From: Bryan Foster <bfoster@KU.EDU>
Subject: Assistantships in Plant Community Ecology
Ph.D. ASSISTANTSHIPS IN PLANT COMMUNITY ECOLOGY / GRASSLAND BIODIVERSITY AT
THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
Graduate assistantships in Plant Ecology (Ph.D. level) are available in the
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Kansas.
We are seeking highly motivated students interested in experimental plant
community ecology, grassland biodiversity, restoration ecology and/or
ecosystems ecology. Research opportunities exist within the context of: (1)
an NSF-funded project examining local and regional mechanisms of grassland
biodiversity; and (2) a NASA-funded project assessing impacts of grassland
management and soils on landscape patterns of primary production, soil
organic matter and plant diversity. Applicants will be considered for
January 2002 or August 2002 admission.
Interested students are invited to e-mail letters of interest, resume and
names of references to:
Bryan Foster
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
University of Kansas,
Lawrence, Kansas 66045-2106
785-864-4361, bfoster@ku.edu
____________________________________________
Bryan L. Foster, Assistant Professor
Dept. of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
University of Kansas
Lawrence, Kansas 66045-2106
Phone: 785-864-4361
Fax: 785-864-5860
E-mail: bfoster@ku.edu
http://www.ukans.edu/~eeb/Main/foster.htm
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 25 May 2001 07:00:40 -0700
From: David Thomson <dthomson@HARVEYECOLOGY.COM>
Subject: Re: Palms, notebooks ?
Hello,
I had a problem with a palm pc in the field as well. This was in Louisiana
so the heat and humidity were probably to blame for the worthless hunk of
plastic just dying on a full battery. It wouldn't restart and of course the
data was gone (as well as collecting any more data that day. If you insist
on using a computer in the field I would suggest getting one made for the
field; there are some coming out that are built to deal with the elements.
(or a laptop like previously suggested)
David Thomson
-----Original Message-----
From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news
[mailto:ECOLOG-L@UMDD.UMD.EDU]On Behalf Of Thom Cate
Sent: Thursday, May 24, 2001 6:37 PM
To: ECOLOG-L@UMDD.UMD.EDU
Subject: Re: Palms, notebooks ?
Voltolini wrote:
>
> Hi, I would like to receive suggestions about a good and
> small computer to be used in collecting ecological field data.
>
> I need a small machine with excel and word.
>
> Thanks for any suggestions about products, sites,
> or comments about you experience on collecting
> field data with any small computers like palms,
> sub-notebooks, palmtops, etc. !!!
Dear all:
I'll keep this short and sweet:
There is NO WAY you could get me to trust field data to a stylus-entry
device.
I have a trusty Palm III, and it's OK, great even, for daily non-field use.
But judging by the number of wrong phone numbers in it, and the number of
wrong-character-delete-retry sequences I have done (N = eleventy kabillion),
stylus entry is simply too error-prone for collection of field data.
If I had to use an electronic device, I would want something in the
super-sub-notebook class, such as a Sony Vaio SR or C1 class. Yes these are
on the order of ten times the cost of a palmtop computer. And you're forced
to
use the MS Windows OS. But they have keys....and you'll be glad they did.
Styli are for offices and labs...not the field.
My $0.02,
TC
--
_______________________________________________________________________
|
Thom Cate | ÍBiology is the study of plants and
Graduate Research Fellow | their parasitesà
Proctor Maple Research Center | --unknown
|
University of Vermont | Í...that goat doesn t love YOU!à
120-B Marsh Life Science | --Weird Al Yankovic
Burlington, VT 05405 |
| ÍFencers only recognise fencers,
Office: 802.656.8938 | potential fencers and hopeless
Lab: 802.656.0638 | individuals.à
| - Aldo Nadi
_______________________________________________________________________
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 24 May 2001 13:19:57 -0400
From: Kevin Hutton <khutton@NCSEONLINE.ORG>
Subject: Congress Weighs Funding Decisions - Make Your Voice Heard Now!
[HTML version of this action alert: http://www.cnie.org/updates/101.htm
]
Washington - May 24, 2001
CONGRESS WEIGHS FUNDING DECISIONS - MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD NOW!
Disappointed by the lack of support for science in the President's
budget for FY 2002? Now is the time to urge your Congressional
delegation to take a stand for science. Congress is beginning the
process of deciding how much money to provide to the various agencies.
Many environment science programs are subject to proposed cuts:
www.cnie.org/updates/96.htm. The budget resolution passed by Congress
provides relatively little opportunity for discretionary spending on
domestic issues, including science. Thus competition for funding will
be very tight and it will be up to the scientific community and friends
of science to make the case for reversing the proposed cuts.
Please contact your Congressional representatives:
U.S. House of Representatives,
Washington, DC 20515
and
U.S. Senate,
Washington, DC 20510;
Capitol Hill switchboard 202-224-3121.
Explain your credentials, tell them why it is important to invest in
science, and identify which agencies you believe deserve funding above
the amount provided by the President's budget.
Two letters supporting budget increases for vital federal science
agencies are currently being circulated: one for the US Geological
Survey (USGS) in the House and one for the National Science Foundation
(NSF) in the Senate. Please contact your Senators and Representative and
ask them to sign on to these letters.
U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY (USGS)
The House subcommittee on Interior Appropriations is planning to vote on
June 6 on funding for USGS and other programs in the Department of
Interior and the U.S. Forest Service.
USGS is slated for an 8% cut in overall funding. The Water Resources
Division will be the hardest hit with a proposed 21% cut. Losses
incurred by individual programs include:
Toxic Substances Hydrology Program - 71%
Groundwater Resources Program - 40%
National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA) - 30%
Water Resources Research Institute (WRRI) - 100%
Representatives William Pascrell (D-NJ) and Ron Kind (D-WI) are asking
other Representatives to sign letters in support of restoring these
programs to FY 2001 levels: http://www.cnie.org/updates/101pascrell.htm.
Please call your Representative TODAY with a request to sign these
letters.
The National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII) would be
eliminated with a cut of $6.5 million and the Aquatic GAP analyis
program would be terminated by a cut of $3.5 million:
http://www.cnie.org/updates/101carroll.htm.
The NCSE has written to the Interior Appropriations subcommittee Chair
Joe Skeen (R-NM) and ranking member Norm Dicks (D-WA) in support of the
USGS budget, especially NBII and other Information Management and
Delivery Systems: http://www.cnie.org/updates/101blockstein.htm
Write to:
Chairman Joe Skeen Ranking Member Norman Dicks
Interior Appropriations Subcommittee Interior Appropriations
Subcommittee
B-308 Rayburn HOB 2467 Rayburn HOB
U.S. House of Representatives U.S. House of Representatives
Washington D.C., 20515 Washington D.C., 20515
NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION (NSF)
The House Subcommittee that funds NSF is expected to vote on NSF's
budget on June 26.
The President's budget proposes a cut in the research budget of the
National Science Foundation, in the context of a 1.7% increase for the
agency. NSF is the Nation's leading funder of academic research about
the environment.
Senator Kit Bond (R-MO) who chairs the Senate subcommittee that funds
NSF has announced that he remains committed to doubling the NSF budget
to a total of $7.8 billion by FY 2005. He has expressed his desire for
an increase of at least 15% in FY 2002. Senator Bond and Senator Barbara
Mikulski (D-MD), the leading Democrat on the subcommittee, asked their
colleagues to sign a letter asking that NSF funding be doubled in 5
years: http://www.aau.edu/BondLtr3.12.01.html. Please write to your
Senators and ask that they sign the Bond-Mikulski letter for doubling
the NSF budget and also write to Senators Bond and Mikulski to thank
them for their leadership.
House VA-HUD and Independent Agencies Appropriations subcommittee Chair
James Walsh (R-NY) and ranking Democrat Alan Mollohan (D-VW) are also
supporters of NSF, but face a more limited budget than their colleagues
in the Senate.
Send letters to:
Chairman James Walsh Ranking Member Alan Mollohan
Subcommittee on VA, HUD, & Subcommittee on VA, HUD, &
Independent Agencies Independent Agencies
Appropriations Committee Appropriations Committee
H-143 Capitol 2346 Rayburn HOB
U.S. House of Representatives U.S. House of Representatives
Washington D.C., 20515 Washington D.C., 20515
NCSE Executive Director Peter Saundry testified before this subcommittee
on the importance of doubling the NSF budget.
http://www.cnie.org/Updates/95.htm
Please send NCSE copies of any letters that you send and any responses
you receive.
Fax: (202) 628-4311 Meet your Senators & Representatives at home.
Congress is about to recess for Memorial Day. Try to meet with your
representatives when they return home until June 5th.
--
Kevin Hutton, Webmaster
National Council for Science and the Environment
1725 K St. NW Suite 212 Washington, DC 20006
http://www.cnie.org
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 25 May 2001 11:53:25 -0400
From: Jennifer Fontes <jfontes@ECO.ORG>
Subject: FW: USGS Opportunities
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jaina D'Ambra
> Sent: Friday, May 25, 2001 11:50 AM
> To: Jennifer Fontes
> Subject: USGS Opportunities
>
> Please circulate this open USGS opportunity to all qualified candidates
> This position and others may also be found on our website at www.eco.or
.
> thanks!
>
>
> Geochemical Carbon Fluxes
> YOUR ID - Woods Hole, MA
> Sponsored by US Geological Survey
> Description:
> The Geochemical Carbon Fluxes project conducts research on atmospheric
> carbon dioxide concentrations and the increasing use of fossil fuels ha
e
> led to concern for the future effects of atmospheric carbon dioxide on
> global climate. The project attempts to understand both human impacts a
d
> the evidence for past and present natural changes in global carbon flux
s.
> The project is administered as part of a national program of research o
> global environmental change. The project shares space in Woods Hole wit
> other scientists of the USGS Woods Hole Field Center on the campus of t
e
> Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Recent research includes analysis
of
> land cover history using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and compu
er
> modeling. Extensive collaborative possibilities exist through interacti
ns
> with other research institutions in the Woods Hole area.
>
> Objectives of Internship:
>
> The project is especially broad and interdisciplinary in scope, with
> opportunities for involvement in many kinds of investigations ranging f
om
> global modeling to site-specific studies. The primary responsibilities
f
> this Intern will be assigned according to project needs and the Intern'
> background and interests.
>
> Specific Tasks:
>
> 1. GIS analysis
> 2. Data analysis and support for computer modeling
> 3. Other miscellaneous duties, including occasional field and laborator
> work, normally performed by project scientists.
>
> Work experience Benefits to intern:
>
> The USGS views this internship as an ideal opportunity for a person in
> 'transition' between undergraduate studies and graduate education or ot
er
> career options. The position is very demanding but provides real resear
h
> experience and exposure to a broad range of scientific problems not oft
n
> accessible through the undergraduate or early graduate curriculum.
> Qualifications:
> Specific Qualifications Required:
>
> Bachelor's Degree in Mathematics or one of the physical or biological
> sciences.
> Excellent academic record as evidenced by transcript or course list wit
> grades.
> Must have at least a 2.9 or higher GPA
> Strong Mathematics background
> Computer programming training experience especially GIS highly desirabl
.
> Terms:
> Full-time; 1 year; $13.266 per hour; $27, 593 per year; Start Date: ASA
;
> Deadline to Apply: June 8, 2001
> Contact:
> Send Resume to Jaina D'Ambra, Internship Program Coordinator at
> jdambra@eco.org or 179 South St. Boston, MA 02111 or fax: 617.426.8159.
>
>
> Jaina D'Ambra
> USGS Internship Program Coordinator
> Environmental Careers Organization
> Phone: 617.426.4375 x 134
> Fax: 617.426.8159
> www.eco.org
>
>
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 25 May 2001 13:24:55 -0500
From: David McNeely <mcneely@UTB1.UTB.EDU>
Subject: Re: anti-research arson
I think there was some miscommunication here. The message I sent was in
response to a statement by another post which suggested that the terrorists
ay
have done the right thing -- they didn't physically injure or kill people on
y
laboratories, and therefore had simply expressed their complaints/frustratio
s
with science they disagree with. Of course, it is not true that such terror
st
acts are without harm or potential harm to the physical well being of people
but even if they were, that would not justify the destruction.
My message was that it would be better for us to find ways to dialogue with
hem
than for them to commit acts of terrorism. Once they have committed crimes,
then they have moved beyond the dialogue opportunities, and it is time for
society to prosecute the crimes. Maybe my statement would have been clearer
had
I said wouldn't it be better for them to find ways to dialogue .............
.
The point is I seek an alternative that would occur before they commit acts
f
terrorism, not an alternative to their treatment as terrorists once they hav
acted so.
Brad Robbins wrote:
> David McNeely wrote:
> Wouldn't it be better if society and science could dialogue with these
> people, and help them to find ways to constructively express their
> objections to scientific and technological endeavors.
>
> David,
> The absolute last thing we should do is "dialogue" with terrorists! If
> bully is picking on you at school, a good remedy is to sock him in the
ose.
> Bullies like terrorists, are cowards that should be dealt with swiftly
nd
> severely. I know that may sound harsh but once you give in to extortion
> you'll always have to pay and the price will continue to increase. Anot
er
> option is that we (the scientific community) do a better job explaining
what
> we do and why we are doing it. Fear is the daughter of ignorance. So we
must
> teach in order to alleviate fear.
>
> Brad Robbins, Ph.D.
>
> Disclaimer: My opinions are based on life's lessons and because some of
the
> classes I've taken differ than those you've taken your opinions may dif
er
> from mine. Good, if we all agree then only one of us is thinking.
--
===============================================
"Are we there yet?" Source unknown
See my web page at http://unix.utb.edu/~mcneely
===============================================
David L. McNeely (Dave)
Professor of Biological Sciences
The University of Texas at Brownsville
80 Fort Brown
Brownsville, TX 78520
Telephone (956) 544-8289 or 983-7578
FAX (956) 983-7115
mailto:mcneely@utb1.utb.edu
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 25 May 2001 14:56:34 -0400
From: Jeffrey Dahlin <jdahlin@RESEARCHPLANNING.COM>
Subject: Re: Martyred Mapmaker Myth: Washington Post Story
If you want to look at the official map of caribou calving in the Arctic
National Wildlife Refuge go to:
http://www.r7.fws.gov/nwr/arctic/wildlife.html
You can see there are annual variations in where the caribou calf.
At 08:57 AM 5/24/2001, you wrote:
>The stuff about the map data being out of date is a crock. No one has c
me
>out on record and said that caribou breeding grounds change from year to
>year -- by definition all data is out of date as soon as it is collected
>Thomas's map was a fancy version of another map posted on the FWS web si
e.
>I have reason to believe that he may have inaccurately labeled his origi
al
>breeding ground map, however. His mistakes would have underestimated th
>importance of the rest of ANWR as potential breeding grounds. I know th
t
>ticked off some of the Alaska people, as it should have. Personally, I
>thought the original FWS map was better than Thomas's revisions.
>------------------------------------------------------------------------
> David M. Lawrence | Home: (804) 559-9786
> 9272-G Hanover Crossing Drive | Fax: (804) 559-9787
> Mechanicsville, VA 23116 | Email: dave@fuzzo.com
> USA | http: http://fuzzo.com
>------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>"We have met the enemy and he is us." -- Pogo
>
>"No trespassing
> 4/17 of a haiku" -- Richard Brautigan
Jeffrey Dahlin
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 25 May 2001 13:22:13 -0700
From: Steve Erickson <wean@WHIDBEY.NET>
Subject: Re: anti-research arson
Hmm! Some very interesting stereotypes and ideologies are playing out
in this discussion. For example:
"These are not patriots defending
their country and freedoms. Nor are they modern Robin Hoods defending the
oppressed from the oppressor. They are terrorists with a political agenda.
That agenda often entails the loss of United States' sovereignty as well as
our personal freedoms. Often these groups advocate the destruction of our
culture and way of life. If you choose to live in a hut without running
water or electricity, raise vegetables that you fertilize with homegrown
fertilizer, bath once a year whether you need it or not, etc. then may I
suggest that you do that and leave me alone with my plumbing, electricity,
and supermarkets."
A few points about the statement I've quoted above.
1. I'm reminded of an earth-day event that I participated in several
years ago. An activist group I'm on the Board of was repotting rare
native plants that had been salvaged from the path of a road project;
these are being propagated for eventual replanting on the cut banks
that were left. It was raining, windy, and cold. The head of the
local "building industry association" saw us from across the parking
lot and wrote in their newsletter about the dirty environmental
activists who looked as if they hadn't taken a bath in a year, always
smell bad, were dirty as usual, etc. What a surprise! This was
extremely muddy work. That was about the mildest of the name calling.
Such behavior is both funny and sad. I don't like your politics and
your mother wears army boots. So there! That'll learn ya'.
2. "These are not patriots defending their country and freedoms." A
farmer in Canada who saved his own seed was recently successfully
prosecuted by Monsanto for "stealing" their "intellectual property".
It seems that surrounding fields of Monsanto's GM crops polluted (or
contaminated, if you prefer) the farmer's crops. The wind does blow.
I suspect this farmer might disagree and regard people who engage in
direct action to stop genetic engineering to be patriots. Indeed,
farmers in 3rd world countries who have developed over centuries
particular strains, and are now watching their work stolen and
patented by multinational corporations, are apt to also consider such
acts patriotic.
3. Also interesting about this statement is that genetic engineering
seems to be part and parcel of extremist "intellectual property
rights" which allows the patenting of life forms, including human
genetic material, and unbridled "free trade" taking precedence over
national interest. Whether this is inherent in the politics of the
situation or coincidental, these free trade agreements quite clearly
do threaten some aspects of national sovereignty. So, I simply don't
understand how challenging these threats to national sovereignty will
lead to "the loss of United States' sovereignty." Of course, I'm sure
that people on this list from the rest of world may not consider even
a potential loss of sovereignty of what is currently the biggest,
baddest, most imperial nation-state on the planet all that bad an
idea.
4. "Nor are they modern Robin Hoods defending the oppressed from the
oppressor. They are terrorists with a political agenda." Robin Hood
was certainly a terrorist! He used violence. He broke lot's of laws.
He stole. He intimidated. He terrorized. He engaged in class warfare!
He refused to appear in court and broke out of jail. He was the worst
criminal around. Just ask the authorities who were most familiar with
attempting to bring this criminal to justice. Ask the Sheriff of
Nottingham! Oops. Unfortunately, Robin won, so we can't ask the
Sheriff for his opinion. How about those treasonous revolutionaries
who disguised themselves as aboriginals so they couldn't be
recognized and destroyed a whole shipload of tea to avoid paying
taxes to the lawful government. Talk about treason. Oh wait. The
British empire lost that war, so now the "Boston tea party" is
celebrated (at least in the US) as a great revolutionary patriotic
event. The British empire lost, so that criminal pacifist Gandhi is
now considered a freedom fighter. Lesson: He who writes the history
books (or makes the ballads) defines who was the "terrorist" and who
was the "freedom fighter."
5. Lost in this whole discussion is the realization that even by
their own terms (at least, as I understand them), the people who
burned the Center for Urban Horticulture at the University of
Washington blew it big time. The apparent target wasn't doing genetic
engineering, but plain old plant breeding! And the Center is possibly
the most environmentally postitive and progressive force on the
campus. Way to go guys. Even terrorists/freedom fighters should do
their homework.
=======================================================================
At 1:24 PM -0500 5/25/01, David McNeely wrote:
>I think there was some miscommunication here. The message I sent was in
>response to a statement by another post which suggested that the
>terrorists may
>have done the right thing -- they didn't physically injure or kill peopl
only
>laboratories, and therefore had simply expressed their complaints/frustr
tions
>with science they disagree with. Of course, it is not true that
>such terrorist
>acts are without harm or potential harm to the physical well being of pe
ple,
>but even if they were, that would not justify the destruction.
>
>My message was that it would be better for us to find ways to
>dialogue with them
>than for them to commit acts of terrorism. Once they have committed cri
es,
>then they have moved beyond the dialogue opportunities, and it is time f
r
>society to prosecute the crimes. Maybe my statement would have been
>clearer had
>I said wouldn't it be better for them to find ways to dialogue
>............. .
>The point is I seek an alternative that would occur before they commit a
ts of
>terrorism, not an alternative to their treatment as terrorists once they
have
>acted so.
>
>Brad Robbins wrote:
>
> > David McNeely wrote:
> > Wouldn't it be better if society and science could dialogue with t
ese
> > people, and help them to find ways to constructively express their
> > objections to scientific and technological endeavors.
> >
> > David,
> > The absolute last thing we should do is "dialogue" with terrorists
If a
> > bully is picking on you at school, a good remedy is to sock him
>in the nose.
> > Bullies like terrorists, are cowards that should be dealt with swi
tly and
> > severely. I know that may sound harsh but once you give in to exto
tion
> > you'll always have to pay and the price will continue to increase.
Another
> > option is that we (the scientific community) do a better job
>explaining what
> > we do and why we are doing it. Fear is the daughter of ignorance.
>So we must
> > teach in order to alleviate fear.
> >
> > Brad Robbins, Ph.D.
> >
> > Disclaimer: My opinions are based on life's lessons and because so
e of the
> > classes I've taken differ than those you've taken your opinions ma
differ
> > from mine. Good, if we all agree then only one of us is thinking.
>
>
>
>
>--
>===============================================
>"Are we there yet?" Source unknown
>
>See my web page at http://unix.utb.edu/~mcneely
>===============================================
>David L. McNeely (Dave)
>Professor of Biological Sciences
>The University of Texas at Brownsville
>80 Fort Brown
>Brownsville, TX 78520
>Telephone (956) 544-8289 or 983-7578
>FAX (956) 983-7115
>mailto:mcneely@utb1.utb.edu
Frosty Hollow Ecological Restoration
Box 53, Langley, WA 98260
(360) 579-2332
wean@whidbey.net
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 25 May 2001 16:00:33 -0400
From: EnviroNetwork@NATURALIST.COM
Subject: Environmental Job Openings from EnviroNetwork
Title: Interactive Communications Intern
Company: Green Venture
Location: Hamilton, ON, Canada
For more information click below:
http://www.naturalist.com/eco-jobs/index.cfm?temp=job&job=3865
Title: Research Associate, Environmental Economics and Po
Company: Stratus Consulting, Inc.
Location: Boulder, Colorado
For more information click below:
http://www.naturalist.com/eco-jobs/index.cfm?temp=job&job=3864
Title: Education Program Director
Company: Salish Sea Expeditions
Location: Bainbridge Island, Washington
For more information click below:
http://www.naturalist.com/eco-jobs/index.cfm?temp=job&job=3863
Title: Environmental Specialist / INENNENEX
Company: FPL Energy
Location: Houston, Texas
For more information click below:
http://www.naturalist.com/eco-jobs/index.cfm?temp=job&job=3862
Title: Ass't Director for Admissions and Administration,
Company: Bard Center for Environmental Policy, Bard College
Location: Annandale-on-Hudson, New York
For more information click below:
http://www.naturalist.com/eco-jobs/index.cfm?temp=job&job=3861
Title: Environmental Specialist / INENNENEX
Company: FPL Energy
Location: North Palm Beach, Florida
For more information click below:
http://www.naturalist.com/eco-jobs/index.cfm?temp=job&job=3860
Title: Deputy Director General
Company: World Wildlife Fund International
Location: Gland, Switzerland
For more information click below:
http://www.naturalist.com/eco-jobs/index.cfm?temp=job&job=3858
Title: Head, European Freshwater Programme
Company: World Wildlife Fund International
Location: Camargue, France
For more information click below:
http://www.naturalist.com/eco-jobs/index.cfm?temp=job&job=3857
Title: Environmental/Wetland Scientist
Company: Vanasse, Hangen, Brustlin, Inc
Location: Watertown, Massachusetts
For more information click below:
http://www.naturalist.com/eco-jobs/index.cfm?temp=job&job=3856
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 25 May 2001 19:21:45 -0400
From: Senjie Lin <slin@UCONNVM.UCONN.EDU>
Subject: Graduate research position available
Hi,
I would appreciate it if you could forward this message to whom you think
may be interested.
A graduate research assistantship position is available starting from this
coming Fall (Sep 1) in a Phytoplankton Molecular Ecology laboratory (Dr.
Senjie Lin) in the Department of Marine Sciences, University of
Connecticut. The student will mainly be studying total and several
individual phytoplankton (dinoflagellates) dynamics in Long Island Sound.
Particularly, we would like to compare phytoplankton from the western Sound
(near New York City) where there is ample nutrient loading and the clean
eastern Sound. Techniques used will include classical cell count,
identification, immunocytochemistry, PCR, etc. The laboratory is equipped
with complete molecular biology, immunocytochemistry, as well as
physiological ecology equipment and instruments. The department has
recently moved into the new building with state-of-the-art facilities. The
position provides full tuition waiver and a standard stipend. Those
interested please contact Dr. Senjie Lin at 860-405-9168 or email
senjie.lin@uconn.edu
Thanks.
***********************************************
Senjie Lin, Ph. D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Marine Sciences
University of Connecticut
Groton, CT 06340
Phone: 860-405-9168 (Office)
860-405-9233 (Lab)
Fax: 860-405-9153
***********************************************
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 25 May 2001 22:23:40 -0400
From: Karen Claxon <kclaxon@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject: Fw: Limits on Forest CO2 absorption
: 23 MAY 2001 AT 14:00 ET US
Contact: Kate Kellogg
kkellogg@chartermi.net
810-231-2906
University of Michigan
Soil fertility limits forests capacity to absorb excess CO2
ANN ARBOR---A field study on the effects of elevated carbon dioxide
(CO2) on forest ecosystems raises doubts about the ability of trees to
absorb excess CO2 accumulating in the earth's atmosphere.
Results of the seven-year study, to be published in the May 24 issue of
Nature, show that some forests will not increase the amount of carbon
they sequester---at least not enough to compensate for increasing
atmospheric CO2. Soil fertility is a key factor in determining the
long-term growth response to elevated CO2, according to co-principal
investigator David S. Ellsworth, assistant professor of plant
physiological ecology in the School of Natural Resources and Environment
at the University of Michigan.
"When we exposed trees in low-nutrient soil to elevated CO2, they
maintained growth increases only with added nutrients," said Ellsworth.
"While CO2 initially acts as a stimulus to the tree's physiology, our
experiments suggest that short-term increases in growth are not
sustainable overthe long-term in low-nutrient environments."
The open-air field study described in Nature is the first of its kind to
examine the effects of elevated CO2 on forests growing in
nutrient-limited environments over many years. The study included the
longest running forest-based Free Air CO2 enrichment (FACE) experiment.
By exposing trees to elevated CO2 in an otherwise natural setting, the
researchers were able to simulate conditions predicted for 50 years from
now.
"Other recent studies have shown that elevated CO2 increases growth,
measured as the amount of carbon sequestered in the tree's biomass, and
increases nutrient uptake as well," Ellsworth said. "But what happens
if the tree does not take up soil nutrients in proportion to that growth
increase, or the nutrients are not available?"
That is the case for many northern mid-latitude forests, which comprise
much land in the United States and Europe, Ellsworth noted. Forest soils
tends to be low in nutrients because most of the nutrient-rich soil has
been used for agriculture.
"The debate over how much CO2 trees will absorb should consider the
limitations of soil fertility or other key resources in low supply."
The FACE experiment was conducted on a moderately fertile site at the
Duke Forest of Duke University. A second field experiment used CO2
enrichment in chambers on an infertile site in the sandhills of North
Carolina. Both experiments exposed maturing loblolly pine trees to
levels of CO2 predicted to accumulate in the earth's atmosphere 50 years
from now.
In the FACE experiment, the researchers compared growth of CO2-treated
trees with untreated trees in an adjacent plot. Averaged over the first
three years of the experiment, the elevated CO2 plot showed a 34 percent
increase in growth relative to the ambient CO2 (untreated) plot.
However, that increase dropped to 6 percent over the following four
years.
To test whether nutrient limitations reduce the tree response to
elevated CO2, the researchers added a balanced fertilizer to half the
FACE area. Averaged over 1999 and 2000, trees grown under elevated CO2
without nutrient addition increased growth at an annual rate of only 7
percent while the fertilized trees grown in ambient CO2 increased annual
growth by 15
percent.
The combination of improved nutrition and elevated CO2 increased growth
by 47 percent at the site. This clearly indicates a synergistic effect
of CO2 and nutrient supply, the researchers concluded.
At the infertile site, trees without added nutrition showed virtually no
growth response to elevated CO2 in two years. Under optimal nutrition
and ambient CO2, growth increased 21 percent. In trees subjected to the
combination of improved nutrition and elevated CO2, growth was 74
percent---more than three times the sum of separate responses.
These findings suggest that growth responses of pine forests to elevated
CO2 will be highly variable and depend on site fertility, to the point
that trees growing on nutritionally poor sites may not respond at all.
Moreover, other factors, such as water deficits, also could limit forest
response to atmospheric CO2.
"Trees can sustain increases in biomass only as long as they find enough
water and nutrients in their ecosystems," Ellsworth said. "I don't think
we can assume existing forests, with their fertility limitations, will
completely offset rising CO2 without soil amendments. We will more
likely find solutions in measures such as burning less fossil fuel and
planting more trees in high-nutrient soils."
Prof. Ram Oren of the Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth
Sciences, Duke University, also was a principal investigator on the
project. The research team included collaborators from Brookhaven
National Laboratory, Boston University, and the U.S. Forest Service.
Brookhaven National Laboratory pioneered the free-air CO2 enrichment
technology used in the study and operated the FACE system.
###
The study was funded primarily by the U.S. Department of Energy and the
U.S. Forest Service.
http://www.eurekalert.org/releases/uom-sfl052201.html
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 25 May 2001 20:01:33 EDT
From: Bob Arnebeck <RArnebeck@AOL.COM>
Subject: Re: Martyred Mapmaker Myth: Washington Post Story
Speaking as an ex-journalist, I think what we are seeing here is a change in
the dynamics of a classic Washington story. Before the Internet, the
Washington Post would have broken and built the story about Thomas's
dismissal and been sympathetic to him and suspicious of those who fired them
Now that the Internet scoops the newspapers, the reporter has a tendency to
side with the bureaucracy, eager to show that in the hands of the untrained
(in journalism, that is) people on the Internet, a story usually gets out of
hand. Speaking now as a very cynical ex-Washington journalist, it is child's
play for a reporter to make a low-level bureaucrat like Thomas look bad.
Journalists, of course, are the world's foremost self-appointed experts and
what they do is churn out pages and pages of representations of reality that
are outdated the moment they are printed. So the irony of the Post story is
that the reporter is attempting to destroy Thomas who was only acting like a
reporter.
Meanwhile back to nature, I just spent a snow-filled winter tracking six or
seven otters the old fashioned way. You can see my reporting on that at
http://members.aol.com/KuterArt/winter.html. No maps yet, but plenty of
photos.
Bob Arnebeck
Wellesley Island, NY
http://members.aol.com/Rarnebeck/tracking.html (otters)
http://members.aol.com/BeaveReality (beavers)
------------------------------
Subject: ECOLOG-L Digest - 25 May 2001 to 26 May 2001
To: Recipients of ECOLOG-L digests <ECOLOG-L@UMDD.UMD.EDU>
Status: R
There are 2 messages totalling 197 lines in this issue.
Topics of the day:
1. summary: low budget aquatic arthropod sampling
2. Smithsonian Group Criticizes Official on Donor Contract
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Date: Sat, 26 May 2001 07:57:17 -1000
From: Dan Gruner <dgruner@HAWAII.EDU>
Subject: summary: low budget aquatic arthropod sampling
Thanks to those who responded to my query. there were many helpful replies.
These are copied below in their entirety, but without names since these
folks replied only to me. If someone has additional questions for any of
these statements, I can put you in touch with their author. Thanks also
goes to several people who did not write detailed suggestions but instead
invited me to contact them for detailed help. These replies are not
included here.
Aloha
dan
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If you do not have nets which can be ordered from BioQuip in California,
then I would suggest getting some screened window mesh screen from a
hardware store and getting two dowel rods and stretching a piece of netting
between these two rods (about 2.5 foot wide mesh) and staple the ends of
the mesh to each one up and down the length of the rods, making a kick
screen. One person holds the net in the bottom sediments on a slant and the
other person gets about 3 feet a way and walks toward the net person
kicking the bottom. The net person picks up the net when the other person
reaches him. One can dip the net in the water to was any sediment through
and then dumps the remains in a white pan of some type so you can see the
insects better. This works better in streams but has worked okay for ponds
as well.
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Cheap and easy depends on your time and the substrate type. If you have
time, an emergence trap samples insects pretty well or a colonization trap
can sample the more sessile organisms. A colonization trap takes many
forms but essentially is a bag of rocks left in the pond for a month or more
Mud is hard to sample. Sugar floating works sometimes, otherwise you're
stuck with tedious poking through the muck. Rocks can be shovelled up and
washed over a net. Vegetation can be scooped up and put on a drying rack
over some preservative (e.g. radiator coolant). A surprising number of
amphipods and isopods can be caught this way.
Fastest method is to sweep net just over the substrate and through the
vegetation. This works just like terrestrial systems except you use an
aquatic net.
To preserve specimens, collect everything into 95% (or stronger) alcohol as
some water comes with the specimens and dilutes the alcohol. Change the
alcohol to 70 or 75% after you've sorted things in the lab. For live
specimens, collect everything into the same pond water. Keep in mind half
of what you collect will eat the other half, given enough time.
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From work I've done in the past with citizens groups doing stream
monitoring of aquatic inverts my suggestion for inexpensive/readily
available sampling equipment includes:
- kitchen seives/strainers/collenders: separating inverts from mud,
sand, debris, etc
- spoons, childrens plastic beach shovels:
- plastic photographic processing trays or rectangular metal baking pans
(e.g 9x13)- white or light colored is better: observation and "picking" inve
ts
- HDPE food service buckets: good places to scrounge free ones are
school cafeteria, Dunkin Donuts(glazing comes in really nice 2.5 gal
buckets) or any other food service place. Note: contact them a day or so
before you need the buckets.
- tweezers etc
- plastic peanut butter jar or other wide mouth bottle: short term
sample storage
- fish nets: from local aquarium/pet-store
Other than that just be creative.
Also, I forwarded your message to benthos-l, the mail list for the North
American Benthological Society (BENTHOS-L@mercury.cc.uottawa.ca) lots of
aquatic insect people there. You may also want to poke around the NABS
website http://www.benthos.org
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Probably the cheapest method (about $50) for collecting aquatic
invertebrates in freshwater is with a D net, sometimes called a kick net.
In flowing water, you stand upstream holding the net on the creek floor
downstream and about 1.0-1.5 feet in front of you. You then shuffle your
feet (hence the term "kick") in the substrate of the stream to dislodge the
invertebrates and the current should sweep the invertebrates downstream and
into your net. You can also use this net in ponds or the littoral regions
of lakes by sweeping it back and forth through the water dislodging the
invertebrates from the vegetation and creating your own current to carry
the invertebrates into your bag. Using a D-net I have collected organisms
that range in size from cladocera and copepods to crayfish, tadpoles, fish
and mollucs. I have never sampled in marine environments, so I don't know
if they can be used there or not. Good luck.
P.S. This is probably not the best method to use if you're interested in
quantifying your data, as it would require "equal effort" (i.e., sweeping
or kicking for the same amount of time and covering the same area) for all
samples.
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I have had the same problem here in South Africa, and what I found to work
quite nicely for scavenging arthropods is to lay baited traps constructed
from coca cola bottles of various sizes in different habitats overnight. I
am not sure though that you want to, or have the opportunity to, spend this
much time sampling. If so then give me a shout for the design.
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I collected minnows (mosquitofish) in the field using narrow mesh d-shaped
dipnets. I tended to collect lots of arthropods with them (much to my
chagrin, since in Florida, many of them stung or bit).
Crayfish and many other arthropods were most easily captured using throw
traps (big steel, relatively costly ($150.), custom made ones), followed by
dipnetting while the throw trap was still in the pond.
Seining tended to miss the crayfish, but still collected many insects
(provided you have a relatively narrow mesh seine, which would be the most
costly of the three options outlined).
Our habitat was primarily sandy, with much vegetation. Sweeping the
vegetation provides an abundance of diversity in Florida.
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You've probably gotten 10 replies just like mine, but I'll go ahead just in
case. You can make very useable cheap aquatic invertebrate collecting nets
from fiberglass window screen, coat hangers, and broom handles or 1 inch
dowels. I'll describe 2 net types.
The first net type resembles a butterfly net. Take a coat hanger and bend
the sides closest to the hanger upward to make the opening more rounded.
Keep the bottom of the hanger flat, however. Tape the coat hanger to a broom
handle with many windings of heavy electrical tape (actually survives better
than duct tape). Then take fiberglass window screen and fashion a net around
the hanger. You don't want the net very big, less than 1 foot "deep" is
plenty! You will have to sew the fiberglass - I usually use heavy black
fishline or very heavy waxed thread. "Sewing" is more like doing
cross-stitch. And presto - you have a very serviceable net. For small
students, you will want a short handle. To use the net, place the flat
bottom of the coat hanger against the stream bottom with the current flowing
into the net. Kick over rocks, stir up the mud, etc, in front of the net and
let the current carry critters into the net. In still water, sweep the net
through the water, among vegetation, or scoop up soft sediments and filter
them through the mesh to catch critters. Wash critters out of the net into a
bucket or tray.
The second type of net is simpler and is called a "kick" screen. You will
need two dowels 1 inch diameter and about 3 feet long, 3 or 4 feet of
fiberglas screen that is about 2 feet wide, a couple of nails, and a staple
gun. You want to attach a dowel to each end of the fiberglas screen. Make
sure that the screen is lined up with the bottoms of the dowels on one of
their ends. The other dowel ends should stick up as handles with the net
stretched between them. That way the screen will reach all the way to the
bottom of the stream with no gap under which critters could escape. To help
hold the screen into the stream bottom, pound one small nail into the bottom
of each dowel, leaving about 1 inch of nail sticking out to make "feet".
These feet can be wedged into the rocks or sand to help anchor the net. To
use, one or two students hold the net so that the bottom edge is against the
stream bottom and the water flows through the net. One or two students stand
just upstream of the net and kick around in the stream bottom to stir up
critters that are carried into the net by the current. This works best in
flowing water.
Finally, for the simplest method... You'd be amazed at how much you can
catch by simply picking up rocks, vegetation, etc, and quickly placing it in
a bucket, then scrubbing it or rinsing it with your hands.
I've used all these techniques with 4th graders through college students in
streams and ponds. Never have been around oceans much, but have used the
small nets on sandy lake beaches.
---------------------------------
Daniel S. Gruner
Department of Zoology/U Hawaii
2538 the Mall - Edmondson Hall
Honolulu, HI 96822
Phon (808)956-4722 Fax (808)956-9812
email: dgruner@hawaii.edu
http://www.hawaii.edu/gk-12/evolution/
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Date: Sat, 26 May 2001 17:06:01 -0400
From: Karen Claxon <kclaxon@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject: Smithsonian Group Criticizes Official on Donor Contract
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/26/national/26SMIT.html Smithsonian
Group Criticizes Official on Donor Contract
WASHINGTON, May 25 - A group of curators and scholars at the Museum
of American History has accused Lawrence M. Small, the Smithsonian
Institution's secretary, of jeopardizing the integrity of the
institution and breaching standard museum practices because of
agreements he has reached with multimillion-dollar donors.
Smithsonian Is Promised $38 Million, With Strings (May 10, 2001)
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End of ECOLOG-L Digest - 25 May 2001 to 26 May 2001
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Thanks to discussion with TVR, I have decided to put a link to back files of the discussion group. This months back files.
The link to complete archives is available elsewhere.
This text was originally an e-mail. It was converted using a program
RUPANTAR- a simple e-mail-to-html converter.
(c)Kolatkar Milind. kmilind@ces.iisc.ernet.in