[Update: The signup deadline has been extended.] CFAES’s first-ever Tree School is May 18, and the sign-up deadline is soon: Friday, May 10 Monday, May 13. The program is for anyone interested in learning more about growing our tall, woody friends, including farmers, gardeners, landscapers, woodland owners, Christmas tree growers, and bird and other wildlife lovers. Get details on the program’s 20 sessions here (pdf). Register here.
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School for trees: Sign up soon
Posted by Kurt Knebusch on May 8th, 2013
That’s no convergent lady beetle, that’s a Harmonia axyridis
Posted by Kurt Knebusch on May 8th, 2013
“Many types of native lady beetles are declining in Ohio,” says CFAES scientist Mary Gardiner, “while the introductions of exotic non-native species of lady beetles are increasing. Lady beetles are a beneficial insect for gardeners and farmers because they provide natural pest control.” Here’s how you can pitch in to help Gardiner, native lady beetles, and the plants you grow. (Photo by Stu Phillips via Wikimedia Commons.)
Ohio’s forests growing green(er)
Posted by Kurt Knebusch on May 8th, 2013
When a tree falls — is felled — in a forest in Ohio, it supports a $22-billion-a-year industry and more than 100,000 jobs. And is replaced by more than two trees worth of new growth. So says CFAES forest-products specialist Eric McConnell, who is documenting the green that grows in the state’s woods. “Sustainably managing our woodlands,” he says, “plays a critical role in the health of Ohio’s rural economies.” Read more.
‘It’s going to take some work, but there really is hope’
Posted by Kurt Knebusch on May 1st, 2013
There’s a wonderful short video about Steven Amstrup — what drives him, and how he’s helping polar bears and also in the process all of Earth’s species (including and especially Homo sapiens) — here (scroll down, click the arrow; 6:23). It’s at the website for the Indianapolis Prize, which he won in 2012. He speaks at Ohio State May 14.
World’s leading polar bear scientist speaks at Ohio State May 14
Posted by Kurt Knebusch on May 1st, 2013
The world’s leading polar bear scientist, Steven Amstrup, headlines the next Environmental Professionals Network breakfast at Ohio State May 14. He’s chief scientist and VP with Polar Bears International and is the 2012 winner of the Indianapolis Prize, the world’s leading award for animal conservation. His talk is called “Certainties, Uncertainties, and Truth about Polar Bears and Global Warming, and What It Means to You.” Both EPN members and the public are welcome. Register and pay by May 10. The program’s co-sponsors are CFAES’s School of Environment and Natural Resources, Ohio State’s Byrd Polar Research Center, and the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. (Photo: Polar Bears International.) Related post here.
They want THESE dandelions to grow and do well
Posted by Kurt Knebusch on April 30th, 2013
Workers repair a high tunnel used to grow Russian dandelions on the Wooster campus of CFAES’s research arm, OARDC, in this recent shot by CFAES photographer Ken Chamberlain. OARDC scientists are growing, studying, and developing Russian dandelions — also called Taraxacum kok-saghyz, or TKS — as an Ohio-grown, sustainable source of natural rubber (video, 2:22).
‘Green Fire’ update 2
Posted by Kurt Knebusch on April 17th, 2013
Last night’s “Green Fire” screening was cancelled due to a suspicious package report in Ohio State’s Ohio Union. Environmental Professionals Network Coordinator David Hanselmann writes:
“I was with the speaker [“Green Fire” guide Curt Meine]. We were walking toward the entrance when the evacuation began. We stood in the rain on the far side of High Street until about 8:10 and decided to pack it in, not knowing when the building would re-open and if anyone would still be around to watch it. Right now there are no plans to show it again, but we will consider that. For now, people can watch a slightly shortened version on WOSU TV Sunday [April 21] at 3 p.m.”
‘Green Fire’ update
Posted by Kurt Knebusch on April 17th, 2013
We’ve gotten some questions about last night’s “Green Fire” screening. The location for the screening, the Ohio Union on Ohio State’s Columbus campus, was evacuated from about 6-7:30 p.m. so police could investigate an unattended backpack that was found to be harmless. What we’re trying to find out is whether the screening was just delayed or was cancelled altogether … and if it was cancelled, whether it will be rescheduled. If you have any details, drop us a line. Otherwise, we’ll let you know as soon as we can.
Ecological restoration, sustainability: Group meets starting today
Posted by Kurt Knebusch on April 12th, 2013
The Midwest-Great Lakes chapter of the Society for Ecological Restoration holds its annual meeting today through Sunday (4/12-14) on the Wooster campus of CFAES’s research arm, OARDC. Theme: “Ecological Restoration and Sustainability: Partners for the Future.” Read more about the meeting here and about the chapter here. (The chapter’s mission: “To promote the science and practice of ecological restoration to assist with the recovery and management of degraded ecosystems throughout the Midwestern and Great Lakes region of the United States.”) Among those attending and presenting are a number of scientists and graduate students from CFAES.
New form of renewable energy ‘may be at our fingertips’
Posted by Kurt Knebusch on April 10th, 2013
Penn State’s Bruce Logan talks about his microbial fuel cell work in this video (1:19): “The breakthrough is that we can now extract energy out of a wastewater or a source of organic matter rather than putting in energy to get rid of that organic matter.” Hear more on Friday (4/12).
