My family flew out to the east coast for fall break to see me and my brother who goes to Colgate, but also to show my youngest brother who is a senior in high school some different schools on the east coast. The goal was to show him one school that was urban (Fordham), one school that was semi-urban (Lafayette), and one school that was rural (Colgate). I visited all of these schools with him, and one of the things that stood out to me while visiting them was the “nature” found on campus at each place and what green initiatives were apparent on campus.

Out of all three schools, colgate seemed to be the most environmentally friendly. I know through my brother that they require two outdoor education classes, but their campus also encourages a lot of interaction with the environment. It had a lot of green space and there were wild animals such as geese all over the place. There were also a lot of signs and projects advocating for being environmentally friendly. Fordham also had a lot of birds on its campus, but the small patches of green space were nothing compared to colgates rolling fields and dense forrest.

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California is the latest state to ban plastic microbeads that have taken over the cosmetic industry. These little plastic balls are used as exfoliants usually, but once they are washed down the drain, they enter the oceans and other resources as more toxic beads than they originally started out as. This means that fish consume them, then we eat them. According to the New York Times Article from last week, California has one of the strictest laws of all states that have banned the beads; they have banned industries to even create biodegradable microbeads.

The article also referred to the “Story of Stuff” video on microbeads, which went into more detail on why they are so bad for the environment and for humans. This brings me to my own personal care product created by “Neutrogena naturals” which is their purifying pore scrub using willow bark and jojoba beads for exfoliation. I bought this product over the summer and I have been very happy with the result, but also happy to not feel guilty about the product I’m using.

NY times article : http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/09/business/california-bans-plastic-microbeads.html

Story of Stuff Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=131&v=uAiIGd_JqZc

Eco Friendly face scrub by Neutrogena: http://naturals.neutrogena.com/products/pore-scrub

This is another picture from First Landing State Park in Virginia. The place where the park sits used to be the beach hundreds of thousands of years ago. This is just a cool picture of moss growing on top of sand, over a mile from the shore.

On this Columbus Day weekend I took an appropriate excursion to First Landing State Park which is located in Norther Virginia. Although Christopher Columbus did not actually discover the continental United States, we still have a federal holiday to celebrate (Hooray!). First Landing State Park was the location where Captain John Smith and his crew (yes, Pocahontas was still incredibly historically inaccurate even though they got one name right) first landed in 1604.

The Bald Cyprus trail is a pleasant 1.5 mile loop through and around cypress swamps. Areas that separate the various sized low wetlands are parts of the trail that cross over forest covered dunes, making for a few slight uphill and downhill climbs. The trail has a number of boardwalks and observation platforms that carry you over and allow you to look into the swamps.

While on the loop I saw these “knees” of the Bald Cyprus trees, for which the trail is named. The knees are of unknown value to the tree: some believe they provide stabilization for the trees while others think it may contribute to its oxygenation. Scientists remain unsure of their function, but they certainly add a little wonder to nature. 

For months I had a trip planned for fall break. I was suppose to head down to Columbia, South Carolina to visit a friend from home and to get a real SEC football experience. However, Mother Nature had a different plan for me as historic floods ripped through Columbia. As a result of this rain storm, a dam breached in the city and flooded out many residents. With law enforcement stretched thin and limited running water, my SEC experience slipped from my fingers as the game was moved from Williams-Brice Stadium to Baton-Rouge, LA. Seems kind of ironic being that Hurricane Katrina ripped through Louisiana exactly 10 years ago?

I spent the week trying to figure out if I should still make the trip since my friend’s apartment and most of downtown was left undamaged. As I researched the city’s damage I came across this article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/10/05/what-the-historic-south-carolina-floods-can-and-cant-tell-us-about-climate-change/.

This article discusses the affects climate change may have had on the South Carolina floods. One conclusion it draws is that this flood exceeded the NOAA predictions for Coumbia’s 1,000 year flood event and reminds us that this type of flooding is consistent with what we expect to see with a warming climate. Hurricane Joaquin even made the article as an example of how a warming Earth and ocean produces “weather on steroids”. Although we cannot claim that the S.C. floods were directly caused by climate change, we do know that extreme rain events will increase as a result of climate change.

The science behind this flood event is still premature but I have a feeling that with time we will be 98% sure climate change had something to do with this.

P.S. The Gamecocks lost. People may blame Coach Steve Spurrier on the loss but I think I can speak on behalf of many Gamecock fans when I say it is Joaquin’s fault.

Joe’s earlier post on the fishing derby sounded really cool and made me curious, so I googled the topic of fishing derby benefits to species conservation. Rather than stumbling on the benefit of fishing derbies that Joe discussed, I stumbled upon another benefit. Apparently some fishing derbies are being planned and put on with the intention of eradicating invasive species! This article (accessible in link I attached at the bottom) discusses two ice fishing derbies put on at Flaming Gorge Reservoir in Wyoming to eradicate the area of burbots or lings that were illegally introduced years back with the tagline:

“Wanted: anglers to ding a ling or bash a burbot.”

Apparently game and fish biologists have found that these derbies successfully control this invasive fish population. They are particularly supportive of this event as these invasive species pose a significant risk to the lake’s sport fishery and to Kokanee salmon populations.

This idea that sport could double with conservation efforts put a funny image in my head. What if we had contests to get rid of all sorts of invasive species? What about a purple loosestrife, zebra mussel, or european starling derby?

http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/wyoming/fishing-derbies-aimed-to-eradicate-invasive-species/article_9e685c4e-baec-5bc9-89db-79824719317f.html

Modern Day Butz Mill Property

For this week’s update we decided to go a different direction; we decided to learn about what is currently going on at our site. We figured this would give us an even better idea of how much the site has changed over time.

Butz Park-a passive, neighborhood, public park. It is 1.62 acres. It is a preserved parcel adjacent to state route 22. The park is so steep no recreation features exist in the park; it is basically a remainder parcel from highway construction.
www.easton-pa.com/rec/openspace.pdfwww.easton-pa.com/rec/openspace.pdf

Safe Harbor arose from two roots, a program for the city’s poorest residents started by the Easton Drop-In Center in 1983 and a demonstrated need prompted by Lafayette College students in 1988. Soon a group was formed, 400,000$ were raised in a capital campaign, and a permanent facility was built by 1990-Safe Harbor. Government grants provide much of Safe Harbor’s funding, as well as donations from other groups and organizations. Safe HArbor is a two-story building with of housing capacity for 22 men and 14 women overnight. Safe Harbor is an emergency transitional shelter, providing clean housing for up to 120 days while residents reclaim their lives and acquire life skills needed to gain employment and permanent. In addition, during the day Safe Harbor also serves as a safe place where low-income and functionally disabled adults may receive two meals a day and social rehabilitation services. Safe Harbor serve approximately 275 homeless single adult men and women each year; 80% from Easton, 15% from Warren County, NJ, and 5% from Lehigh County. Last year over 44,000 meals were served at the center, and visitors also have access to medical checkups and testing as well as a clothing closet.
https://safeharboreaston.wordpress.com/ourhistory/

Public Works is the largest and most diverse department with roughly 100 staff members that provide and manage a wide variety of programs: wastewater treatment, sewage collections & conveyance systems, highways and roads, engineering, parks and recreation, garbage, and recycling, public buildings maintenance, parking facilities, street and traffic lights, and public motors fleets (this explains some of the stuff we saw the other day while capturing the site). The specific Public Works building by our site is the municipal complex and recycling drop-off center.
http://www.easton-pa.gov/pwabout.html

Earlier in the semester, we talked about the movement to remove dams across the United States. Originally, dams were built in order to stimulate the economy at the expense of the environment and the ecosystems of the river that was being damed. The movement to “Free the Snake” has helped shed light on how daming a river literally puts a barrier across the idea that rivers connect us. Even though the dams along the Snake are no longer in use, they continue to take their toll on the salmon population that once thrived in the river. I think that these dams are a symbol of the problems that arise when human development gets in the way of natural processes. The attached video explains some of the impacts on the salmon populations that have been caused by the dams along the snake.

P.S. – The documentary “Damnation,” which we watched the trailer for in class, is being shown in Bethlehem next week on October 15th.

“Tourists wanted an image of wilderness, not a realistically dangerous wilderness experience”

So like most millennials I have an Instagram. Now I don’t consider myself an active participant, like I don’t post pictures but I’ll go check out the pictures every once in while. One of the accounts I follow is the U.S. Department of the Interior. The department posts pictures of incredible views advertising National Parks and grand vistas with the slogan “Protecting America’s Great Outdoors and Powering our Futures”.

Seeing a post the other day reminded me of the Byerly piece and how the American view of the nature has been turned into this staged beauty meant to sell these places rather than appreciate their surroundings. This account is selling a product and trying to get people come out and see these same views for themselves.

So while I still enjoy these posts, I might look at the pictures a little differently knowing the potential reason behind them.

Check out the fall colors from #Denali #NationalPark. Termination dust – the first snowfall that sticks to mountain tops and signals that winter is coming – is visible on the Alaska Range in the background. While much of the country is getting its first look at fall colors, these views in #Alaska are only a memory. There, the days are getting shorter and sections of the park road are closed. The white of snow will rule the land until spring’s distant arrival. Photo of @Denali.NPS by Michel Hersen (www.sharetheexperience.org)

A photo posted by U.S. Department of the Interior (@usinterior) on Oct 7, 2015 at 8:26am PDT

How can they call it Badlands when the views are just so good? Badlands National Park in #SouthDakota draws visitors from around the world with its rugged beauty and rich fossil beds. It’s a place to explore the unique landscape while imagining the ancient mammals that once roamed here. #Sunrise is a particularly good time for contemplation and reflection. Photo by Harlan Humphrey (www.sharetheexperience.org) Want to be featured on @USInterior’s account? We’re partnering with @CBSThisMorning to share amazing sunrise photo from America’s national parks and other public lands. Tag your photos with #SunriseThisMorning for a chance to have one of your photos appear on our feeds!

A photo posted by U.S. Department of the Interior (@usinterior) on Oct 8, 2015 at 8:22am PDT

Can you believe this picture from #HawaiiVolcanoes #NationalPark? As water runs into the Halemaʻumaʻu Crater, intense heat from the lava pool quickly turns it into steam, offering a canvas for flames and moonlight to color. It’s an extraordinary sight in a place of natural wonder and cultural importance. The crater’s name translates into “house of eternal flame” and it is known as the home of the goddess Pele, the creator of new land. Photo by Eric Leifer (www.sharetheexperience.org).

A photo posted by U.S. Department of the Interior (@usinterior) on Oct 3, 2015 at 8:25am PDT

I’ve had an annoying head cold, two exams, and barely any sleep this week, so as I plopped down after this long day, I was feeling punchy and ready to yell at someone. Luckily, I came across an email from 350.org Bucks County that begun with the words “ACTION ALERT.” According to this email, an Isreali company called Elcon has resubmitted a previously denied proposal to site a hazardous and pharmaceutical chemical waste treatment facility about 25 minutes from where I live. The rest of the email noted that the PA DEP is set to accept their proposal unless there is significant pushback from the local community. However, the request for more in-person public comments was denied. Therefore, the last hope are letters and emails sent before the deadline of October 14th. To my delight, I had anger to channel and it’s only October 8th. Inspired by last night’s Rachel Carson discussion, the letter to the editor written by Olga from Boston, and my own sense of defending my home, I wrote the following email to RA-HazWaste@pa.gov:

Hazardous Waste Facility Siting Team Leader,