Thinking Ahead to Spring & CTP

March 18, 2020

The coronavirus and COVID-19 pandemic has thrown all of us in the NRCA office for a loop, and with each day’s breaking information and precautions it can be a little (or a lot) overwhelming. We just found out yesterday that the university will finish out the remainder of this semester entirely online, and all employees (who can) should work from home until further notice.

I am, therefore, excited to spend some time thinking ahead about spring, positive changes, the chance to grow and new opportunities. I’m also happy to use this platform to plug a free statewide UConn program that is perfect for anyone who gardens or even simply enjoys spending time outdoors among nature.

The Conservation Training Partnerships (CTP) partners teens and adult community volunteers, and supports their conservation efforts by providing training during a two-day field workshop and guidance as they conduct a local conservation project of their choosing.

Teams of teen and adult participants are paired prior to the workshop. During the workshop, each team learns how they can apply innovative, user-friendly mapping and web technology to address local conservation issues through hands-on fieldwork. We currently have workshops scheduled in Stamford, Waterbury and Eastford this June.

After the workshop, the team carries out a conservation project that addresses a local environmental issue in their hometown using their new toolset. The projects are developed by the team at the workshop and CTP instructors provide support to help the team along the way.

Examples of past projects include planting pollinator gardens, cleaning up local parks, removing invasive plants, and installing rain gardens. Below I highlight a few specific projects.

This Glastonbury CTP team chose to install a monarch waystation at Wind Hill Community Farm. They planted native monarch-friendly plants in a small patch of earth on the farm property, but the plants got eaten by a pesky rabbit. After a second planting that included protective fencing, they were ecstatic to find a monarch caterpillar happily munching on a milkweed. I consider that a huge success!

The image to the left is from a CTP team that created an interactive map of Benjamin Wildflower Preserve, a property of Aspetuck Land Trust in Weston. This map can be accessed by anyone and used to help identify a number of different wildflower species along the trail. Feel free to check out their project poster and online map.

A multi-part project in Hebron involved both digitizing a nature trail and native planting for pollinators at the RHAM High School Memorial Garden. Their goal was to engage the local community and get more people into nature by: (1) using technology to excite and make the public aware of a school trail, and (2) planting a native garden in a school park to attract both local community members and pollinators.

CTP teams typically showcase their projects in the form of a poster or video at one of two events in March, but unfortunately, these events were recently postponed due to concerns about COVID-19.

The good news is that we’ve decided to host a virtual conference to highlight their hard work and you’re invited to attend!

Come learn first-hand about the program and how you can help make a difference in your community. More information can be found at http://s.uconn.edu/fevcc.

Meet AJ, our new Difference Maker

February 17, 2020

Hi all, my name is AJ Barthel and I am one of the NRCA Difference Makers for Spring 2020.

As a Difference Maker, I will be contributing to the NRCA blog, working with program data and assisting current Conservation Ambassador Program (CAP) and Conservation Training Partnerships (CTP) participants with their work during the semester. I also plan to create video content that can be used to motivate current students as they progress through the program. We understand how hard it can be to balance school, clubs, friends and family along with one’s NRCA project. That balance was something I struggled with in high school and I am looking forward to helping anyone who might be going through a similar situation. Another goal during this semester will be to work on recruitment materials to bring more students into the program in upcoming years. I would love to encourage more people to participate. CAP was an important part of my high school experience and I think it is a valuable resource for anyone interested in nature and learning more about it.

My exposure to farms and farming lifestyle led me to develop an interest in animals. This motivated me to apply for the Future Farmers of America (FFA) in my high school. The FFA is a national program that teaches students about natural resources, mechanics, and animal /plant science. My love for animals quickly turned to love for the natural world and a curiosity for how everything works together. The FFA was where I heard about CAP. I couldn’t help but be involved in a program that allowed you to get hands-on experience on a variety of different topics pertaining to natural resources. It felt like a once in a lifetime opportunity to be apart of mapping projects, wading in a stream, or using animal tracking equipment. I participated in CAP in 2014-2015, and after my time there, I knew that I wanted to move forward with what I had learned. Which brings me to my plan of study here at UConn. I am currently a senior Environmental Studies major with a minor in Urban and Community Studies which essentially means that I am interested in the relation of people and the environment, particularly in cities. Growing up in Middletown, CT; a town that has both a lively downtown city center and several long-established plots of farmland not too far from each other. I was fortunate enough to live between the two.

It took some time for my interests to settle where they are now but I certainly gained an appreciation for human interactions in nature from my experience in CAP. The program also taught me a lot about some of the issues going on locally and what we, as students, can do to help. Because we can all do something but educating yourself is the first step.

(3rd from left: AJ)

Meet Amy Cabaniss, Conservation Ambassador Program Coordinator

February 10, 2020

Hi! I’ve been at UConn for nearly five months now and have learned so much about UConn, the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, and our amazing Natural Resources Conservation Academy (NRCA) programs – the Conservation Ambassador Program (CAP), Conservation Training Partnerships (CTP) and Teacher Professional Learning (TPL). NRCA programs have so far engaged 405 participants from 123 high schools and 138 local organizations, located in 125 towns & cities in Connecticut. Tremendous reach, with impressive results. NRCA participants have completed more than 230 community conservation projects around the state.

This is all very exciting to me. I’m currently working with the 2019-2020 cohort of CAP students who are wrapping up their conservation projects and distilling their experiences for professional poster presentations at the Connecticut Conference on Natural Resources at UConn on March 16^th. It’s also time to bring a new cohort into the fold and so recruitment activities are underway. Their journey will begin with an immersive summer field experience led by UConn faculty. An amazing experience for anyone, and especially rewarding for teens!

As a longtime environmental educator, I can’t wait to get out there and experience first-hand, the CAP field experience. I chose my career well, given my passion for nature and engaging people of all ages in discovering the natural world. While I’m a coastal person in love with marshes, estuaries, beaches and dunes, I’m ready for the forested landscape this summer in the CAP field experience.

So, a bit more about my background. I have a B.S. in Environmental Conservation, an MBA in Management and Organization and a PhD in Environmental Studies. My research area is conservation psychology – “the scientific study of the reciprocal relationships between humans and the rest of nature, with a particular focus on how to encourage conservation of the natural world,” per Wikipedia. I pursued my doctorate enhance my environmental education efforts by finding out “what works” to motivate, and hopefully sustain, environmentally-responsible behavior. I’ve learned some pretty interesting things about human behavior and influencing change, and I apply this to the development and delivery of environmental communications messages and programs.

When I’m not sharing nature with youth, and just about anyone who’ll look and/or listen, I’m outdoors enjoying birds, boating, hiking, dog-walking and attending our daughter’s sports events. I love creative expression and have recently indulged in painting. I use an abstract realism style and my subjects are, of course, all inspired by nature.

What is a “Better” Scientific Poster?

December 12, 2019

It’s mid-December and we’re already thinking ahead to March conference season. We try to help our NRCA participants that choose to present their conservation projects to be as prepared as possible. CAP students traditionally create posters that are presented during a special session of the Connecticut Conference on Natural Resources. CTP folks can present their projects in a variety of formats (video, StoryMap, speaking in front of an audience, poster, etc.) at either the CCNR or Connecticut Land Conservation Conference. January and February are a busy time for NRCA poster editing, which got me thinking…

The term “better poster” was used during one of our recent CTP team meetings and today I decided to get up-to-speed on what this idea is all about. Mike Morriso n, a doctoral student in psychology at Michigan State University, is behind the campaign to “fix” academic posters. In short, his proposed new poster design “looks clean, almost empty. The main research finding is written right in the middle, in plain language and big letters. There’s a code underneath you can scan with a cellphone to get a link to the details of the study.”

Since March, Mike’s Better Poster idea has really taken off. I mean, look at the number of likes and retweets it got! In fact, at the time this blog post was written, three people had shared photos of their #betterposter on Twitter in the last FOUR HOURS.

I should point out, though, that there has been at least one critique written about Mike’s Better Poster.

The American Psychological Association liked Mike’s idea so much that they created their own APA mod template of the Better Poster and encouraged presenters to use it, or a similar format, at their 2019 Conference. According to them:

The new format fosters conversation
It’s easy to identify critical takeaways
It’s visually appealing and eye-catching which makes people more likely to stop and read more
It helps posters stand out from the pack
It encourages presenters to be creative, think about how to translate their findings, and focus on what is important.

Templates for Mike’s Better Scientific Poster are available in multiple formats (one was even updated this morning!) on OSF.io – a free, open platform to support research and enable collaboration.

Perhaps some of our NRCA participants will choose to create posters using Mike’s design or something similar. Look for them at the March conferences!

And speaking of the conferences, are you curious about the Connecticut Conference on Natural Resources? You can take a tour of the 2019 CCNR held on the UConn Storrs campus!

Conferences, Symposiums & Workshops, Oh My!

October 28, 2019

Last week was a busy one for me, as program coordinator for the Conservation Training Partnerships… with an all-day Advisory Board Meeting on Monday, the CT Urban Forest Council Conference Wednesday, and the CT Trails Symposium on Thursday.

Despite the full schedule, I really enjoyed being able to network, meet new people, and discover new organizations that the NRCA can hopefully partner with in the future. I especially enjoyed chatting with folks from Audubon Sharon, The Last Green Valley, and Riverfront Recapture. I feel inspired by all of the productive discussions and ideas that were generated, particularly those which might improve the programs we offer.

Later this week we will be leading a couple different workshops with teens – one during the Sisters in STEM Conference organized through UConn’s School of Engineering and another during the 4-H Adventures in STEM Conference hosted by UConn Extension.

This is an exciting time for us in the NRCA as we shepherd our current participants along with their projects and begin recruitment efforts for next year’s programs. Part of that effort includes our Difference Makers (interns), who have been fundamental in gathering data on all of the high schools throughout Connecticut. There are so many schools! One of our goals is to reach out to as many science and math educators as possible in the hopes that they will share information about the NRCA with their students and invite us to come give a presentation. I will be sending a whole bunch of emails very soon.

And one last thing… I am happy to report that we have officially set the dates for next year’s programs…

Conservation Ambassador Program (CAP): June 19-25, 2020

Conservation Training Partnerships (CTP):

Stamford, June 13-14, 2020
Waterbury, June 18-19, 2020
Eastford, June 27-28, 2020

Meet NRCA Alumna and UConn Undergraduate Amanda Hernandez

September 23, 2019

Why were you interested in participating in the NRCA?

My brother participated in the NRCA experience before I did, every week he would get together with his friend and work on building a bat house. The project had given him a common goal to strive towards, he had become a scientist in my eyes. I look up to my brother and he knows that, so he encouraged me to look into the NRCA and voila!

What did you do for your conservation project and who was your community partner?

My conservation project was in support of the EPA’s national Soak up the Rain initiative. I investigated the water retention of green roof modules, from those numbers I made a model that would provide an estimate on how much money a 1000 ft² green roof would save the city of Bridgeport in wastewater management per year. I also studied the responses that soils would potentially have to hydrocarbon inputs from motor oil. My community partner was Aris W. Stalis, a landscape architect, at Aris Land Studio. My NRCA experience was possible due to a generous scholarship from The United Illuminating Company and materials donated by Prides Corner Farms.

What was the most memorable part of the NRCA, and why?

The most memorable part of the NRCA was working on my project. At least three times a week I would stay after school until about 6:00pm tending to my green house and doing water quality testing. Those water quality tests took a long time, some samples took 4 minutes to develop and I had 20 samples in total. Not to mention I had to build a green roof structure that had: 4 separate independent modules, all insulated with working drains. This project was busy work and I really enjoyed it. I felt all sciency.

Which aspect of your NRCA experience or project are you most proud of, and why?

My NRCA project involved many steps including engaging in wood-shop work, using colorimetry, using an electron microscope and managing a green house. I had assistance and training in a lot of these steps, meaning I had to be an effective communicator. I wasn’t the most well-spoken individual and avoided asking for help but my NRCA project pushed me out of my comfort zone and has allowed me to successfully complete other projects, as I have learned to properly communicate with professionals and ask for their help.

Why did you choose to study your major?

Initially I was a Mathematics major but am now looking to pursue a degree in Statistics. There are aspects of Mathematics that I am in love with such as manifolds and number sequences. But when I work with data I get a magical feeling. I love working with numbers and churning them out to see what results I can get. It’s exciting especially when you get to work in groups with people who are asking questions, it’s like they collect all the pieces and now you just have to make the picture. I’m hoping to develop different statistical models and methods to aid in statistically complex environmental issues. I can’t wait to work with others!

What advice would you give to a student considering applying to an NRCA program?

If you’re thinking of applying to the NRCA program go take a walk in the forest, catch a frog, then go home and apply for the NRCA. But seriously, this program appeals to all sorts of folks, if you enjoy nature then you’ll enjoy the program. Also stay hydrated.

If you could describe your NRCA experience in 3 words, what would they be?

Nature, Water, Friends

Meet NRCA Alumna and UConn Undergraduate Tianna Felder

September 20, 2019

Hello everyone, my name is Tianna Felder and I am one the NRCA’s fall 2019 Difference Makers. A little bit about myself, I am currently a sophomore at UConn double majoring in business management, marketing with a minor in Spanish. I was a part of the 2015-2016 CAP program where I did a grazing management plan on a farm as my independent project. Living in a city like Waterbury, CT I was not around rural areas or animals that weren’t common household pets. So completing the field experience where 85% of the week consisted of us deep in forests, waist-high in streams/rivers and getting our hands dirty with soils was completely out of my comfort zone but I somehow enjoyed it.

One of the adorable Scottish Highland Beef Cattle. Her name is Jennie and she was 6 months pregnant when I met her.

As I said before my project was a grazing management plan for a Connecticut farm. The farm was grazing Scottish Highland beef cattle who not only were the cutest things ever but were huge. The area they were grazing in was too small for their size and was causing conflicts to arise on the land like soil compaction, erosion, and water quality issues. By creating a grazing management plan the farm can graze the cattle for certain periods then transfer the cattle to different paddocks allowing for the other spaces to rest and regrow.

By participating in the CAP program I developed an interest in natural resources because I enjoyed knowing about topics like invasive species and proper grazing tools for farms. I felt like I possessed knowledge that not many knew about which made me feel pretty good about myself. After my completion in the program, I continued pursuing my passion for the natural resources by becoming chapter president of my school’s Science National Honor’s Society as well as captain of my school’s Envirothon team. Becoming a difference-maker allows me to stay in the loop with the natural resource community here in Connecticut as well as figuring out how I can apply natural resources to my current majors.

Meet the New CTP Coordinator Nicole Freidenfelds

September 18, 2019

Hello!

I am so excited (and a little nervous) to be the new Conservation Training Partnerships program coordinator. Our former fearless leader, Laura Cisneros, will still be involved with the NRCA, but now in a different role.

Laura is responsible for the incredible success of this program to date, and as such, left behind some pretty big shoes to fill. Luckily for me, though, her office is just on the other side of a wall from mine, and she has very kindly been helping me learn the ropes of this new position during the past month.

Some background info… I am passionate about nature and science, and as a former teacher, really enjoyed working with students. As CTP coordinator, I am able to combine many of my interests and skills into one job – what could be better?

Nicole with a gorgeous Mexican garter snake found in Cañon de Santa Elena National Park, Mexico

I have a master’s degree in Natural Resources with a focus on Wildlife Ecology from the University of New Hampshire, where I studied the effects of clearcutting on forest amphibians.

After a short gig as a biological technician at the Cape Cod National Seashore, I worked as a lab manager at several universities (Penn State, Rice, and here at UConn) conducting research mainly in the field of ecology and evolutionary biology.

In 2014 I decided to shift gears and went back to school to earn my teaching certification, after which I became a high school science teacher for several years. I am thrilled to now be a part of the NRCA, where I can continue to work with teenagers that share a passion for conservation and the environment.

I try to spend as much of my free time outside as possible – walking, running, biking, fishing, hunting, gardening, canoeing, camping, etc. Connecticut has an impressive amount of hiking trails in some truly beautiful places; I love discovering new ones and revisiting my long-time favorites.

Adorable juvenile Eastern Hognose Snake found near Mansfield Hollow State Park

A few more fun facts… I love (love!) reptiles and amphibians – snakes, turtles, lizards, frogs and salamanders. I found my first ever eastern hognose snake in CT a few weeks ago (a tiny baby!) and am still super pumped about it. I have been volunteering at the Coventry Farmer’s Market for the past five years, but you might not recognize me without my orange flag (I direct traffic in the parking field). I am a fantasy football fanatic, and also in the process of becoming a Living Donor Ambassador with the YNHH Center for Living Organ Donors. Want to know more? Just ask!

Fall Field Safety

September 9, 2019

Please note: Fall archery hunting season for deer opens on September 15^th and continues through the end of December. We strongly encourage our NRCA participants conducting fall field work (and anyone else in the woods) to wear blaze orange to increase your visibility during hunting season.

Below are specific fall safety guidelines based on recommendations by CT DEEP:

Wear bright orange when conducting fall field work to increase your visibility to hunters.

Do not conduct field work alone.

NRCA participants are encouraged to work in teams of two or more.

Keep your cell phone and water with you.

Working in the outdoors always involves a certain degree of risk; slips, trips and falls in particular are possible during the wetter months. A phone and water bottle left in the car will not do you any good if you have a sprained ankle and are a ½ mile away. Make sure to dress in layers, keep your cell phone on your body and bring water into the field with you.

Wear weather appropriate clothing.

Particularly during the colder, wet months please make sure to dress in preparation for the elements. Wearing non-cotton layers, with a wind and water resistant outer layer is advised. If the weather forecast is unfavorable, consider rescheduling to another day.

Wear fluorescent orange when conducting field work.

Hunting is allowed in many areas of the state during the fall months. Dress to insure you are highly visible to a hunter. If fluorescent orange vests or clothing are not available, any other bright, neon color can be substituted to promote visibility of field teams.

Leave a field plan with someone.

Always notify someone before going out to conduct field work. Let them know where you plan to go, when you plan to leave and when you plan to return. Make arrangements to contact someone upon your return to confirm you returned home safely.

Check for ticks upon returning home.

Be sure to check for ticks as soon as possible upon returning home. If any are found, remove immediately and contact your doctor for further medical advice.

Is your CT town banning plastic bags?

February 15, 2019

Image result for plastic bags — Photo courtesy of The Jakarta Post

Single-use plastics are one of the biggest issues facing environmental conservation today.

The impact of single-use plastics, especially lightweight petroleum plastic bags (which can’t be recycled), have been disastrous since their introduction to our daily routines.

The average American throws away ten plastic bags a week – but, plastic bags never really go away. They end up in landfills or polluting the landscapes that we rely on for their natural resources.

Plastic bags that have wandered from our grocery carts and into the ocean are ingested by animals like seabirds, turtles, fish, whales, and seals. Approximately 100,000 marine creatures and 1 million seabirds are found dead of plastic ingestion every year.

The United Nations Environment Program estimates that some eight million tons of plastic waste end up in the oceans each year, while the 2016 World Economic Forum report projects that there will be more plastic than fish by weight in the oceans by 2050 if current trends continue.

However, this harmful trend is actually on the cusp of changing in the U.S. – and one example of how is right here by UConn.

The town of Mansfield, Connecticut (home to the University of Connecticut) banned plastic checkout bags during a Town Council meeting on Monday, February 11th, 2019.

According to the Mansfield Solid Waste Advisory Committee, Mansfield residents use 8.6 million bags a year.

But, after 2 years of writing, debating, and amending, the Bring Your Own Bag Ordinance was passed by the Town Council with an almost unanimous vote (8 to 1). The ordinance will ban plastic checkout bags from being used in any Mansfield businesses and will come into full effect in August 2019. The full ordinance can be viewed here.

Mansfield’s Mayor Paul Shapiro explained his support for the ordinance to me.

“We cannot solve the issue of how much plastic gets into our waste stream and ends up destroying marine life and ends up in oceans in far corners of the world. We cannot solve that problem as the town of Mansfield,” Shapiro said. “What we can do is make a small contribution towards what is really a worldwide calamity in terms of ocean and sea life, and try to limit as best as we can the amount of plastic that goes into the waste stream.”

Council member and UConn political science professor Ronald Schurin told me that his hope is that other towns in Connecticut will follow suit.

“It’s a question about what one town can do,” said Schurin. “I would like, in the best of all worlds, to have this be a federal ban, actually an international ban. But, we can do what we can do. Here in this town we can join with other towns that have created the ban and create the momentum that will ultimately lead to a statewide ban.”

Plastic bag regulation is sparking conversation and action throughout Connecticut.

The legislature’s Environment Committee now has at least 18 different bag ban bills on its plate for this session.

Six towns have banned the bags already, and at least 16 others are considering similar action.

To check if your town is among these visit this article by the Hartford Courant:

The movement to ban plastic bags is one that people are passionate about, especially young kids.

Mansfield’s public hearing for the BYOB Ordinance showed an impressive display of youth environmental activism.

Dozens of middle schoolers and elementary students addressed the council directly. One boy exclaimed, “Citizens of Mansfield we have to ban plastic bags – if you want another generation after mine that is. We must take care of our environment!”

These students showed Mansfield that advocating for change can go a long way to improve the conditions of our environment.

Their ability to take action is something that we should all consider. It is easy to give up on fixing issues as impossibly large as ocean plastic pollution, but it is much more effective to instead apply the big issue to your local community and see what difference you can make small scale.

Other Sources:

Let’s Bag Plastic Bags
By Joseph Curtin
New York Times
March 3, 2018

State Plastic and Paper Bag Legislation
National Conference of State Legislatures

Plastic Statistics
Ocean Crusaders

Reusable Bag Campaign
Mansfield, CT