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ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES NEWSLETTER

May 1, 2006

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In this issue:

** Upcoming ES Program Events: Undergraduate Research Symposium is this

week. Dr. Robert Bullard is the keynote speaker!

** ES Program News: Have you checked out these great ES fall courses??

  ** Sustainability on Campus:  Food Survey results are in!

** Grad opportunities:   University of Delaware has openings for MS and PhD

students

** Jobs and Internships:  Volunteer for TNC in the Caribbean, Native Seed

Network, consulting jobs in Texas, and more

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** Undergraduate Research Symposium:

It is here! http://www.colby.edu/sturesearch/ressymposium/

Seventh Annual Colby Undergraduate Research Symposium

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Robert D. Bullard, Sociologist and Author

Dr. Robert Bullard will give the keynote address for the symposium at 7:30

pm on Wednesday, May 3, 2006 in Olin 1.

(LAST ES 402 credit opportunity!)

Environmental Justice for All

Round-the-clock images of the human toll of Hurricane Katrina forced

long-ignored issues of race and class into America’s living rooms – and

brought Robert Bullard’s decades-long struggle for environmental justice to

the forefront.  The Colby community will hear about Dr. Bullard’s struggle

on May 3, 2006 in his keynote presentation for the Undergraduate Research

Symposium, “Environmental Justice for All.”

A sociology professor at Clark Atlanta University, Bullard is the founder

of the school’s Environmental Justice Resource Center and the author of

twelve books, from 1990’s Dumping in Dixie: Race, Class, and Environmental

Quality to the recently published anthology The Quest for Environmental

Justice: Human Rights and the Politics of Pollution.  His eyes were first

opened to environmental discrimination in 1978, when he helped his attorney

wife collect data for a lawsuit against a company that had sited a landfill

in an African-American Houston community.  “We found that every one of the

city-owned landfills was located in a predominantly black neighborhood,” he

says, “even though blacks made up a quarter of the population.”

To Bullard, environmental justice is “the notion that everybody has a right

to a clean, safe, healthy environment and that no community should become

the dumping ground for other people’s waste.”  It’s a belief few

environmentalists – or Americans in general – would quarrel with, but too

few have acted upon.

 

After Bullard kicks off the event, join us at these sessions:

 

Research Presentations

 

Wednesday, May 3

 

SESSION I: ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

Conservation Biology Presentations Olin 234

Session Chair: Russ Cole

11:00 - 11:50

Jeff Carroll ('08), Liza Mitchell ('08) and Katie Renwick ('07),

Conservation Biology Presentations

Gray Wolf Reintroduction in the Greater Yellowstone Area

 

SESSION XVI: ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

Conservation Biology Presentations Olin 234

Session Chair: Russ Cole

11:00 - 11:50 AM

  Sharon McMonagle ('06), Alaina Clark ('08) and Jenna Morrison ('06),

Conservation Biology Presentations

   Effects of Climate change on Coral Reef Ecosystems

 

SESSION XVIII: ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

Environmental Studies Honors Research Hurd Room

Session Chair: Philip Nyhus

1:00-4:00 PM

 

1:00 pm B. Tjernstrom ('06)

   Be the Change You Wish to See: National Attitudes and Climate Change Policy

2:00 pm Alexandra Jospe ('06)

   Modeling Spatially Explicit Human-wildlife Conflict: GIS and

Moose-vehicle Collisions in Maine

2:30 pm Hilary Langer ('06)

   The Cost of Conservation: Payments for Environmental Services on The Osa

Peninsula, Costa Rica

3:00 pm Sarah Kelly ('06)

   Energy Use Patterns and Potential Areas for Energy Conservation in Dorm

Rooms at Colby College

3:30 pm Jenna Morrison ('06)

   Environmental Awareness of Waterville Junior High Students

 

 

** ES Program News: Have you checked out these ES courses??

The ES Program will be offering two new courses.  One is ES 297 Wetland

Science (see below).  This course will be taught in the fall by Curtis

Bohlen, who will be joining the program for next year while Professor Nyhus

is on sabbatical.  Curtis comes to us from Bates where he has taught the

wetland course several times.

 

The second new offering is a reading seminar (2 credits) focused on the

topic of environmental justice.  This course will emphasize reading and

discussing contemporary articles covering different aspects of

environmental justice.  There will be no exams in this course and it will

be graded credit/no credit.  We hope this will be an enjoyable way to learn

about an important topic in environmental studies.  A second reading

seminar will be offered in the spring by Professor Andonova on the topic of

poverty and sustainable development.  The fall reading seminar will be

offered by Mellon Environmental Justice Fellow Christopher Thoms.  This

position is funded by a grant from the Mellon Foundation and one goal of

the grant is to increase environmental justice content in the ES

curriculum.  Christopher comes to Colby from Knox College in Illinois.

 

As many of you already know both Professor Nyhus and Professor Cole will be

on sabbatical next year.  Professor Firmage will be the ES Program Director

next year.  Also, please note that Professor Andonova will be on sabbatical

during the 2007-2008 academic year.

 

Course Descriptions:

ES297  Wetland Science

Four credit hours.  N.  Bohlen

 

Wetland ecosystems receive special protections under state and federal laws

and international agreements. One consequence has been the rapid

development of both basic and applied wetland science, which draws heavily

on ecology, hydrology, soil science and other disciplines to examine the

structure and function of wetland ecosystems. Introduces students to

principals of wetland science and to the diversity of Maine's wetlands.

Students will also gain familiarity with contemporary approaches to

wetlands protection and application of wetlands science within legal and

policy contexts. Lecture and laboratory. Prerequisite: Biology 131 or 164.

 

ES391A  Reading Seminar in Environmental Studies

Two credit hours.  Thoms

 

Discussions and presentations on topics of current interest in selected

areas of environmental studies. The focus of this seminar will be

environmental justice. Students will read primary literature, make

presentations, and complete writing assignments on articles discussed. May

be repeated once. Prerequisite: At least junior standing in the major or

permission of the instructor.

 

** Sustainability on Campus:  Food Waste Survey results:

During Earth Week the ES Club conducted a food waste survey. How did you do??

FOOD WASTE SURVEY RESULTS

Dining Hall: Dana- 55 students surveyed

Ave. Per Person= 66.69g (less than Fall) Approximately 0.147 lbs

15 Clean Plates

Good News: This number is down from the fall

Bad news: If 500 students eat lunch at Dana, that is 73.5 lbs of food

wasted from one meal.

Remember take only what you can eat!

 

** Grad opportunities:

M.S. or Ph.D. Graduate Research Assistantship at University of Deleware

 

 

The newly formed Center of Suburban Biodiversity within the University of

Delaware's Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology is seeking a

graduate student to investigate hydrology, soil, and plant interactions

within the diverse habitat structure of an increasingly fragmented

environment. The student will investigate varying forested corridors widths

that abut suburban or agricultural development to determine chemical

filtration, carbon sequestration, and plant biodiversity.  Additionally we

expect predictive GIS models to be developed.  This individual will develop

additional questions such as how these landscape configurations could

affect plant competition, invasive species establishment, and bottom up

control of insect or wildlife biodiversity. This study is being used to

form the basis for a set of long term, layered projects and landscape

planning decisions.

We are looking for an individual with experience in soil science, plant

identification, ecological interactions, and GIS landscape analysis. We

will give strong preference to applicants who have record of previous

research experience and publications in the ecology. Qualified applicants

should have a B.S. in Ecology Sciences, a minimum 3.0/4.0 GPA, and a

minimum combined math/verbal GRE score of 1100. The successful applicant

will start during the summer of 2006 (flexibility is possible for

outstanding applicants).

Stipend will be $17,300+ per year plus a tuition-waiver and reduced cost

health benefits. More information about the center for suburban Biodiversity

is available at http://ag.udel.edu/enwc/csb/index.htm and the Department of

Entomology and Wildlife Ecology is available at http://ag.udel.edu/enwc/.

This individual will be primarily overseen by Dr. Chris Williams (research

and information for prospective students are available at:

http://copland.udel.edu/~ckwillia/index.htm) and Dr. Vince D'Amico. The

Center of Suburban Biodiversity is a collaborative venture and the graduate

student will also be expected to interact with other partners. Interested

individuals should send a cover letter outlining experience and research

interests, curriculum vitae, unofficial copies of university transcripts

and GRE scores, and contact information for three references to DR. Chris

Williams, Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology, 253 Townsend Hall,

University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716 (PH: 302-831-4592, FAX:

302-831-8889, Email: ckwillia@udel.edu). Applications by e-mail (with

electronic copies of requested documents) are preferred, and will be

accepted until MAY 15, 2006.

 

** Jobs and Internships:

Paid botany internships

We are seeking recent graduates with botany qualifications to conduct field

work in remote areas of the western states. Duties may include any

combination of the following: plant inventories, conducting surveys for

rare plant occurrences, using GIS to map habitat, documenting recreational

impacts to sensitive species, establishing monitoring plots to study rare

plants, identifying, collecting, pressing and mounting specimens on

herbarium sheets, and/or collecting seeds for the Seeds of Success program.

The positions are initially 5 months in length with the possibility of a  5

month extension and international travel to Western Australia and/or the

Millenium Seedbank, Wakehurst, United Kingdom, and are paid ($750 per 2 weeks).

The program is in partnership with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

Interns are placed at BLM field offices. Available positions are located

in Wyoming, Utah, California, Arizona and Oregon.

 

Research Internship at Archbold Biological Station

A research internship is available at the MacArthur Agro-ecology Research

Center (MAERC), a division of Archbold Biological Station, in

south central Florida.  Current research projects at the Center focus on

wetland ecology and restoration, nutrient cycling and ecological

interactions in subtropical grazing lands, and the environmental impacts of

cattle ranching.  Research interns spend 20 hours per week assisting the

MAERC Research Biologist with his ongoing research projects and 20 hours

conducting their own independent research project.  Intern research topics

are varied but must relate to current research projects at MAERC.  Topics

of past research interns can be viewed at

http://www.archbold-station.org/abs/staff/pbohlen/pbohlen.htm. MAERC is

located at a working 4,100-ha cattle ranch comprised of varied pastures and

prairies, woodland hammocks, and abundant wetlands.  The Center is the site

of collaborative agreements with the University of Florida, the South

Florida Water Management District, the Florida Dept. of Agriculture and

Community services, environmental organizations and other area ranches, to

support the ecological and economic sustainability of cattle

ranching.  Interns interact with staff at Archbold Biological Station, a

vibrant and dynamic center for ecological research and education.  The

internship is ideal for recent graduates considering graduate school, or

current graduate students interested in

pursuing a thesis project at MAERC.  The length of appointment is flexible

but is generally 6 months.  Current positions are available

starting in June 2006.  Interested applicants can apply by sending (1) a

letter of application, including research interests and period of

availability, (2) a resume or curriculum vitae, included G.P.A. and

relevant course work, and (3) contact information for 2-3 references, to

Dr. Patrick Bohlen at pbohlen@archbold-station.org.  Visit www.maerc.org

for more information about our program or contact Dr. Bohlen at (863)

699-0242 x22.

 

  6 month volunteer position in TNC Eastern Caribbean Program

 

 

Deadline for application - May 8th

Start date - June 12th

End date - December 15th

 

 

Please direct questions to Raquel Seybert - rseybert@tnc.org Please

submit application to Nancy Graff (instructions below) - ngraff@tnc.org

 

VOLUNTEER ASSOCIATE

 

Title:                                       Proposal Writer/Editor

Department:                           Eastern Caribbean Program

Duration:                                 June 12th, 2006 - December 15th,2006

Location:                                 St. Croix, US Virgin Islands

Internship Type:                     Volunteer

Application Deadline:              May 8th, 2006

Summary of Activities:

In 2002, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) initiated the Grenadines Parks in

Peril (PIP) Project, a bi-national project in the countries of Grenada

and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. This 5 year-long project aims to

propose a network of marine protected areas for this region and support

both governments in the implementation of the Global Program off Work on

Protected Areas, defined in 2004, under the Convention on Biological

Diversity. The Conservancy is currently supporting both governments

develop biological gap analysis, capacity analysis and business plans

for their protected area systems. The Volunteer Associate will work

closely with TNC's Grenadines PIP Program Manager as well as other

Grenadines staff. S/he will provide assistance with the write-up of the

Protected Areas Gap Analysis for both countries,. S/he will also write

and edit communication materials to educate and inform project

stakeholders and the public. Written products may include brochures,

newsletter, magazine, annual report, workshop reports and web-site

articles/stories. This may require overseeing the design and production

of written materials. The Volunteer Associate will also research; edit

and write grant proposals seeking potential funding. Because of the

internship's ambitious objectives, the volunteers generally will need to

be available during the normal working hours of 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM,

Monday to Friday. S/he will live and work on St. Croix and may have to

travel to other islands as required by the project and authorized by the

project manager.

The volunteer will be reimbursed for living expenses up to $4,200 00 and

will also be provided housing and round trip airfare to St. Croix.

 

Requirements:

*          Bachelor's degree in English, Journalism, Communications,

Marketing or similar field. Graduate degree highly preferred.

*          Knowledge of current trends in the field of natural resource

management in the Caribbean, with a special attention to marine

conservation and small islands issues.

*          Experience in grant writing, researching and editing

preferred..

*          Writing, conceptual thinking and verbal communication skills

preferred, including discerning best writing levels for different

audiences..

*          Excellent organizational and proofreading skills.

*          Ability to set priorities, organize and manage diverse

activities.   Meet deadlines.

*          Successful experience in researching, and compiling

information

from many sources.

*          Experience in MS Office, Word, Excel, PowerPoint.

*          Ability to manipulate, analyze and interpret data.

*          Ability to work independently

*          Eligible to work in the USA.

Please submit Cover Letter and CV to:

Nancy Graff

Office Manager, Eastern Caribbean Program

The Nature Conservancy

052 Little Princess

Christiansted, VI 00820

Tel: (340) 773-5575   Fax: (340) 773-1613

Email: easterncaribbean@tnc.org

 

Native Seed network seeking intern

 

The Native Seed Network/Institute for Applied Ecology will be hiring

three interns this summer from mid-May to late September (end date is

flexible).  Our paid internship program is intended to provide field

experience to individuals considering conservation biology or

restoration ecology as a career choice.  Interns will be collecting seed

from native plants for prairie restoration throughout the Willamette

Valley as well as assisting in wetlands restoration and conservation

programs.  The internship offers opportunities to work with native

prairie species, develop plant identification skills, participate in

research and monitoring projects (common garden, rare species

monitoring), use technological tools (GPS, Access database, seed

processing equipment), and network with public agencies and private

organizations that could be your future employer.

Qualifications:

     * Interest in conservation biology, restoration ecology, botany

     * Plant identification skills (or enthusiastic willingness to learn)

     * Attention to detail

     * Ability to work as a team-member for long hours in hot, dry/cold,

       wet conditions, with potential exposure to poison oak

Details:  $8.00/hr; mostly field work, some office work.  Housing in

Corvallis is not provided.  College credit may be available for students

currently registered at Oregon State University.

The Institute for Applied Ecology is a nonprofit organization dedicated

to making local genotypes of native seed more affordable and more

readily available for restoration.  For more information, contact

Kimiora Ward or visit our websites: www.nativeseednetwork.org

<http://www.nativeseednetwork.org/> and www.appliedeco.org

<http://www.appliedeco.org/

 

Corrigan Consulting is hiring

  Inc., an established Houston-area environmental consulting firm providing

services to industrial and government clients, is seeking to supplement its

staff with well-qualified, high-achieving professionals. We offer

challenging and rewarding work, and a competitive salary and benefits

package at our Ellington/Clear Lake area location.

 

Minimum BS in biological/natural resource sciences with 2+ yrs. of

consulting experience. MS degree and previous USACE experience a plus. Must

be proficient in conducting environmental site assessments of commercial

land and industrial properties as well as roadway corridor projects.

Experience in conducting environmental compliance audits, along with

experience in wetlands and T&E species surveys, sensitive resource issues,

NEPA documentation and the NEPA process a plus. This is an exciting

opportunity for an accomplished scientist to work in an established growing

company.

 

In addition to the above, candidates must be able to demonstrate excellent

technical writing and communication skills. Competitive salary and

comprehensive benefits package with little travel. Send resume with a

letter outlining your qualifications by e-mail

(HRCCI@corrigan-consulting.com), fax (281/922-4767), or mail to: Corrigan

Consulting, Inc., 12000 Aerospace Ave., Suite 450, Houston, Texas 77034.

 

 

................................................................................................................................................................

Beth Kopp

Coordinator, Environmental Studies Program

Colby College

4846 Mayflower Hill

Waterville, Maine 04901-8848

207.859.4846

fax 207.872.3474

Office: 221 Lunder House

bkkopp@colby.edu