MAD Scientist & Associates presents at 2011 OPRA Conference

Mark Dilley and Jennie Morgan of MAD Scientist & Associates (MAD) recently presented “Ecologically Focused Park Planning, Management and Enhancement” at the Ohio Parks and Recreation Association’s (OPRA’s) annual conference.  This conference is a pleasure for us, as MAD particularly enjoys working with park districts to conduct ecological assessments and develop ecological enhancement and education opportunities. This OPRA educational session presented a welcome opportunity for us to share some of our ideas, successes and lessons learned with resource professionals.  Our talk covered three areas of importance to park managers, and provided several examples of each from our client projects:

 

• Ecological Assessments: The importance of understanding your land (e.g., species inventories and habitat mapping)
• Ecological Enhancements: Designing site specific ecological enhancements (e.g., invasive species control, vernal pool creation, wetland restoration)
• Ecological Education: Promoting ecological education through site specific tools (e.g., field guides, interpretive signs)

 

Audience members, including park district representatives from across the state, were impressed by the types of ecological enhancements that could be accomplished, even in small city parks.  If you were at our talk, we look forward to talking with you as you explore options for ecological assessments, enhancements and education opportunities in your parks.  If you missed our presentation and would like to learn more about our services, please contact us at 614-818-9156.

~

www.madscientistassociates.net

 

How to Recycle Your Electronic Gadgets in Central Ohio

Recently, we received a phone call at MAD Scientist & Associates from a local citizen searching for a means of recycling his old TV. While we don’t provide recycling services, or consulting recycling services, the citizen guessed that, based on the services advertised on our website, we are interested in sustainability and might be able to assist him. He was right: we are very interested in sustainability and are aware of many local programs that provide e-waste recycling. Recycling electronic products properly is critical as they contain multiple hazardous metals including lead, mercury and cadmium that, when disposed of improperly, can leach into the soil, air and water, contaminating these resources. When deciding what to do with your old cell phone, it may not seem that your single phone would not contribute significantly to the problem. However, your phone is one of millions of electronic gadgets that will be disposed of each year. In fact, the UN’s Environment Program estimates that 20-50 million metric tons of e-waste is generated each year.

For those who may be looking for a facility to recycle electronic devices, a good place to start in central Ohio is with The Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio (SWACO). While SWACO does not collect e-waste themselves, they do provide a list of e-waste recyclers in the area at www.swaco.org/RecycleElectronics.aspx.

One such company is Ohio eWaste recycling (www.ohioewaste.com), who for a small fee will accept most electronic items. They have a drop-off facility open Monday through Saturday, and also hold localized drop off events on specific dates. Check their website for dates and locations. Items with information storage capabilities that can not be re-purposed, are physically shredded so that your confidential information can not be obtained. After shredding the steel, plastic and metals are separated, sorted and for reuse.

If you have operable computers that you would like to donate to charity but are concerned about security issues, consider TechDisposal (www.techdisposal.com). They provide a complete audit of all your equipment, have several methods for destroying stored electronic information, and will provide you with a letter of indemnification and certificate of destruction. Clients can select a charity to have their computers directly donated to, or can choose to allocate the value of the donation to a particular charity.

With so many options for e-waste recycling, it should be easy to properly dispose of your used electronic devices.

~Jennie

http://www.environmentalconsultingohio.com/

 

iPhone Apps for the Environmental Sciences

As a member of the Ohio Environmental Council’s Ohio Vernal Pool Partnership and a consulting Professional Wetland Scientist, I have opportunities each spring to visit and evaluate vernal pools.  I also happen to be an iPhone owner and avid app user.  During a foray to several Dublin area vernal pools this past spring, I discovered, to my delight, that my app-happy ways had a payoff:  my iPhone was loaded with tools that proved handy during vernal pool monitoring.  Many of these apps also lend themselves to broader ecological applications, and field biologists and ecologists may want to become familiar with these resources (which are inexpensive and often free).

On the night I became fully aware of what a useful field tool a well-loaded iPhone could be, I started my journey using the screen as a flashlight to check my site map.  I then fired up the “Maps” program and used the GPS-based navigation to find my way along the trail in the darkness, easily locating and positioning myself on the edge of each vernal pool.  At each site, I set my iPhone timer for 20 minutes of observation, I then switched to my “Thermometer” app for a temperature reading (based on my GPS coordinates and local weather station data) followed by my “Wind Speed” app to get a real-time (and from what I’ve read, relatively accurate) estimate of wind speed based on an algorithm that computes the rate of air movement across the microphone as a function of the noise volume that the microphone is able to detect.

Once I started hearing gray tree frogs and American toads, I opened yet another app (“Voice Memos”) to record their calls for my site record.  I also used earphones and a program called “Amplitude” to boost my auditory experience by amplifying the night sounds around me, allowing me to better discern the different amphibian (and insect) species calling.  Noticing that traffic noise in the area was considerable, I also used “Decibel” to measure maximum and average noise levels for future reference.  I then used my “Notes” app to record my latitude/longitude (back to the Maps app), the date and time of my visit, and other pertinent observations I’d made about ambient conditions and the species I was hearing.  When all my notes were compiled, I was able to e-mail the entire file (plus my audio file!) to my work account, so I’d have a copy of my records at the office.

While not all apps are created equal, and some are not as accurate as the higher-priced and bulkier field meters they mimic, I have found many that are sufficient for basic monitoring and on-the-fly decision making.  And they are (obviously) transportable and affordable:  a plus for any underpaid and overloaded environmental scientist that spends a lot of time in the field.  For instance, I use my wind meter and other weather apps when deciding when my team can and cannot initiate herbicide application for invasive species control.  I use the phone’s camera when the need arises (i.e., if I don’t have my field camera) or if I want to get an image to a client immediately, via e-mail.  I use TopoPoint, Elevation Pro, Clinometer, and Google Earth for mapping and landscape applications (e.g., checking locations, measuring slopes, etc.).  I was also thrilled to recently find an app called “SoilWeb” that will give you soils information based on your location anywhere in the U.S.!

For nature enthusiasts, more and more field guides are being converted to apps, many with color photos and audio recordings to enhance their utility.  There are also neat programs to share wildlife observations, including “Birdpost,” The Wildlab,” and “WildObs” observer.  Surely, many other useful apps are out there, waiting to be found in less-frequented dusty corners of the App Store and new apps are being created and made available daily.  So long as you can get a signal, it seems that the sky is the limit as to what these apps may some day be capable of.  The potential for the iPhone to become a powerful tool for the environmental sciences and “citizen scientists” is impressive, and I encourage iPhone owners with an interest in the environment to explore these and other potentially useful programs as they peruse the offerings at the App Store.

~Mark

www.environmentalconsultingohio.com/

 

Common Buckthorn – Facilitator for Invasion

What do buckthorn, aphids, ladybeetle frenzy, wine-wasting, and rhinoconjunctivitis have in common?

Common Buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica), an exotic invasive shrub, has been cited as a keystone invader of agricultural landscapes.  Though endemic to Eurasia, it was introduced to North America in the 1800s as an ornamental shrub and now inhabits north eastern and north central United States as well as southern and eastern Canada. This deciduous shrub speedily displaces native plant populations and appears to play a key role in destructive invasions by other non-native taxa.

Ohio State University, Michigan State University, and Iowa State University entomologists, supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, are studying the distribution of common buckthorn across Michigan, Ohio, Minnesota, and Iowa.  This study seeks to determine how the presence of common buckthorn relates to dispersal of the soybean aphid (Aphis glycines), a pest of soybeans (Glycine max), and to populations of the multi-colored Asian ladybeetle (Harmonia axyridis), a nuisance species and potential pest to fruit production.  Both the soybean aphid and the multi-colored Asian ladybeetle are introduced species to North America.

Aphid infestations of soybean fields are facilitated by the adjacent and abundant presence of an overwintering host such as common buckthorn.  The soybean aphid, first recorded in North America in 2000, uses the soybean plant as a “secondary” host, feeding and reproducing on plants during the summer, then migrating to a “primary” host, including several species of buckthorn (Rhamnus spp.), where they lay eggs and spend the winter.  Though the soybean aphid also uses native species of buckthorn such as R. lanceolata and R. alnifolia as a primary host, common buckthorn is much more widely distributed, and therefore a more important host species to the aphid.

Massive numbers of soybean aphids provide a seasonally early and perhaps, a favorite food source for yet another non-native species, the multi-colored Asian ladybeetle (MALB).  MALB is a natural aphid predator in its country of origin, Asia.  This colorful beetle was both purposefully introduced as a biological control agent as well as accidentally introduced to North America.  Through one of these methods of introduction, MALB populations were well-established by 1988.

MALB proliferate where soybean aphid densities are high, and have the undesirable effect of displacing native ladybeetles, disrupting fruit production, and becoming a nuisance in homes.  They aggregate and feed on winegrapes and are difficult to remove during harvest.  This results in them sometimes being crushed in the wine-making process, thus tainting the flavor of the wine, and, during once incidence of “Ladybug taint” in Ontario in 2001, resulting in a million liters of wasted wine.   MALB seek out areas similar to their native limestone cliff habitat and overwinter in buildings and homes, where they can bite, causing allergic rhinoconjunctivitis for some people.

These cascading ecological, agricultural, and public health effects have prompted an interest in management of common buckthorn, as it appears to facilitate and perhaps function as a keystone to all these interactions.  There are also implications for further interactions with other non-native species, as emerging research has connected common buckthorn to ten other Eurasian species and a consequent invasive species meltdown.

With this new understanding of the wide-reaching ecological impacts wrought by buckthorn invasions, one has to wonder what other connections remain to be discovered for the myriad other introduced species that are spreading rapidly to the detriment of our native communities.  As awareness spreads about the interconnectedness of this problem and the “ripple effect” these invaders have, invasive plant removal efforts may take on a larger meaning and may gain support from a variety of stakeholders.

MAD Scientist & Associates

 

MAD Scientist & Associates Equipment Loan Program:

For years, we at MAD Scientist & Associates have been proud to be involved in countless community service projects, many of which have centered around planting wetlands and riparian areas and removing invasive species from parks and natural areas. In the process, we have become increasingly committed to invasive species control efforts, and we have been expanding our arsenal of common and unique tools that are invaluable for maintaining and improving natural areas.

One particular tool we can’t imagine living without is the Weed Wrench.  This simple machine has a large jaw that clamps around the base of a small, shallow-rooted tree or shrub; it then relies on leverage to yank the plant from the ground. This makes especially-quick work of pulling honeysuckle.  We enjoy this tool so much we currently have three of them in two sizes (Medium and Large) and hope to add more!

A volunteer uses the weed wrench to extract a honeysuckle stump from a natural area.

Over the years we have allowed individuals associated with our efforts borrow tools for their own volunteer fueled projects. This allows us to support the efforts that we get excited about even when we can’t be around to help. We are now formally offering this program to any organization that is eager to hold a volunteer work party, but is in need of tools. If your organization of volunteers is interested in borrowing tools for planting or invasive species removal, contact us for a list of available equipment and to schedule pick-up at our office.

madscientistassociates.net

 

Wetland Determinations, Delineations, and Assessments

Developing a project site that may contain wetlands or streams requires that due diligence be performed to determine whether any federally or state protected resources are present.  This process has many steps that can be confusing to landowners and developers, so in an attempt to clear up confusion and facilitate proper procedures, we have defined and outlined the major steps below.

Wetland Determination

The goal of a wetland determination (sometimes also called a preliminary assessment or delineation) is to establish whether or not aquatic resources, such as wetlands or streams, are present on the site and, therefore, whether a complete wetland delineation is needed.  The wetland determination begins with an off-site review of a site’s history, topography, and soil types, and continues with a cursory on-site visit.  Mapping of water features present on the site is generally not conducted during this visit (although approximate boundaries may be established), and soil pits may or may not be dug.  A report stating whether wetlands or streams are present on site, but not providing acreages or exact boundaries, is produced by the wetland scientist and submitted to the client for consideration.

Wetland Delineation

The goal of a wetland delineation is to determine whether or not jurisdictional aquatic resources (e.g., wetlands or streams) are present on the site and, if present, to map their boundaries.  The wetland delineation differs from the determination in that it involves a much more detailed on-site investigation into the soils, vegetation, and hydrology.  In addition, the boundaries of any aquatic resources found on-site will mapped using a global positioning system (GPS) unit.

Wetland Assessment

A wetland assessment is done to determine the relative quality of the wetland.  In Ohio, wetlands are categorized using the Ohio Rapid Assessment Method (ORAM).  The ORAM categorizes wetlands on a scale from 1 to 3, with Category 1 being the lowest quality and 3 being the highest.  The category of wetland present on a site determines the ratio at which mitigation for impacts to the wetland will be required by regulatory agencies.  Wetland assessments are generally conducted at the time of the wetland delineation to avoid the need for a second field visit.  The ORAM requires that state and federal agencies be contacted and allowed to comment on whether threatened and endangered T&E species are known to inhabit the site, or whether the site provides critical habitat for T&E species.  Therefore, MAD Scientist & Associates  (MAD) typically recommends that wetland assessments include an analysis of the potential for the site to provide critical habitat for (T&E) species.

Permitting Process

Depending on the type and intensity of proposed impacts to wetlands or streams, a permit may need to be obtained from the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers (USACE).  MAD  will advise their clients as to what permits, if any, are needed, based on the scope of the proposed impacts.  The USACE has two types of Section 404 permits that can be applied for, based on the intensity of the proposed impact:  Individual permits are for large impacts, and their application process is highly involved and may require more than a year to obtain, while general nationwide permits are for minor impacts and are relatively simple and require only a few months to obtain.  If an individual permit is needed, a Section 401 Water Quality Certification must also be obtained from the Ohio EPA.  Ohio EPA is also responsible for issuing Isolated Wetland Permits, if a wetland lacks a significant nexus to a regulated water body and therefore is not subject to USACE jurisdiction.

All of MAD’s team members are highly-skilled and experienced wetland delineators.  In addition, MAD has performed dozens of wetland assessments and assisted many clients in obtaining Nationwide, Individual and Isolated Wetland Permits.  Should you need wetland delineation, assessment, or permitting services, we will be happy to assist!

~Jennie

http://www.environmentalconsultingohio.com/

 

Book Review: Rapid Assessment of Stream Health (CRC Press, 2010)

In 1970, the Clean Water Act established a goal that our waterways should be “fishable and swimmable” and made it the obligation of every state to monitor and assess the chemical, physical and biological conditions of their streams and rivers.

In the U.S., the State of Ohio is at the forefront in the field of biological assessment.  This form of assessment, refined and “personalized” to our state by Ohio EPA, presents a particularly comprehensive and meaningful monitoring approach, as the animal communities in these aquatic systems effectively integrate a wide range of conditions and environmental variables over time.  In a grossly oversimplified description: If sources of degradation are present, sensitive species decline and tolerant or more adaptable species prevail.  The composition of the fish and invertebrate communities therefore reflect the relative health of the waterway.

To gain a better understanding of the process of developing biological assessment programs and to understand all the work that has gone into Ohio’s and other states’ programs, Rapid Assessment of Stream Health (Edited by D.L. Hughes, M.P. Brossett, J.A. Gore, John R. Olson, 2010) is a worthwhile read.  This book is not for the casual reader with an interest in stream health, however.  It is specifically geared toward the practitioner or environmental professional with a keen interest in understanding or even developing a regional bioassessment protocol.

The book starts with a basic introduction of concepts and the history of bioassessment, including discussions of Karr’s (1981) Index of Biotic Integrity Rapid Bioassessment Protocol (RBP) by Barbour et al. (1999), Hilsenhoff’s biotic index, and other related but lesser known indices.  It then compares and contrasts these methods and their ability to detect impairment of aquatic resources.  The author concludes through a summary of other published studies that their approaches show little difference in their ability to detect impairment, but stresses that methods should be selected with a full knowledge and understanding of the advantages and limitations of each.

In a very general sense, a regional bioassessment program requires the development of a robust baseline of data from reference sites (sites that have experienced no or only minimal degradatation) to which study sites may then be compared.  The goal is to get to a point where the knowledge of regional reference streams will allow biologists to establish an expected condition (E) to which observed conditions (0) at other potentially impaired sites may be compared (O/E).

The text highlights numerous aspects of rapid bioassessment development in an extensive material and methods section.  The book leans heavily on examples from the State of Georgia to demonstrate the process, although these methods could be used in any state or region – the same basic rules apply.  Reference sites should be selected with a solid understanding of degradation sources and processes, so that the least impacted sites may be identified as reference sites.  Sampling should follow standardized protocols to ensure the validity of future O/E comparisons, and supplemental physical and chemical data should also be collected in order to interpret potential influences on the biological components of the stream system.  And throughout the process, careful data analysis, database development, metric calculation and multi-metric index development should be used to establish appropriate and meaningful metrics and scoring breaks for the RBP being developed.  GIS mapping can be an extremely beneficial tool in this process.

The authors go into considerable detail regarding the calibration of metrics and numeric rankings, the importance of sample size and taxonomic resolution (should invertebrates be identified to species? Or is genus or family level identification sufficient?), the cost effectiveness of various approaches, and QA/QC procedures.

The final two chapters address the use of RBPs to assess stormwater best management practices (BMPs) for urban streams and implementation of RBPs by state agencies, which may be more topical given the emerging emphasis on stormwater management.  The book includes extensive data-rich appendices, comprising nearly 40% of the book, which could be useful to a practitioner planning a RBP program for their state or region (though I must confess, I did not spend much time with these appendices).

For any environmental professional wishing to improve their comprehension of rapid bioassessment, I would recommend this text.  If nothing else, it will give you a new-found respect for the biologists, planners, program managers and agencies that are leading these important efforts across our country.  But for the lay person or casually-interested citizen scientist, this book will be more than you bargained for.

~Mark

http://www.environmentalconsultingohio.com/

 

Finding Spring at Flora-Quest

Spring brings so many welcome signs of life.  One of the nicest things for me about spring is the beginning of biological noise.  The birds begin chirping, the crickets creaking, and the toads trilling.  Then the landscape begins greening up and blossoming with color.  Before you know it, there are birds and butterflies darting around.

Do you enjoy the sights and sounds of springtime?  Do you like birds, butterflies, flowers, and economical vacations?  I just spent an enjoyable weekend in a place which included all of these elements, plus a lot of biological noise.

Birds and butterflies abound in Shawnee State Forest and the Edge of Appalachia Preserve, where an annual event called Flora-Quest (http://www.flora-quest.com/) takes place each May.  Nature enthusiasts flock to this event to see what this area of high biological diversity has to offer.  There is an expert-led quest for everyone, whether you’re a bird-lover, plant-lover, bug-lover, rock-lover, or a nature photographer.  Questers venture out with their tour guide to explore Scioto and Adams counties, which are some of the most botanically-diverse areas of Ohio.

The unusual plants in these southern reaches of Ohio make you pause and look.   Plants are the quietest and stillest creatures, but they are also very intriguing.  At Flora-quest, we saw quite a few showy rarities in bloom, such as vernal iris (Iris verna), bird-foot violet (Viola pedata), nodding mandarin (Prosartes maculata), pinxster-flower (Rhododendron periclymenoides), and the globally-rare juniper sedge (Carex juniperorum).  The plants remained still so that we could observe them closely while the eastern towhee sounded drink-your-teeeea and the prairie warbler warbled.

Evenings can be very exciting in this part of Ohio, filled with exotic sights, sounds, and even smells.  Questers were gathered in a clearing in the forest at dusk and a group of Fowler’s toads (Anaxyrus fowleri) could be heard repeating “w-a-a-a-h” from a nearby pool.  While we were taking turns inhaling from a fragrant black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) blossom, a Chuck-will’s Widow flew through the sub-canopy and over our heads.  Later that evening, a bobcat was sighted.  You never know what might happen when you pause to look at a plant.

I’m always curious to learn what makes our natural environments tick, click, and keep moving. If you ever run into a group of adults in the woods crouched close to the ground, clicking, whirring, phishing and making uncontrolled movements, it is probably a group of questers, or another such group (http://www.highlandssanctuary.org/Wildflower/Pilgrimage.htm) out enjoying the spring, while learning about the incredible diversity in our local natural environment.   These eco-tourism opportunities are increasing in Ohio and you don’t have to go very far to find them.

~Kashmira

http://www.environmentalconsultingohio.com/

 

Arbor Day- April 30th

In the middle of the 19^th century, journalist J. Sterling Morton was one of the pioneers that moved into the Nebraska Territory. There, he wrote about agriculture and, in particular, his enthusiasm for trees. Planting trees was an important part of pioneer life as farmers needed to establish shade and windbreaks in the windy Great Plains. Morton, it is said, encouraged individuals as well as civic organizations to plant trees in great numbers. Morton’s prominence afforded his election as secretary of the Nebraska Territory.

In 1872, Morton proposed a tree-planting holiday, called “Arbor Day,” to be celebrated in April.  Prizes were awarded to counties and individuals for planting the largest number of trees. It is estimated that over one million trees were planted on that day in Nebraska.

Arbor Day was officially proclaimed in 1874 and named a legal holiday in Nebraska in 1885.  By this time, other states were also passing legislation to celebrate Arbor Day. Currently in Ohio (and many other states), Arbor Day is celebrated on the last Friday in April. In other areas, this holiday is appropriately celebrated at times that coincide with ideal planting conditions [find Arbor Day Dates here: http://www.arborday.org/arborday/arbordaydates.cfm].

As ecological consultants, we have many opportunities to devise planting plans and get our hands dirty during plant installations. I speak for myself when I say this is probably the most rewarding type of task we get to accomplish, time after time.  What makes the task more gratifying is working alongside volunteers in neighborhood parks, for example, to help replace a community of invasive plants (especially honeysuckle) with native ones.  We are proud of our longstanding reputation as community project supporters, not only in lending our equipment for such good causes, but adding people-power as well.

In all cases, the spirit involved in large-scale planting is the same as that which inspired J. Sterling Morton in 1872.

The growing season has just begun and we at MAD Scientist are looking forward to a year that is hopefully full of planting beyond what we’ve already planned.

~ David Strong

http://www.environmentalconsultingohio.com/

 

Earth Day 40th Anniversary – What are you doing for Earth Day?

Earth Day was founded in 1970 by Senator Nelson from Wisconsin in the hopes of bringing environmental issues onto the national stage.  Twenty million Americans who had been fighting against varied environmental ills from oil spills, to air pollution, to the extinction of wild animals united to participate in the first Earth Day.  Participants spanned the political spectrum and included farmers and city dwellers, oil tycoons and labor leaders.  The mass amalgamation of interest and power instigated the creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of monumental environmental legislation in the Clean Air and Water Acts and the Endangered Species Act.

Although these Acts have been attacked and criticized in the public arena, and the coalitions that were formed on the first Earth Day forty years ago have long since eroded, more than a billion people in 190 countries are anticipated to take action on Earth Day 2010.  This encouraging level of participation indicates that at least one sixth of the world’s population believes that environmental issues matter.  Of these, climate change may be the greatest environmental challenge of our time and any significant action to slow or reverse it will require such global cooperation. The organizers of Earth Day 2010 are hoping this will be the turning point for the advancement of global climate policy.

The 40^th Anniversary of Earth Day is just around the corner, and MAD Scientist & Associates is gearing up for a community planting day in honor of the event.  We are hosting a wetland planting at the new Millstone Creek Park in Westerville that has been designed to encourage and facilitate ‘nature play’.  This nature play concept reflects a growing movement, spurred in large part by Richard Louv’s book “Last Child in the Woods.”  In this book, the author discusses many societal issues and developmental problems in children that are related to a decrease in outdoor activity and experiences in nature.  One solution to what the author has termed “nature deficit disorder” is to return nature to a prominent focus in children’s lives through the development of interesting and engaging nature play areas.  The hope is that by creating opportunities for children to experience nature in a personal and direct way, a sense of connectedness to the natural world may be fostered.  Isn’t that what Earth Day is all about?

This Earth Day, give the planet a present.  Remember the mantra to “Think globally, Act Locally”.  If you live in the Columbus area and would like to participate, check out http://update2010.org/ which lists many local events planned for the morning of Saturday, April 17^th.  If you live in or near Westerville, please join MAD Scientist & Associates at Millstone Creek Park on this day for the wetland planting.  More information is available on our website.  Also note that Earth Day is officially Thursday, April 22, on which a celebration will be held at Franklin Park Conservatory from 3:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

What are you doing for Earth Day?

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