Example Paper Topics

Here are a few example paper topics that I mentioned in section last week. A couple of you asked that I post links to the papers I passed around.

Examining the role of marine reserves in biological conservation here at the Channel islands (Paper: Airame et al 2003 APPLYING ECOLOGICAL CRITERIA TO MARINE RESERVE DESIGN: A CASE STUDY FROM THE CALIFORNIA CHANNEL ISLANDS)

Balancing human activities with species conservation: lead poisoning in the California condor
(Paper: Parish et al 2009 LEAD EXPOSURE AMONG A REINTRODUCED POPULATION OF CALIFORNIA CONDORS IN NORTHERN ARIZONA AND SOUTHERN UTAH)

Rigs-to-Reef: What are the ecological risks and benefits of decommissioned offshore oil facilities?
(Paper: Schroeder and Love 2004 Ecological and political issues surrounding decommissioning of offshore oil facilities in the Southern California Bight)

21st Century Environmental Challenges in a Global Context

Each year, the College of Letters and Science sponsors two distinguished endowed programs, the Critical Issues in America program and the Arthur N. Rupe Great Debates Series. This year the topic for the Critical Issues in America program is "Forty Years after the Big Spill - Looking Back, Looking Ahead: 21st Century Environmental Challenges in a Global Context." Led by Dehlsen Professor of Environmental Studies William Freudenberg and supported by Water Policy Program Director Robert Wilkinson, the program references an historical benchmark - for the campus as well as the nation - and addresses a breadth of environmental challenges for the 21st century with a strong, interdisciplinary group of core faculty and key collaborators.

All talks are free and open to the public.

TOMORROW, Thursday, October 1: Wm. Freudenburg: "The Tragedy of the Un-Commons?" 12:30 - 1:45 p.m. in Lotte Lehmann Hall

Wednesday, October 21: Bill Gibson, CSU Long Beach: "Re-Enchanting the World," 2:00 - 2:50 p.m., in Bren 4016

Wednesday, October 28: Kai Lee, Packard Foundation: "Humans in the Landscape," 2:00 - 2:50 p.m., in Bren 4016

Wednesday, November 4: Doug Bevington, "Environment Now: The Rebirth of Environmentalism," 2:00 - 2:50 p.m., in Bren 4016

Tuesday, November 10: Riki Ott: "Learning the Lessons of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill," 12:30 - 1:45 p.m. in Lotte Lehmann Hall.

As the academic year unfolds, please continue to look for events related to this exciting and timely Critical Issues in America program.

John Muir, naturalist and maker of odd inventions?

The new Ken Burns documentary on America's National Parks has brought a renewed interest to the lives of the early conservationists such as John Muir.

The Sierra Club have added a new page to their website that describes a relatively unknown side of John Muir - his inventive side: Was John Muir a Mad Scientist?

His inventions included an alarm clock that knocks the leg out from under the bed, and his mechanical study desk, pictured, that "would automatically light his lamp and fire, open the right book to study, and then change books after half an hour.

FYI - if you want to watch the PBS documentary online it looks like it will only be available until October 9th and a new show is being added each day. The first two are up now.

Volunteer Docents Needed for wildlife recovery at Sand's Beach, COPR

Can you spare 2 hours per week? If so, you could make a significant contribution as a Volunteer Docent or an Intern for the Snowy Plover Docent Program.

Plover Docents are trained volunteers who facilitate public outreach and education about the western snowy plover, a threatened shorebird species, and its habitat at Sands Beach, part of Coal Oil Point Reserve.

The Snowy Plover Docent Program (SPDP) was started in 2001 to assist with the protection of the Snowy Plovers at Coal Oil Point Reserve, and to raise awareness in the community of the importance of the preservation of this species and its habitat.

Docents provide a personal and friendly contact for beach users. They promote public interest and understanding, and in turn, dramatically increase the effectiveness of other plover/tern management efforts at the Reserve.

It used to be free

I almost forgot to post this. I thought this open letter to her students by Professor Catherine Cole at UC Berkeley was interesting and well argued. It also contains some good links to further information.

Coastal Fund

The Associated Students Coastal Fund is a student-supported, student-led funding organization whose mission is to protect, enhance and restore the greater UCSB coastline through preservation, education, open access, research, and restoration.

They provide some funding for community and campus related programs and projects, undergraduate and graduate research and applications for Winter 2010 funding are due by October 2, 2009.

They also maintain a nice website with very useful pages on Additional Funding Sources and Jobs and Internships. Although many of these positions have been filled it is a a nice list of some of the local opportunities available.

Welcome

Welcome to the Fall 2009 Conservation Ecology class. Unlike a class website this blog is not reset back to zero each quarter. The old postings are still available below and you can access them by topic using the labels (on the right hand side if you scroll down a bit). There's lots of interesting stuff there.

Lectures slides will be posted after each lecture and they will appear under 'Links' on the right hand side. Papers for discussion section will also be posted here, right under the links section in the imaginatively named 'Discussion section' section.

You are all welcome, and encouraged, to comment on the posts. You can also write your own posts of anything that is relevant to class but to do this you will need to be added as a contributor. Just send me an e-mail and I'll send you an invitation to join. It's a simple process.

Eat Kangaroos to Fight Global Warming

Ok- The quarter is over and I guess I'm now addicted to blogging. One last random but relevant article. Check out the New York Times "Year in Ideas" article, letter "E".

Eat Kangaroos to Fight Global Warming, by Charles Wilson.

"Of all the ideas developed to combat the climate crisis, George Wilson of Australian Wildlife Services may have the least intuitive: eating more kangaroos. In a paper published in June by the U.S.-based Society for Conservation Biology, however, he explains that 11 percent of Australia’s total greenhouse-gas emissions come from the methane produced by the rumen of cattle and sheep. “It’s been long known that kangaroos don’t produce methane,” Wilson say s, noting that kangaroos’ stomachs have different microorganisms to ferment their food. “I began to speculate, What if we managed the kangaroo population up and the cattle population down?”" Photo by Sarah Illenberger, NYT.

New York: filled with people, pigeons and now hawks!

Well... It's been a great quarter. Thank you everyone for actively contributing to our Friday discussion sections!

A recent article in the New York Times (A Hawk and its Prey) caught my attention about conservation and people, wildlife habitat and changing landscapes. According to the story, red-tailed hawks are rising in Harlem. Great for the predators, probably less ideal for the rats and pigeons. Also, NYC is compared to a "savanna". That's a first!

"Glenn Phillips, executive director of New York City Audubon, said that red-tailed hawks are on the upswing in the city, partly because they adapt well to the savanna conditions and because people don’t kill them so much anymore."

Have a great winter holiday!

Hawk photo by Josh Barbanel/New York Times.

Campus lagoon Internship opportunity

Water Quality/Hydrology Internship:
I am looking for a student interested in working with me on the data and reports on the Campus lagoon water quality from studies we have completed, implementing follow-up studies, assisting with data monitoring for the larger study and, possibly, helping with modelling of water quality in the lagoon.  I need a self-starter willing to do some independent research, collect water samples and collaborate with professors on campus. We have a stipend of $250 for Winter quarter and the possibility of additional funding should the candidate have more time to commit to the project.

Interpretive Sign Research Project Internship:

We are designing a sign to provide essential information about the ecological state of the UCSB Campus Lagoon related to geology, recent history and current ecological status. Looking for an independent person who can do research and is interested in interpretive signage and presentation. Skills in graphic design not required. Creativity a plus! Pays $250.

Both internships come with an expectation of ~ 6 hours per week commitment.