Group Projects and community partners from NR206

Spring 2008

Project:  Protecting the eastern sand darter, Ammocrypta pellucida, in the Lake Champlain Basin Research and justification for listing under the Endangered Species Act

Student:  Leanne Deschenes

Community Partner: Center for Biological Diversity

The life history and distribution of the eastern sand darter, Ammocrypta pellucida, was studied through a review of scientific literature to justify listing on the federal Endangered Species Act. Literature highlighted the species' unique habitat requirements and behavior, being that the slender fish of four-inches is found in fine, sandy substrates of wide rivers, often at bends where water velocity is low. Its range runs through the upper Mississippi River basin, Great Lakes tributaries, and the St. Lawrence in Canada into the Champlain basin. A. pellucida demonstrates a unique burrowing behavior in which it buries itself approximately 5” below the sand. Behavioral characteristics make sampling difficult because of the inability for trawls to uncover buried fish; habitat fluctuation of sandbars further hinder year-to-year sampling. Sampling limitations obstruct biologists from developing a thorough understanding of the species overall, producing an obstacle for conservation efforts. The eastern sand darter may exist more abundantly than thought to due to deceptive samples. Because few quality resources exist, the Center for Biological Diversity suggested that a petition not yet be created but rather that hard and electronic copies of all literature are submitted to the agency.

Project:  Ecology Club

Community Partner:  Barnes Elementary School, Sustainable Schools Project

Students:  Kat Vanek, Heather Durkell, Rose Weggler

Ecology Club is an after school program located in Barnes Elementary School, Burlington, Vermont.  The club was formed through Shelburne Farms Sustainable Schools Project.  Ecology Club is an environmentally-focused after school program, which hopes to link youth with their local community and the environment.  In conjunction with Elana Dyer from the Sustainable Schools Project at Barnes Elementary, we helped run the Ecology Club after school program.  Ecology Club meets every Thursday from 3:15 to 5:15 with a group of 3rd-5th graders and teaches environmentally related lessons.  Environmental education should be available to all children.  Ecology Club, and our involvement in the club, makes this idea possible.

Project:  Enhancement of Eco-Literacy & Community Involvement at Lawrence Barnes Elementary School

Community Partner: Sustainable Schools Project, Shelburne Farms, Lawrence Barnes Elementary School

Students: Steph Brontman, Sam Graulty, Jojo Lynch

We read environmentally themed books to first and third grade students. Each of us had one or two students that we worked with each week. After reading the books, we had question-based discussions on what we just read, such as figuring out what lessons could be learned from the story. If there was time, we also did small activities like drawing a picture or a diagram of something from the story. In addition to enhancing our students' overall literacy and eco-literacy, we also bonded with the students, becoming a mentor and someone they could count on seeing every week at the same time and having fun with.

Project:  Rodger’s Tract Road Improvement at Jericho Research Forest

Community Partner:  David Brynn, Jericho Research Forest

Students:  Mike Brown, Jeff Turner, Owen Beck

The Rodger's Tract of UVM's Jericho Research Forest was acquired via donation in 1999 and adds 127 acres of historical farmland to the University's holding. This parcel also presents some interesting challenges for management, as its past land use, more specifically its most recent timber harvest (1996), has left areas of degraded roads and habitat as well as disturbed hydrological processes. It is important that these issues be addressed for the long-term health and viability of the forest, as well as to comply with Vermont Acceptable Management Practices and ultimately to obtain the Smartwood certification that the University desires.          

Through the Rubenstein School of Natural Resources' focus on community involvement, Mike Brown, Jeff Turner, and Owen Beck in conjunction with David Brynn of Vermont Family Forests identified a portion of the road network in the parcel where hydrologic restoration would be most beneficial. Over the course of several visits, these students walked the designated section of trail and flagged out a network of waterbars designed to control erosion and restore proper hydrology to the landscape. During this implementation, on the ground observations made it clear that a piece of the road needed to be closed out completely; however, closing out the road presented a problem because the trails in the Rodger's Tract are frequently used by walkers and cross country skiers. To accommodate for this recreational function, a new trail was designed that follows the natural contours of the land, providing a path to the bottom of the hill without the steep, harsh grades characteristic of the old road.

The work for the project is scheduled to be started on May 5^th, 2008. Bill Torrey, who is known for his excellent land ethic and professionalism, has been contracted to complete the necessary work with his tracked excavator.

Project:  Research and Public involvement for Successful Reintroduction of American Chestnuts to Vermont Forests

Community Partner: American Chestnut Foundation – John Shane and Paul Shauberg

Students:  Stephanie Walsh and Melissa Belcher

The goal of this project was to synthesize research conducted on American chestnut seedlings and saplings at Jericho Research Forest, Vermont, in order to produce an
informational pamphlet outlining our qualitative results to be distributed to the public. Our community partner John Shane and the research study’s funder, The American Chestnut Society is exploring the basic life history characteristics of American chestnuts under four different planting technique treatments in order to have the best understanding on where to re-introduce this species in Northern Vermont. The American Chestnut Society is currently developing a resistant strand of the American chestnut to the Chestnut Blight, the devastating fungal disease that has destroyed the American chestnut and the community structure of the Appalachian hardwood forest due to an invasion introduced in 1904.
Because American chestnuts have been suffering for over 100 years, little is known on the basic life history characteristics of this magnificent tree. Due to the various potential benefits of the reintroduction of this species, re-introduction into Vermont is a popular idea. Our pamphlet will provide citizens of Vermont with the background knowledge in order to be most successful in planting these resistant seeds when they become available to the public. Our pamphlet has been distributed to various groups of people in Vermont. Included was a survey that will be returned to us that will quantify our success readability, and understanding of the pamphlet, and will also provide interested recipients with an opportunity to submit their address to us so that when resistant strain seeds become available, they will be distributed to knowledgeable, excited citizens of Vermont.

 Project:  Champlain Elementary School’s Living Machine

Community Partner: Jen Mann at Champlain Elementary School, Sustainable Schools Project

Students:  Anna Kovaliv, Shelby Fraga

This semester, we resurrected the living machine at Champlain Elementary School.  After a healthy run of seven years, the machine died last summer due to lack of maintenance, and we were the spark to reignite interest in the machine.  With help from our community partner, Jen Mann, two fathers of children in the school, and Marc Companion, the original builder of the living machine, we inoculated the living machine with life and brought it back to a fully-functioning state.  Now Lightening the Turtle, the school's live-in mascot, has an entire mini-ecosystem to call home.

Project:  Recruiting mentors for Mobius

Community Partner:  Mobius

Students:  Deng Kenjok, Sumana Serchan

We contacted businesses and institutions to set up appointments to talk about mentoring for Mobius.  We managed to present at Burlington Cohousing and signed up one mentor, and we are exploring new ideas to recruit mentors.

Project:  Feasibility of Baitfish Aquaculture in Vermont

Community Partner:  Jeff Gunderson, National Aquaculture Center, Great Lakes Sea Trust

Students:  Joshua Ashline, Joe Cahill, Joshua Hayford

Our project was an analysis on the demand for local baitfish aquaculture in Vermont. Currently, there are heavy restrictions on the distribution of baitfish in Vermont, due to the recent outbreak of the VHS virus that has found its way into midwestern water bodies. Baitfish aquaculture in the Midwest, particularly Arkansas, is a huge industry, and the wide range of distribution is the primary vector for the invasion of the VHS virus. The three of us structured a business plan that involved a sustainable facility, which re-circulates and conserves water, and has the capacity to also integrate a hydroponics agriculture system, an integration known as aquaponics. Through the convergence of an ecological, economic, and ethical perspective, we devised a well-rounded plan, which evolved steadily over the course of the semester.

Project:  Miller Pond assessment

Community Partner:  John Messier, farm maintenance director

Student:  Alea Tuttle

The Miller Pond project sought to examine solutions to improve the water quality of effluent from a storm water retention pond. The storm water retention pond empties directly into Potash Brook, and receives runoff from concrete paddocks where mud and manure can pollute the water. A series of interviews of CALS and RSENR faculty and staff were conducted to define the problem and provide a context for the project.  Recommendations for future actions are contained in a narrative report that attempts to define the problem from a whole-systems perspective.

Project:  Burlington Climate Action Plan

Community Partner:  Burlington Legacy Project

Student:  Peter Kovacs

I worked with the Legacy Project. My job was to research sustainability policies for an updated addition of the Burlington Climate Action Plan. I evaluated numerous climate plans from cities around the country and worked with local policy experts. This was a great project because of its real world applications.

Project:  Mobbs Parcel Wildlife Inventory

Community Partner:  Derek Berkins, Jericho Conservation Commission, Mobbs Committee

Students:  Kiley Briggs, Karen Klinger, Kelly McBride, Katie Chang, Jaime Recore, Tim O’Connell

The purpose of our project was to conduct a wildlife inventory on Mobbs Property,
adjacent to the Jericho Research Forest in Jericho, Vermont.  We examined signs of charismatic mammalian species presence on the property (including tracks, scat, etc.) and made observations of current and future stand diversity to determine habitat availability.  After spending considerable time in the forest we were able to make management recommendations that will help the commission manage not only for human recreation on the property but also for wildlife.  We were restricted to mammals not because the commission was uninterested in anything else but instead to the weather constraints of winter.  Future NR206 groups in the fall semester may be able to contribute to this project by surveying for species of birds and herp that we were unable to.  Our final deliverable was a report of mammal species that were detected or are likely to occur on the property.

Project:  Greening of Aiken – LEED Points for landscaping

Community Partner:  Greening of Aiken Committee

Students:  Stephen Addison and Alex Crowcroft

The landscaping project of the Davis Center circle involved a pre-site analysis of the circle, brainstorms and drafts, and finally a plan for execution.  The design allowed us to use our creativity and our basic understanding of plants to create a welcoming site on the circle.  The project involved a lot of drafting and drawing.

Project:  Retrofitting Little Park:  Making it a big part of the Community through and Urban Rain Garden and Murals

Community Partner:  Burlington Parks and Recreation

Students:  Caitlin Andrews and Kelly Coons

Our project involved retrofitting a park in the Old North End. This park, barely used, was transformed by the addition of an exemplary rain garden and a number environmentally themed murals painted by businesses and youth organization in the vicinity. The majority of the work for this project involved design, gaining approval to do this project through Burlington Parks and Recreation, and receiving donations from multiple organizations in the area to complete the project. Retrofitting George & Elaine Little Park added social, natural, and cultural capital to the Old North End.

Project:  Carbon Footprint of Intervale Compost Products

Community Partner:  Intervale Compost Products

Students:  Kyla Bedard and Chris Dubin

Our project involved working with Intervale Compost Products (ICP) to explore their carbon footprint in the greater Burlington community; ICP wanted us to evaluate the ICP's current carbon impact on the community and also what it would be if ICP was no longer in operation.

Project:  Jericho Research Forest Green Forestry Education Initiative

Community Partner:  David Brynn, Jericho Research Forest

Student:  Drew Cameron

I worked with David Brynn and the Green Forestry Education Initiative at Jericho Research Forest to create a management plan for an eight acre stand within compartment three. Utilizing my training in forestry I worked to measure and tally, interpret and design a reasonable harvesting and plan for this unique area within the research forest. The final component was delivering the management plan for archiving in the Green Forestry website as a potential future learning tool to expound upon.

Project:  Moosalamoo Festival

Community Partner:  Bruce Brown, Moosalamoo National Recreation Area

Students:  Matt Linder, Amanda Cota, Emily Carson

We imagined, designed, advertised for, and ran an Earth Week volunteer festival at Moosalamoo National Recreation Area in Brandon, VT.  We partnered UVM with Middlebury students/faculty and local businesses to build hype for the newly appointed NRA and for supplies/food used that day.

Project:  Rooftop Bird Garden Planning and Curriculum Development

Community Partner:  High School for Environmental Studies

Students:  Caitlin Kincaid, Brian Cummings, David Lucero, and Nick Barch

For our NR206 project we worked with the High School for Environmental Studies and their community partner the Friends of the High School for Environmental Studies (FHSES) in Manhattan, New York.  Working closely with FHSES, our group developed lesson plans and activities to help the schools wildlife conservation and biology classes plan and construct an urban bird garden on the schools existing rooftop garden.  The planning culminated in a day long event at the school where the students built feeders, bird baths, planted seedlings and drafted a plan for the actual layout of the garden.

Project:  A Preliminary Assessment of the Climate Status of Diversity in Rubenstein Classrooms

Commnity Partner:  Rubenstein School Diversity Task Force

Student:  Anastasia Yarbrough

I conducted faculty surveys, collected student narratives, and wrote a Scholarly Personal Narrative, all centered around diversity in the classrooms of the Rubenstein School.

Project: Greening of Schroon Lake Hotel

Community Partner:  Dave Kaufman

Students: Adam Dolan, Dale Parker, Jeremy Oclatis
For our NR 206 project we worked with Dave Kaufman, who was in the process of planning the creation of a hotel. He wanted to make his hotel as environmentally friendly as possible to help promote sustainable practices and help his business reduce costs. We conducted an in depth analysis of all environmentally friendly products, practices from the construction process to the in room products. At the conclusion of our project we presented our community partner with our researched information and provided him with contact information, benefits, and a range of choices for different products.

Project:  Jericho Research Forest Pizza Oven and Community Development

Community Partner:  David Brynn, Jericho Research Forest

Student:  Blakeley Adkins

This project was based around finishing the wood burning pizza oven at Jericho, and getting the Jericho community and UVM students involved by inviting them to participate in making cob and adding it to the oven. This project also included the creation of a webpage on the green forestry website describing a step by step process on how to build your own oven, and the organization of a community event at the research forest. The main goal of this project was to demonstrate how something as simple as the construction and use of a home made pizza oven can bring people with similar interests together. We are living in a society where there is little interaction within communities which is crucial in order for people to work together and lean from others. I hope that this oven is a step in the right direction.

Project:  Green Hotels

Community Partner:  Peter Crawford, Vermont Green Hotels in the Green Mountain State

Students:  Erin Chansky and Reese Wisnowski

Vermont Green Hotels in the Green Mountain State (VGHGMS) is a small business which works with various hotels in the state of Vermont to reduce their environmental impact. Working with Peter Crawford we were able to collect surveys from all hotels within the program and identify how much waste reduction was happening. We identified strengthens and weaknesses by putting this data into an excel spreadsheet. By listening to the concerns of the hotel owners we were able to identify an interest in learning what other hotels are doing, especially in terms of environmental cleaners. Our group researched the environmental cleaners that were said to be the most efficient and made references sheets for the VGHGMS website. Overall, this project was a great experience to work on communication skills and learn more about the tourism industry and how hotels can better their green practices.

Fall 2007

North End Energy Efficiency for Low Income Residents

Community Partner(s):  Hal Colston, Neighborkeepers

Students:  Kesha Ram, Satish Serchan, Min Zheng

Hike for Eco-Literacy

Community Partner(s):  UVM Outdoor Center and SPECTRUM 

Students: Jared Levesque, Krysta Zambroski, Debbie Krug

Greening of Aiken: Waste Water Treatment Design

Community Partner(s):  Greening of Aiken Committee

Students:  JT Gravelie, Connor Seery, Dan Passios

Colchester Bog Boardwalk Restoration

Community Partner(s):  UVM

Students:  Doug Brown, Mish Cetner, Nicole Desnoyers, Abby Farnham, JJ Rice

Salmon Hole Trail Restoration:

Community Partner(s):  Winooski Valley Park District

Students: Kim DePasquale, Lucas Chapman, Grant Janukajtis, Helmut Werner, Ryan Koloski      

South Burlington School Energy Assessment 

Community Partner(s):  South Burlington School District

Students:  Jodi Anderson, Sam Tolstoi, Oliver LaFarge, Gerard Gainy, Jon Lashure

Fair Trade Construction Materials

Community Partner(s):  Michelle Mularky, UVM Physical Plan

Students:  Kerry Canton, Kyle Burkett

Fair Trade Jewelry

Community Partner(s):  CHASM, Sally Deleon

Students:  Katie Gibbons, Sara Chace, Breezy Salmonsen, Jessica Chaplin

Eco-Clubs

Community Partner(s):  Barnes Elementary and Matt Dubel, Sustainable Schools Project

Students: Katie Cleggett, Kimberly Reinhardt, Joules Dybiki

Focus the Nation

Community Partner(s):  UVM

Students:  Chelsea Kadish, Katie Proudman

Ecological Assessment of Bolton Ski Resort

Community Partner(s):   Redstone, Billy Wilson

Students: Rich Kropp, Ben Levy

Intervale Nursery Project

Community Partner(s):  Intervale Conservation Nursery

Students: Andrew Eberly, Amy Niemczura

Shelburne Farms Carbon Calculator

Community Partner(s):  Anne Bijur, Shelburne Farms

Student:  Shane Dwyer

South Burlington School Interpretive Trail and Compost

Community Partner(s):  South Burlington School District

Students:  Brian Vautin, Juliana Duryea,  Justin Gibel, Chris Catsos

Step It Up:  Raising Awareness about Climate Change

Community Partner(s):  Step It Up Burlington

Students: Jon Ellermann, Katelyn Homeyer

Greenhouse Harvest Celebration and Local Food Education

Community Partner(s):  GreenHouse

Students:  Allison Colwell, Jonathan Kovacs, Adam Crawford

Interpretive Signs for Rock Point –

Community Partner(s):  Rock Point

Students:  Sarah Wanamaker, Caitlin O'Neil

Spring 2007

Working with to run Burlington Spring "Green up" events

Community Partner(s):  CEDO

Students:  Pat

Site remediation of toxins at the Miller Farm

Community Partner(s):  UVM

Students: David, Eric, Rhys

Site remediation at Common Ground Farm

Community Partner(s):  Common Ground Farm

Students: Tom, Mike

Cleaning up the McKenzie parcel at the Intervale

Community Partner(s):   Burlington Parks and Rec

Students:  Mike, Matt

Climate Change Teach-in

Community Partner(s):  UVM faculty/staff/students

Students:  Caroline, Jessica, Erin, Ashley

SWEEP Radio Spots on Environmental Education

Community Partner(s):   SWEEP (Statewide Environmental Education Programs)

Students:  Ben, Daniel, Matt

Watershed Education in Schools

Community Partner(s):  Rock Point 

Students:  Erika, Ryan, Jacqueline

Community Bird Walks

Community Partner(s):  Town of Milton

Students:  Roger

Bike Transportation to Jericho Research Forest

Community Partner(s):  David Brynn and Jericho Research Forest

Students: Gwen

Project Consulting Regarding Gas Station Remediation

Students: Greg

Solar wood drying kiln design for Jericho Research Forest

Community Partner(s):  David Brynn, Jericho Research Forest

Students:  Josh O’Neil, Zach Bergen, Christen Scott, Lindsey DeGiorgio

Environmental Education and Urban Wildlife

Community Partner(s):  Barnes Elementary

Students:  Chrisey Casey, Samantha Collins

Assisting the Development of a Farm to School Program for the Orchard School

Community Partner(s):  South Burlington School District

Student:  Johanna Prader

Self-sufficiency Skills Workshops for GreenHouse Students

Community Partner(s):  GreenHouse

Students:  Ethan Joseph, Jessica Frank, Dafna, Janice Moynihan, Nathan Kargman

Bobcat Behavior Research

Community Partner(s):   Mark Freeman

Student:  Katie Parrish

Songbird Decline Monitoring at Audubon Vermont

Community Partner(s):   Audubon Vermont (Mark LaBarre)

Student:  Anna Potter

Yurt Design/Construction

Community Partner(s):  Jericho Research Forest

Students:  Alex, Nick, Mitch, Kevin, John

Fall 2006

Assessment of Wolcott Research Forest

Community Partner(s):  John Shane

Jericho Forest Road Assessment and Management

Community Partner(s):  David Brynn and Jericho Research Forest

Jericho Forest Stream Assessment

Community Partner(s):  David Brynn and Jericho Research Forest

Jericho Forest Trail Assessment

Community Partner(s):  David Brynn and Jericho Research Forest

Revitalization of Community Parks

Community Partner(s):  Burlington Parks and Rec

Local Food Campaign

Community Partner(s):   GreenHouse Staff

Wildlife Habitat Assessment at McKenzie Parcel

Community Partner(s):  NWF, Burlington Parks and Rec, Backyard Habitat Program

Watershed Stewardship Educational Program

Community Partner(s):  Watershed Alliance

Forest Methodology

Community Partner(s):  Mike Snyder and local loggers

Sustainability Education (design and implementation)

Community Partner(s):  SLIMY

Vernal Pool Construction and Amphibian Habitat Enhancement

Community Partner(s):  Birds of Vermont Museum

Model Timber Sale

Community Partner(s):  David Brynn and Jericho Research Forest

Design of a Solar Array for Wolcott Cabin

Community Partner(s):  David Brynn and Jericho Research Forest

Reducing Waste Campaign

Community Partner(s):  Spectrum

Design and Implementation of  global warming education

Community Partner(s):  Barnes Elementary School

Vegan Restaurant Guide

Community Partner(s):  over 50 local restaurants

Spring 2006

Providing outdoor and environmental education experiences to teens

Community Partners(s): SPECTRUM

Building and developing curriculum for a living machine at the High School for Environmental Studies

Community Partners(s):  High School for Environmental Studies

Providing engaging nature education to elementary school students

Community Partners(s):  Lawrence Barnes Elementary School

Jericho road restoration

Community Partners(s):  David Brynn and Jericho Research Forest

Bats and Bird Habitat

Community Partners(s):  Burlington Parks and Recreation

Introducing elementary school kids to “people of passion”

Community Partners(s):  Champlain Elementary School

Old North End Ski Initiate

Community Partners(s):  Bolton Valley Ski Resort

Initiating a UVM Forestry/Woodsmans team

Community Partners(s):  Jericho Research Forest, David Brynn, Paul Kate

Backyard wildlife habitat program

Community Partners(s):  National Wildlife Federation, Burlington Parks and Rec

Raising awareness about wildlife

Community Partners(s):  Local nursing home

Green restaurant initiative

Community Partners(s):  Burlington Pub and Brewery

Exploring and documenting the promise of town forests

Community Partners(s):  Jericho Research Forest, H enry David Thoreau Foundation, Peregrine Productions

Creating a Darfur Speaker Database

Community Partner(s): STAND

Jericho Yurt

Community Partner(s): Jericho Research Forest and David Brynn

Common Ground Sediment Control Ecological Design

Community Partner(s): Common Ground Family Camp

Williston Park Nature Brochure

Community Partner(s):  Parks and Recreation

Downtown Compost Initiative

Greening the Redstock Music Event

Community Partner(s):  Many local businesses

Bubbles to Ripples: raising money and awareness for healthy water systems

Community Partner(s):  Many small community businesses

Recycling Forums

Community Partner(s):  Erica Spiegel and UVM recycling program

Fall 2005

Raising awareness for alternative medical practices on campus

Community Partner(s):  Center for Health and Well Being

Working to bring local food alternatives to campus

Community Partners(s): 

Evaluating Burlington Community Gardens

Community Partners(s):  Jim Flint

Lewis Creek Management Plan

Community Partners(s):  Lewis Creek Watershed Association

Urban Environmental Education

Community Partners(s):  Branch Out Burlington

Tracking ATV Use in Vermont

Community Partners(s):  Vermont Natural Resource Council

Salisbury school nature trail

Community Partner(s):  Salibury Conservation Commission

Buy local fair

Community Partner(s):  20+ local businesses

Refugee afterschool program

Community Partner(s):  Franklin Square, Ginny Mullins

Biodiesel directory

Community Partner(s):  Many local supporters of biodiesel

Green Business Certification discussion

Community Partner(s): Vermont Pub and Brewery

Energy efficiency booklet

Community Partner(s):  Efficiency Vermont

Community Development of Underused Urban Spaces

Community Partner(s):  Diane Gayer