May 5, 2012

For Earth Day this year, I helped wrestle English ivy out of the ground in Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge. The clean-up event was organized by Portland Parks and Recreation, Willamette Riverkeeper, and the Oregon Surfrider Foundation. 

English ivy, Hedera helix, is an invasive plant here in Oregon and it can completely dominate large swaths of land, turning it into a monoculture devoid of native vegetation. The Oregon State Extension Service briefly explains the problem here: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/node/948

A very thorough description, by the Plant Conservation Alliance’s Alien Plant Working Group can be found here: http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/fact/hehe1.htm

Notice the vegetation pile in the above picture- it is comprised of many small knots of English ivy. Uprooted vines are fashioned into knots in order to diminish the likelihood that the ivy could reroot itself while the abandoned pile is decomposing. 

While I was working I also came across many Fringecup plants, Tellima grandiflora, in all their fairytale splendor. On occasion when I looked up from my work, I could see Osprey nests in the transmission tower above. 

All in all, I had a lovely time enjoying a rare sunny day in Portland in the spring.

Willamette Riverkeeper: http://www.willamette-riverkeeper.org/

Oregon Surfrider Foundation: http://oregon.surfrider.org/

Portland Parks & Recreation: http://www.portlandonline.com/parks/

May 1, 2012

Glycera dibranchiata in various poses in the lab at SERC during the summer of 2011.

May 1, 2012

Ascophyllum nodosum var. scorporides on the coast of Maine at low tide.

This algae is collected and used as packing material for shipment of Maine bloodworms, Glycera dibranchiata

April 30, 2012
Last summer, I worked with the Invasions lab at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC), investigating the invasion vector of the Maine bloodworm trade. We searched through copious amounts of algal packing material used to ship bloodworms to see what kinds of other organisms were also hitching a ride. By comparing the identity and abundance of organisms in each hierarchical level of bloodworm shipment (Maine distributor, regional distributor, and local bait store) with intertidal algae in bays in Maine, we aimed to construct the first picture of possible invasive organisms distributed through the bloodworm trade. 
The following article posted by SERC tells a bit more about the bloodworm project as well as a bait giveaway created to educate the public about the need to dispose of used or leftover bait properly to avoid introducing non-native species.
I am pictured above with Dr. Amy Fowler, searching for epiphytes and small organisms in the algae. 
http://www.serc.si.edu/labs/marine_invasions/feature_story/May_2012.aspx

Last summer, I worked with the Invasions lab at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC), investigating the invasion vector of the Maine bloodworm trade. We searched through copious amounts of algal packing material used to ship bloodworms to see what kinds of other organisms were also hitching a ride. By comparing the identity and abundance of organisms in each hierarchical level of bloodworm shipment (Maine distributor, regional distributor, and local bait store) with intertidal algae in bays in Maine, we aimed to construct the first picture of possible invasive organisms distributed through the bloodworm trade. 

The following article posted by SERC tells a bit more about the bloodworm project as well as a bait giveaway created to educate the public about the need to dispose of used or leftover bait properly to avoid introducing non-native species.

I am pictured above with Dr. Amy Fowler, searching for epiphytes and small organisms in the algae. 

http://www.serc.si.edu/labs/marine_invasions/feature_story/May_2012.aspx

April 14, 2012

Lettuce seedlings starting their lives!

These lettuce seedlings will be the heart of a pilot experiment comparing the effect of different hydroponic nutrient solutions on plant growth. 

This is the first stage- growing them to a large enough size to transfer to the deep water culture.

Next- creating the hydroponic environment!

April 14, 2012
Begin!

This is my inaugural post!

Join me as I

- aggregate interesting and inspiring information about sustainable living systems for humans: food, shelter, energy, transportation, urban planning 

- compose my thoughts about urban food production

- document the progress of my scientific experiments

Thanks for accompanying me on my journey! I’m looking forward to it!

…and…go!

March 23, 2012

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