An Ecology of Place

After one of the snowiest winters in years, spring has come to New England. The snow has melted, refilling a stream that runs behind the Urban Ecology Institute. This picture is of trees reflected in the water.

L.A. TImes Pulitzer Winning Series: Altered Oceans

Haven't had time to read it yet, but it should be good!

Biofilters installed in Hong Kong fishing zone

Biofilters, a more catchy name for artificial reefs, have been installed in a fish culture zone just off of Hong Kong. Could artificial reefs be used in other urban areas to filter water and help to recover declining fish and oyster stocks?

Can Fisheries Coexist with Urbanization?

March 30, 2007
1:00pm to 5:00pm

Participants:

Syma Ebbin, Visiting Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies, University of Connecticut
Robin Kriesburg, Director of Restoration and Stewardship, Save the Sound
David Simpson, Associate Director, Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection Marine Fisheries Division

Location: Luce Hall, 54 Hillhouse Avenue, Room 202, New Haven, CT

Free and open to the public.

Sponsored by the Yale Society for Marine and Coastal Studies, the Yale Center for Coastal and Watershed Studies, and the Curtis and Edith Munson Foundation.

Restoring Long Island Sound

An interesting look at how much long-term planning and investment must occur in order to restore Long Island Sound and protect its water quality for the future.

Underwater logging?

How does rural, underwater logging relate to urban ecology? Welllllllll, it just so happens that Boston and many others cities have a loooooooonnnnnng thirst, which means that many cities' reservoirs are located far away in rural areas that were evacuated, dammed and flooded. Some of these areas were not harvested and several acres of intact forest remain preserved underwater. In some cases, the timber is worth quite a bit. A new piece of equipment, the Sawfish, now provides access.

For cities and rural communities in British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest, this could be a huge deal. However, have the trees become artificial fish and invertebrate habitat and if so, will sport fishermen and women have something to say about it?

Not sure if the Quabbin in western Massachusetts holds much underwater timber as much of that area was either deforested or secondary forest during its construction. It is a possibility, though (via SAF).

Smog changes water cycle

Especially affected are semi-arid areas, which have experienced reduced rainfall as a result of air pollution.

New England Urban Rivers Conference, March 29, 2007

The First New England Urban Rivers Conference

Co-Sponsored by EPA New England the Urban Harbors Institute

March 29th, 2007 from 8:30-4:30

Federal Reserve Bank in Boston, MA (across from South Station).



See information on the conference on the web at http://www.epa.gov/region1/urbanrivers/index.html
Hard copies of the brochure are being mailed next week. If you want to make sure you get one, please call.

Registration fee is $10.00 and must be mailed to the Urban Harbors Institute with registration form by March 15, 2007. Due to security at the bank you will need to bring a drivers license or a passport, and we really need to have you pre-registered. So please register early.

Any questions? Please call Pauline Westhaver 617-278-5570 at the Urban Harbors Institute, or Trish Garrigan 617-918-1583 at EPA.

Information about mass transit, parking and hotel options are available at http://www.bos.frb.org/about/directions.htm

Making L.A. into the biggest green city in the U.S.

Mayor Villaraigosa has made it his mission to make L.A. into the greenest big city in the U.S. Read about L.A.'s strategies! (via the Energy Bulletin).