Monday, May 12th, 2008
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CES News
- The Reverend Dr. David Mitchell
Off Campus
- Rhododendron Gardens Open
- Summer Walks and Programs
Internships & Opportunities
- Harvard Green Campus Initiative
- Environmental Health Strategy Center
- Ecosa Institute
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CES News_________________________
The Reverend Dr. David Mitchell
Environmental Justice: Assuring Environment Justice for All
Wednesday, May 14th from 6:30 - 8:00; MacMillan Hall room 115
The forum will begin at 6:30 with a talk by Dr. Mitchell, followed by a conversation about the talk, the environment and how it affects our lives, especially in urban America.
Dr. Mitchell holds a Master of Divinity degree from Emory University in Atlanta, GA and his Doctor of Ministry degree in Theology and Ethics from Claremont School of Theology, Claremont, California. Dr. Mitchell has written and published "Black Theology and Youths at Risk" and is currently Senior Pastor of Congdon Street Baptist Church in Providence, RI.
Off Campus______________________
Rhododendron Gardens Open
Memorial Day Weekend: May 24-26, 2008 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm each day
Gleaner Gardens, 299 Gleaner Chapel Road, North Scituate, RI
Visit Gleaner Gardens to see more than 300 Rhododendrons and Azaleas in bloom - over 100 varieties. Bring a camera and a picnic. Witness the restoration in progress of these 50-year old gardens. Fee: $2
Contact Jackie at 401-789-7497
Mark Your Calendars: Summer Walks and Programs
Tour Pulaski State Park
Chepachet, RI
Saturday, June 21st, 2008 10:00am - 12noon
This tour will highlight one of the jewels in the state forest system. Until the 1930's Pulaski Park was heavily used for forest products. The government bought the land to help forestland owners get back on their feet after the depression. Pulaski is a wonderful example of how a forest can recover and be restored as a vital habitat. The hike will tour thru the hemlock trail, and see some of the results of state management release of beetles in battling Hemlock Woolly Adelgid. There is also Lightning Hill, where trees meet the elements in large thunderstorms. Leader: Paul Dolan, Assistant State Forester Fee: $5 members, $7 nonmembers. Register with Jackie at the RIWPS office 401-789-7497
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Carnivorous Plant Walk
Co-sponsored with the New England Carnivorous Plant Society
Great Swamp Wildlife Management Area, West Kingston, RI
Saturday, July 19th, 2008 Noon – 3:00pm
Rhode Island is home to several species of flesh-eating plants. While most other plants are dependent on the soil for providing essential nutrients, carnivorous plants can get what they need from decaying insects. This allows them to survive in some nutrient-poor conditions such as sphagnum bogs, fens, wet gravel, or just floating in the water. The Great Swamp is a great place to see some of them. We should find pitcher plants, sundews and bladderworts, and with luck, most will be in bloom. The Great Swamp has a lot to offer botanically and we will look at what's interesting, from the stately American Holly Tree, to the beautiful White Fringed Orchid. Easy walk - No Fee. To register and for information and directions contact walk Leaders: Doug McGrady, 401-248-2967 (RIWPS) and John Phillip, 401-741-7825 (NECPS)
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Ferns for your Landscape
Tiverton, RI
Sunday, July 27, 2008 -10:00 am
Nothing evokes serenity and "naturalizes" a landscape like a glade of ferns. They are easy to grow and provide season-long greenery and wonderful texture. This program will get you started in appreciating and identifying common native ferns with their appropriate soil and light conditions. After reviewing fern species, their interesting life cycle and propagation techniques, we'll tour the property where a variety of native ferns add to its natural diversity and aesthetic quality. Leader: Garry Plunkett, naturalist and NEWFS Certificate Program graduate. Fee: $5 for members, $7 nonmembers. Register with Jackie at RIWPS office 401-789-7497
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Queen River Preserve
Exeter, RI
Saturday, August 9th, 2008, 8:30 -10:30am
Let's try to beat the heat while exploring a little known area. The Nature Conservancy's Queen River Preserve is an easy stroll along forested pathways to a pristine stream. An unusual pine barren community, wetlands and woods can be explored, and together we can uncover its secrets. Bring an interest, or expertise, in mosses, ferns, lichens, flowering plants and trees and see why this area is an important area to protect. Leader: Frances Topping, a nature generalist interested in the interactions of plants and animals, including humans. Fee: $5 for members, $7 nonmembers. Register with Jackie at RIWPS office 401-789-7497
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Weed Identification
URI Agricultural Experiment Station, URI Kingston
Saturday, August 23rd, 2008, 9:00am - 12:00noon, rain or shine
Got weeds? Don't know what they are? The first step in weed management is proper identification. Come and join Carl Sawyer, Research Associate at the URI Agricultural Experiment Station, and learn how to key out weeds using Weeds of the Northeast by Uva, Neal, and DiTomasso. We will key out specimens brought in by participants, look at weed communities at the Station and talk about management strategies. A hand lens would be helpful. Limited to 15 participants. Leader: Carl Sawyer M.S. in plant physiology and research associate at URI Agricultural Experiment Station. Fee: $5 for members, $7 nonmembers. Register with Jackie at RIWPS office 401-789-7497=20
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Secret Lake
Saturday, September 6th, 2008 - time to be announced
Easy paddle: Bring your canoe or kayak to venture a view of Bidens laevis (tickseed) in bloom. By paddling around Secret Lake we will get up close to this flower in the Asteraceae family. It will feel like being in a meadow of sunflowers except we will be in the water. Leader: Sindy Hempstead Fee: $5 for members, $7 nonmembers. Register with Jackie at RIWPS office 401-789-7497=20
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Mushroom Walk
Nettie Jones Preserve, West Greenwich
Tuesday, September 16th, 2008, 2:00pm - 4:00pm
Fungus is everywhere but mostly we only notice it when it decides to send out its spore producing fruit, the mushroom. At Nettie Jones Preserve in West Greenwich, the variety of habitats from the mixed hardwood forest, streams and old fields should give us a diversity of mushrooms to look for. We will pick one of each type to try and identify it to a major group. There is no collecting on this foray. You are advised never to eat a wild mushroom unless you are positive of its species. Many mushrooms look alike, but some are deadly. Leader: Noel Rowe, an amateur mushroom enthusiast [but is by no means an expert). Fee: $5 for members, $7 nonmembers. Register with Jackie at RIWPS office 401-789-7497
Internships & Opportunities_______
The Green Campus Initiative at Harvard is continuing to grow and hire!
Title: Program Coordinator, Longwood Green Campus Program
Position #: 33665
The Longwood Program Coordinator works with the Harvard Medical School, School of Public Health, & Dental School to administer and implement campus conservation programs on the Longwood campus. The major activities of this program are education, outreach and publicity for environmental sustainability initiatives; running conservation campaigns and working with students, staff, and faculty to reduce campus environmental impacts; accounting for and reporting conservation projects on campus; and ongoing research to support best practices for waste, energy, and water conservation efforts on campus, particularly focusing on the laboratory environment as labs make up a major portion of the building type at Longwood. The position will be based out of the Green Campus offices in Cambridge, MA, also spending a good portion of his/her time on the Longwood Campus in Boston, MA.
For the full job description and to apply for the position visit the Harvard Human Resources website and search for position # 33665.
http://jobs.harvard.edu/jobs/search_req
For more info about the Green Campus program efforts at Longwood visit
http://www.greencampus.harvard.edu/lgci
Jaclyn Olsen, Assistant Director, Harvard Green Campus Initiative
617-384-8860
jaclyn_olsen@harvard.edu
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Environmental Health Strategy Center
We are currently seeking a Director for our new Sustainable Bioplastics Program. Please visit www.preventharm.org to learn about the organization.
Contact for more information:
Michael Belliveau, Executive Director, Environmental Health Strategy Center
P.O. Box 2217, Bangor, Maine 04402
tel (207) 827-6331 cell (207) 631-5565 fax (207) 827-5755
http://www.preventharm.org
mbelliveau@preventharm.org
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The Ecosa Institute
Permaculture/Water Design Intensive
July 7th to August 1st, 2008
Prescott, Arizona
This summer, invest in a program that will have you generative positive solutions to the global environmental emergencies we face today. Permaculture experts Brad Lancaster, Andrew Millison and Joshua Robinson will introduce you to desert, temperate and mountain regions of Arizona in a four-week intensive teaching you the theory and practice of permaculture and water analyses, edible and native landscapes, greywater and rainwater harvesting systems, solar ovens, healthy soils and community gardens. 72-hour Permaculture Certificate awarded. Credit available from Prescott College.
For more information visit www.ecosainstitute.org
or call (928)541-1002
or email info@ecosainstitute.org
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Please send questions, comments and stories to:
CES Newsletter Editor, Marie-Laure Couët
marie-laure_couet@brown.edu
Thanks!