Bird’s Eye View of Algal Bloom in Chautauqua Lake (New York)
Lack of rainfall during the summer months can allow nutrients to accumulate on the landscape. When intense rains finally arrive, these nutrients are flushed into waterways often resulting in algal blooms. This process is exemplified by this landsat satellite image of Chautauqua Lake (taken Sunday, 9/28 from 438 miles up) courtesy of RTPI’s GIS Lab.
Read MoreeXXpedition Great Lakes, August 20th 2016
Unseen plastics. Unseen pollution. All-female crews from Canada and the USA are sailing together for the first time this summer on August 20, 2016 on all five of the Great Lakes, Lake St Clair and the St Lawrence River to shed new light on the link between human health and plastic in the world’s waterways. The science lead for Lake Erie – Dr. Sherri Mason of SUNY Fredonia – will be joined by RTPI’s Communications Coordinator, Melanie Smith and several other environmental educators. The data collected will be provided to multiple organizations, including the United...
Read MoreNature Through the Lenses of Tweens and Teens
Jamestown Community College’s summer camp programs; Wee College, Kids College, and Tweens 2 Teens College provide area youth with the opportunity to explore a variety of classes that will both entertain their hobbies and interests, and engage them in the learning process. Students that participated in the Tweens 2 Teens College – Nature Through the Lens class explored the JCC campus and adjacent woodlot through the medium of digital photography and were challenged to capture images of organisms that they were unfamiliar with. Back in the computer lab, the students worked to...
Read MoreRTPI Benefits from Cummins Employee Volunteers
Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History recently benefitted from the diligent labors of several dedicated Cummins employees; a group of energetic volunteers devoted many hours to weeding and mulching the butterfly gardens and maintaining the sidewalk and driveway at the RTPI headquarters on Curtis Street in Jamestown. They did an outstanding job of making the grounds look crisp and appealing just in time for a highly anticipated event; the artist reception with John and Suzie Seerey-Lester that officially opened RTPI’s current exhibition – “Keeping the World Wild” – showcasing the...
Read MoreTalkin’ Trash
Plastics are ubiquitous in our daily lives due to their many desirable attributes; they’re lightweight, durable, and can be shaped into so many different items! Unfortunately, these same qualities have also led to their widespread distribution and persistence in our environment. Almost half of the more than three hundred million tons* of plastic that are produced each year are unaccounted for; in other words, they aren’t making it to recycling facilities or landfills. The majority of the plastic trash that originates on land – those soda bottles, shopping bags, drinking...
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