School of Natural Resources and Environment

Conservation Ecology News & Highlights

SNRE Alumni and Students Gather at Jolly Pumpkin

SNRE students and alums gathered Thursday for their regular happy hour at Jolly Pumpkin. Tom Wagner, Class of '71 (pictured on right) told stories about his days in the Dana Building before SNR got its 'E', Erik Herzog, Class of '89, told us about his work at the EPA and 2004 graduate Michael DiRamio talked about the beginnings of the Sustainable Systems track. A good time had by all! Thanks to all the students and alums who came! We look forward to this every month.

 

-SNRE Alumni Gateway

Allan named to EPA Great Lakes Advisory Board

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced on behalf of 16 federal agencies the membership of the first advisory board to support implementation of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. “Protecting the Great Lakes -- the largest surface freshwater system on Earth -- is important for the health and well being of millions of people," said EPA Acting Administrator and Acting Interagency Task Force Chair Bob Perciasepe. "Today I’m pleased to announce the membership of the first-ever Great Lakes Advisory Board.”

Deforestation in the Amazon rainforest

Protected areas successfully prevent deforestation in Amazon rainforest

Strictly protected areas such as national parks and biological reserves have been more effective at reducing deforestation in the Amazon rainforest than so-called sustainable-use areas that allow for controlled resource extraction, two University of Michigan researchers and their colleagues have found. In addition, protected areas established primarily to safeguard the rights and livelihoods of indigenous people performed especially well in places where deforestation pressures are high. The U-M-led study, which found that all forms of protection successfully limit deforestation, is scheduled for online publication March 11 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Brad Cardinale Addresses the Impact of Biodiversity on Humanity in Recent Article

Brad Cardinale, School of Natural Resources and Environment's associate professor and director of the school's conservation ecology program recently had an opinion piece about biodiversity and its impact on humanity published in the professional magazine, The Scientist. 

Cardinale focuses on increasing evidence that suggests that loss of the Earth's biological diversity will compromise our planet's ability to provide the goods and services societies need to prosper. 

Peter M. Wege and his sustainability legacy at U-M

The Center for Sustainable Systems at the School of Natural Resources and Environment annually invites an internationally recognized leader to deliver the Peter M. Wege Lecture on Sustainability. Established in 2001, the lecture series is named to honor Peter M. Wege, the retired vice-chairman of the board of Steelcase, Inc., in Grand Rapids, Mich.

Cardinale talks biodiversity with Michigan Radio

In an interview with Michigan Radio, SNRE Associate Professor Brad Cardinale talks about biodiversity in the context of a bill in the Michigan Legislature.

The story by Rebecca William discusses a bill introduced by state Sen. Tom Casperson-R (Escanaba) that would prohibit the the state Department of Natural Resources from setting aside an area of land specifically for the purpose of maintaining biological diversity (basically, to protect the variety of plants and animals that live in an area), according to the Michigan Radio story.

Sustainable Food Symposium

CAFE presents Second Annual Sustainable Food Careers Symposium Feb. 15

CAFE is hosting a Sustainable Food Careers Symposium Friday, Feb. 15, Room 1040 of the Dana Building. The symposium brings graduate and undergraduate students together with professionals in food careers related to sustainability and the environment. Organizers' goal is to expose students to the wide range of career opportunities in this field. The event will feature panel discussions focused on:

THIS EVENT IS FREE; THE FIRST 100 REGISTRANTS RECEIVE A FREE LUNCH! (REGISTER BELOW)

Three University of Michigan researchers were lead convening authors of chapters in the 1,100-plus-page National Climate Assessment, which was written by a team of more than 240 scientists.

SNRE professors contribute to new National Climate Assessment

In the coming decades, climate change will lead to more frequent and more intense Midwest heat waves while degrading air and water quality and threatening public health. Intense rainstorms and floods will become more common, and existing risks to the Great Lakes will be exacerbated. Those are some of the conclusions contained in the Midwest chapter of a draft report released last week by the federal government that assesses the key impacts of climate change on every region in the country and analyzes its likely effects on human health, water, energy, transportation, agriculture, forests, ecosystems and biodiversity. Three University of Michigan researchers were lead convening authors of chapters in the 1,100-plus-page National Climate Assessment, which was written by a team of more than 240 scientists.

17 SNRE students among 40 in inaugural class of Dow Sustainability Fellows

Forty master's and professional-degree students from eight schools and colleges at the University of Michigan, including 17 from the School of Natural Resources and Environment, are beginning the Dow Sustainability Fellows Program today, marking the first cohort of fellows in the $10 million program launched last spring.

Research being led by SNRE Professor Don Zak has received an additional five years of federal support. PHOTO BY DAVE BRENNER

Grant Funding Allows for Further Study of the Effects of Climate Change

Research being led by SNRE Professor Don Zak has received an additional five years of federal support, enabling researchers to continue an unprecedented study of how changes in climate are affecting the DNA of forests. The new round of National Science Foundation funding allows work to continue through 2018. The experiments are taking place in northern Michigan, and examine how climate change is influencing the activity of soil microbes, which decay dead leaves and roots in a process that controls the amount of carbon stored in soils.

New Urban Stormwater Course Combines Ecology, Landscape Architecture

By Angela Fichera

West Eisenhower Parkway, Stone School Road and West Ellsworth Road – three heavily traveled thoroughfares in the city of Ann Arbor – each got a makeover thanks to graduate students in an SNRE experimental course titled “Urban Stormwater: Science, Design and Management course.”

Conservation Ecology Seminar Series features 13 speakers, starting Jan. 18

The annual Conservation Ecology Seminar Series begins Jan. 18, ushering in 13 talks from scientist around the country. The seminar series is organized by the Conservation Ecology field of study at the School of Natural Resources and Environment. The lectures are Fridays from 3-4 p.m. in Room 1028. They are open to the public and followed by a question-and-answer session with the speakers; no registration is required.

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