From The Swamp To The Classroom: A Voyage Of Discovery

Paul Weihe, Central College (IA)

Who IS this guy…??

• Taught ES annually since 1997

• APES Reader/Leader since ‘06

• Trained as ecologist (specialty: wetlands)

• Married; two sons in HS

• Avid gardener; homebrewer

• Recent interest: Ethnobotany

AGENDA• Some background on wetland science• Recent additions to our ES resources• Sharing & brainstorming

• Think of this as a conversation starter…

• Note: this Powerpoint and other materials are available for later review.

WETLANDS

• Disclaimer…my role here…

• The only ecosystem type protected by Federal law…(court interpretation of Clean Water Act’s “Waters of the U.S.”)

• “Protection” does allow for wetland disturbance/removal with a permit [QUESTION: which Agency in charge…?]

What IS a wetland…?

• Definition: it is an ecotone---an ecosystem with characteristics intermediate between two types (i.e., terrestrial & aquatic)

• Delineation tells one where to draw the perimeter line; use the Federal Manual with three “indicators” (water, plants, soil)

• Classification for inventory, assessment…

Dredge & Fill Permit

• Army Corps of Engineers will issue permits if necessary

• What’s a good reason?

Agency may require “mitigation”

• Typically, need to replace lost wetland

• Restore or build a new wetland

Can we really build wetlands?

• YES. Lots of examples of successful wetland restoration & creation…some are even accidental!

• HOWEVER…

this is the wrong

question.

http://swamp.osu.edu/

DO we really build wetlands?• National goal has been “No Net Loss” • We are failing.• Iowa study (Vandewalle et al 2008): 58% of

State highway projects were successful…as measured by permit requirements.

• Difficult to get a national perspective, but this is probably indicative of overall trend

Purple Loosestrife…

Purple Loosestrife(Lythrum salicaria)

• Beautiful flowering perennial of wetlands

• Introduced from Eurasia

• Spread throughout northern U.S., Canada

• Reduces cover/biomass/frequency of native plant species

• Is less-used by animals for food & cover, than are native plants

AND, it also may/may not…

• Cause local populations of native animals/plants to decline

• Reduce overall biodiversity

• Affect hydrology, sedimentation, carbon storage, nutrient dynamics in soil/water

• Be significantly reduced by introduced biocontrol agents (insects form Europe)

My current research…

• What is “The Smoking Gun?”

• Looking for the ecological effects (impacts??) of the plant on ecosystems

• Last Fall, did a small experiment with my students: how does nitrate level in water compare in test tubes with Loosestrife vs. tubes with cattail? (=about the same)

The Big Questions

• How do we describe wetland function in a landscape context (reference systems)

• To what extent, and in which ways, can we solve water quality issues using wetlands?

• What is the interaction between wetland systems and Global Climate Change?

Wetlands & Climate Change:• Walter et al 2006: Methane bubbling from Siberian thaw lakes as a positive feedback

to climate warming -- http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v443/n7107/abs/nature05040.html

• Schuur et al 2008: Vulnerability of Permafrost Carbon to Climate Change: Implications for the Global Carbon Cycle -- http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1641/B580807

• Shakhova et al 2010: Extensive Methane Venting to the Atmosphere from Sediments of the East Siberian Arctic Shelf -- http://www.sciencemag.org/content/327/5970/1246.short

Wetlands….

• Discussion?

• Questions…?

Confession: Pedagogy gives me a headache

http://www.ed.uiuc.edu/courses/edpsy317/sp03/learning-maps/index.html

http://www.personal.psu.edu/wxh139/construct.htm http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/exchange/node/6316

BUT…we care about learning…

• Great interest in recent years in effective use of technology: distance learning, flipped classrooms, etc.

• Ongoing research --how students learn

• Our students are changing?? (experiences, attitudes, goals…)

Resources you may know…• We have an EDG listserv & other good stuff

at AP Central (http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/courses/teachers_corner/

2128.html), Environmental Literacy Council(http://www.enviroliteracy.org/), GOAPES wiki (http://goapes.wikispaces.com/)

• Coming soon: APCommunity (@CB)• New books…see table…

Also: interesting reads..

• AAAS report: Vision & Change (www.visionandchange.org)

• Book by Ken Bain: What the Best College Teachers Do (free summary pdf):http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/courses-jmgay/documents/SynopsisWhatBestCollegeTeachersDo.pdf

Bioscience Education Network

• Biosciednet.org/portal

• BEN is an Internet portal to (mostly free) resources to teach ES (not just Biology!)

• Searches through on-line libraries of various professional societies

• Categorizes resources; metadata

• Peer-reviewed (before and/or after)

SciencePipes• YOU pick the data

• IT makes the graph

SciencePipes

• http://sciencepipes.org

• In development…coming soon!

• Sponsored by Cornell U. (Ornithology lab)

• Generates “data visualizations” (graphs/charts/statsistics) on the fly

• LARGE data sets to be included

• When operational, will include lessons

THANKS

• For all you’ve taught me about ES & teaching/learning

• For making the Readings fun

Now, YOUR TURN…share…• A cool/fun/stimulating idea/activity you have for

teaching APES? • What isThe Next Big Thing? What should we

(“somebody”) work on/develop?• Technology?• $$$ for…?• Other ideas?• Please visit the “stations”