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Spring, 2024
The Elements of Natural Resource Management
Register to participate in our spring, 2024 webinar series.
Brave the elements and join us this spring for our continuing webinar series! Natural resource management combines several elements to successfully protect our environment. We continue our collaboration with the Marine Extension Program Seminar Series (MEPSS), to look at the role the natural elements (air, earth, fire, water, spirit, and wildlife) play in natural resource management and what you can do to help.
April 15 -Fire’s Role in Ecosystem Health with Jeremy Webber, NJ Forest Fire Service. For the fire element, we will explore how prescribed fire not only aids in protecting life and property from the catastrophic wildfire, but also how it supports ecosystem health. Prescribed fire used appropriately can benefit habitats for both flora and fauna, while also supporting hazardous fuel and invasive plant species mitigation efforts. Lastly, we will explore the unfamiliar benefits of how a wildfire essentially promotes habitat diversity and natural environmental processes.
April 24 – Environmental DNA Ocean Monitoring with Dr. Jason Adolf & Erin Conlon, Monmouth University. Our water element. Description coming soon….
April 29– The Influence of Personal Experiences on Perceptions of Black Bears in New Jersey with Dr. Joseph Paulin, Rutgers University. For the wildlife element we will explore how over the past 30 years, people have more regularly interacted with black bears in New Jersey. These experiences can be both positive and undesirable. Although it can be exciting to see a bear from afar while hiking, bears have also been known to frequent residential neighborhoods, rummage through garbage, and cause agricultural damage that negatively impacts farmers’ livelihoods. In this talk, we will discuss research that explores how direct personal experiences with bears can influence public tolerance and support for management.
May 23 – Offshore Wind Energy with Kris Ohleth, Special Initiative on Offshore Wind. Our air element. Description coming soon…
May 20- Down to Earth Soil Management with Bill Errickson, Rutgers University. For the earth element, we will look at soil health and how it is defined as the continued capacity to function as a vital living ecosystem that sustains plants, animals, and humans. Maintaining soil health is an essential component of a productive and thriving garden that is more resistant to disease and abiotic stress. This presentation will highlight the important ecological roles of soil organisms as they relate to the physical and chemical properties of soil in home-scale and community gardens. Topics will include proper methods of soil testing, optimizing soil fertility, and practices to support soil organism biodiversity through increasing soil organic matter.
June 3- Urban Humpback Whales: Coexisting With Our Charismatic Neighbors with Danielle Brown, Rutgers University. For our spirit element, we will discuss how the Humpback whales have become an exciting part of the coastal ecosystem in NJ and NY. Danielle Brown, Rutgers University, Graduate Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources, and Director of Marine Mammal Research for Gotham Whale, will discuss what we have learned about humpback whale ecology over the last decade, and how we can best coexist with whales in our region.
Our Earth Day, Every Day webinar series focuses on steps everyone can take to protect the environment. We can all do our part to take actions that make our homes more sustainable, from environmentally-friendly lawn care, to recycling, to conducting a home energy audit. These actions, more than ever, start at home.
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Webinar Archive
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