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In order to gain a full understanding about the value of Collins Run, it is necessary to look at it from many different aspects. Before one can begin to educate the public about the necessity of restoration of a specific site, a great deal of research and time must be put into the site in order to gain a full understanding of the value of the natural habitat. Then it is one's duty to share one's experience with others in order to help them better understand the value of the natural habitat.
We are going to look at Collins Run from a number of different perspectives in order to first educate ourselves about the numerous different aspects of Collins Run so that we can then figure out a way to educate others. In order to educate ourselves, we are going to look at the area in many different ways. We are going to test scientific aspects of the run so that we can gain a greater understanding of the integrity of Collins Run and the biodiversity. We are going to look at the social history and current social aspects of Collins Run, researching who uses Collins Run and why. We are also going to use the run for creative inspiration, creatively documenting our entire experience in such a way to bring our own feelings to the project and to others.
From our research, we are going to figure out a way to educate others about the watershed in such a way that they will be able to more fully understand the valuable aspects of Collins Run.
Interdisciplinary Approach/Research Design:
Scientific Aspects:
We are going to look at the biodiversity of the site, looking at the types of trees and organisms that we come across. This will include a fish count so that we can gauge the biodiversity of the run itself.
In order to gauge the chemical composition of the water, we are going to look at the amounts of nitrates and phosphorous in the water. By doing so, we will be able to tell if fertilizer runoff has played a large part in threatening the integrity of Collins Run.
We are also going to test the pH of Collins Run in order to see if there may be other factors that are threatening the integrity of the natural habitat. If we find that the pH is not facilitative to the organisms of the water, we will research why the water has an altered pH and propose ways to return it to its natural pH.
We will also research the sediment load of the watershed in order to gauge the natural characteristics of the watershed. We will then be able to more accurately describe the waterflow characteristics.
We will then complete a riparian analysis of the area in order to more fully understand the integrity of the area. This will be the most intensive part of our study.
Social Science:
In order to experience first-hand the types of activities and recreation that occur in our system we are planning on camping out there for a weekend. This will allow us to witness activities as well as collect data and inspiration for the other aspects of project.
We also plan on establishing a detailed history of the land and land use, including the legislative history (laws on dumping, zoning, commercial use) of our region. This will include looking into the possibility of an impact from the old Oxford landfill.
Along with this type of history we will look into local feelings on the land, which may include interviews and an analysis of present and past folklore.
The educational aspects of this area will also be explored. By talking to local schools, Boy Scout Troops, PWEEP, and other organizations, we will explore the social and educational benefits of our watershed.
Arts and Humanities
For this aspect of our project we plan to use our camping experience as well as our overall experience to convey our feelings with the land in a creative form. We plan on creating a visual piece to be displayed with our project, as well as our own writings and meditaions on the experience.
To facilitate this idea we plan on using the idea of Walden, applying it to our camping experience, and writing about it.
We will also look at other writings on this land, and on land in general, with the idea of creating a bibliography of creative pieces for further exploration.
* It is important to note that the outline for this project was constructed as such for ease of understanding for the reader and for ourselves. It is not meant to suggest that the project will exist as three separate projects which will then be put in the same report. Throughout the project an emphasis will be placed on the inderdisciplnary nature of the study, and the complex relationships and ideas that must be considered when evaluating a watershed.
Predictions/Goals:
Our predictions is that the integrity of our watershed has been compromised, and that understanding the level of disturbance is necessary to educate the public and ourselves for action to take place.
We also predict that that in order to educate the public or government officials it is important to do a thorough analysis that includes the social sciences and humanities, not just science, to understand the type and degree of complexity of the issues involved.
An important aspect of our project will be shariing and comparing ourr results to those of other groups, so that we can discuss options for education, public awareness, and possible restortion. By pooling all of our findings we hope that we can create a plan for local action, education, and awareness.
Timeline:
Every week we will visit the site in order to collect data samples. Also every week we will meet at least once in order to discuss or gather further materials and library sources.
One weekend will be spent camping at the site, writing and creating our visual piece, in addition to data collection.
We plan on gathering information and establishing a history as our first steps.
Then we will begin our sampling and collecting of scientific data.
As the project coalesces we will have a more detailed idea of how the project will unfold chronologically.
References:
Books:
Planet Under Stress
Mungall, Constance & McLaren, Digby
Eco-Logic: Logic-Based Approaches to Ecological Modelling
Roberson, David Bundy, Alan Muetzelfeldt, Robert Haggith, Mandy &
Uschold, Michael
copyright 1991
Ecology and Historical Materialism
Hughes, Jonathan
2000
Community Ecology
Putnam, R.J.
1994
Ecological Risk Assessment for Contaminated Sites
Suter, Glenn W. II Efroymson, Rebecca A. Sample, Bradley E. Jones,
Daniel S.
2000
Biomonitoring of Trace Aquatic Contaminants
Phillips, David J.H. & Rainbow, Philip S.
1993
Repaing Damaged Wildlands: A Process-Orientated, Landscape Scale Approach
Whisenant, Steven G.
1999
Bioindicators and Biomarkers of Envionmental Pollution and Risk Assessment
Jamil, Kaiser
2001
Damaged Ecosystems and Restoration
Rana, B.C.
1998
Ecological Restoration and Watershed Management
Minamyer, Kenneth Scott
Miami University: 2001
Methods in Stream Ecology
ed. Hauer, F. Richard and Lamberti, Gary A.
Academic Press: New York, 1996
Restoration Ecology: A synthetic approach to Ecological Research
ed. Jordon III, William; Gilpin, Michael E., and Aber, JOhn D.
Cambridge University Press, New York, 1987
Habitat Creation and Repair
Oliver L. Gilbert and Penny Anderson
Oxford University Press: Oxford, 1998
Ecology of Fresh Waters: Man and Medium
Moss, Brian
Blackwell Scientific Publications: Oxford, 1988
Wild Ohio
Weber, Art
Northword Press: Wisconsin, 1995
Ohio's Streamside Forests
Ohio Department of Natural Resources
Columbus Ohio, 1998
The Enemy is Us
ed. deVilleneuve, Robert
Winston Press, Minneapolis, 1973
Websites:
http://www.rivernetwork.org/ variety of stuff, info on watersheds and groups
actively restoring/conserving watersheds
http://www.dnr.cornell.edu/hydro2/watintro.htm - research on watershed
biodiversity and ways to help restore biodiversity
http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/Vines/4301/links.html- aquatic ecology
info along with some useful links
http://www.restorehousatonic.com/hrr_goals.html - group like 3 valley with
more info
http://www.eeeee.net/sd03056.htm - human needs and watershed health
http://www.epa.gov/bioindicators/ - epa bioindicators
http://ecoethics.net/ - environmental ethics via harvard
http://www.redtide.whoi.edu/hab/announcements/pfiesteria/pfiesteriastrategy.html
http://jrscience.wcp.muohio.edu/Research/NaturalSystemsArticles/FINAL.SedimentaryBudgetAnA.html
http://zebu.uoregon.edu/1996/es202/flood.html
http://id-www.ucsb.edu/lovelab/index.html
http://jrscience.wcp.muohio.edu/nsfall01/FinalArticles/Final1.WaterQualityInandA.html
http://jrscience.wcp.muohio.edu/nsfall01/FinalArticles/EffectsofHumanLandUseonFi.html
Articles:
http://www.rivernetwork.org/library/libriviss_rvsp98ecol.cfm
Ecology of Natural Riperia discusses the importance of the riperia in
simpler terms. discusses how it reduces nitrogen and phosphorous also
http://www.rivernetwork.org/library/libriviss_wild.cfm
national wild and scenic rivers act explains what it says/does and
how to use it.
http://www.rivernetwork.org/library/librivissbuf_rvsp98urban.cfm
riparian restoration example from a tributary of the potomac
http://www.fw.msu.edu/faculty/peyton/thomas_and_kennedy_values.htm
managing natural resources as social value - social stuff
http://www.wri.org/biodiv/cop4-003.html
the worth of watersheds as ecosystems and the effects of their destruction
http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/Vines/4301/links.html
how population growth is affecting one watershed in missouri
http://www.idrc.ca/ecohealth/bio-economic_e.html - bio-economic modeling of
watershed resources in ethiopia
http://www.coastalamerica.gov/text/pubs/consensus/twa_sec2.html - human
impact on 3 different watersheds
http://www.conservationeconomy.net/text/ patterns of a conservation economy
PDFs:
http://allusions.wcp.muohio.edu/rivers/fishasindicatorshealth.pdf
http://allusions.wcp.muohio.edu/rivers/riverrestoration98.pdf
http://allusions.wcp.muohio.edu/rivers/RiverSamplingStrategies98.pdf
http://allusions.wcp.muohio.edu/rivers/sustaininglivingrivers00.pdf
http://allusions.wcp.muohio.edu/Conservation/EcosysIntegrity97CEcol.pdf
http://allusions.wcp.muohio.edu/Conservation/Biodiversity%26EthicsBioCon00.pdf
http://allusions.wcp.muohio.edu/MiscEcologyStuff/RevisitingtheCommons.pdf
http://allusions.wcp.muohio.edu/Water%20Quality/LandUseHabitatWaterQual00.pdf
http://allusions.wcp.muohio.edu/rivers/biolproceesesAssessImplic00.pdf
For Further Info on this Topic, Check out this WWW Site: http://www.rivernetwork.org/ .
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