Just imagine me listening to Louie Armstrong and reveling in the idea that future generations will benefit from the knowledge we are gaining every day (“They’ll learn much more than I’ll ever know”) while I write this post.
Seth and I both care very deeply about the environment. His degree is in Environmental Studies and my Bachelor’s Degree is in Biology while my Master’s Degree is in Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology. We both firmly believe that the scientific community is doing great research on all kinds of naturally occurring and anthropogenic (caused by humans) problems that affect the environment. The problem is that scientists most often publish their newly gathered information in scientific journals which the public at large doesn’t read. Therefore, the general population doesn’t learn anything new. This is a horrible shame since we learn really cool new things all the time. Just think about how many professors and graduate students and government agencies are collecting data and writing papers and proposing new projects at any given time. They are all doing something novel and worth reading about, so with that in mind, keep an eye out for two new kinds of posts on this blog.
This first series, “Masters of War”, will be about invasive species. We’ll be keeping this focused on Michigan for the most part, unless someone requests information on another species that is invasive in another area. Our state alone, according to Michigan.gov has 93 species listed as invasive. Of those, 28 are considered “Watch List” species, meaning there have been no reliable reports of the species in Michigan yet, but that the species is a credible threat here and should be watched for carefully. Of those 93 species, I personally have experience with 18 species, and Seth probably has encountered even more than that. This is a really important series for us, because public reporting is crucial in finding and managing invasive species populations. So by presenting this information to you, we’re trying to increase the number of people who are educated about these issues and the number of people capable of identifying and reporting these species if you happen to see them. This series will likely appear about once a month and will share information on why the particular invasive species is harmful to Michigan’s native species and ecosystems, their native ranges, and how to report this specific species to the correct authority. All of this information can also be found at the website above, but I find it easier to learn about one species at a time, and I hope it’ll help you retain the information as well.
The second series, “The Future’s So Bright I Gotta Wear Shades” will focus on real scientists and the work they’re doing right now! This was inspired by #ActualLivingScientist on Twitter. But why should introductions to real-life scientists be limited to 140 characters? Each entry in this series will focus on getting to know one scientist, the work they’re currently doing or have recently completed, their hopes for the future, and other fun facts about them that have nothing to do with science, because they are humans and have interests beyond their nerdy scientific passions. I’m also planning on this series appearing once a month (unless there is significantly more interest necessitating more frequent entries, which would be awesome). I have some science-y friends in mind to get this started, but if you know someone who you think should be and would like to be featured, contact me at Kayla@jungledup.com. Send me their (or your own, if you are a fellow science nerd) email address so I can set them up with a short questionnaire and make sure they’re up for the exposure! And this isn’t some snobby series only for published, awarded scientists. I want to introduce the lowly grad students and undergrad researchers of the world as well as professors who are working on really cool projects and government scientists working on projects that span years or decades. No project is too large or too small. The only requirement is willingness to be featured on my blog!
So now that you know what we have in the works for you on the environmental front, keep an eye out! Even those of us who keep up with science in our own field might learn something new! And remember that the goal of these types of posts is to educate EVERYONE about science and environmental awareness, so feel free to share these posts with your friends and family. Remember that knowledge is power!