Celebrating the Earth a Little Extra this Month
By: Alexis McLean
April was a busy month for the Lab as our calendar filled up with events to celebrate Earth Month. While every day is Earth Day at the Lab, these events were an important reminder of not only why we do what we do, but also of the significance of the collective work of our community and partner organizations in stewarding this planet we call home. We had many opportunities to connect with folks interested in engaging more in climate or coastal resilience, or with organizations that have been doing this work for years.
Education & Engagement Program Coordinator Liana Greenberg-Nielsen (left) and Senior Education and Engagement Program Manager (right) tabling at UMass Boston for Earth Day.
We hosted our very own Earth Month Stone Living Lab (SLL) Seminar on April 16, which featured SLL Postdoctoral Research Associate Dr. Aly Putnam. Aly previously worked on a project in collaboration with the U.S. Geological Survey and National Park Service to develop a novel monitoring framework. In their talk entitled Rethinking Field Methods for Species and Scientists, Aly shared insights on how field monitoring protocols can be improved to better assess biodiversity in intertidal habitats on the Boston Harbor Islands, and to reduce barriers to participation in field science. One of the results of the new protocol was that their team detected more than doubled the species compared to past surveys, allowing researchers to better understand the biological communities residing in these habitats.
The second half of Aly’s presentation highlighted a gap in field research– how not everyone is able to participate in creating scientific data due to barriers that take many shapes and forms. Planning early and building in flexibility, among other approaches, can make a significant difference in who is able to participate in field research. You can watch the recording of Aly’s talk on YouTube, and additional resources for building accessibility into fieldwork can be found here.
A wall of “living seawalls” made by museum-goers at the RiseUp Boston (Credit: Museum of Science).
Throughout the month, the Lab staff were invited to host activities and speak or table at events. The Lab was invited to join the Noire Waters Foundation’s third annual Earth Day initiative in collaboration with the Boston Children’s Museum. Several Lab staff and students joined Green Roots for a clean up at Condor St Urban Wild. UMass Boston (UMB) School for the Environment hosted several events, including a Science Cafe where SLL Data Scientist Katie Zarada gave a talk on how the Lab is using data to shape environmental action through daily decisionmaking. The programs team– Rebecca Shoer and Liana Greenberg-Nielsen– also tabled at UMB’s Earth Day Symposium and piloted new activities ahead of the summer season! Community Engagement Manager Elisa Guerrero gave a talk and led a field trip to the Living Seawalls project site at Condor St Urban Wild as part of the MIT Climate Living Futures Symposium. To cap off the Earth Month festivities, the Programs team also tabled at the Museum of Science for RiseUp Boston, an annual event with presentations, activities, and conversations to inspire climate action.
SLL Community Engagement Manager Elisa Guerrero speaking on a field trip to Condor St Urban Wild.
We are grateful that our work takes us out into the field where we’re lucky to be surrounded by nature, the ocean, and the life within it as we explore nature-based solutions to climate adaptations, coastal resilience, and ecological restoration in Boston Harbor, and for the partners and friends that we get to collaborate with through this work.