Environmental Awareness
My group and I chose two different spots on campus from which to do our research. The first spot we chose was a rocky hill behind the Abbe building, located within a small grove of trees. The weather was a pleasant 72ºF, sunny, partly cloudy, humid and with a slight breeze. We estimated the wind speed to be around 5-8 mph at 180º S, because the leaves on the trees were moving, but not the branches themselves.
There were a few clouds above us, which we estimated were Low Cumulus formed by condensation. We estimated them to be about 1600 ft, but we then calculated them:
Air Temp: 71ºF -> 21.7ºC
Dew Point: 67ºF -> 19.4ºC
To calculate, you subtract the air temp from the dew point (in celsius) to get: 2.3ºC
Then, multiply 2.3ºC by 1,000 feet and divide by 2ºC, which gets:
1,150 feet (cloud height)
We then tried to find the slope of the ground which proved rather tricky. We found it to be about -9º S, which would make it impossible for use with anything that needed to be flat, like a sports field.
#tbt to freshman year
We then moved to the parking lot behind Walter Lamb Hall. There were a few changes. The wind speed was about 10mph, firstly because it was a different day, and secondly because the area was more enclosed, causing the wind to bounce around. The direction was about 182ºS. The slope of the ground was about 16º to the SW.
Human Impact
We found the oldest vehicle to be a white 1990 Buick Century, which gets an average of 23 mpg. The largest vehicle was a 2006 GMC Savana, average 17 mpg. The Savana both consumes the most fuel, and pollutes the most, because of its large tailpipe.
We found several man-made devices to help wildlife or the environment, including Bee farms, bird and bat houses, the pond, the greenhouse, and compost bins.
Outside Observation
We returned to the grove of trees and tried to observe different species. I heard cicadas and birds chirping, and gnats were all around. We saw a few squirrels. When I made a circle with my hands on the ground, I barely saw anything. Just a few types of leaves, grass, clover, and a bird feather that probably belonged to a sparrow.
We calculated that the amount of water to fall on a 1 acre campus during a 0.6 in rainstorm to be 16,394 gal/acre. From that rainstorm, a certain amount of water will infiltrate into the ground, some will evaporate, and the rest will be storm water run-off. The campus seems to have about 25% impervious surfaces for run-off, but the water that infiltrates into the ground could become polluted because of the fertilizer or chemicals in the grass, animal waste, or copper or zinc.
Nature on a Leash
Our campus is certainly Nature on a Leash, because we control the conditions. We cut the grass, and plant things in the garden, and use fertilizer on the soil. If we did not control it, it would become very overgrown and hardly inhabitable by all the humans that use it today.
Environmental Research
1. The sun rose today (Sep. 15) at 6:40am, and set at 7:08pm.
2. The shortest and longest days of the year are known as the solstices, and occur in the summer and winter. The longest day of the year is June 21st, and the shortest day is December 21st.
3. An equinox occurs twice a year, and this is when day and night are the same length. In 2014, one was on March 20th, and another will occur on September 23rd.
4. The growing season around New Hope is from about April 26th to October 14th. These are the dates of the first and last frost, so cold weather plants could flourish around those dates.
5. The total rainfall last year in Pennsylvania was 42.9 inches.
6. Three endangered mammals in our state are the Dickcissel, the Peregrine Falcon, and the Delmarva Fox Squirrel.
http://squirrels-removal.com/amazing-delmarva-fox-squirrel/
7. The longest river that runs through Pennsylvania is the Ohio River, which is 981 miles/1,579 kilometers.
8. Open fishing season in Pennsylvania starts on April 18th this year.
9. Two tree species native to our area are Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) and Red Pine (Pinus resinosa)
10. There appears to be no information about who is in charge of the PA DCNR
11. The Solebury campus drinking water is sourced by a well.
12. 26 percent of the waste generated is recycled or composted, 8 percent is burned at incinerators, and the remaining 66 percent is disposed of in landfills
13. On our campus, the electricity we used is most likely generated by burning natural gases or coal. In 2012, Pennsylvania used a lot of energy, and our campus is no different
14. Campus is 4 hours and 17 minutes away from the closest US National Forest, which is Finger Lakes National Forest in Burdett, New York. We are 1 hour and 16 minutes away from Cherry Valley National Wildlife Refuge in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, and 14 minutes away from Bowman's Hill, which is a environmental recreation area with a tower and wildflower preserve. In terms of farms, the campus is 5 minutes away from Solebury Orchards, 23 minutes away from Honey Brook Organic Farm, and 1 hour and 7 minutes away from Klein Farms Dairy and Creamery.
15. The tallest mountain east of the Mississippi River in the United States is Mount Mitchell at 6,684 feet, located in North Carolina.
16. The tallest mountain west of the Mississippi River in the United States is Mount Rainier at 14,410 feet, located in Washington state.
http://www.cubebreaker.com/beautiful-pictures-mount-rainier-one-north-americas-prettiest-sights/
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