USFS Student Programs

The deadline for the US Forest Service Student Programs Application has again been extended  -  to March 15, 2012.  These Student Career Employment Program (SCEP) and Student Temporary Employment Program (STEP) positions are located throughout the Eastern Region of the US.  Four of the positions, listed as "Conservation Education Intern", are paid summer intern positions, located in the Milwaukee Regional Office.

Information:

US Forest Service – Eastern Region

Regional Office,  Milwaukee, WI  

2012 Summer Conservation Education Intern  Program

(Four Student Temporary Employment Program (STEP) Positions Available)

***APPLICATIONS DUE:  MARCH 15, 2012***

Description

The USDA Forest Service is offering college students the opportunity to work as part of a team conducting conservation education programs for urban youth throughout Milwaukee from June 11 – August 11, 2012.   The team will visit sites such as: the Urban Treehouse site, community centers, Boys and Girls Clubs, YMCAs, and summer schools. The Intern team will work out of the US Forest Service Regional office  located in downtown Milwaukee, WI.   A variety of conservation education resources, as well as training, will be available for use by students for program development. 

Goal

The goal of the Conservation Education Intern Program is to interact with urban youth,  through nature games and activities, and provide insight on topics such as: the value of natural resources, environmental issues, and stewardship.  The program strives to help urban youth make a connection between community natural resources and federal lands.  

Student Eligibility Requirements

Must be currently enrolled at an accredited college or university, or graduate  school and returning to school in fall of 2012. Applicants must be in good academic standing.

Majors

Major or Minor preferred in one or more of the following fields; Natural Resource Management,  Education,  Forestry, Urban Forestry, Environmental Education, , Environmental Sciences, Natural Sciences.  Experience working with children and  environmental education programs beneficial.

How to Apply

Students should apply through the attached “US Forest Service Student Career Employment Program (SCEP) and Student Temporary Employment Program (STEP) Fiscal Year 2012Recruitment Bulletin.  ** The Conservation Education Intern Program positions fall under the STEP program.  Students, therefore, need not meet all requirements listed for SCEP students.**  

Contacts: For more information about the Conservation Ed Intern program, contact Jean Claassen at 414-297-1394, jclaassen@fs.fed.us .  For more information about the Student Temporary Employment Program (STEP), contact Monez Ashley at 414-297-3150 or mashley@fs.fed.us

Native American Artists Crafts Fair

Here is your chance to support local artists! Keep our community unique and reduce environmental impact. Investing in your community never felt so good.

There will be a Native American Artists Crafts Fair held at the Cultural Museum on Friday February 3rd, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.  Come on up and see all of the beautiful hand made craft items that will be for sale.

Past Intern - Schyler Martin

On November 30, 2012, I sat down with College of Menominee Nation Student President Schyler Martin to talk a little bit about his view on sustainability. Schyler is a third year student with CMN working toward his Bachelors in Public Administration; he also plans to graduate with an Associates in Sustainable Development. He is a strong advocate of sustainable living and has been active on the CMN campus and with the Sustainable Development Institute.

But don’t let me tell you any more, let’s hear it from the man himself! Here’s what Schyler had to say:

Goodmorning Schyler, Thanks for taking the time to talk to us about sustainability!
“Oh of course. My pleasure!”

Let’s just start off by maybe hearing your definition of sustainability…
“To me, sustainability is living in manner that will not endanger the environmental health of future generations. I know personally that I don’t do everything in my life that I could in order to be completely sustainable. I have, however, done some small things that I believe can add up to making a positive impact. Some of these include having a programmable thermostat in my house, using CFL light bulbs, and car pooling to CMN.”

What sort of sustainablility efforts do you see happening here on campus?
“My internship with SDI has allowed me to research and measure the sustainability of many different areas of CMN. Some of the ongoing projects are the addition of the wind turbine by the trades building, LEED shadowing of different building projects, mass transit agreement with Menominee Transit, and the addition of the Geo-Thermal heating unit to Glenn Miller Hall. There’s also a greenhouse that’s being used on campus and I’ve also been involved with CMN’s Adopt a Highway efforts.”

I didn’t know CMN was involved in Adopt a Highway! Tell me a bit about that.
“We cleaned up both sides of the highway. The first year I participated we got 26 bags of garbage and 24 bags of recyclables. There were car parts like you wouldn’t believe — and lots of things that have no business even being on the side of the road. It is amazing how many people think it is OK to throw their garbage out the window.”

Who helps with it?
“When the time of year comes around to sign up, there are flyers posted and e-mails sent out. We try to do it in the spring, after the snow has melted. Anyone can participate. I know of some professors that give extra credit for participating. After the cleanup, usually an hour and half or so, student government takes all of the participants out to lunch.”

What was it like to intern with the Sustainable Development Institute?
“Interning with SDI has given me the opportunities to not only see what CMN is doing in terms of sustainability, but to see what other opportunities are available. It is often times the “small” projects that get overlooked. Some of these are not as glamorous or do not contain the necessary “buzz” words.”

What are some of these “small” projects you are referring to?“Small projects would be little things that groups or individuals can do to influence the world in an earth-friendly way. Projects like having  “sustainabilty-themed” months or semesters, or changing your habits to purchasing-preferences. Be aware of what you are buying in terms of energy-star ratings or less packaging to go into the landfill. Another one is shareholder advocacy where you can own shares within a company to cast votes influencing earth-friendly decisions for that company.”

Earlier, you mentioned a greenhouse and a wind-turbine. What’s it like seeing that sort of stuff on campus?
“Part of my internship was to help apply the panels to the greenhouse. It was shortly after that that I learned about the wind turbine and the process involved in activating it. These are some of the high visibility projects that are happening on campus. It is good to see more and more students getting involved.”

Since December is starting tomorrow, what sort of suggestions would you have for anyone looking to be more sustainable during the winter months or even through the holidays?
“I saw a report on ABC News that suggested everyone should make sure to buy at least one Christmas gift that is made in America. I do not remember how they estimated the impact would be, but I am sure that it would go a long way to boosting the American economy and help support jobs.”

Anything else you would like to mention?
“I really enjoyed taking time to sit and talk with you today. I hope that I may have inspired at least one person to take into consideration the possible sustainable actions they may take today.”

Ants!

The Department of Bacteriology at UW-Madison has a live ant cam! Check it out at this link here!

They are researching the fungus-growing ants. According to their website, their research description is as follows:

"For approximately 50 million years, fungus-growing ants have been farming fungus for food. Over the evolutionary history of this ancient agricultural association, the ants have diversified into more than 200 species. These ants are divided into five distinct phylogenetic and ecological groups, each with their own favored fungal crops. The evolution of agriculture in ants culminates in the infamous leaf-cutters, which form massive colonies, and have some of the most complex societies of any social insect. This ant-fungus mutualism is also one of the most intricate systems described in nature (Figure 1). As in human agriculture, the ants’ fungal crops are plagued by specialized and coevolved microfungal pathogens. To combat these pathogens, the ants engage in another mutualism with antibiotic-producing actinobacteria. This mutualism, in turn, is exploited by specialized black yeast. Furthermore, just as humans have used bacteria-derived nitrogen to fertilize soils for thousands of years, the ants' gardens also contain nitrogen-fixing bacteria. This ancient association of farmers, crops, pathogens and N-fixers is one of the clearest examples of the ecological and evolutionary dynamics of coevolution and species interdependence.

The Currie Lab is interested in studying the dynamics of this symbiosis, with a particular focus on the interactions that occur between players in the system.  We have a number of different ongoing research areas ranging from symbiont interaction studies (e.g., symbiont switching studies, paired symbiont interaction assays, etc.); exploring microbial diversity in the system using metagenomics; understanding the molecular interactions that occur between symbionts (e.g., antibiotics arms race); comparative genomics of coevolution; host-pathogen dynamics; studying the origins of ancient agriculture; behavioral ecology; and population genetics.  Finally, we are also interested in interactions that occur between microbes associated with other social insects, including those found in honey bees, bark beetles, ambrosia beetles, and wasps."

Check out the website! It is very interesting research!

Fun way to find your ecological footprint.

Go to the web site and click on "footprint." There you will find an awesome interactive survey you can take that shows you your ecological footprint!

http://www.earthday.org/

NOAA report

Here is a link to a report by NOAA highlighting interesting whether climate changes in the north:

http://www.arctic.noaa.gov/reportcard/ArcticReportCard_full_report.pdf

Our Very First Post

Hello!
This blog was set up today, January 18, 2012 to serve as an avenue for the Sustainable Development Institute to easily share information and communicate with you, the reader, in a fun and relevant manner! Please never, ever hesitate to post information, thoughts and opinions! If you have any questions or ideas, please don't be afraid to contact SDI at 715-799-5951.
Thanks!
Julie Edler, Your Social Media Coordinator