By Reeve Gutsell
If you’re like I was a few years ago, you may be wondering, “What is a watershed, anyway?” In fact, the word “shed” is quite descriptive of this geographic phenomenon. Much like rain cascading down one side or another from a shed’s roof, a watershed can be thought of as a geographic area defined by ridges of high ground that determine which direction water travels en route to a major basin, river or ocean.
By Ted Watt
I love the August night sounds. Those still, hot and humid nights can be oppressive, but there’s a way to escape into a different world, the soundscape of crickets and katydids, calling to attract mates and stake out territories. Some nights, at twilight, I go out in my backyard and walk slowly and quietly and just listen. As I slow down and focus on the sounds, I begin to distinguish individual calls.
by David Spector
The American robin is one of the most familiar and common birds; have you ever wondered just how common they are here in Hampshire County? This kind of question is asked by casual observers curious about backyard birds, by population ecologists investigating complex dynamics that influence those numbers, and by conservation biologists concerned with which species might need intervention to prevent serious population declines. The answers, even for a common, relatively well-studied species, can be difficult to get.
By Elizabeth Farnsworth
The Pioneer Valley is a botanist’s paradise, a true hotspot of plant diversity in the state and, indeed New England. But besides pleasing plant geeks, our bounteous flora is the basis for all the animals — birds, insects, furry friends and us — that flourish here, providing food, shelter and a sense of home. Why is our region so rich in plants?
By Elizabeth Farnsworth
July is a time for fireworks, both man-made and natural. To me, one of summer’s most exciting light shows is the thunderstorm, with its amazing lightning displays and the promise it brings of cooling rain. As I write this, an average of 2,000 thunderstorms are going on around the world, and one is actually barreling toward the Valley, roaring in from the Berkshires. My anticipation builds.
By David Spector
I’ll be thinking about the eastern sycamore tree this Independence Day, an American tree on our national holiday. Although all trees might be said to be “created equal” from a moral perspective, each tree species has its own value to those who use trees. I eat apples; squirrels eat acorns; crossbills eat conifer seeds; many insects are specialized to feed on one or a few tree species. Different woods serve different uses: oak for solid furniture, ash for baseball bats, willow for baskets. From the perspectives of those who enjoy the aesthetics of trees — looking at, climbing up, lolling under, and versifying about trees — different species have different emotional impact. Cultural background and personal history influence the value each person gives a tree.
By Reeve Gutsell
What’s tiny, shiny and destroys fully-grown ash trees as well as any fire-breathing dragon? Yes, it’s the emerald ash borer, that infamous pest from Asia, whose larval feeding tunnels can girdle the inner bark of an ash tree, cutting off its supply of nutrients and water and eventually starving the tree to death.
By Katie Koerten
Early in May, I attended the New England Bird Language Intensive, a five-day workshop put on by White Pine Programs in Maine. Birds are a passion of mine and I enjoy birding “by ear,” so it was appealing to learn about bird songs and calls more deeply. The program took place on a farm in Cape Neddick, where I joined about 30 other self-proclaimed “bird nerds.” Our days began at 5 a.m., before sunup. We gathered and walked out to our “sit spots” — places we had chosen in a field, where we sat quietly and observed the birds around us. We were listening for the nuances of the bird sounds we were hearing. For example, a chickadee — was it singing its fee-bee song, or was it the alarm call dee-dee-dee? Or the tseet contact call with its neighbors?
By Susan Théberge and Darcy DuMont
The year 2014 was the warmest ever recorded. Every region of the United States except Hawaii has seen more extreme precipitation episodes in the last 10 years, led by the Northeast with a stunning 71 percent increase. This past winter’s snowfall records in Boston and elsewhere are consistent with climate predictions that warmer ocean temperatures feed storms with moisture, causing the blizzards and heavy rains we’ve been experiencing. Whether it’s flooding in the Northeast or drought in the Southwest, climate change is affecting all of us. This is the “new normal.” Although the science has been clear, world leaders have spent the last quarter-century doing little to address the crisis. We now have a small window of time left to prevent climate catastrophe. The U.N. Environment Program says we need to reach “net zero carbon” by century’s end — this will probably require stopping almost all fossil fuel usage worldwide by around 2050. To succeed, we need to start cutting back right now.
By Henry Lappen
In my Jan. 31 column, I wrote about the incredible complexity of trees’ hydraulic system. Now, I’m going to focus on another amazing way trees have evolved to survive: their hormonal system. Yes, that’s right — their hormonal system! The dictionary defines hormones as “regulatory substances produced in organisms to stimulate specific cells or tissues into action.” Like humans and other animals, plants make hormones to start, stop and control all sorts of functions. For instance, trees use hormones to stimulate leaf, stem and root growth, along with seed production and flowering. Trees, in fact, produce quite a variety of hormones, with names like auxins, gibberellins, cytokinins, ethylene and abscisic acid.
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Hitchcock Center for the Environment
at Hampshire College
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