FT 4

Ecological Science and Grassroots Planning: Defining Research Opportunities That Support Diverse Community Interests (CANCELLED)

How do you bring ecology to the community and how do communities learn about what ecologists do? Ecological research holds great potential to educate people in urban areas on how they are connected to and impacted by their environment.  Improving the quality of ecological research of human-modified landscapes is essential. Given the importance being placed on the sustainability of communities, it is crucial that ecologists communicate current principles and novel strategies that improve the ecological function of urban areas, while addressing the health and wellbeing of the community.  As part of the Baltimore Earth Stewardship Initiative we will highlight the value of integrating design approaches and research to solve environmental problems. On this field trip we will visit and explore communities situated on sites under redevelopment, with a focus on their design and planning issues. By working closely with Baltimore's Office of Sustainability, Parks and People, the Baltimore Development Corporation, and community leaders the field trip offers ESA members and Earth Stewardship Initiative fellows a unique opportunity to collaborate with these organizations and develop ways of applying ecology to real sites in the city of Baltimore. 

The sites include 1. Baltimore's Upper Middle Branch, an urban, coastal site situated adjacent to a newly built Horseshoe Casino. 2. the Pigtown and Southwest Partnership area of Watershed 263, with green infrastructure projects underday, and the Gay Street area, a well-traveled urban green corridor, with newly built award-winning park, a Growing Green Initiative site for commercial flower garden, and an untouched site for a new City park.  By examinining a coastal, watershed, and urban street site we will identify ways to embed ecological research opportunities into land planning and development.