Due to the complexity of urban ecological challenges, institutional and disciplinary constraints can sometimes hinder research in cities. The Earth Stewardship Initiative (ESI) works to address this by providing opportunities for networking and mentoring partnerships as well as exposure to leaders in ecology and design and their work. In this presentation I will provide several examples of how my involvement with the ESI in Baltimore 2015 has influenced my teaching and research activities. I will also provide a brief overview of some urban ecological challenges and opportunities that could be considered when ESA/ESI comes to Portland in 2017.
Results/Conclusions:
Through networking opportunities at ESI in Baltimore last year, I was able to make connections between human health and ecosystem function in my research, which uses greenroofs as model systems. ESI collaborators from other cities and I recently began to study of the role of greenroofs as therapy gardens. We were able to identify over 60 greenroofs nationally that have been installed on hospitals; research to characterize how these are being used in ongoing. The ESI has also helped me to frame my teaching practice and to incorporate more active citizen science projects. Students in my urban ecology class propose and carry out designed experiments. For example, in partnership with a local community partner, we monitored pollinator activity in specially designed bioswales. Another class project carried out in collaboration with the US Forest Service measured air quality using moss as a bioindicator. This project was helpful in providing evidence regarding a permit violation in inner SE Portland. This is a new community concern that could be a possible ESI focus in 2017. The presentation will conclude with a brief overview of resources available on the city of Portland, some ecological challenges and opportunities, and its urban ecological research consortium.