Science Cheerleader

(This is a picture of a Shad’s otolith or ear bone.) Close followers of ScienceCheerleader.com are aware of my fascination with the Shad. Managed to feature this near-extinct fish in a science policy paper , a folksy radio documentary,  and now a (short) environment article in Discover Magazine reaching more than 7 million readers.  (June issue is on the newsstands now.)

GOOOO Shad!

PS: I even ran in the Shad Run a few weeks ago here in Philly with hundreds of other devoted Shad fans. I encourage you to celebrate this mighty fish while we’re still graced with its presence.

The Environmental Protection Agency recently held a session: “Green Roofs: Beautiful and Innovative Solutions to Stormwater Pollution.” It will be available as a webcast in about two weeks, here.  

Many communities across the country are struggling to address impacts from stormwater runoff on their water resources. People who toss their car oil down the sewer or dump trash on the street contribute to the pollution in stormwater runoff. (Overdevelopment of land doesn’t help because the grass and soil are needed to soak up storm water before it floods rivers.) Innovative low impact development practices such as green roofs can help manage stormwater runoff  and they also help conserve energy, mitigate urban heat islands, and reduce a community’s carbon footprint. Learn more about green roofs here..

Stormwater run off contributes to the pollution of our drinking water. In Philadelphia, the rivers were once so polluted (by storm water runoff and other factors) that the poor Shad nearly went extinct. In a few months, the might Shad will be making their annual trek from the ocean to the rivers to spawn (they are SO much cooler than Salmon!). If you’d like to learn more about Philly’s Phish, check this out.

Karen Laverty of PBS affiliate WGBH dropped me a line about a brand new NOVA show premiering on Tuesday 11/25 on PBS.

“Ocean Animal Emergency”  shows ocean mammals being rescued from the wild, tagged (see left; photo credit: Doug Hamilton) and released or cared for by the vets and wildlife volunteers (citizen scientists!) from the world-renowned Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, CA.

The volunteer citizen scientists at the Center racked up 81,000 hours last year and saved the Center an estimated $800,000! After they’re trained, they handle everything from cleaning pens to preparing food, updating medical charts, administering antibiotics and taking blood samples. 

“Like canaries in the coal mine,” Karen explains,  ”the marine mammal populations are a barometer for the health of the world’s oceans.”  

Here’s a colorful radio piece I did on a related topic: the Shad (aka: Philadelphia’s fish). Shad move from the ocean to the river to spawn, then return to the ocean. Shad fishermen are often the first to learn about the conditions of rivers. When there’s no shad to be had, pollution is the primary suspect.

If you’re interested in learning how to monitor the water in your area (including the source of your drinking water), the EPA has a national directory of volunteer water monitoring programs. Check it out!

Just published this article in Science Progress. Hope you enjoy it. The purpose of the piece is to let you know that all 720 formal (easy-to-read) reports put out by the defunct Congressional Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) are now available online, courtesy of the Federation of American Scientists. They are there for you, free, whether you are a researcher, policy maker, educator or anyone with an interest in any one of the topics covered. But this article is framed by the story of the rise and fall of the shad. One of the OTA reports focuses on this mighty fish. Back in 1995 the Office was looking at ways to help Congress set policies to help the troubled fish make a comeback.

Can you believe Congress shut this office down 15 years ago? It was their only source of nonpartisan, science policy advice and they axed it. Between global warming, stem cell research, water shortages, health care issues and other big science challenges facing Congress today, I’d say they need the OTA now more than ever. More here and here

Found a gem among the reports dealing with my favorite fish, the Shad. The OTA had some good recommendations on how science policies could help the shad. The report is 13 years old but New Zealand cites it on their Auckland Country regional development site, even today.

(Here’s a fun audio shad_radio_piece I coproduced about Philadelphia’s Fish a couple of years ago.) Yes! The Shad and the OTA in one tidy article…and they said it couldn’t be done. Or, did they say it shouldn’t be done? You be the judge. Let me know what you think!

Right now, Shad are starting to appear in rivers. A sure sign spring has sprung!

The Shad is a remarkable fish with a rich history (as told by John McPhee in The Founding Fish) and impressive ecological link. Like the Salmon, it is anadromous and migrates from its salt water ocean home to fresh river waters to spawn. The Shad’s oscillating presence in the rivers reflects the health of the water. No Shad? That’s Bad. It means our (drinking!) water is polluted and the Shad took a pass. Fortunately, citizen science and other efforts are underway to keep rivers clean.

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