The Art of Ecology
Building visual connections between people and nature.
Tag: conservation
Bald Eagles along the Delaware River
In spring of 2021, I wrote the Habitat Article for the local River Towns Magazine. The below is the blog version of the post – enjoy! A once dying raptor, Bald Eagles now have healthy habitat they need to thrive! In the 1960’s and 70’s, the Bald Eagle, our National symbol, was on the verge …
Importance of Terrestrial Trees on Aquatic Habitats: a story
As part of my Aquatic Ecosystems graduate class, I wrote a little interpretive story of a feature of a local water body system. I chose to narrate the importance of riparian zone trees and their leaves on aquatic creek life. “It is a cool, misty sort of autumn day at Hollow Creek. The trees along …
Lizards Vs. Salamanders: What’s the Difference?
During the summertime, I always get so excited to flip over rocks by the stream and roll over rotting logs in the woods in search of critters! Pennsylvania is home to 22 salamander species, many of which I have spotted, however I have never seen any of the 4 native lizard species in the wild! …
Herps – What are they?
Starting in late March-early April, you may notice a lot of nature centers or wildlife organizations start talking about “Herps”…. What?! Herps are the collective term for Reptiles + Amphibians. While they each have their own distinguishing characteristics, they are similar enough so that many scientists lump them together while studying or talking about them. …
Public Perception & Attitudes Towards Bird Feeding
As part of my spring 2023 “Wildlife Education” course (Masters of Environmental Science through Slippery Rock University), I conducted a survey/questionnaire that was designed to examine the public’s perceptions and attitudes towards a bird feeding; a sometimes-controversial wildlife topic. Many feel strongly about why they should or should not feed wild birds. Below are the …
Marine Ecosystems & Their Connection to Land
We land-dwellers don’t usually consider the importance of marine ecosystems in our day-to-day lives, understandably. The times we usually think about the ocean are when we are on our summer vacations to the shore. In reality, the ways we are connected to marine life are closer than we may think. What Does the Ocean do …
Stream Health & Bioindicators Research Project by Intern Lucy
Research by Lucy McGinty and Marissa Jacobs 02/28/22 – 05/10/22 Abstract Local Pennsylvania streams are becoming more polluted due to chemical runoff, littering, and sewage dumping. Because of this, diversity in streams is beginning to decline. Popular ways researchers determine the quality of the stream is by species counts and various chemical testing. Macroinvertebrates are …
Bald Cypress Restoration Project in Georgia Partially-Funded by The Art of Ecology’s Conservation Mini-Grant
Iesha has a deep passion to protect the environment and to create ways to effectively solve environmental issues. Her experience working and volunteering has given her a well-rounded skill set to create solutions and to have a positive impact on low income communities… She has helped protect the environment by using her experiences to spark …
Be Kind to Animals – Even the Creepy Crawlies!
Did you know that May is National Be Kind to Animals Month? For the most part, especially if you’re reading this blog, you probably already have a soft spot in your heart for the charismatic animals of the world – so this seems like “preaching to the choir”, right? There are MANY animals in the …
Why Care About Counting Birds?
Birds and their population numbers are important for indicating overall health of ecosystems, making them bioindicator species. Have you participated in a bird count in your backyard, as part of a community science project, or as part of an event at an educational center? The Great Backyard Bird Count is an important way for scientists …
Marissa Jacobs | NatGeo Certified Educator | Photographer
