Environmental News
Environmental News from Boulder, Colorado
Open Space and Mountain Parks to host open house to discuss community management proposals for land west of Boulder
Dec 1st
The City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP) department invites members of the community to an open house on Monday, Dec. 6. The purpose of this meeting is to share information and gather feedback about a set of recommendations for management of the West Trail Study Area (West TSA). The open house will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. at the East Boulder Community Center, 5660 Sioux Drive in Boulder.
A group of local residents interested in recreation and resource conservation has been working with city staff since September 2009 to develop recommendations on practical and feasible ways to improve community services in the West TSA. This Community Collaborative Group (CCG) includes representatives from recreation, conservation, and cultural resource interests as well as neighborhoods adjacent to the West TSA. After 14 months of meetings and field trips, the CCG has released its preliminary proposals and is seeking input from the public.
The CCG’s proposals will guide the West TSA Plan. The plan will provide management direction for OSMP lands north of Eldorado Springs Drive, south of Linden Avenue and west of Broadway/Colorado Highway 93 for the next ten years. Background documents, including the CCG’s recommendations, are available at the West TSA website, www.westtsa.org.
“We are very grateful for the time, energy and creativity contributed by CCG members. They deliberated over many difficult issues and are proposing an extensive and well‑balanced mix of recommendations,” said Steve Armstead, project manager for OSMP. “The group’s input has broadened our perspectives and provided a strong grassroots foundation for the West TSA plan.”
For information on OSMP planning processes or to learn how to get involved, please visit www.westtsa.org or call 303-441-3440.
SOURCE: CITY PRESS RELEASE
CU-NASA RESEARCH CENTER TO STUDY SUN’S EFFECTS ON EARTH’S CLIMATE
Nov 30th
The University of Colorado at Boulder’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., today announced the formation of a new collaborative research center dedicated to the study of the sun’s effect on Earth’s climate.
The center, called the Sun-Climate Research Center, or SCRC, will be co-directed by LASP Research Scientist Peter Pilewskie as well as Robert Cahalan, who heads Goddard’s Climate and Radiation Branch, and Douglas Rabin, head of Goddard’s Solar Physics Laboratory.
“The exciting thing about this collaboration is that we believe it will promote studies to help answer key questions about the climate system, including how Earth’s atmosphere responds to the sun’s variability and how that affects climate,” said Pilewskie, a faculty member in CU-Boulder’s atmospheric and oceanic sciences department. “This question is particularly important now as we seek to quantify the human-induced impact on Earth’s climate.”
Made possible by a Federal Space Act Agreement, SCRC will foster collaboration between Earth-atmosphere and solar sciences at the two institutions. Opportunities will include a scientist exchange program between the organizations and the ability for postdoctoral scientists and graduate students in science, engineering and mission operations to move between LASP and Goddard. The partnership also will include international research symposia on sun-climate interactions.
“In recent years Goddard and LASP have worked together on several Earth and sun missions,” said Cahalan. “Now we look forward to continuing to drive growth in this key interdisciplinary field of sun-Earth research, bringing new focus to the study of multiyear changes in the sun and its influence on Earth’s climate.”
According to the center’s co-directors, the SCRC represents a rare and innovative step that underscores LASP’s ability to take its high-caliber research and program opportunities to a new level with Goddard.
“LASP has developed some remarkable areas of expertise that are key to studying the sun and its effect on climate and on human activities,” said LASP Director Daniel Baker. “By working with our colleagues at Goddard, we can leverage our skills and help take an important step toward greater cooperation between NASA centers and leading university research teams.”
For more information on LASP visit http://lasp.colorado.edu/home/. For more information on NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html.
-CU-
City hosts Dec. 1 meeting to discuss pesticide assessment project
Nov 24th
The City of Boulder is hosting a public meeting at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 1, in the Municipal Building lobby, 1777 Broadway, to discuss the assessment of city pesticide use on public lands and the process for updating the city’s Approved Pesticide List. Tom Green of the IPM Institute of North America will represent the city’s consultant team and give an overview of the project, answer questions and listen to residents’ comments and concerns.
Earlier this year, in response to concerns about the process for updating the city’s Approved Pesticide List, the city decided to postpone any changes to the list in order to allow time to review and evaluate the current Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program. Since then, the city has hired a team of consultants including the IPM Institute of North America, the Pesticide Research Institute and Osborne Organics to review the city’s current practices and make recommendations for updating the city’s IPM program.
The public is encouraged to attend the meeting and provide feedback. Comments are also welcome on the IPM website at www.bouldercolorado.gov under “Issues / Projects.”
