Leveraging Land Easements for Grassland Bird Habitat Conservation

In addressing the decline of North American grassland bird populations, it is important to consider the various interdisciplinary approaches that can be employed in their conservation. OECMs, or “other effective area-based conservation measures” encompass a wide array of strategies which can be leveraged to conserve natural landscapes and species. Land easements implemented by the Land Conservancy of Adams County (LCAC) are an example of one such strategy. The LCAC seeks primarily to preserve the rural character of Adams County but has more recently turned their focus toward environmental conservation. In partnering with the Land Conservancy, this case study aimed to identify land easements within Freedom Township, PA that should be prioritized for grassland bird conservation, while also supporting the LCAC in applying for a Land Trust Grant through the Cornell Ornithology Lab. To fulfill these goals, the Eastern Meadowlark was chosen as a focal species. Surveys were then distributed to landowners engaged in LCAC land easements within Freedom Township to gauge their current agricultural practices and willingness to participate in grassland bird conservation. After preparing Eastern Meadowlark occurrence data and selected environmental variables in ArcGIS Pro, the software MaxEnt was used to produce models expressing the predicted probability of Eastern Meadowlark presence in Adams County, Pennsylvania. The first model used land cover data to identify where the birds were likely located, and the second model used crop cover data to relate presence to certain crops. By integrating these models with survey responses, we identified parcels (1) containing suitable habitat for the Eastern Meadowlark, and (2) owned by landowners interested in bird conservation as priority conservation parcels. The results of this study indicated that the Eastern Meadowlark was negatively correlated with tree cover and crops unfavorable for nesting, including soy and corn. A stronger presence was predicted on easements that self-reported growing crops conducive to nesting, such as grasses, wheat, or hay. Based on these findings, we make several recommendations for the focus of future grassland bird conservation efforts within Freedom Township

Harvesting Memory, Preserving Home: A Cookbook of the Painted Turtle Farm/Cosechando Memoria, Preservando el Hogar: Un Libro de Cocina de la Granja de la Tortuga Pintada

About this Project In the fall of 2018, 14 of the families and 32 students from two first-year seminars, Crossing Borders: Immigration, Identity, and Development and Immigrant Stories, worked together to create this cookbook. Families submitted their favorite dishes and then invited students to their homes to demonstrate the preparation. As they cooked and ate together, students recorded the steps to make the recipe and listened as connections between food, memory, family, migration, traditions, and religion emerged. Harvesting Memory, Preserving Home: A Cookbook of the Painted Turtle Farm is the product of this undertaking. In it, we offer the collection of recipes as well as a short story from each family, bring meaning to the food we eat, the places life brings us, and the memories we share. Sobre este Projecto En el otoño de 2018, 12 de las familias y 32 estudiantes de dos clases, Cruzando Fronteras: Immigración, Identidad, y Desarrollo y Las Historias Immigrantes trabajaron juntos para cear este libro de cocina. Las familias escogieron platos con una importancia o una memoria especial para preparar en sus casas con los estudiantes. Durante el proceso de concinar y comer juntos, los estudiantes anotaron los pasos para preparar la receta. Ellos escucharon las conexiones entre la comida, la memoria, la familia, la migración, las tradiciones, y la religión. Cosechando Memoria, Preservando el Hogar: Un Libro de Cocina de la Granja de la Tortuga Pintada es el fruto de este proyecto. Ofrecemos la collección de recetas además de una historia breve de cada familia, para dar significado a los alimentos que comemos, los lugares donde la vida nos trae, y las memorias que nos compartimos