Pre-Settlement Vegetation at Casey\u27s Paha State Preserve, Iowa

Paha are loess-capped ridges standing 10-30 m above the surrounding plain of the Iowan Surface. Although Iowa was almost entirely covered with prairie and wetlands just prior to Euro-American settlement, the paha are believed to have been forested based on soil types and on early vegetation maps. The objective of this study was to find evidence that paha were forested by measuring the δ13C value of humin, the fraction of soil organic matter that is insoluble in acid and base. Previous work has shown that humin retains the δ13C signature of vegetation on a 1000-year time scale, as opposed to the more mobile and soluble humic and fulvic acids that reflect the δ13C signature of more recent vegetation. Soil samples were obtained from Casey\u27s Paha State Preserve in Tama County from four locations at depths ranging from 5-85 cm. Carbonates were removed with 1.0 M HCl and humic and fulvic acids were removed by repeated application of 0.5 M NaOH. The δ13C values of the humin fraction (-22.031% to -24.358%) were within or slightly above the upper range of δ13C values for woody vegetation (-23% to -34%) and well below the range for prairie grasses (-9% to -17%). Although it has been suggested that prairie fires bypassed the paha or that perched water tables maintained the forest, we suggest that the paha forests resulted from activity by Native Americans

Battling Pediatric Obesity in West Virginia: Helping Healthy Win

The Food Dudes, a healthy eating intervention program, could be useful in battling pediatric obesity and increasing fruit and vegetable consumption in rural Appalachia. Childhood obesity is a worldwide epidemic with 30-40% of U.S. children classified as overweight or obese. Increasing trends in overweight and obese preschool-age children also exist with rates nearly doubling from 1990 to 2010. The prevalence of obesity is particularly high in the Appalachian region of the United States. As of 2012, 28.1% of children in West Virginia were classified as either overweight or obese. In 2009, Cabell County fell into the highest category of pediatric obesity for the state, with 13-22% of children age two through four classifying as obese. Childhood obesity is a pervasive issue that leads to serious health problems later in life (e.g., Type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, cancer). In response to this, programs have been implemented to combat pediatric obesity. This poster introduces information about a healthy eating intervention program, The Food Dudes, which has been effective in several European countries. Also presented in this poster are clinical implications of The Food Dudes program in West Virginia