I've been working on creating a wikipedia page for Stroubles Creek. It is still a work in progress, but I have finally published the article. I will work on adding more information in the next few weeks, but if anyone has additional information about Stroubles Creek, please feel free to contribute to the page.
The article can be found here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stroubles_Creek
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Evaluating Natural Assets: Green Infrastructure
The past few weeks have been busy for me. On November 4, I went to Charlottesville for a Green Infrastructure Training Workshop sponsored by the Green Infrastructure Center, the VA Department of Forestry, and the University of Virginia. The title of the workshop was Evaluating and Conserving Natural Assets: planning for green infrastructure in the developing and urban landscapes.The workshop was very interesting.
EPA Stormwater Calculator
On October 23, I attended a free webinar hosted by the EPA on their National Stormwater Calculator (NSC). The NSC analyzes rainfall and runoff for individual sites anywhere in the US. More information on the NSC can be found on the EPA's website here.
I have used other programs for calculating stormwater runoff, such as Win TR-55 and ArcGIS. This program by far is the simplest that I have used. It only works for individual sites, where as the others can be used for large areas, but the NSC is very user friendly. Most of the data is provided for you or collected from multple databases by the program, so the amount of work required by the user is very little. It's also very useful because you can compare techniques to reduce runoff. There are a variety of tools that can be considered for reducing the runoff at the site, such as rain gardens or pervious concrete, and the NSC will calculate what size you need it to be based on the site and the reduction in runoff.
I have used other programs for calculating stormwater runoff, such as Win TR-55 and ArcGIS. This program by far is the simplest that I have used. It only works for individual sites, where as the others can be used for large areas, but the NSC is very user friendly. Most of the data is provided for you or collected from multple databases by the program, so the amount of work required by the user is very little. It's also very useful because you can compare techniques to reduce runoff. There are a variety of tools that can be considered for reducing the runoff at the site, such as rain gardens or pervious concrete, and the NSC will calculate what size you need it to be based on the site and the reduction in runoff.
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Biophilic Cities Conference - New Ideas for Stroubles
On October 18, I had the opportunity to attend the first Biophilic Cities Conference, hosted by the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. The conference featured speakers from all over the world to speak about their cities, how they are biophilic, and any plans or management practices they have been using to maintain a biophilic environment.
For those of you that don't know, the term biophilia refers to "the innately emotional affiliation of human beings to other living organisms. Innate means hereditary and hence part of ultimate human nature.” (Wilson, 1993, p.31). Biophilic cities are cities that incorporate an abundance of nature throughout their cities. They are concerned with protecting nature, restoring nature in an urban setting, and connecting humans with that nature. This typically involves biophilic designs, such as green infrastructure like rain gardens, green roofs, urban forestry, etc. It also involves community involvement and stewardship to maintain and increase the natural habitat within the city.
For those of you that don't know, the term biophilia refers to "the innately emotional affiliation of human beings to other living organisms. Innate means hereditary and hence part of ultimate human nature.” (Wilson, 1993, p.31). Biophilic cities are cities that incorporate an abundance of nature throughout their cities. They are concerned with protecting nature, restoring nature in an urban setting, and connecting humans with that nature. This typically involves biophilic designs, such as green infrastructure like rain gardens, green roofs, urban forestry, etc. It also involves community involvement and stewardship to maintain and increase the natural habitat within the city.
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