NWRC Weekly Highlights 10/8/2009

Weekly Highlights

MEMORANDUM

From: Gabrielle Boudreaux Bodin
Subject: Weekly Highlights, USGS National Wetlands Research Center, October 8, 2009

Departmental/Bureau News - Upcoming

Scientists From the Netherlands To Visit NWRC: Johan Boon and Edwin Elias from Deltares, a non-profit research institute focused on delta technology from the Netherlands, will visit the USGS National Wetlands Research Center on October 20, 2009, to learn about the center’s work and to discuss opportunities for future collaboration. Elias is currently a visiting scientist with the USGS Western Coastal and Marine Geology group where they are collaborating on coastal morphodynamic research. (Janine Powell, Lafayette, La., 337-266-8501)
NWRC Contractor To Present Wetland Information to Students at Our Lady of Fatima: USGS National Wetlands Research Center contractor Gabrielle Bodin will present information on and biofacts related to Louisiana’s coastal wetlands to approximately 100 third graders at Our Lady of Fatima School in Lafayette, La., on October 23, 2009. (Gabrielle Bodin, Lafayette, La., 337-266-8655)
NWRC Scientist To Attend “Restoring the West” Conference: During October 27 – 28, 2009, USGS National Wetlands Research Center scientist Jim Grace will attend a meeting held at Utah State University in Logan on “Innovative Land Management for the Great Basin.” He will co-present a paper entitled, “Community Resistance to Invasion and Resilience to Disturbance.” This work is in conjunction with his work with the SageSTEP project (www.SageSTEP.org), a region-wide experimental investigation of habitat management practices in the Great Basin spanning from Utah to Washington. In conjunction with this visit, Grace will teach a workshop at Utah State University on structural equation modeling, a methodological framework for process discovery in multivariate systems. (Jim Grace, Lafayette, La., 337-266-8632)
NWRC Scientist To Judge Louisiana State Duck Stamp Competition: USGS National Wetlands Research Center research wildlife biologist Clint Jeske will judge the 2010 Louisiana State Duck Stamp Competition on October 28, 2009, in Baton Rouge, La. Jeske, who creates carvings of birds as a hobby, has spent the past 27 years researching waterfowl and other birds. The Louisiana Waterfowl Conservation Stamp program was established in 1988 by the Louisiana Legislature to generate revenue for conservation and enhancement of State wetlands and other worthy programs that benefit Louisiana's ducks and geese. (Clint Jeske, Lafayette, La., 337-266-8652)

Departmental/Bureau News - Current

NWRC Scientists Present Findings Regarding Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge: USGS National Wetlands Research Center branch chief Tom Doyle and biologist John McCoy presented findings of long-term monitoring studies of forest health and productivity at Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge (located in southeast Arkansas) for a public forum hosted by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Crossett, Ark., on October 1, 2009. The refuge is the largest green-tree reservoir in the Nation designed for seasonal flooding for waterfowl management where longer or more frequent drawdowns are needed to enhance tree survivorship, natural regeneration, and mass production. The refuge is developing an adaptive management plan to implement a more natural flood regime based on multi-decadal research and monitoring studies. (Tom Doyle, Lafayette, La., 337-266-8647)
U.S. Department of State Officials To Meet with USGS Concerning Involvement In 10-year Wetlands Action Plan: On October 9, the USGS National Wetlands Research Center will host two visitors from the U.S. Department of State who coordinate environmental affairs with the Peoples Republic of China. Harvey Lee (Deputy Director, Bureau of Oceans and International Scientific Affairs) and Kelly Milton (Foreign Affairs Officer) will meet with USGS scientists and managers to discuss the involvement of the USGS in a 10-year Wetlands Actions plan under the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue and Ten-Year Framework on Energy and Environment. Two wetland-related topics of interest to the Chinese are a training program on principles of wetland ecology and an adaptive management workshop on wetlands. (Virginia Burkett, Many, La., 318-256-5628)
Visiting Scientists From Japan To Present Seminar: Fukuju Yamamoto and Fumiko Iwanaga, visiting scientists from Japan, will present a seminar on forested wetlands from Japan and the United States at the USGS National Wetlands Research Center on October 13, 2009. The title of Iwanaga's talk will be "Flood tolerance of wetland forest trees in Kushiro mire in Japan and the Mississippi basin." Yamamoto's talk was entitled "Characteristics of cambial growth in wetland forest trees." They will also tour NWRC. (Nicole Cormier, Lafayette, La., 337-266-8838)
USGS Scientist To Present Keynote at Virginia Water Research Conference: Virginia Burkett, USGS Chief Scientist for Global Change Research, will give a keynote presentation at the 2009 Virginia Water Research Conference, "Water Resources in Changing Climates," in Richmond, Va. She will speak at the first session of the conference on October 15, 2009. Her talk will include new information about water resources and climate change in the United States, as presented in the 2009 U.S. Global Change Research Program report entitled "Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States." (Virginia Burkett, Many, La., 318-256-5628)
Parks Middle School Students To Visit NWRC: Sixty students from Parks Middle School will visit the USGS National Wetlands Research Center on October 15, 2009, as a component of the Louisiana Department of Education’s “Journey To Careers” program. The students will view a presentation on Louisiana’s coastal wetlands and tour the center to learn about careers in science. (Gabrielle B. Bodin, Lafayette, La., 337-266-8655)
NWRC Provides Exhibit Materials for Mekong River Commission Meeting: USGS National Wetlands Research Center staff provided requested materials related to the Delta Research and Global Observation Network Partnership to the U.S. Department of State for an exhibit to be displayed at the Mekong River Commission Basin Development Plan Second Regional Stakeholder Forum held October 15 – 16, 2009, in Chiang Rai, Thailand. Materials included maps, posters, handouts, fact sheets, folders, and DVD’s. (Janine Powell, Lafayette, La., 337-266-8501)
ULL Pre-Service Teachers To Visit NWRC: Fifteen pre-service elementary teachers from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Center for Gifted Education will tour the USGS National Wetlands Research Center on October 16, 2009, to learn about work being conducted at NWRC and resources available to them, particularly in the library. (Linda Broussard, Lafayette, La., 337-266-8692)
NWRC Provides DRAGON Information for State Department Meeting: USGS National Wetlands Research Center staff provided requested presentations related to the Delta Research and Global Observation Network (DRAGON) to the U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, for a meeting they are holding October 22 – 23, 2009. Regional embassies/missions and representatives from various bureaus at the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development are meeting to identify priority areas and opportunities for collaboration under Secretary Hillary Clinton’s Lower Mekong Initiative. Embassy staff will give a brief presentation on DRAGON, Forecast Mekong, and the Sister-River Initiative during one of the sessions. (Janine Powell, Lafayette, La., 337-266-8501)

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