ECOS: The Environmental Clearinghouse

Do you love the bike trail? If you'd like to help improve the multi-use trail, which has offered so much to so many over the years, there are two upcoming opportunities for you to do so. The Friends of the Mohawk-Hudson Bike-Hike Trail is hosting a Canal Clean Sweep event on Saturday, April 24, from 9 a.m. to noon. Because of the pandemic, this year certain precautions apply: The event will be limited to 10 volunteers and all volunteers must wear masks. All volunteers must al...so pre-register for the event. Email Gillian Scott at [email protected] to register or to get more details. The Friends will also be sponsoring an extended come-when-you-can cleanup. For those who prefer to avoid crowds, or who can't fit the Saturday cleanup into their schedule, go to the signup page at the link below and select the section of trail you'd like to clean up. Some sections will be quick and easy and can be tackled by 1-2 people, while other sections present a bigger challenge. You'll need to provide your own gloves and trash bags. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A094AADA82EA6FD0-canal See more

Spring and Summer in 22 seconds! In this animation, eight common species of frogs (including a toad!) give their calls through the season. Wood frog, boreal cho...rus frog, spring peeper, northern leopard frog, American toad, Gray treefrog, green frog, and bullfrog. See if you can identify each species as it joins the chorus. Full First Grade-level lesson (including individual calls of the frogs) is now available at: https://www.cablemuseum.org//first-grade-spring-a-northwo/

As Secretary Buttigieg is drawing attention to the social justice ramifications of American highways, especially in city neighborhoods, I hope he is aware of the effects of pollution as well. A research project called "One Chicago" that the Center for Neighborhood Technologies (Steve Perkins) did in the 1990s showed that the neighborhoods near (and under) the city's highways had alarming rates of asthma. Local pharmacies locked up inhalers to keep them from being stolen by ...desperate parents unable to afford medication to keep their children breathing. In another study in Atlanta, one indicator was that for the two weeks traffic was severely limited in Atlanta during the Olympics, the rate of asthmatic hospitalizations was astoundingly low. The only link was the drop in auto emissions. This was part of my own research for an indicator project at the Conservation Research Institute funded by the Federal Department of Transportation. - MMP See more