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SNHU's Red-tailed Hawks
No full textRed-tailed hawks are birds of prey. Red-tailed hawks are native to North and Central America. These hawks are common in the state of New Hampshire and are spotted frequently. There have been two Red-tailed hawks observed on Southern New Hampshire University's (SNHU’s) campus. The hawks use the campus' surrounding wood and open fields for their home. SNHU’s campus provides an ideal location for the hawks to reside at or near. SNHU is a rapidly growing school. With this growth comes campus expansion. As the school grows, the surrounding wooded landscape will decrease, causing habitat loss for local wildlife. If the hawks reside on the campus, habitat loss could disrupt their natural patterns. This research project aims to study the habits of the Red-tailed hawks to ensure their safety on SNHU’s campus. This will be done by observing the interactions between the Red-tailed hawks and SNHU’s campus. Understanding how the hawks interact with the environment will influence future decisions to guarantee their safety. The campus does not have any formal recognition of the hawks nor any education available to the public about them. Further research must be conducted on the Red-tailed hawks in order to create a solution that ensures their safety, as well as the safety of SNHU’s campus
Inclusivity and Belonging in the Classroom
Full text linkInclusivity is a term often used in special education to describe the integration of students with disabilities into the general education setting. Inclusivity, however, can also refer to the feeling of being included, in other words, a sense of belonging. As a future educator, it is essential to create a welcoming classroom environment in which every single student feels safe, included, and represented in the classroom. The following presentation describes the importance of creating a classroom environment of belonging where every student feels accepted, respected, and valued, several practices to create this environment, and the benefits for students of a classroom of belonging
Zoos Effects on Animal Conservation
No full textZoos are a multi purpose facilities that house animals and help educate the public on many species, while controversial with some ethical dimemias there are many zoos that contribute to animal conservation efforts. With habitat destruction and more animals becoming endangered there is a stronger need for zoos to become a stronger part of animal conservation efforts to help restore animal populations. There has been focus on how zoos have increased their efforts but not a spotlight on zoo sizes and how that can contribute to conservation efforts. There are many zoos that put time and effort into the translocation of animals but there are not enough across the board to fully make an impact. This problem will be addressed by analyzing what types and sizes of zoos are the most beneficial and how the smaller zoos can improve how they approach the issue of conservation. The research will compare multiple types of zoos and look at their beneficial tactics and implementation of practices that will benefit animals. By looking at the reproductions and translocation rates of these certain zoos I will be able to see what specific practices are most beneficial. The key impact of this study is to see how zoos can further their rehabilitation efforts for animals. With better efforts from zoos, there will be a better chance for the repopulation of endangered animal species
Chytrid Fungus in NH Frog Populations
Full text linkChytrid fungus, scientifically known as batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, is a fungus mostly found in aquatic environments. It is transferable between frogs and tadpoles, or through contact with infected waters. Chytrid fungus can be poisonous and deadly. It is a fungus that kills slowly, which makes it spread abundantly. The spread is caused by the migration of frogs from pond to pond before their death. Some frogs are resistant to chytrid such as the American bullfrog or the African clawed frog. However, they are still carriers that can spread this fungus to other non-resistant frogs, which may lead to a major frog pandemic and decrease in the population.
How Habitat Loss Affects Animals In New England
No full textIn New England, and the country in general, habitat loss is a large problem. Forests are being cleared daily to make room for new developments. Forests have been cleared to create things like highways and apartment complexes, and it seems as if this is a never ending process. The loss of forests does not only hurt the trees that are getting cut down, it hurts the animals and other plants that depended on those trees for habitats and food. Animals are forced to move into new areas after their homes are destroyed. This may cause them to move into areas such as residential areas which may be unsafe. Here we show the effects of habitat loss on animals and the ecosystem and some ways that people may be able to make a difference; like going paperless or shopping responsibly for wood
Improving Riparian Zones and Soil Health at the Watershed Scale to Reduce Contamination from Run-Off and PFAS in Drinking Water Sources
Full text linkThis project examines how improving the health of riparian zones and soil can reduce contamination from run-off and PFAS as a pollutant in source drinking water. The use of PFAS has increasingly been a cause of concern for several decades because of their detrimental impacts to human health and the environment. Various studies are used to explore how water quality is impacted by landscape, the relationship of differing contaminants in soil, as well as using phytoremediation through plant species in order to clean soil and water. Results showed that urban expansion and activity degrade water quality. Riparian buffer zones with a width of 300 m and a length of 8 km are critical areas where landscape has a large impact on water quality metrics. Soil testing data showed that the highest concentrations of PFAS were found in the first 0-10cm. Long-chain PFAS, such as PFOA were the majority found within the topsoil and retention can be credited to low mobility. Anthropocentric activity enriched the soil and deposited contaminants which contributed to both PFAS and other metal concentrations. Red Fescue, River Birch, Sweetgum, Black Willow, Sycamore, Tulip Poplar, Amaranth, Tall Fescue, Bermudagrass, Mustard and Horsetail were all found to useful in accumulating of PFAS from soil through phytoremediation. Various plant species found as accumulators can be planted and used along bodies of water in order to intake PFAS pollution. Using the knowledge from the studies reviewed in this paper, plans for remediation of riparian and green zones can be completed in order to ensure better water quality prior to reaching point water sources
How Does Warming Temperatures Impact the Snowpack in Alpine Catchments?
No full textAs the Earth warms up a plethora of environmental issues arise in the alpine region. Various models are now showing that in the future there could be an increase in rain as winter precipitation due to a consistent rise in temperatures in the alpine region. This rain can cause a variety of problems in alpine ecosystems and water basins. Snowpack in these regions is expected to decrease which in turn can have major reductions on spring/summer runoff flows because of the decrease in frozen precipitation during the winter months that can result in flash flooding, droughts, and decrease in ground water storage. Not only does the decrease in snowpack in the alpine region affect the abiotic factors like water, they also impact biotic organisms such as various lichen that rely on the insulation properties of snow during the winter. Snowpack in these regions is expected to decrease which in turn can have major reductions on spring/summer runoff flows. The models shown here are important to see how dangerous uniform global warming is on alpine regions due to the decrease in snowpack and the timing of melting in alpine regions that can be applied to the White Mountains in New Hampshire
The Impact of Presidential Executive Orders and Declarations on Minority Groups
Full text linkThis Capstone Project studies the impact that Presidential Executive Orders have had upon minority groups in the United States. The primary elements of this capstone project focus on specific Presidential Executive Orders that altered the lives of minority groups in the United States. The project includes an Omeka online exhibition titled The Impact of Presidential Executive Orders on Minority Groups. The minority groups incorporated in the project are Japanese Americans, Native Americans, slaves, African Americans, and Arab or Middle Eastern descent. Factors associated with these groups include politics, racism, desegregation, immigration, slavery, terrorism, war, economics, and other societal issues that resulted in the application of Executive Orders.
Present-day historians, scholars, and academia provide archival resources regarding the specifics of Executive Orders with limited discussion of the effects or impact of their use. This project recognizes the significance of Executive Orders and the positive and negative aspects that occurred. The primary idea presented is that Presidential Executive Orders directly impact minority groups without the approval of the legislative branch. Each component represented throughout the project utilized primary sources and secondary sources from different presidents and eras. The sources focus on the Executive Order themselves through government records and the resulting experiences of those affected. Additional sources include photographs, personal letters, and miscellaneous documents related to the short and long-term consequences to each minority group. The assessment of these sources of information supports the thesis and argument about the consequences of applying Executive Orders when it comes to minority groups.Master ArtsHistoryCollege of Online and Continuing Educatio
Are SNHU Waterways Impaired by Excess Chloride Due to Road Salt Application?
No full textThe chloride ion found in road salt accumulates in water bodies and has negative impacts on aquatic life and ecosystems. Amphibians experience developmental and behavioral changes at high chloride concentrations. Ecosystems can also be impacted – too much salt can cause water density changes, soil contamination, harm to algae, and harm to mammals. The road salt that is applied in colder climates is effective at ensuring the safety of drivers, but little attention is focused on the consequences of applying large amounts of road salt. To understand how much road salt is present in water bodies in southern New Hampshire, and to understand the relationship between urbanization and salinization, the conductivity of water samples was measured in an area immediately adjacent to the campus roadways and another remote location. The results are compared to meteorological data and impairment threshold values