The Hemlock Volume 1, Issue 1 (March 2008) Global Warming Recycling at LHU "One place comprehended can make us understand other places better." --Eudora Welty A Sense of Place Welcome! This e-mail newsletter is part of an effort to help the Lock Haven Lick Run Hike University community develop a deeper sense of place. Such a sense of place involves a stewardship of natural resources (environmentalism), meaningful outdoor experiences, and Central PA appreciation for the heritage of the region. Our goal is to use this History newsletter as a way to focus attention on the many things we as a Environmental university are already doing in these areas, but also to provide a forum to develop new activities. We really want everyone--students, Journalism faculty, staff, management--to be a part of this. We'd especially like to Nature Poetry see articles on how to integrate these ideas with the university's commitment to diversity/internationalism, technological expertise, and student engagement with the learning process. Please submit your ideas, comments, and questions to Bob Myers (rmyers3@lhup.edu.) Why "The Hemlock"? The Eastern Hemlock seems to be an appropriate symbol for what we're trying to do. It's Pennsylvania's state tree, and it's mentioned in Lock Haven University's Alma Mater ("Where the hemlock, pine, and maple murmur in the night..."). And it's a great tree with an interesting history. Hemlocks can be found all over campus (there are three in front of Akeley), and they're easy to recognize. Look for an evergreen with a pyramid shape. The needles are short (1/2"-1"), dark green on top, and the needles have two whitish parallel lines on the bottom. The cones are small and round. The tree is native to Pennsylvania and can grow for up to 900 years. In the 19th-century most of the old hemlocks were cut down and stripped of their bark for the tannic acid that was used to tan hides. But there are a few old-growth hemlocks left in this area: if you're willing to drive an hour or so, giant hemlocks can be seen at Rickett's Glen State Park and Alan Seeger Natural Area. The biggest threat to the hemlocks today is the Wooly Adelgid, a non-native insect. For more information, see the Save Our Hemlocks web page. What You Can Do About Global Warming --Danielle Tolton (LHU Biology major) Some people believe that there is nothing we can do to fight global warming since the problem is too far out of control. However, there are little everyday things that can make a huge difference in protecting and saving this place we all call home. From throwing a piece of paper into a recycling receptacle to renovating a house to make it more energy efficient, the opportunities to begin the fight to stop global warming are endless. First, it is important to understand global warming. In simple terms, greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide have formed a thick blanket around the earth. This blanket of gases allows the sun’s rays to shine through and heat the earth but keeps the reflected rays from escaping the atmosphere. These trapped rays cause the earth’s overall temperature to increase, thus creating global warming. This rise in temperature leads to increased rainfall (including more hurricanes and floods), warmer oceans, and a melting of the ice caps at the poles. These changes are destroying the delicate ecosystem of earth. Much of the carbon dioxide that is causing global warming is created by humans. Car emissions release toxic fumes of carbon dioxide into the air. Power plants burning fossil fuels, which release carbon dioxide into the air. The production of plastic products requires oil. Wasted paper means the destruction of forests that would have helped to remove the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Simple changes in your lifestyle can add up to make a difference. Try some of the following ideas: •carpool or walk whenever possible •recycle or reuse everything •buy products with less packaging •take showers rather than baths (and install a low-flow faucet in the shower) •turn off all appliances (e.g. computers) and lights when not in use •use reusable grocery bags rather than paper or plastic bags •buy a water bottle and refill it rather than using bottled water •install compact florescent light bulbs •drive at the speed limit to increase your gas mileage significantly As you can see, these simple little things take little effort, and many of them will save you money. And one of the best things you can do is to educate others. By letting other people know about the threat of global warming, you can help recruit others to join in the fight. Global warming is a real problem, but we can fight it. Are you ready to start saving our planet? For more information please check out the following websites: •The Environmental Protection Agency: Climate Change: Information from the government about global warming. •The Environmental Defense Fund: Global Warming: This informative site discusses the facts of global warming. They point out who is paying for the "bad science" that claims that global warming is not a serious problem. •Global Warming Awareness Movement: A list of 50 simple things that you can do to fight global warming. •stopglobalwarming.org: A virtual march to stop global warming. •Inconvenient Truth Carbon Calculator: Determine where you stand in terms of the national average. Recycling at LHU --John Crossen (LHU Building Maintenance Foreman) Lock Haven University has been recycling for approximately twenty years. Our current Facilities Department Director, Mr. David Proctor, initiated the recycling program on his arrival at the university. We have been supported by the Waste Management Department at the Wayne Township Landfill, who established the recycling program for Clinton County. They have provided us with the blue or green collection boxes that are seen throughout campus. They also supply and empty the large metal dumpsters that we fill with our recyclables that the custodial and grounds department staff pickup from around campus. Currently, we recycle the following items: •Office paper--white or colored, magazines, books without covers (but not golden yellow envelopes) •Newspapers •Cardboard •Cans (except aerosol) •Plastic bottles & containers •Glass bottles & containers •Computers & electronics •Florescent light bulbs Many people don't know that if a recycling container is contaminated (non-recyclable items mixed in), it must be thrown away as garbage. Thus, it's very important that you make sure to put your recyclables in the correct container. Also, please remember to rinse out your recyclables before putting them in the bins. We are currently discussing ways to enhance our recycling efforts, including new containers that might be easier to distinguish. If you have any suggestions, please email me at jcrossen@lhup.edu. What is a "Sense of Place"? --Jeff Walsh (LHU Recreation Management Professor) If you were asked to describe your home town, what would you say about it? If Lock Haven is not your home town and you were asked to describe it, what would you say about Lock Haven? Would those two place descriptions differ from one another? Do you have stronger feeling towards one than you do the other? Do you know the place you feel stronger about to better than you know the other place? Do you think your descriptions of these two places would differ from other individuals’ descriptions of the same places? Would there be similarities in the descriptions? Thinking about your answers to these questions and others, helps one to better understand the sense of place concept. Over the years, the sense of place concept has been an area of inquiry and research for human geographers, environmental psychologists, sociologists, social ecologists, historians, urban planners, and even those examining campus ecology. Researchers in these fields, and others, have often explored the relationships between place, setting, or environment and the human behaviors that occur in those settings. Results from this line of research have, among other things, suggested that it is common for individuals to develop a “sense of a place” as a direct result of their interaction(s) and experience(s) of a place and its unique combination of characteristics or attributes. Although some critics of the sense of place concept refer to it as nebulous and therefore of limited research value, others have investigated the concept in an attempt to better understand how people feel, behave, and interact in particular settings. Thus over the years, sense of place has evolved from simply meaning “the general feeling people have about a specific place” to becoming a more sophisticated umbrella term for other place-related concepts such as place attachment, place identity, and place dependence. Many researchers investigating the sense or meaning of place believe that individuals, through interacting with a place, often become “attached” to that place. Place attachment research has generally conceptualized this attachment as consisting of two distinctly different components: place identity- the emotional attachment to a place as a form of self-identity or “this place, in some way, represents who I am; and place dependence- a valuing a place for its activity-related attributes or as a setting for action (i.e. you become attached to a place because of its usefulness for satisfying your needs and goals). Sense of place research has also uncovered a communality of place where a place embodies shared meanings as a symbol of cultural significance. This communality of place or the “social imageability” of place can become a rallying point for community action. Locally, the community action, the debates, and the unrest sparked by the dike levee project or the Drake dump site in Lock Haven was quite likely due to the fact that some people’s sense of Lock Haven was threatened by either, or both, projects. It is this potential power of sense of place that makes it so alluring. For it seems intuitive that if one could increase the tangibility of a sense of place to the point where other community members shared a communal sense of place, many issues such as sustainability, global warming, pollution, environmental justice, and quality of life would seem to be far less formidable. Further Reading on "Sense of Place" •Eyles, J. (1985). Senses of Place. Cheshire, England: Silverbrook Press. •Greider, T., & Garkovich, L. (1994). Landscapes: The social construction of nature and the environment. Rural Sociology, 59: 1-24. •Stokols, D., & Shumaker, S.A. (1981). People in places: A transactional view of settings. In J.H. Harvey (Ed.), Cognition, Social Behavior, and the Environment (pp. 441-488). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. •Williams, D.R., Patterson, M.E., Roggenbuck, J.W., & Watson, A. E. (1992). Beyond the commodity metaphor: examining emotional and symbolic attachment to place. Leisure Sciences, 14, 29-46. Lick Run: The Best Hike 10 Minutes From Campus Lick Run is a great short hike (4 miles out & back/2 hours round trip) that is close to campus. To get there from LHU, go east on Water Street to the Jay Street Bridge (across from the courthouse). Turn left onto the bridge, and then left onto the Farrandsville Road. Follow the road for 6.6 miles. At 3.3 miles (Queens Run) you need to turn left to stay on Farrandsville Rd. At 5.2 miles, the road will bear right and cross the railroad tracks, entering the town of Farrandsville. Note the Farrandsville iron furnace at 5.5 miles. The last 100 yards of the road are gravel, as you enter State Game Land 89. At 6.6 miles you'll reach the stream (the road continues but is usually gated at the bridge) Park your vehicle in the parking lot to the right. The gated trail is to the left of the road and follows the stream for two miles through thickets of rhododendron and forests of old hemlocks and tulip poplars. Just a few yards up the trail on the left is a stone fireplace that was probably used by the Farrandsville Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) camp that was in this area from 1933-41. At 1/2 mile (10 minutes), the Donut Hole Trail (orange blazes) leaves the Lick Run trail on the left and continues for about 80 miles to Jericho, PA (keep following the trail to the right). Lick Run is classified as a Wilderness Trout Water, and on any given day, you might see turkeys, grouse, or deer. At the end of the trail there is a rock chair (probably built by the CCC). Before you head back to campus, relax by the stream, which has been designated a Pennsylvania Wild & Scenic River. Although the trail is flat and not especially difficult, it is often muddy, so you might want to wear hiking boots. Also, since this is state game land, you should pay attention to hunting seasons and wear bright orange when appropriate. The History of Central Pennsylvania Matt Connor has been writing a weekly series of articles for the Lock Haven Express on Lock Haven history. The introductory article, "Rich and Colorful History," was published on January 11th, and a fascinating article on the National Hotel was published on January 18th. We'd also like to recommend Eric Smith's Clinton County, an excellent collection of old photographs published as part of the Images of America Series (Arcadia, 2007). Mr. Smith is Assistant Director of News Services and Publications at LHU. Environmental Journalism at LHU An Environmental Journalism class will soon be offered at Lock Haven University. According to the Eagle Eye (11/14/07): "The class, created by Dr. Sharon Stringer, associate professor of communication media, will look at national, state and local issues concerning the environment. . . . Students will learn how to translate environmental issues for the public in their writing. Some of these issues may include, but are not limited to the following: water quality, waste management and acid rain run-off. With the current global warming issues, Stringer believes that this is a good time to offer a class such as this. The environment is important to the public and journalism students will learn how to get this information out to the people. 'It will give them a new specialization or increase knowledge in a specialty area,' said Stringer. It will increase their chances of getting employed after graduation, providing greater opportunities for student's futures. Students interested in public relations could find internships around this area dealing with these issues, such as the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources in Williamsport." Winter Lace --Elizabeth Regan (LHU English major) Deep in the frozen woods, lovely promises sleep. They give watch, stopping to sweep the downy evening. But between the darkest snow the winds sweep through, scattering the seedlings away from the ice lacing the trees. They feather the land and take flight. Spring arises like golden and pink rays, flushing along morning’s wisped clouds. Indigo birds climb from their woven nests, winging through perfumed needles of the forest. A woman looks out from a loft, brushing her raven tresses, eyes soft and luminous, gazing into the awakening land. Recommended Websites iConservePA: A web site managed by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, whose vision is to inspire citizens to value their natural resources, engage in conservation practices and experience the outdoors. Worldchanging.com: WorldChanging.com works from a simple premise: that the tools, models and ideas for building a better future lie all around us. That plenty of people are working on tools for change, but the fields in which they work remain unconnected. That the motive, means and opportunity for profound positive change are already present. That another world is not just possible, it's here. We only need to put the pieces together. Lock Haven in 1854 (probably painted from Highland Cemetery behind the campus). Note the absence of trees. For more information about this image, visit the Penn State Digital Library Collection.