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Green in the Sea of Red and Pink
Red may be the stereotypical color of V-Day, but here are some tips to be more GREEN!
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 This Hallmark holiday may be the epitome of consumerism driven celebrations for the month of February, but let's not forget to show mother nature some love too! Here are some tips to reduce your impact:
- Create a handmade card and skip the store bought love letters
- Pass on the imported dozen roses and give a living, potted plant instead
- Choose fair trade chocolate and local wine
- Focus on experiences rather than things and take a class together
- Indulge in a couples massage. Everybody wins!
- Buy a City of Fort Wayne or state park pass
- Upcycle something they already own or repurpose to make it more meaningful
- Consider eco-friendly subscription box deliveries
- Skip the new jewelry and check out a local antique shop instead
- Wrap it all in a reusable bag to use time and time again
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Highlight on Research: Urban Turtles
Dr. Mark Jordan and his graduate student, Zach Kellogg, are examining spacial ecology of common snapping turtles right here in Fort Wayne!
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Dr. Mark Jordan, professor of biology at Purdue University Fort Wayne, has been working in partnership with Little River Wetland's Project and the Environmental Resources Center on an Urban Turtle Project at Eagle Marsh. The goal of the project is to inform conservation and management decisions, where efforts by Little River Wetland's Project to restore the marsh are ongoing. Zach Kellogg joined the Jordan lab as a Master's student in 2018, with the aim of exploring habitat use of common snapping turtles in this urban wetland system.
Common snapping turtles are found across Indiana and throughout much of the US and southern Canada, making up the largest range of any turtle in North America. Zach explains that their ability to tolerate human disturbance and pollution lends to their apparent success at surviving in human altered landscapes. Still, this species faces declines as a result of habitat fragmentation and degradation, road mortality, and human subsidized predators.
Currently, the researchers are using radio telemetry to investigate how the turtles utilize Eagle Marsh. This means locating each turtle in the study multiple times each week to collect data on habitat and behavior. By studying species while they are still common, scientists can better advise on management strategies if population declines continue.
An important component of this project is community engagement. Volunteers assisting with survey effort and telemetry get a front row seat to the lives of these animals. For those less inclined to jump in the water, taking part in the annual Urban Turtle Festival is a fun way to learn about and appreciate the great value turtles bring to wetlands. If you are interested in getting involved this upcoming season, check out the Little River Wetland's Project Volunteering page in the spring.
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Plant Natives to Aid Wildlife
A segment written by members of the Green Action Club! This month: Emma Steele
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 The American lawn is wreaking havoc on wildlife. With an increasing amount of land going to meet food and housing demands in the current system, wildlife is losing the last fronts of wilderness in favor of monocultures and manicured grass. When it comes to wildlife trying to make their living, this quickly becomes problematic. Reversing this trend will require wide-sweeping changes, and a great place to start is by giving up your lawn and planting natives instead.
The lateral expansion of human development has done a number on native ecosystems, especially here in the Midwest, where vast expanses of land are cleared for agriculture and to accommodate the growth of urban sprawl. This leaves the wildlife that calls this place home in a tight spot, competing for smaller and smaller patches of land and pushing them closer to the threat of extinction, especially specialists which have no other option for survival if habitat degradation wipes out their niche. Choosing to forgo the typical nonnative grasses and landscaping plants in favor of native plant species eases the burden native wildlife faces. It does so by providing a place to forage, hunt, reproduce, and hide amidst anthropogenic habitat destruction.
In addition to the benefits of wildlife and biodiversity that come along with native landscaping, gardening with native plants bring positives to people too. A yard landscaped with natives requires less water, fertilizer, pesticides, and upkeep than those planted with non-native species. This is because natives are already adapted to thriving in the local environment, whereas non-native species are not. This saves the property owner time and money in applying these products, and it helps to reduce pesticides and fertilizers from entering drinking water, which is good for people everywhere!
The Green Action Club has volunteered with Little River Wetlands Project in their work to aid native ecosystems in the Fort Wayne area and plans to continue working on native restoration work in the future. Including, around the ERC!
To learn more about the Green Action Club, find them on Facebook at 'Green Action Club' and on Instagram @gacpfw. If you are interested in joining, as a student or non-student member, email an officer at greenactionclub@pfw.edu
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Mastodon Market
Campus Farmers Market Reboot
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Mastodon Market 2.0? Part 2? Reboot? Continuation? The Sequel? Well we don't have ALL the details ironed out yet.... but we're working on restoring the Purdue Fort Wayne on-campus farmers market! And we want to hear your opinion. Please consider taking this quick 8-question Mastodon Market Survey to give your two cents.
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PROMOTE CONSERVATION
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How Are We Doing?
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