Carnegie Museum of Natural History

One of the Four Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh

We Are Nature: Living in the Anthropocene

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The Importance of Connections

By Joylette Portlock

Earth Day this year, April 22nd, was the nation’s forty-ninth (though many were calling it the “48th Anniversary”), and my first as Associate Director of Science and Research at Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Even in the short time I’ve been in my role here, this place has afforded me fascinating new ways to think about this very special, extremely wet, rocky ball in space that we, and many millions of other species of mainly surface-and-ocean-dwelling living things call home.

You can’t talk about Earth as a whole without talking about connections. Especially when it comes to the Anthropocene, upon which our museum is newly focused, “connection” is a critically important concept.  We often think of our actions and how they affect Earth as though the planet and nature were somehow separable from us, or we from it. Our option, urgent and essential, is to see ourselves as we are: an integrated part of the world around us. Only then can we imagine and build a responsible future. And, to get to that future, one that fulfills the promise of the first Earth Day, we must connect to each other, ask and answer tough questions, spark conversation, learn and work together.

computer screen showing a map of green spaces
Screenshot taken from an interactive in the museum’s temporary exhibit, We Are Nature; Credit Joshua Franzos

Here, we live in a place with a very strong sense of identity and pride; Steeler Country is also a beautiful region of rivers, trees, and hills. And, it is a place inextricably marked, and in some ways defined, by human manipulation of our resources. It’s possible to see the cultural achievements, the sheer natural beauty, and the presence of expansive industry all at once, see the connections between them, and understand how these things exist, in the same place and at the same time, here and around the world.

It’s true that fossil fuel extraction and use has historically led to economic success in the region. (Fun fact, with apologies to Dippy: coal and natural gas, fossil fuels, generally existed long before the dinosaurs.) However, many of our local wild places still bear the scars from our use of these resources in the form of degraded streams, partitioned forests, poor air quality, changing climate, and shifting, sunken land.

“Connection” also means, of course, understanding connections between Earth systems – connecting our actions to global impact. As but one of many examples shown eloquently in the We Are Nature exhibition, rising temperatures and increasing carbon dioxide in the air from burning fossil fuels (atmosphere) are both absorbed by water, leading to warmer, more acidic oceans (hydrosphere), which in turn leads to marine ecosystem damage and danger to coral reefs (biosphere) – a long way away from Pennsylvania.

Memorial to the great barrier reef
Photo taken from We Are Nature; Credit Joshua Franzos

There is much to remain hopeful about, however. These are all stories that are still being written. This Earth Day, I’m remembering that this is a beautiful planet… and it’s the only one we’ve got. The systems that govern it are interconnected, complicated, and in some ways, surprisingly delicate. I’m also remembering that the solutions to many of today’s environmental challenges lie in our thoughtful reevaluation and improvement of all the kinds of connections, starting with the first one I mentioned: exploring, learning, and working together.

Take action area in We Are Nature
Photo taken from We Are Nature; Credit Joshua Franzos

I invite you to both check out We Are Nature before it leaves this fall and stay tuned for what’s next as more work on the Anthropocene at the museum ramps up.

Or, should I say, stay connected.

–Joylette Portlock, Ph.D., is associate director of science and research at Carnegie Museum of Natural History. She is also executive director of Communitopia, a nonprofit focused on climate change communication, and holds many other roles in the community.

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Riverbank Beavers

By Patrick McShea

beaver taxidermy

The mid-April news of cut redbud saplings along a Pittsburgh riverfront trail served as a public announcement that beavers reside in the city. The very same message is conveyed in We Are Nature, where a beaver taxidermy
mount holds position #25 in a wall display of thirty-three diverse species of
Pittsburgh wildlife.

Pennsylvania mammals on display in We Are Nature

The display and an accompanying interactive panel invites visitors to consider how Nature is always around us, even in urban areas. In the case of Pittsburgh’s beavers, the species’ reputation as a dam builder is not reinforced along the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio. The city’s rivers are deep enough year-round to allow beavers to construct bankside lodges with underwater entrances.

beaver stick shown next to a ruler

Although the nocturnal habits of beavers keep them out public view, the big rodents leave evidence of their presence. The next time you’re on one of Pittsburgh’s riverside trails, look at the water edge for bark-stripped sticks that bear sets of parallel gnaw-marks made by beaver incisors.

Patrick McShea works in the Education and Visitor Experience department of Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Museum employees are encouraged to blog about their unique experiences and knowledge gained from working at the museum.

 

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Do Animals Use Plastic?

A colorful wall with 3D letters spelling We Are Nature
An array of plastic items adds color to the entrance gallery of We Are Nature.

In this age of the Anthropocene, people are beginning to recognize our lasting impacts on the natural world.  Plastic litter is infamous for its negative effects on the environment, but a sometimes-forgotten consequence is the changes to animal behavior that plastic elicits.

Now that plastic exists as a readily available substance in the environment, birds and nest-building mammals such as squirrels and opossums, frequently incorporate plastic materials into their nests.  In terms of size, weight, and flexibility, items like straws, string, rope, and plastic bags resemble the varieties of moss, twigs, leaves, and even snakeskin pieces that many nest-building species have long used.

nest made mostly from twigs but mised with plastic
American Robin nest featuring plastic bag pieces (lower left-hand corner) woven into natural materials.

Hal H. Harrison, author of the Peterson Field Guide to Bird’s Nests, mentions the presence of a Baltimore Oriole nest made entirely of fishing line in Allegheny County’s North Park, and the “nest of a Wood Thrush made entirely of paper napkins, Kleenex, toilet paper gathered from a nearby picnic area” in Clarion County’s Cook Forest.  These observations, and possibly your own, reveal how local birds sometimes substitute human-made materials for natural ones.

It’s still unclear if the incorporation of plastic into nests has long-term consequences for nest-builders and their offspring.  The widespread availability of plastic pieces as nesting material, however, does serve as an indicator of the extreme prevalence of plastic litter in the environment.

Rachael Carlberg is an intern in the Education Department of Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Museum employees are encouraged to blog about their unique experiences of working at the museum.

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Slender-snouted crocodile skull

crocodile skull

This slender-snouted crocodile skull in Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s Alcohol House was used to determine that each African region had a unique crocodile species. You can see this skull and its story on display at the new We Are Nature. Look for the Alcohol House media interactive in the gallery!

This post was originally posted on our curatorial assistant’s Instagram, which features specimens in the museum’s historic Alcohol House.

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Frick Environmental Center Encourages People to visit Neighborhood Parks

a guide giving a tour in the woods in thesnow

Mike Cornell and the staff at Frick Environmental Center want to get more people to utilize the parks in their Pittsburgh neighborhoods. Pittsburgh has over 640 acres of park land and includes 104 neighborhood parks. He says that a park is a “right and privilege” that should not be taken advantage of and all it takes is to walk out the front door.

Frick Environmental Center offers families, students, and learners of all ages a state-of-the-art space for hands-on, environmental education. There is also a STEM focus for its younger patrons. Mike Cornell, the Naturalist Educator, coordinates the volunteer naturalists and building docents.

Volunteer naturalists are the field educators of the center and offer their time and expertise to work the information desk, assist with school programs, and program development for community education for Frick Environmental Center. Volunteer naturalists are driven by their passion for nature and the environment, and Cornell wants to continue to support this program.

“If they are passionate about it, we can schedule and promote it so they can teach it. The parks and libraries are the two places where you can always go for free and the parks don’t have doors that lock,” he says

To be a Volunteer Naturalist, Pittsburghers must go through a seven week training where they will learn about park conservancy, effective presentation skills, and proper planning strategies for good educational programming. Previous classes have included nature photography, nature education for kids, and hiking skills. Cornell says classes like this can prepare an average citizen to appreciate and embrace parks into their everyday lives and schedules.

“You can get to the park and always enjoy the parks and you don’t have to have a membership. It can be your gym. It can be your classroom. It can be the place you unwind. It can be the place to read a book,” he says.

Frick Environmental Center was opened in 2016 and is housed in Frick Park, Pittsburgh’s largest and youngest urban park.

“Wherever you go in Pennsylvania is a forest because the land is always in a state of going back to forest,” Cornell says.  “One thing I like to do is encourage people to believe that what’s right outside their window or while on a bus is nature. You see vacant lots where there are woodpeckers. You see beauty in nature in the crack of a sidewalk and see ants crawling out of it.”

Mike Cornell was intrigued by parks growing up and when he realized a person could make a career out of them, he knew what he wanted to do as an adult.

“I grew up on the edge of Frick Park and I grew up in that park,” Cornell says. “One thing we have to appreciate is that everywhere we go is nature and everywhere we are is the environment.”

He began working with Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy in 2005 as a summer camp counselor, and after graduating from the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in 2008, he worked seasonally and part time until becoming full time in 2014.  Cornell takes pride in connecting volunteer community experts with their neighbors for programming and outreach at the center because it is like returning home.

children huddled around a tree stump in the woods

“I studied natural history and interpretation which is what I’m doing now which is connecting people to nature and teaching people about the environment in their communities, and getting people comfortable and curious.”

How can locals get involved with Frick Environmental Center? Go to the Pittsburgh Parks website at https://www.pittsburghparks.org/volunteer and fill out the application to be a volunteer naturalist or docent. Apply soon as spring trainings are coming up. Building docent training is March 23 at 1pm and volunteer naturalist training is April 9, 2018 9-12 noon. Contact Mike Cornell at MCornell@pittsburghparks.org for more information.

In the spirit of recognizing all we are already doing in Pittsburgh, we have started a new blog series to compliment We Are Nature: Living in the Anthropocene, the exhibition about the complex relationship between humans and nature currently on display at Carnegie Museum of Natural History. We are featuring Pittsburghers who are committed to improving the environment in which we live. Each blog features a new individual and shares some of the ways in which they are helping issues of sustainability, conservation, restoration, climate change, or helping Pittsburgh to be an even more beautiful place to live.

 

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Think a 400 year old oak tree can be a superhero?

Think a 400 year old oak tree can be a superhero? When you’re not looking they are cleaning the air, re-routing storm water,…and breaking wind so you won’t be blown away! And if a patient can view trees outside their window, they can recover faster and require less painkillers during their stay in the hospital, according to Scientific American. That’s right – trees are the gentle giants protecting our spaces and quality of life.

No wonder Tree Vitalize has become so popular in Pittsburgh’s ground-level revitalization. As a tree-planting partnership through Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (WPC) with Allegheny County, the City of Pittsburgh, Tree Pittsburgh, and Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, it is a local sustainability effort to increase the number of trees in and around Pittsburgh.

two men holding a sign for Tree Vitalize
TreeVitalize Volunteer left; Jeffrey Bergman right

Lead by Jeffrey Bergman, Director of Community Forestry, and Lauren Fike, Community Forestry Project Coordinator, the organization is responsible for nearly 30,000 trees being planted since 2006, and this is only the beginning.

Bergman said that the quality of life in any urban environment can be improved through mindful conservation practices in and around a city.

“The trees in urban settings serve a specific purpose. A street tree that is shading a street and shading businesses provide benefits that are different than trees in parks and wooded settings.”

For urban landscapes, the benefits of trees are numerous. They can reduce storm runoff and land erosion, decrease energy bills, increase property values, and improve air quality. In the city’s Tree Management Plan, Pittsburgh’s trees were appraised at over $51 million and contributed to nearly $100,000 in energy savings. Despite the advantages, man-made challenges have impeded tree canopies from flourishing.

Rapid construction of roads, housing, and natural gas pipelines contributed to the decline of tree canopies in the county. In a recent study done by Tree Pittsburgh, a little over 10,000 acres was destroyed between 2010 and 2015.

volunteers planting trees

Bergman and Fike’s primary concern is to engage residents and citizens in the work of planting more trees. TreeVitalize provides targeted outreach projects for areas with low tree canopy and in low income communities. The program consistently draws in those who appreciate trees, said Bergman, but planting the tree is only the start. There’s also the long-term maintenance.

“It’s essential there is strong maintenance because we are putting living things in a harsh environment,” Bergman said. “Remember that while trees are infrastructure they are living and they are something that need to be taken care of and respected.”

These projects are critical in not only increasing the number of trees in Pittsburgh, but also connecting people to their community in more significant ways. Fike said that much of her work in managing the field projects and logistics helps prepare volunteers to value the tree-planting experience in meaningful ways.

“It’s really rewarding because if they take the time to plant the tree in 30 degree weather and it’s raining, they are dedicated to that tree. They can say, ‘Oh I planted that tree. I wonder how my tree is doing,’” she said.

Volunteers planting shrubs

Bergman credits the great volunteer ethic in the city of Pittsburgh for TreeVitalize’s success. Residents are able to see physical changes to their community with just a few hours of service. Volunteers hand trees averaging between 10 and 15 feet tall, and the service project stands as  a rewarding experience for those who plant these woody giants.

“People seem to derive a sense of satisfaction from tree planting,” he said. “We also work with colleges and universities but we get feedback that compared to picking up litter on the roadside, people feel like they’ve done something more to help the environment when they do a tree planting.”

Trees are pruned and planted in the early spring and fall while trees are dormant and bear no leaves because they are not able to photosynthesize. TreeVitalize, in partnership with Tree Pittsburgh, offers training for those interested in becoming a “tree tender.”

“You see trees in a different way when you learn about them,” Bergman said. “It’s not just a stop sign or a fire hydrant. People lose sense that these are living things in our environment and you can learn why this work is important.”

Pittsburghers can join the cause to plant more trees and make the city greener by going through TreeVitalize’s intensive training process and coordinating a tree planting project for their neighborhood. Fall 2018 applications are now available and due by March 16. Those interested are also encouraged to contact Bergman directly at 412-586-2396 or jbergman@paconserve.org.

 

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In the spirit of recognizing all we are already doing in Pittsburgh, we have started a new blog series to compliment We Are Nature: Living in the Anthropocene, the exhibition about the complex relationship between humans and nature currently on display at Carnegie Museum of Natural History. We are featuring Pittsburghers who are committed to improving the environment in which we live. Each blog features a new individual and shares some of the ways in which they are helping issues of sustainability, conservation, restoration, climate change, or helping Pittsburgh to be an even more beautiful place to live.