Last week the Uptown Summer youth employees began the process of designing the new NATURE Lab Environmental Education Center. The new NATURE Lab Center will occupy a long-abandoned house in the North Central Troy neighborhood, just down the block from The Sanctuary for Independent Media. Friday was …
The Sanctuary’s NATURE Lab is hosting a project by PhD student and NATURE Lab volunteer Ellie Irons called Lawn (Re)Disturbance Laboratory. One study site for the project is at Freedom Square, where Irons and workshop participants removed a square of lawn to see what plants would sprout in its place. The …
Ruderal Ecologies Symposium Presenters:
Julia Cavicchi, Anne Pfeifenberger & Olivia Golden Environmental Studies, Skidmore College ’18
Julia, Olivia, and Anne are Environmental Studies seniors at Skidmore College who have been delving into the capital region’s sewer systems for their capstone research on Combined Sewer …
4-6 pm every Tuesday, October 24 – June 5
NATURE Lab Gallery, 3334 6th Ave.
This fall, stop by the NATURE (North Troy Art, Technology and Urban Research in Ecology) Lab Gallery on Tuesday afternoons for art viewing, conversation, and an assortment of science, art and urban ecology activities. Whether you just want to …
Fighting blight is an unheralded struggle for the Troy Community Land Bank, a constant effort to keep buildings from deteriorating, knocking down structures when they can’t be salvaged and enticing investors into North Central, the city’s poorest neighborhood.
In its third year of existence, the land bank is developing a system geared toward improving the entire neighborhood rather than just individual properties.
On November 12th, Kathy High and Intern Sierra Sukay went to the Sanctuary to meet with Oliver Kellhammer and assist him in collecting soil samples from the L-lot. Oliver, in conjunction with the Sanctuary, started bioremediations efforts in the L-lot this summer. In the back portion of the L-lot where the soil suffers from high lead concentration, was separated into three sections. One section has been covered with mulch and a fungi called mycelium, which has been used to reduce the amount of lead and other pollutants in the soil in sites around the world. Buckwheat was planted in the second section. Buckwheat is a very efficient tool for bioremediation because it grows quickly while “sucking” up the lead in the soil and storing it in the plants tissue. The third section is a control; it contains a collection of weeds “native” to Troy.
Saturday October 18th, I worked and attended the Futurefarmers demonstration at the Carriage House and Collard City Growers garden. The event started out with a work party early in the morning. Volunteers cleaned the Carriage House. People arrived for the event around 1. A lot of people of that attendeded. Some attendees were local youth, …
One of the more recent additions to the Sanctuary’s gardens, the “L-lot” behind the corner of sixth avenue and Glen street, was tested for lead on October 7th. This new project of NATURE Lab (North Troy Art, Technology and Urban Research in Ecology) is headed by local resident and partner with The Sanctuary for …
Written by Holly Broderick
Brandon Ballengee creates transdiscoplinary artworks inspired from his ecological field and laboratory research. Since 1996, a central investigation focus has been the occurrence of developmental deformities and population declines among amphibians. He extends his work into local communities teaching mainly youth, …
*Today is the last day of uptown summer. After 20 amazing days, the ‘Youth Change Makers’ worked so hard getting down to the nitty gritty of environmental justice in our community. They have been raising environmental awareness by creating maps, painting trashcans, and making Hudson River pollution signs. The youth also learned how to …
*During our last week of Uptown Summer 14, Brandon Ballengee returns to North Troy to participate with our community in more Hudson River Eco-Actions!
-What is Water Pollution: caffeine, hormones, organic chemicals, plant nutrients, sediment, carcinogenic variables, are all things that do not break down in …
“You all have dreams and ideas. So don’t give up on them. It may not happen today but tomorrow it might. “ – Lou Rosamilia (Mayor of Troy)
*Danny works with the other teens to work on painting another garbage can.
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*Today The Youth Change Makers break up into groups to tackle various jobs:
-Danny spray painted the trashcan out front of Freedom Square vibrant colors to beautify the block and contribute to litter control. Tomorrow he will paint the trashcan out front of Missing-link.
-The Youth change …
* The ‘Youth Change Makers’ worked on their final drafts of their respective mapping projects today. The ‘Neighborhood Violence Map’ was organized with a key to indicate the different forms of violence: police, fights, shootings, and stabbings.
Brooklyn and some of the other teens noted that their favorite …
*The first couple hours this morning consisted of a group talk. We all took the time to recognize that we are now at the mid point in Uptown Summer. We talked about our accomplishments, what we hope to achieve in the last ten days, our concerns, and the biggest joys we have.
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*Financial Fitness: Morning ice breaker- Smart financing. We learn different methods of budgeting and being ‘smart’ with money. How to save, plan, borrow, and earning capability*
*Environmental mapping at the L-Lot: Oliver Kellhammer, Canadian bio-artist, in collaboration with NATURE Lab Project Coordinator Kathy High, will …
*The Youth change makers continued working on the mural project. WMHT from PBS interviewed them and documented them working on the Mural.
*Today the group helped Cathy High work in the L Lot garden.
*Reverend Billy and the Stop Shopping Choir, Rensselaer County Summer Youth …
The Youth Change Makers had a conversation about thinking deeply and interpreting different meanings for things. We thought about ways to broaden our horizons and helping others think more in depth about common subjects such as trash and pollution. “For Every Action there is a Reaction” Everyone and everything is connected. People to environment, animals …
