Effects of Urbanization on Stream Ecosystems

2005 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
New York State ◽  
Hudson River ◽  
Integrative Approach ◽  
Hudson River Valley ◽  
Rhinichthys Atratulus ◽  
Biogeochemical Indicators ◽  
Urbanization Gradients

<em>Abstract.</em>—Parcel by parcel, urban/suburban development is one of the most active converters of land in the Hudson River Valley in New York State. We are taking an integrative approach to understanding the drivers of and responses to urbanization, by studying how economy drives land use change and how that, in turn, affects downstream indicators of ecosystem state. The ultimate goal of the project is to provide a tool for policymakers, illustrating consequences of different development strategies. In this paper, we discuss synoptic ecological assessments of two major Hudson River tributaries in Dutchess County, the Wappinger Creek and Fishkill Creek watersheds. Physical, chemical, geographic, and biotic indices are compiled, creating a multivariate data set. These data, when set into a geographic information database, provide a spatial response to land use. Application of a regionally calibrated index of biotic integrity showed little relationship to urbanization, although some component metrics indicated a response. Chemical or biogeochemical indicators were more reflective of urbanization gradients. A hierarchy of responses, beginning with physicochemical and moving up to fish assemblages, reflected decreasing responses to urbanization. However, fish densities and the stable isotopic ratios of nitrogen determined in a sentinel species (eastern blacknose dace <em>Rhinichthys atratulus</em>) were significantly affected by urbanization. Longitudinal gradients of elevation were identified as strong drivers of development, potentially confounding relationships of land-use attributes and ecological responses.

Conscription, Charity, and Citizenship in the Early Republic: The Shaker Campaign for Alternative Service

2016 ◽  
Vol 85 (1) ◽  
pp. 140-149
Author(s):  
Jennifer Dorsey
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Early Republic ◽  
New York State ◽  
Hudson River ◽  
State Legislature ◽  
Hudson River Valley ◽  
Good People ◽  
Alternative Service ◽  
Commander In Chief ◽  
The Voice

The War of 1812 ignited a fierce debate in New York about the rights, duties, and responsibilities of citizens in wartime. Two counties in the Upper Hudson River Valley (Rensselaer and Columbia) openly revolted against Governor Daniel D. Tompkins's draft of local militiamen. In September 1812, opponents of the war met in a countywide assembly where they declared the federal draft of the New York militia an “assumption of power, unwarranted by the constitution, [and] dangerous to the rights and privileges of the good people of this state.” The assembly further resolved to defy the governor's detachment order, and as a result, less than a third of the 860 militiamen drafted from Columbia and Rensselaer Counties appeared at the designated rendezvous points. Within weeks, the governor convened the first of three courts-martial to prosecute militiamen “who failed, neglected or refused to obey the orders of the commander in Chief of the said State.” As late as 1818, the New York State legislature insisted upon making a “salutary example” of men who “disregard the voice of duty and the requisitions of law.”

Design of the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Preston D. Vineyard ◽  
Brad J. Pease ◽  
Don Bergman ◽  
Armin Schemmann ◽  
Jacob E. Andersen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Service Life ◽  
New York State ◽  
Hudson River ◽  
York State ◽  
Class Project ◽  
World Class ◽  
Service Life Design ◽  
Life Design ◽  
Cable Stayed Bridges

<p>The Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge has replaced the existing Tappan Zee Bridge in New York. The new bridge was built by Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC. and is owned and operated by the New York State Thruway Authority (NYSTA). The new bridge is a 3.1 mile long crossing of the Hudson River and has an iconic main span structure, consisting of twin cable-stayed bridges, with 1,200’ main spans and 515’ side spans. Each new bridge carries four traffic lanes and the new crossing has been designed to accommodate the future addition of a rail bridge between the roadway decks. Utilizing a probabilistic-based service life design approach, the new bridge has been designed for a minimum 100-year service life before major maintenance for non- replaceable components, such as the foundations, sub-and superstructures. This paper provides the design features of the main span bridge and describes the design solutions, such as the use of fib Bulletin No. 34 to address the Service Life Design of the concrete components to address the durability challenges of this world- class project.</p>

British Forts in Northern New York State

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
David R. Starbuck
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
American Revolution ◽  
New York State ◽  
Hudson River ◽  
Lake Champlain ◽  
York State ◽  
American Landscape ◽  
Eastern Edge ◽  
Lake George

Numerous British fortifications were constructed in the 1750s along Lake Champlain, Lake George, and the Hudson River, all on the eastern edge of the colony of New York. Many of these positions were reoccupied twenty years later during the American Revolution. The author has conducted excavations for nearly thirty years at several of these forts and encampments, seeking to understand the strategies, provisioning, foodways, and building techniques employed by British Regulars and Provincial soldiers as they fought on the American landscape. These sites include Fort William Henry, Fort Edward, Rogers Island, and Fort George, each of which helped to open up the interior of the colony of New York to further settlement.

Historical Changes in Large River Fish Assemblages of the Americas

2005 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Dreissena Polymorpha ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Hudson River ◽  
Osmerus Mordax ◽  
Shoreline Development ◽  
Rainbow Smelt ◽  
River Fish

<em>Abstract.</em>—The main channel of the Hudson River is a tidal estuary from its mouth in New York Harbor to Troy, New York, 247 km upstream. It drains about 35,000 km<sup>2</sup> and is an important navigational, commercial, and recreational system. Since the arrival of European settlers over 400 years ago, it has undergone numerous environmental changes. These changes have included channel maintenance by dredging, wholesale dumping of industrial and domestic wastes, scattered in-basin urbanization and shoreline development, deforestation of the watershed and an increase in agriculture, and water removal for commercial, industrial, and agricultural needs. In addition, the biota of the river has supported commercial and recreational harvesting, exotic species have become established, and habitats have become fragmented, replaced, changed in extent, or isolated. The tidal portion of the Hudson River is among the most-studied water bodies on Earth. We use data from surveys conducted in 1936, the 1970s, the 1980s, and the 1990s to examine changes in fish assemblages and from other sources dating back to 1842. The surveys are synoptic but use a variety of gears and techniques and were conducted by different researchers with different study goals. The scale of our assessment is necessarily coarse. Over 200 species of fish are reported from the drainage, including freshwater and diadromous species, estuarine forms, certain life history stages of primarily marine species, and marine strays. The tidal Hudson River fish assemblages have responded to the environmental changes of the last century in several ways. Several important native species appear to be in decline (e.g., rainbow smelt <em>Osmerus mordax </em>and Atlantic tomcod <em>Microgadus tomcod</em>), others, once in decline, have rebounded (e.g., striped bass <em>Morone saxatilis</em>), and populations of some species seem stable (e.g., spottail shiner <em>Notropis hudsonius</em>). No native species is extirpated from the system, and only one, shortnose sturgeon <em>Acipenser brevirostrum</em>, is listed as endangered. The recent establishment of the exotic zebra mussel <em>Dreissena polymorpha </em>may be shifting the fish assemblage away from openwater fishes (e.g., <em>Alosa</em>) and toward species associated with vegetation (e.g., centrarchids). In general, the Hudson River has seen an increase in the number and importance of alien species and a change in dominant species.

Culturally-Connected Integrated STEM Instruction

2021 ◽  
pp. 751-769
Author(s):  
Tiffany S. Powell
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Culturally Diverse ◽  
New York State ◽  
Integrative Approach ◽  
Culturally Diverse Students ◽  
Integrated Stem ◽  
The Status ◽  
Stem Instruction ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Culturally Connected

This chapter provides an overview of integrative STEM instruction through the lens of culturally connected practices as a foundation for elementary learners. The integrative STEM model can be a catalyst for increasing the number of culturally diverse, competent contributors to the STEM field. At the heart of an integrative approach to STEM instruction, students are exposed to rich science, technology, engineering, and mathematics content in ways that propel culturally diverse students to dive into these once exclusive bodies of knowledge with zeal and confidence. The only way this can occur is by having teachers whose belief systems 1) support the importance of rigorous learning, 2) are willing to challenge the status quo, and 3) who are adequately versed in culturally responsive teaching approaches. Additionally, this chapter highlights the implementation of Wheel Instruction for Integrative STEM through two professional development cycles within an urban school district in the New York State Capital Region.

Land-use proximity as a basis for assessing stream water quality in New York State (USA)

2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 727-733 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher P. Tran ◽  
Robert W. Bode ◽  
Alexander J. Smith ◽  
Gary S. Kleppel
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
New York ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Stream Water ◽  
New York State ◽  
Stream Water Quality ◽  
York State

Tree macrofossils of Younger Dryas age from Cohoes, New York State, USA

2012 ◽  
Vol 49 (5) ◽  
pp. 671-680 ◽  
Author(s):  
Norton G. Miller ◽  
Carol B. Griggs
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Picea Glauca ◽  
New York State ◽  
Abies Balsamea ◽  
Younger Dryas ◽  
Hudson River ◽  
Growth Responses ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Plant Remains ◽  
American Beaver

Tree macrofossils dating from the middle to end (about 1000 years, ca. 12 600–11 600 cal years BP) of the Younger Dryas chronozone were found in an organic deposit on the southwest side of the Mohawk River, near its junction with the Hudson River in Cohoes, New York, USA. The fossils included substantial wood fragments, associated plant remains, and pollen, which indicate a forest of white spruce ( Picea glauca ), balsam fir ( Abies balsamea ), and tamarack ( Larix laricina ). The presence of white, rather than black ( P. mariana ) or red ( P. rubens ) spruce in the Younger Dryas was probably due to a riparian-type environment, confirmed by its location and American beaver tooth marks on some of the wood fragments. The clusters of wood radiocarbon dates indicate periodic changes in erosion and deposition at the site. One possible but very short decline (temperature reversal?) may be indicated by tree-ring growth, but in general, the ring widths of the trees and their growth responses suggest variable but slowly improving conditions over time, possibly from warming temperatures, before the end of the Younger Dryas.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document