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Project 1 - Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC)
Day: February 14 (rain date: NA)
Time: 9:30am-12:30pm
Capacity: 8
Location: Holliday Park
Activity: biodiversity survey of winter birds
Partner(s): Indy Parks, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Audubon Society, Birds Canada
Description: We will take part in the annual mid-winter bird count run by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Audubon, and Birds Canada. This is a global event that has been taking place for over 20 years. Data collected by citizen scientists as part of the project helps researchers assess trends in bird populations and allows scientists to address a variety of questions about bird populations. Are a species' numbers increasing, decreasing, or holding steady? Is a species' range expanding, contracting, or shifting? These are just two of many questions that the data collected helps to answer, and scientists use the data to examine larger patterns and the environmental factors (such as climate change, land use changes, etc.) driving the trends. Go to the bird count page or Cornell's All About Birds website for more details.
Project 2 - Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC)
Day: February 14 (rain date: NA)
Time: 1:00pm-4:00pm
Capacity: 8
Location: Holliday Park
Activity: biodiversity survey of winter birds
Partner(s): Indy Parks, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Audubon Society, Birds Canada
Description: see Project 1
Project 3 - Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC)
Day: February 15 (rain date: NA)
Time: 9:30am-12:30pm
Capacity: 8
Location: Holliday Park
Activity: biodiversity survey of winter birds
Partner(s): Indy Parks, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Audubon Society, Birds Canada
Description: see Project 1
Project 4 - Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC)
Day: February 15 (rain date: NA)
Time: 1:00pm-4:00pm
Capacity: 8
Location: Holliday Park
Activity: biodiversity survey of winter birds
Partner(s): Indy Parks, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Audubon Society, Birds Canada
Description: see Project 1
Project 5 - Invasive Species Removal at Southwestway Park
Day: March 28 (rain date: Sunday, Mar. 30)
Time: 10:00am-1:00pm
Capacity: 25
Location: Southwestway Park
Activity: invasive species removal
Partner(s): DPW, Indianapolis Office of Land Stewardship, Indy Parks
Description: Invasive plant species cause environmental harm on many levels. Not only do invasives disrupt the functioning of ecological communities, but they can impact physical processes within the environment as well. For example, invasive plants are often chemically defended, so herbivores won't eat them (ecological impact), and some invasives contribute to water pollution by enhancing sediment loading of waterways (physical impact). We will focus our efforts on removing invasive shrubs and saplings, primarily Amur honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii). Amur honeysuckle (also called bush honeysuckle) in particular has negative impacts on water quality.
Project 6 - Invasive Species Removal at Southwestway Park
Day: March 29 (rain date: Sunday, Mar. 30)
Time: 10:00am-1:00pm
Capacity: 25
Location: Southwestway Park
Activity: invasive species removal
Partner(s): DPW, Indianapolis Office of Land Stewardship, Indy Parks
Description: See Project 5.
Project 7 - Invasive Species Removal at Holliday Park
Day: April 18 (rain date: Sunday, Apr. 20)
Time: 10:00am-1:00pm
Capacity: 25
Location: Holliday Park
Activity: invasive species removal
Partner(s): DPW, Indianapolis Office of Land Stewardship, Indy Parks
Description: Invasive plant species cause environmental harm on many levels. Not only do invasives disrupt the functioning of ecological communities, but they can impact physical processes within the environment as well. For example, invasive plants are often chemically defended, so herbivores won't eat them (ecological impact), and some invasives contribute to water pollution by enhancing sediment loading of waterways (physical impact). We will focus our efforts on removing invasive shrubs and saplings, primarily Amur honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii). Amur honeysuckle (also called bush honeysuckle) in particular has negative impacts on water quality.
Project 8 - Invasive Species Removal at Holliday Park
Day: April 19 (rain date: Sunday, Apr. 20)
Time: 10:00am-1:00pm
Capacity: 25
Location: Holliday Park
Activity: invasive species removal
Partner(s): DPW, Indianapolis Office of Land Stewardship, Indy Parks
Description: See Project 7
Project 9 - Trash Clean up & Invasive Species Removal at the ARBOR
Day: April 4 (rain date: Sunday, Apr. 6)
Time: 10:00am-1:00pm
Capacity: 25
Location: ARBOR (adjacent to campus)
Activity: invasive species removal & trash clean up
Partner(s): CEES, Urban Wilderness Trail
Description: The White River floods frequently, and each flood cycle deposits new trash along the floodplain and picks up older trash from the area. Trash collected by floodwaters is deposited further down stream - or may even be carried to the Gulf of Mexico! For this project, our goal is to disrupt the land-to-river-to-ocean pathway of trash, as well as clean/restore/beautify the local environment. Collected trash will be disposed of properly or recycled (as appropriate). As we collect trash, we will laso remove invasive species. Not only do invasives disrupt the functioning of ecological communities, but they can impact physical processes within the environment as well. For example, invasive plants are often chemically defended, so herbivores won't eat them (ecological impact), and some invasives contribute to water pollution by enhancing sediment loading of waterways (physical impact).
We will look for an invasive ground-cover, wintercreeper (Euonymus fortuneii). Wintercreeper girdles and kills trees as it vines up/around them, and, as a groundcover, wintercreeper outcompetes and displaces herbaceous plants in the forest understory. We will also pull wild garlic mustard, an invasive herb that is abundant in the ARBOR; this effort will encourage the development of a more diverse forest floor plant community, benefitting the local wildlife.
Project 10 - Trash Clean up & Invasive Species Removal at the ARBOR
Day: April 5 (rain date: Sunday, Apr. 6)
Time: 10:00am-1:00pm
Capacity: 25
Location: ARBOR (adjacent to campus)
Activity: invasive species removal & trash clean up
Partner(s): CEES, Urban Wilderness Trail
Description: see Project 9
Project 11 - ARBOR Trash Clean-up & Invasive Species Removal
Day: April 24 (rain date: none)
Time: 9:00am - 12:00pm
Capacity: 30
Location: Lilly ARBOR
Activity: trash clean-up & invasive species removal (garlic mustard, wintercreeper)
Partner(s): White River State Park, Urban Wilderness Trail
Description: NOTE that this project occurs on a Thursday. The White River floods frequently, and each flood cycle deposits new trash along the floodplain and picks up older trash from the area. Trash collected by floodwaters is deposited further down stream - or may even be carried to the Gulf of Mexico! For this project, our goal is to disrupt the land-to-river-to-ocean pathway of trash, as well as clean/restore/beautify the local environment. Collected trash will be disposed of properly or recycled (as appropriate). As we collect trash, we will laso remove invasive species. Not only do invasives disrupt the functioning of ecological communities, but they can impact physical processes within the environment as well. For example, invasive plants are often chemically defended, so herbivores won't eat them (ecological impact), and some invasives contribute to water pollution by enhancing sediment loading of waterways (physical impact).
We will look for an invasive ground-cover, wintercreeper (Euonymus fortuneii). Wintercreeper girdles and kills trees as it vines up/around them, and, as a groundcover, wintercreeper outcompetes and displaces herbaceous plants in the forest understory. We will also pull wild garlic mustard, an invasive herb that is abundant in the ARBOR; this effort will encourage the development of a more diverse forest floor plant community, benefitting the local wildlife.
Project: Bird Window Strike Survey - Special Project
Date: January 1 - May 31
This is not a typical service project. The purpose of the window strike survey is to gather data relating to the occurrence of bird-building collisions on the IUI campus. The data collected will be used to determine whether there is a need for building modifications (to make IUI more bird-friendly) and to inform campus decisions relating to any such proposed modifications. Taking part in this project requires a committment to survey of a particular campus location each week from early September until mid November. Monitoring for fall migration is already underway: participants will begin monitoring a route ASAP with Dr. Schmalhofer's approval (approval requires registration for the project, attendance of a training session to learn how to do the work, and assignment to a route and weekly shift); route monitoring continues through November 15. Expect to spend about 15-20 minutes looking for birds each time you survey your assigned route. Read more about this project.
Activity: You will walk a route around one or more buildings, scanning the ground for bird strikes (birds that have struck the buildings will probably be dead): each week, you will walk your route (this should take about 15-20 minutes) and fill in an online data form. Data collected will include date, route, time, and whether any birds were found; the data form is completed and submitted even if no bird is found. When you find a dead bird, you will identify the bird and photograph it. No bird identification skill is needed: you will use the smart phone apps Seek and Merlin Bird ID to identify any birds you find. Dead birds will be collected, bagged, and deposited at a central collection site. In the rare event that you find an injured bird, you will not handle it: it will be monitored for recovery by CEES staff. CEES will supply the collecting bags, gloves, etc. needed for this project. You must supply your own smart phone.
Survey Day: pick a day of the week that suits your schedule: M, Tu, W, Th, F, Sa, Su. Remember - this is a weekly committment for the entire semester.
Survey Time: routes are surveyed three times each day: morning (before 9:00am), midday (11:00am - 1:00pm), and evening (after 4:00pm); select your preferred time.
Survey Routes: We will track bird strikes at multiple locations on campus. Buildings that will be monitored include: Innovation Hall (IO); science buildings (SL/LD); Science and Engineering Laboratory Building - also known as SELB (EL); Engineering & technology (ET); Business/SPEA breezeway (BS); University Library (UL); Gateway & Blackford garages (XL/XF) - just the glass stairwells at the corners; Lecture Hall (LE), University Hall (AD), Education/Socialwork (ES); Hine Hall and University Tower (IP/HO). It is preferred that you walk your route with a partner (birding buddy).
Partner(s): CEES, IUI Sustainability, Audubon Society
Data Submission: data will be collected using this online form.
Note: You need to download both the Seek and Merlin Bird ID apps to your phone. For the Merlin app, if your phone has limited storage capacity, choose the midwest bird pack.
