Nicodemus Wilderness Project
Nicodemus Wilderness Project
About Us Projects Education Links Volunteers Membership  
Nicodemus Wilderness Project

 
 

NWP Global Registry of Apprentice Ecologists - Grandin, Roanoke, Virginia, USA

« ++ ·
http://www.wildernessproject.org/apprentice_ecologist/data/500/thumbs/6664666466646664666466646664666466646664Alicia_Fall_038.jpg
<<
http://www.wildernessproject.org/apprentice_ecologist/data/500/thumbs/6790679067906790679067906790679067906790P6092934.JPG
<
http://www.wildernessproject.org/apprentice_ecologist/data/500/thumbs/6771677167716771677167716771677167716771ecoinitiative2.JPG
·
http://www.wildernessproject.org/apprentice_ecologist/data/500/thumbs/6761676167616761676167616761676167616761IMG00011-20091030-1109.jpg
>
http://www.wildernessproject.org/apprentice_ecologist/data/500/thumbs/6727672767276727672767276727672767276727bio.jpeg
>>
· ++ »

Grandin, Roanoke, Virginia, USA
(Click on photo to view larger image)

gullij



Registered: November 2009
City/Town/Province: Roanoke
Posts: 1
View this Member's Photo Gallery
The Roanoke Valley Governor’s School for Math, Science, and Technology requires that its students complete an extensive research project every year. Since the students who attend there are all chosen for their abilities in these areas, many of the projects are quite advanced. However, my junior year I was extremely busy with various extracurricular activities as well as a strenuous course load, so I was unsure if I would be able to commit to such an undertaking that year. I had already chosen to take the environmental sciences elective, which eventually inspired me to base my project around improving the natural world around me.
Vinton, Virginia is a fairly rural area bordered by rustic towns with names like Troutville and Staunton River. There are lots of farms nearby, and all of them use pesticides extensively to maximize crop growth. Having read Silent Spring by Rachel Carson, I was aware of the damaging effects of these chemicals, yet I also realized that for many farmers the line between poverty and success can be thin. Asking them to eliminate pesticide use was out of the question; while some may be sympathetic to the cause, the fact is that their children have to eat. I realized that I could, however, reduce the levels of toxins they use and increase their productivity by researching the matter. My environmental project was not traditional by any means. I did not clean up trash, or hang posters advising others as to the importance of streams. I sought to reduce the toxins entering the area by providing important, reliable research to farmers.
I began by narrowing my ideas down to a workable topic. Eventually, I chose the active ingredient of commonly used pesticides to experiment with, a volatile organic compound called Bifenthrin. Because Bifenthrin is a volatile organic compound (VOC), after it is spread on crops the excess that drains off into waterways can evaporate along with the water and contaminate other areas through acid rain. This is dangerous and obviously undesirable, so I sought to minimize its use as much as possible. I ended up conducting my project on researching how different soil types would affect the amount of Bifenthrin retained. To accomplish this, I first chose and gathered my soil types, choosing the most common types in the area: top soil, sandy soil, clay soil, and loam soil. While many think that all farmers use fertilizer and therefore top soil would be the only type necessary to try, the reality is that not all farmers can afford fertilizer, especially in these times of economic difficulties.
To begin my research, I set up apparatuses as seen in the picture. A liter of soil was placed above a filter, and 160mL of a Bifenthrin solution (mixed as instructed) was watered down on it. The leachate was collected and filtered several times to remove soil particles. I ran ten trials for each type of soil, making for a total of forty samples. I then analyzed the samples at Virginia Tech using gas chromatography mass spectroscopy, with the aid of a professor there. He helped me to analyze the results of my samples as well as work the complicated machinery necessary to obtain the results. The entire project, for conceptualization to completion, took five months.
My results were highly useful. I found that top soil retained the most Bifenthrin, due to its higher levels of organic matter, followed respectively by loam soil, sandy soil, and clay soil. Thus, those who are farming in clay or sandy soil should be extra careful, since a large quantity of what they put on their soil washes directly into nearby streams, and sometimes into their drinking water. Thanks to my research, farmers now can analyze their type of soil and use the appropriate amount of chemicals.
I also researched alternative techniques to pesticides, as well as ways to reduce runoff. Plowing across a hill instead of down, planting other greenery that attracts harmful insects, and not spraying before a rain are all techniques I learned and advocated. While my project was conducted in the laboratory, it has the potential to impact areas far beyond the one I live in. As organic foods become increasingly popular and valued, more and more farmers are seeking environmentally friendly ways to farm. Even those who aren’t farming organically are willing to listen when you explain the dangers to their family.
This project helped others in a multitude of ways, but I would be lying if I said I did not benefit from it as well. I learned not only how to manage time and conduct thorough research, but also how to make my results known and present them to skeptical adults. I learned how to put others before myself, giving up many a night to research that sometimes seemed impossible. My unorthodox project was the correct approach, and just what we need more of in these modern times.
· Date: November 18, 2009 · Views: 5427 · File size: 17.3kb, 139.7kb · : 1182 x 640 ·
Hours Volunteered: 180
Volunteers: 5
Authors Age & Age Range of Volunteers: 17 & 15 to 60
Area Restored for Native Wildlife (hectares): potentially unlimited area impacted
Print View