- CLUS director Holly Smith accompanied Dr. Sean Cornell and 10 students to Curacao for Geog 450 class over spring break, studying the island’s cultural, geological, industrial, and natural history. Lodging was provided by the Caribbean Research and Management of Biodiversity (CARMABI) research station, which was also shared with other visiting researchers from abroad. Each student developed a research project and showcased their projects at Minds@Work in April.
- With a grant from DCNR/South Mountain Partnership, and in collaboration with Applied History department and several external partners, the guide: Preserving the Historic Places the Matter in the South Mountain Region; A Practical Guide for Identifying, Documenting, Researching, Interpreting, and Protecting Historic Buildings and Landscapes in South Central Pennsylvania has been released. Dr. Steve Burg and student Sierra Harvey presented this project during the CLUS Advisory Council meeting on April 4th.
- The CLUS along with the SU marketing department, has developed a brochure describing our GIS Analysis services; this brochure is being distributed among partners and potential clients to market the work of CLUS GIS analyst Alfonso Yáñez and our students.
- CLUS GIS analyst Alfonso Yáñez and student Lauren (Ren) Wolford attended the PA Land Conservation Conference April 3-4 in State College. This conference directly relates to a current CLUS project working as a subcontracting under Grow Conservation and involves writing preserve management plans and developing maps for Lancaster Conservancy’s 50+ preserves to satisfy accreditation requirements.
- In conjunction with Worldwide Climate and Justice Education week, the CLUS hosted 2 events:
- Lunch and learn session with Ariana Genna, Regional Coordinator, Office of Environmental Justice, Pa Department of Environmental Protection on Monday, April 7.
- Warehouse Industry – Impacts on People and Landscapes - this public forum took place on Wednesday, April 16, 6-8pm, at the CUB MPR. This project was funded by a SU Human Understanding grant. See event Program here. Fifteen agencies and organizations from a variety of disciplines hosted information tables during the networking session, and the panel discussion was attended by (an estimated) 80-90 people. Feedback from attendees focused mostly on how important these conversations are and highlighted how unique it was to have such a variety of organizations in the room addressing this critical issue. A recording of the panel discussion is here, and soon will be posted on the CLUS YouTube page.
- The Cumberland County Food System Alliance (CCFSA) held a Leadership Team meeting on Wednesday, April 2 at Shippensburg Produce and Outreach (SPO). Among other initiatives, plans are underway to update the current 2024-2025 Work Plan. Project Coordinator Mary Ann Leidigh continues to build relationships through in-person and virtual collaborations. Throughout March and April, she participated regionally in a planning workshop with the Adams County Food Policy Council (ACFPC), completed the national Food Solutions New England’s (FSNE) 21 Day Racial Equity Habit Building Challenge, and attended national Zoom meetings regarding the current food system challenges due to the restructuring of federal offices and programs. Partners for these meetings included: the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future’s Food Policy Network (FPN), the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC), the Food Systems Leadership Network (FSLN), the Pennsylvania Nutrition Education Network (PA NEN) and Pennsylvania Sustainable Agriculture (PASA), among others.
