Student and Associate

Officer Phillip McKnight of the Southern Police 

A sculpture at Southern Connecticut State University with a snowy view of West Rock in New Haven

Engleman Hall at Southern Connecticut State University covered in a blanket of snow

Reflection garden covered in snow at Southern Connecticut State University 

Antonio "Booman" Willams (Kent State) goes for a layup vs Purdue Fort-Wayne on November 19th, 2019.

November 7th

Xavier 

Taken on Kent State's Campus on the third of November.

In a landscape that was once home to dense, continuous woodlands, invasive plants have taken over. Decades of struggle to maintain a healthy and diverse ecosystem have led to an effort to restore and reforest original habitats. The invasive plants are cleared. In their place, young native trees are planted, protected by a white protective sleeve. These efforts, beyond the obvious benefits of restoration, serve another purpose. 

Songbirds in CVNP, after traveling north to nest and breed often face a parasitic enemy. Brown-headed cowbirds lay their eggs in the nests of other birds, and then leave. Those eggs then hatch, and the offspring are raised by birds that are not their parent. The young cowbirds can be exhausting to care for. Cowbirds have had negative impacts on the survival of numerous species. 

By reforesting clear-cut fields and pastures, the edge habitat cowbirds use will be eliminated, providing a safer refuge from parasitic predators.

Outdoor portrait of Jermaine.