Five Friday Programs Cap Week of Earth Days Events

Five wide-ranging events close out Salem State's week of Earth Day programming on April 11.  Sessions will address climate change and seaweeds, fisheries conservation, indigenous practices that promote biodiversity, Salem's Community Benefits Agreement, and a student-sponsored swap and shop!

Climate Change and Seaweeds, Professor Lindsay Green-Gavrielidis, SSU biology department, 9:25-10:40 am, Ellison Campus Center, Martin Luther King, Jr. room

Lindsay leads the Marine Ecology Lab at Salem State University and studies how humans impact marine communities. In particular, she focuses on investigating how climate change and its associated impacts, including warming sea surface temperatures, affect the distribution and abundance of seaweeds (nuisance and habitat-forming). Since seaweeds form the base of many marine food webs and provide habitat to countless species, alterations in their populations will have wide consequences for marine ecosystems. Hyflex option for remote viewing will be available. Link will be at https://www.salemstate.edu/earthday.

Using eDNA to Support Fisheries Assessment and Conservation in Massachusetts, Research scientist Tim O'Donnell, Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute, 11am-12:15 pm, Ellison Campus Center, Martin Luther King, Jr. room

The focus of Tim’s research is to investigate fundamental aspects of fish populations using advanced molecular techniques. Using genomic sequencing, he investigates genetic population structure, diversity, and effective population size for the accurate assessment and sustainable management of fish stocks. He also uses environmental DNA (eDNA) to learn about the spatial and temporal distribution of important species and how they might interact with anthropogenic activities and changing ocean conditions.

Worldviews and their impacts: Bringing in Indigenous Perspectives 12:15-1:30 pm, Meier Hall Room 426, Lynn Fletcher, SSU biology department

Worldviews shape our relationship to the life around us.  Today’s ecological crisis is primarily driven by human activity, leaving us with the impression that humans inherently have a negative impact on the planet.  However, indigenous cultures have persisted for millennia, living in ways that promote biodiversity and create conditions of mutual thriving.  Let’s learn about the values held in Indigenous worldviews and see how we as humans can have a positive impact on the world around us!

Thanks to the generosity of the Salem Alliance for the Environment, ten copies of The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World by Robin Wall Kimmerer will be available to early arrivals.

Salem’s Coalition Success Story: Environmental Justice and Community Benefits Agreements, 1:40-2:55 pm, Ellison Campus Center, Martin Luther King, Jr. room sponsored by the Salem Alliance for the Environment (SAFE)

• Panelists: Anxhela Mile from the Conservation Law Foundation; Lucy Corchado, Salem State Center for Justice and Liberation, and community advocate and negotiator for the CBA
• Moderator: Marcos Luna, Salem State geography and sustainability department

Join SAFE for a moderated discussion by SSU Professor Marcos Luna regarding Salem's wind port and community benefits agreement. The Salem CBA has a historic investment in childcare, workforce pathways for local residents, funding for language access, and a timeline for port electrification. Registration link here.   Sponsored by the Salem Alliance for the Environment (SAFE).

Thanks to the generosity of the Salem Alliance for the Environment, early arrivals can take home one of the following books:

- On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century, Timothy Snyder

- The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World, Robin Wall Kimmerer

- Forest Bathing: How Trees Can Help You Find Health and Happiness, Qing Li

- All We Can Save: Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis, Katharine K. Wilkinson and Ayana Elizabeth Johnson

Swap and Shop, sponsored by the Student Government Association Social Justice and Inclusion Committee, Alumni Plaza, 2:00-4:30 pm. Will accept gently used clothing, shoes, accessories (jewelry, purses, belts, hats, etc.), and books!

All events are free and open to the public.



More information and events.