Nova Scotia, Here I Come!!!

I want to thank Harbor Day School, its families, and its friends for supporting my participation in the Earthwatch Fellowship Program.

Learn more about Harbor Day School by clicking the following link: http://www.harborday.org/home

I also want to thank my family for their support.  I will miss you this week!

What is Earthwatch?

Earthwatch's mission is to engage people worldwide in scientific field research and education in order to promote the understanding and action necessary for a sustainable environment.  This means world in which we live within our means and in balance with nature.  Future decisions regarding the environment must be based on objective science and must engage and empower people and organizations to act responsibly if they are to be sustainable.

Why Nova Scotia?

The world’s temperate ecosystem (areas between the polar and tropical zones), where most of us in the industrialized world live, face constant threats from human activity.  Conserving sustainable ecosystem functionality while providing ecosystem services is one of the greatest conservation challenges of the 21^st century. One such temperate ecosystem is the Acadian forest in Nova Scotia.  It not only provides a critical service for biosphere health by taking up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and producing oxygen, it also supports a wealth of wildlife.  However, its biodiversity is under threat from climate change and human needs, such as crop and timber production. 

The purpose of the research is to investigate how Acadian forest ecosystems can be conserved in the light of climate change, with emphasis on mammal populations and sustainable forest management. As changing environmental changes are inevitable, the researchers aim to find real-life solutions by testing and establishing methods of sustainable compromise, and by retaining wildlife through sensitive management. 

Why is Mr. Rimlinger going?

I am a 4^th, 5^th, and 6^th grade science teacher at Harbor Day School in Corona del Mar, California.  I am always interested in expanding my expertise in engaging students’ learning and developing their scientific and inquiry skills.  I want my students to know that science is going on around them everyday and to see that being a scientist can take them anywhere in the world they want to go, and that they can be contributors to the great discoveries of science in their future. 

The Earthwatch Live From the Field Fellowship program allows teachers to bring the excitement of scientific research into classrooms and communities through the adventure of field research, the web, and live video conferencing.  I am very excited to travel to Nova Scotia and contribute to this important research and share it with the Harbor Day School!