Homeowners concerned about the decline of bees, butterflies and other pollinating insects need look no further than their own back yards, says UMass ecologist Susannah Lerman, environmental conservation and the USDA Forest Service. In new research, she and colleagues suggest that homeowners can help support bee habitats in suburban yards, specifically their lawns, by changing lawn-mowing habits. (Science Friday [NPR] 3/30/18; Global News Connect, 3/21/18, Tribune-Review [Pittsburgh], 3/13/18; News Office release)
News from the Media
Less Mowing Helps Bees According to UMass Researcher
March 13, 2018
Study Suggests Native UK Pine Martens (Weasels) Help Control Invasive Gray Squirrels
March 6, 2018
An international research team including Christopher Sutherland, Assistant Professor, Environmental Conservation at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, along with others in Scotland and Ireland, report that native pine marten (weasel) suppression of the invasive gray squirrels in Scotland is helping recovery of native red squirrel populations. (HortWeek 3/8/18, Globe, Daily Mail [U.K.], Science Codex, 3/6/18; News Office release)
Elkinton Says Number of Winter Moths Damaging Trees is Declining
February 27, 2018
Experts say the number of winter moths damaging trees in New England has fallen after years of growth. UMass Amherst professor Joseph Elkinton says the population has hit a record low in Massachusetts. (USNews & World Report, WBUR, WTNH.com 2/26/18)
The 100-year flood: Building ‘RiverSmart’ Communities for Flood Resiliency in the Connecticut River Valley
February 15, 2018
Christine Hatch, extension associate professor of geosciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, comments on planning for the real potential for more powerful and frequent storms due to climate change. "There can be more than one '100-year flood' in a decade," she says. (Gazette 2/14/18)
Reports Detail the Health of School Cafeterias, UMass Food Scientist Comments
February 5, 2018
According to state law, local health inspectors must inspect school cafeterias at least twice a year. Amanda Kinchla, a food safety expert in food science, says corrective actions are the most important item to note when reviewing inspection reports.(Western Mass News 2/5/18)
Massachusetts Success Stories Featured in USDA SNAP-Ed Connector
January 29, 2018
UMass Extension Nutrition Education Program (NEP) program partnered with Pernet Family Health Service of Worcester. Various program elements are showcased in national online publication. (SNAP-Ed Connection 1/2018)
Hurricane Irene: It Wasn’t the Wind, it was the Water, UMass Professor Explains
January 29, 2018
Christine Hatch, UMass extension associate professor of water resources and climate change, pens editorial about the devastating weather event of August 28, 2011.“Tropical Storm,” Irene’s official designation, doesn’t do justice to what occurred in watersheds along the mid-Atlantic coast, Connecticut River Valley and tributaries: a catastrophic flood. (Gazette 1/26/18)
UMass Food Scientists Developing Low-cost Tool to Detect Bacteria in Food, Water
January 23, 2018
Food scientist Lili He and colleagues at the University of Massachusetts Amherst report that they have developed a new, rapid and low-cost method for detecting bacteria in water or a food sample. Once commercially available, it should be useful to cooks using fresh fruits and vegetables, for example, and aid workers in the field responding to natural disasters, He says. (Indianpublicmedia.org 3/1/18, MSN.com 2/23/18, wellandgood 2/22/18, WFCR, KPCC 2/19/18, NEPR 2/6/18, Wonderful Engineering 1/27/18, Cooking Light, News Medical Life Science 1/25/18, The Tribune [India], 1/25/18, The Health Site, Morning Ag Clips, The Baltimore Sun, Swiftnary, Deccan Chronicle [India], R & D magazine, Feedstuffs, 1/24/18, Science Codex, Phys.org, Daily Meal 1/23/18)
Katie Kahl Named Extension Assistant Professor at UMass Amherst’s Gloucester Marine Station
January 22, 2018
Gloucester resident Katie Kahl was named to a newly created position, extension assistant professor in sustainable fisheries and coastal resilience, at UMass Amherst’s School of Earth and Sustainability at the Gloucester Marine Station. Kahl will serve as a contact between community interests and the university’s research resources. (Globe 1/19/18; News Office)
Massachusetts Fruit Growers’ Association Names First Female President
January 16, 2018
The Massachusetts Fruit Growers’ Association elected Joanne M. DiNardo as its first female president at its recent annual business meeting. UMass Extension educator Jon Clements, said, “In this day and age, gender difference is not what it used to be, although farming and apple growing were largely male-dominated. That is changing now and most apple growers just view Joanne as an extremely competent, well-versed advocate of apple growing.” (Telegram 1/3/18)