Our research reports allow for a more in-depth exploration of our work. Please find these listed below by topic.
On-Farm Biodiversity
This is a theme we have been exploring since the inception of our Program through a variety of studies about both the biodiversity that is supported on farmland, and the role of biodiversity in supporting agricultural production. The following reports are based on studies involving a number of different local farms.
Native Bees of Columbia County Farms and Floodplains by Martin Holdrege, 2009
Ponds
We spent the 2006 field season studying nearly 100 open-land permanent ponds around the County. We inventoried pond-associated biota (plants, butterflies, dragonflies and amphibians), measured aspects of the pond physical environment, and gathered remote-sensing data on surrounding land use. We then took this information and asked how these three different aspects of the pond interacted.
How, for example, does land use affect the biology of our ponds, or their sediments? How does the geology of the pond’s setting influence its life? The following report and summary report explore these questions.
Floodplain Forests
During the 2007, 2007 and 2009 field seasons, we completed two studies on Floodplain Forests in Columbia and Dutchess Counties. Our work, at 31 sites around Columbia and Dutchess Counties, focused on documenting the plants and animals found in these habitats and considering some of the factors that might be influencing patterns in that biodiversity. There are some beautiful organisms and intricate patterns to be found. The documents below describe our findings.
The Dancer’s Hem by Conrad Vispo and Claudia Knab-Vispo, 2008 (Summary of the 2009 Report)
Landscape Demographics
Overview
This invited case study was prepared for submission to a regional journal, but was rejected because, in part, it was not the type of article they were looking for. Nonetheless, we feel it is one of the few places where we have tried to summarize the many threads of our program.