AOP Resources
Ohio Soil News
Smithsonian soils exhibition opening in July
Here's the "dirt" on an exciting new soils exhibition opening next month at the Smithsonian, Washington D.C., AOP was a sponsor for the exhibit.
Called "Dig It! The Secrets of Soil," this 5,000-square-foot exhibition opens at the Smithsonian'sNational Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. on July 19, 2008. It will be housed there through 2010 and then travel throughout the country.
The Soil Science Society of America, Madison, WI, is the "Founding Sponsor" of “Dig It!” and has played a major role in the development, fundraising, design, and the "science" behind this exhibition.
\Visitors will use interactive displays to look at the science of soil, from agriculture to its role as a "secret ingredient" in medicines, food, wine, textiles, paint, cosmetics, and pottery, as well as in supporting life and death. Hands-on models will demonstrate the roles of soil around the house and in public spaces like dams, playing fields, and roads.
View the Press Release announcing the exhibition, "New Natural History Exhibition Reveals The Impact of Soil on All Life on Earth" here:
http://newsdesk.si.edu/releases/nmnh_dig-it.htm
Photos are available online at:
http://newsdesk.si.edu/photos/nmnh_dig_it.htm
For more information about the exhibition, visit the Soil Science Society of America’s site at http://www.soils.org/smithsonian or the museum's site at http://forces.si.edu/soils
News from Ohio EPA
Ohio EPA incorporated language into their new Construction General Permit (OHC000003) that requires that post-construction water quality BMPs "must be compatible with site and soil conditions" (page 21). http://www.epa.state.oh.us/dsw/permits/Construction_Final_GP_apr08.pdf
Researchers Get the “Dirt” on Soils
By: Don Burgess, Soil Scientist, Findlay MLRA and Frank Gibbs, Resource Soil Scientist, Findlay AO
Frank Gibbs, Resource Soil Scientist for Area 1 and Don Burgess, MLRA Project Leader in Findlay, presented information on soil survey updating activities in northwestern Ohio at the Oak Openings Research Forum which was held at the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library on January 26. The purpose of the forum was to highlight research that is relevant to the Oak Openings Region, a 130 square mile area of northwestern Ohio that contains a variety of unique ecosystems, including oak savanna and wet prairie. This area supports the highest number of rare and protected species of plants and animals in Ohio, and has been the focus of extensive preservation efforts. Approximately 100 people attended the forum, including a variety of researchers, graduate students, naturalists, and metro park volunteers.
The presentations, which included a 20 minute speech and a poster, highlighted the recent update of the Spinks soils of northwestern Ohio. One finding of this study was that these soils contained fewer and thinner clay-enriched bands known as lamellae which can have an effect on water retention and movement. As a result, these soils were reclassified to the Colonie series, and more accurate and representative data on soil properties and interpretations were developed.
Another focus of the presentations was to emphasize potential uses of soil survey information for habitat preservation and restoration. An example that was presented to demonstrate these uses involved efforts to reestablish communities of wild lupine, a threatened native plant and vital food source of the endangered Karner Blue butterfly. Early efforts were unsuccessful due to low transplant success. Investigations of existing populations of wild lupine revealed that the majority were found on lower backslope positions of Ottokee soils. When restoration efforts were focused on landscape and soil areas similar to these, plant establishment was much improved.