HIke: Winter Ecology at Hutcheson Memorial Forest

Hutcheson Memorial Forest Tour
Sunday, January 31 at 2:00 p.m.

Tour Leader: Rick Lathrop, Landscape Ecologist

"Winter Ecology at Hutcheson Memorial Forest."

The Hutcheson Memorial Forest (HMF) is a unique area consisting of one of the last uncut forests in the Mid-Atlantic States, along with the surrounding lands devoted to protection of the old forest and research into ecological interactions necessary to understand the forest. The tract is administered and protected by Rutgers University.

It is apparently the only uncut upland forest in the Piedmont of New Jersey, and appears on the National Park Service Register of Natural Landmarks.

Tours leave from the entrance of the woods on Amwell Road (Rt. 514) in Somerset. From New Brunswick, follow Hamilton Street west past JFK Blvd, Cedar Grove Lane and Elizabeth St. HMF is on the left past Gardener's Nook Nursery. The driveway is located just past the guardrail over the brook (map).

The trail may be muddy in places so come prepared.
The tour through the woods and fields takes between one and two hours.

Tours are free and reservations are not required for these guided tours.**

Groups of more than ten persons may not attend the guided tours. Such groups are invited to arrange special tours.

To make special arrangements please contact:
Land Manager, Hutcheson Memorial Forest Center,
Department of Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources,
School of Environmental and Biological Sciences
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
732-932-9349x16,
hmfdirector@aesop.rutgers.edu

For more information and a complete tour schedule for spring/summer 2010 visit: http://rci.rutgers.edu/~hmforest/

**HMF is not open to the public on a daily basis.

Transitioning in NJ

Shortly before the inauguration the new governor's transition team published a series of white papers offering pretty detailed assessments and recommendation for state agencies.  That includes a 21 page report of recommendations for the NJ Department of Environmental Protection.  I am surprised I haven't seen a little more online parsing out the many little pieces.  The report on Education includes a call for tougher tenure standards in public K-12 schools and says that NJ needs to start investing in capital improvements for Higher Education.

While it is hard to know what will and won't change, The Highlands Council is already undergoing some changes.

Get it in gear: Student Internship Opportunity for Spring 2010

The Rutgers Stewardship Program is seeking one or two additional students to do internships for credit in the for the Spring Semester 2010.  Students can earn three credits working for the Rutgers Stewardship Program of the Solid Waste Resource Renewal Group through the experience-based Student to Professional Intern Network (SPIN) program.

Both the stewardship programs have opportunities:
 
The Foran Conservation Garden is a effort to create an entire "garden room" in the courtyard between Foran Hall and the Cook Douglass Lecture Hall through stewardship by all of us-the students, staff, faculty, alumni/ae and other community members who study and work on the Rutgers campus. The courtyard includes a native plants garden surrounding Spiral Field, a sculpture by Charles Fahlen (1993). The courtyard also includes several rain gardens, small native plant gardens which serve to recharge rainwater to underground aquifers.  The Foran Garden effort has been a team effort, including Kaitlin Fischer, a Rutgers Student (past coordinator), Zane Helsel from the Plant Biology and Pathology Department; Stephanie Murphy from the
Rutgers Soil Testing Laboratory; Tony Sgro and Barry Bailey from the Facilities Department; Don Knezick from Pinelands Nursery; Bruce Crawford from Rutgers Gardens; Joseph Heckman, Edward Durner and Glenn Tappen of the Organic Farm and Hort Farm 3; Jean Marie Hartman and Drew Siglin from the
Landscape Architecture Department; and the many volunteers who came out to  our garden events.
 
Rutgers Recovering Our Resources (RROR) is a program which involves volunteers collecting usable items which would be otherwise discarded by students at the end of the school year, and selling the collected items in a beginning of fall rummage sale.  We started the program last year.  Like the Foran Conservation Garden, RROR is a team effort of many departments at Rutgers.  We need students to help coordinate volunteers and outreach, and help us plan for a really big collection this year.  Don't miss this opportunity to reduce our environmental impact and provide cheap but good items to buy at the same time.

Interested?  Contact Priscilla E. Hayes, Esq., Director, Solid Waste Resource Renewal Group (Proud Winner of 2009 USEPA Environmental Quality Award) at 732-932-9155, ext. 233 or hayes@aesop.rutgers.edu.

Great presentations

One of the great thrills of teaching is seeing the students excel.  I have to brag on some of our students who did a great job at NJ ASLA.  The students from the Fall 2008 studio looking at the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed were represented by Ben Heller and Ed Krafcik.  The design work was presented in a remarkably professional lecture, in which they were both energetic and relaxed.  And, on Monday the class brought home a design award too. Well done!

They're back?

If  I lived in Old Bridge I think I'd be working to change the school mascot from knights to eagles.

Perennial of the Year

In a bit of a shocker, the Perennial Plant Association has picked Baptista australis as the 2010 Perennial Plant of the Year. More commonly known as Blue false indigo, it stood out to the selection committee because it "grows across a wide range of zones and is one of the most adaptable native species."

Having picked the violet colored Geranium 'Rozanne' in 2008 and a grass in 2009, fans of yellows and reds were hoping this might be their year to return to the spotlight. Instead they'll have have to relish the glory days of the Lenten Rose in 2005 and just hope for a brighter future. Maybe yarrow can still have its day soon, but right now indigo gets to hog the attention.

Spring 2010 Landscape Industry Lecture

An arborist's view of sustainable landscapes: The Sustainable Sites Initiative

Neil Hendrickson, Bartlett Tree Experts Northeast Technical Representative

Wednesday, January 27, 2010, 3:55 p.m.
Cook Douglass Lecture Hall  110, Cook Campus, Rutgers University

  
An arborist's view of sustainable landscapes: The Sustainable Sites Initiative is emphasizing many of the practices arborists have developed and promoted for over 25 years, including soil and plant analysis, comprehensivesoil management, plant health care and integrated pest management, invasivespecies management, and a variety of "green" programs. I will discuss how Landscape Architects can, and should, work together to make landscapes sustainable.
 
Neil Hendrickson got his BS from Cook College.  He has a Masters in Forest Science from UNH and a PhD in Forest Ecology and Silviculture from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.  He taught in the graduate program in resource management at Simon Fraser University, British Columbia, Canada.  He has been a practicing arborist for the last twenty years.  As Northeast Technical Representative for R.A. Bartlett Tree Research Laboratories in Charlotte, NC, he conducts research and provides technical support for Bartlett both in the U.S. and globally, often lecturing for the green industry.  He is a Certified Arborist, a NJ certified Tree Expert, and
a member of the Society of American Foresters.

(BTW, The photo is of what is claimed to be the most photographed tree in the world.  But it probably isn't really.  It probably isn't sustainable either.)

Planning Board Schedules

In past years I've had some students tell me that all the meetings are on the same nights. Here are some Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday night meeting. Surely one of them doesn't conflict with your night class.

• Edison Planning Board meets on Tuesday February 9th and then on Monday March 15th.
• Woodbirdge Planning Board meets Wednesdays on February 10th and 24th, and March 10th and 24th and if you are desperate, April 7th.
• Franklin Township (Somerset County) is scheduled to meet on 3 of the 4 Wednesdays in February
• South Brunswick - "The Planning Board usually meets twice a month on the first and third Wednesday of each month with additional meetings scheduled as needed."
  
• North Brunswick - February 3, February 9, March 3, March 9

But, call before you go.

Best and Worst in Preservation

Preservation Magazine named its Best and Worst moments in preservation for 2009.  The best included the High Line and the worst includes the continued loss of landmark modernist architecture that may still be too recently built to have strong public support.

Sea Level Rise talk at NJASLA

In lieu of handouts...

Advanced Geomatics website

Reading Assignments:

• Living by the Rules of the Sea. David Bush, Orrin Pilkey, and William Neal. Duke University Press, 1996
• The Rising Sea by Orrin Pilkey and Rob Young, 2009
• "How High Will Seas Rise? Get Ready for Seven Feet" in E360 (e360.yale.edu) (14 Jan 2010) Rob Young and Orrin Pilkey, 2010

This weekend's flooding news from Upper Villas


More Cape May and Sea Level Rise info

The NY Times reports on the finding that we just finished the hottest decade on record.

Cape May County still underwater?

Headline from yesterday's Cape May Herald: "Excessive Rainfall Leaves Upper Villas Flooded"

Locals may immediately notice that we haven't had rain this week.  It turns out that this is about a much more persistent problem - a different one than plagues the Atlantic side of the County.  Interesting stuff.

Developing an island mindset

This is more the the Advanced Geomatics students, but might be of general interest to some of our other regular readers: "Improving the Design and Implementation of Beach Setbacks in Caribbean Small Islands" by Edsel B. Daniel and Mark D. Abkowitz in the URISA Journal.

Now everyone seems to want a Buffalo Commons

The Kansas City Star ran an editorial calling for a new 1,000,000 acre National Park that preserves "the most inherently American landscape, the prairie."

Christie and the State Ag Board

When a new governor is elected, it is widely understood that they will replace the old political appointees in the cabinet with one of their own. To the victor go the spoils, right? Governor Christie has already named several new Secretaries or Commissioners as part of that process. But, when it came to the Ag Commissioner Christie's transition team had to deal with a process that was different than the rest because of the politics behind the 1947 state constitution.

In New Jersey, the Commissioner of Agriculture is not chosen by the governor but is named by the State Agriculture Board and then accepted or rejected by the governor. Since the Star-Ledger reported that everyone was happy with Commissioner Doug Fisher (D), it didn't seem like an issue. Oops. Reports are that the new governor wants to appoint Harold J. Wirths (a Republican freeholder from Sussex County) but the Board isn't interested right now. Still, the S-L says that "New Jersey laws permit the governor to remove the secretary of agriculture from his post "upon notice and opportunity to be heard." "

This has traditionally been a less politicized position in favor of stability. For around a 70 year period, from 1938 to 2008, there were only four Commissioners (Willard Allen, Philip Alampi, Arthur Brown and Charles Kuperus). If I have my math right, Republican Charles Kuperus served exclusively under Democratic administrations.

Anyway, I am told that there is an "emergency" open-to-the-public Ag Board meeting TODAY at 3 at the Rutgers Eco-Complex where they will be discussing the future of the Commissioner as well as the future of the Department. Ocean County Republican Chairman George Gilmore will be representing the transition team's agriculture subcommittee and clarifying their intentions.

So? What does ag matter in a place formerly called the Garden State? First, farming is still a big industry in NJ. This department is responsible for farmland preservation as well as deeply involved in fighting urban childhood obesity. They are key to the landscape industry and soil and water conservation.

LiveBlog: Kat Kohler on The Netherlands

The LiveBlog is back! The common lecture is back and begins with Kat Kohler (seen to the left, sketching in Spain) speaking about The Netherlands.

Ms. Kohler is a recent winner of the DeBoer Travel Prize which supported a study trip she took last summer to the Netherlands. Her investigation endeavored to explore a myriad of ways that the Dutch have dealt with water as an environmental hazard. Needless to say, they are pretty concerned about sea level rise. An interesting example was the Oostershelde Storm Surge Barrier which protects during storms, but lets the tides flow otherwise.

If you are an LA student at Rutgers (with a 3.0 or better), you can apply to take your own study trip this summer. You'll need to write a proposal that impresses the reviewers with a serious question and approach to the investigation. Applications for DeBoer Travel Prize will be due the Monday after Spring Break. Details will be posted in Blake Hall.

Where would you go? Remember, you can't win if you don't apply.

Cool Class: field study of Tuscany, Liguria and Piedmont

The Italian Landscape: A field study of Tuscany, Liguria and Piedmont
Department of Landscape Architecture & Study Abroad
Rutgers University


Dates: May 24 - June 14, 2010

Credits: 3

Course number: Register through Rutgers Study Abroad

Instructors:
Ari Novy: Departments of Landscape Architecture and Plant Biology,
Rutgers, Former Restoration Gardener at Villa La Pietra (Florence)

Carla Tiberi: Landscape Architect, Piedmont, Italy
Former Instructor at Rutgers Department of Landscape Architecture

Summary:
Introduction to historic landscapes and gardens in Italy with special focus on Tuscany, Liguria and Piedmont. Throughout the course, you will visit several urban and rural landscapes. Emphasis will be placed on the historic and contemporary context of the Italian environment with relation to political, economic and military power, urban space, restoration, literature, agriculture, tourism and Anglo-American influence. We will also discuss 'green design' and sustainability in Italy in comparison with the United States. Course work will include research, observation, analysis, and documentation of various gardens and landscapes. Review and discussion periods will be held to evaluate your work, to share insights, and to discuss the attributes of each site. All coursework will be in English. Both instructors have lived in Italy for several years, are fluent in Italian, and pride themselves on knowing many 'secret treasures' of Italy that they will enthusiastically share with the students.

Themes:
Eco- and Cultural- Tourism
Garden and Urban Restoration
Gardens, Landscapes and Power
Landscapes and Literature
Sustainable Agriculture and Design
The Anglo-American Obsession with Italy
Urban Spaces of the Piedmont, Liguria and Tuscany


Accommodations, Food and Travel:
Housing is in apartments and hotels in shared rooms with bathroom facilities. You will have different housing arrangements in each city you visit. Please contact the Landscape Architecture Department for specific details regarding accommodation during the program. The cost of most food is not included in the program fee although some hotels may include breakfast and there are several group dinners included in the course fee. You may be allowed to prepare some of your own meals in the kitchens of the residence units or eat in local establishments. All travel within Italy, including entrances to museums and gardens, is included in the course fee. Travel to and from Italy is the responsibility of the individual student. If you need help or suggestions for travel arrangements you can contact the program director.

Program Director
Ari Novy will direct the program in Italy. He is able to help you with advising, problems you encounter, travel suggestions, and a host of other tips and advice relating to the program. Questions regarding the program should be directed to Ari Novy (arinovy@rci.rutgers.edu).

Approximate Cost: $3,600. Includes tuition, most fees, housing, excursion, travel within Italy, some food and basic medical insurance. Air travel, most food, and personal expenses are not included.

This course is open to all students from any university.

For more information please go to
http://studyabroad.rutgers.edu/program_italy_landscapearch.html or e-mail
arinovy@rci.rutgers.edu.

Webinar: An Introduction to Putting Maps & Geographic Data on the Web

Sorry for the formatting...

----------------------------------------------
Join Uconn's Center for Land use Education And Research (CLEAR) January 21 for a webinar:
An Introduction to Putting Maps & Geographic Data on the Web

This brief and painless webinar will provide a quick introduction to techniques for putting
maps and geographic data on the web. We’ll be giving an overview of the range of these rapidly evolving techniques, which fuse geographic information system (GIS) and internet
technologies. The primary focus will be on “mashups,” which utilize free, interactive earth
browsers (Google Earth, Google Maps, Bing Maps) to display data and related information over the web. During the webinar we’ll introduce basic methods for creating a mashup and visit a number of examples from around the web, live and without a safety net!

This introductory webinar is the first in a series by the University of Connecticut Center
for Land Use Education and Research (CLEAR), as a part of a multi-year project funded by
USDA/NIFA. The webinars and related workshops are designed for members of the USDA/NIFA
National Water Quality Integrated Program, NOAA Sea Grant, and NOAA National Estuarine Research Reserve networks.

Sign up, and get a feel for how this technology can help you in your work. All in a mere 45 minutes of your time!

Title: An Introduction to Putting Maps & Geographic Data on the Web
Date: Thursday, January 21, 2010
Time: 2:00 PM – 2:45 PM EST

Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/440808234

Today in Newark's History

This isn't as random as it sounds.

The NYTimes points out that on Jan 19 1937 "Howard Hughes set a transcontinental air record by flying his monoplane from Los Angeles to Newark, N.J., in seven hours, 28 minutes and 25 seconds."

While little comfort to those standing in the TSA lines this morning, it is a nice reminder that Newark has a rich history and isn't just the city that we know today.

Holiday Quote

A nation or civilization that continues to produce soft-minded men purchases its own spiritual death on the installment plan.

- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

GISCorps volunteer opportunity

The United Nations Department of Field Support (DFS), Logistics Support
Division (LSD), and Specialist Support Section (SSS) are seeking the assistance of four
GIS volunteers. All four volunteers will be working at the UN office in NYC.

Job description for Position 1:

1) Remote sensing Specialist:
- Experienced with ERDAS
- Capable of image interpretation and change detection
- Experienced with various types of imagery

Job description for Position 2:

2) ArcGIS Server Specialist:
- Experienced with ArcGIS Server
- Capable to publish and fine tune services

Travel Expenses:
The volunteer will be responsible for cost of:
- airfare
- accommodations
- meals

Duration:
Positions are available immediately and for an approximate duration of two
weeks.

Very Important:
If you are interested in applying for the position of Remote Sensing Specialist
send an email to: UN_RS@giscorps.org

If you are interested in applying for the position of ArcGIS Server Specialist
send an email to: UN_AGS@giscorps.org

Requests sent to any other email address will not be considered.

Regards,

GISCorps Core Committee
www.giscorps.org

P.S. Please note that you must be a GISCorps volunteer to apply for these
positions. If you are not, you can apply http://www.giscorps.org/index.php?option=com_forme&fid=1&Itemid=74. Also make sure to submit your latest resume.

Scully Quote

All human communities involve an intense interplay between the individual and the law.

- Vincent Scully

Michigan's new farm belt

Investors are seeking to turn Detroit back into a farm city.

Summer Jobs with HABS/HAER/HALS

While I'll post nearly any good job opportunity for LA/LI/EP/EG students, I am a particularly big fan of the HABS program. When I worked for John Scruggs (a Harvard GSD classmate of Kiley, Eckbo, and Rose) he talked about his summer job he got measuring an old house in Virgina. Even at 80, his drawings were always beautiful, so I can only imagine how great his drawings of Mt Vernon must have looked. But instead of talking about the drawings, he impressed upon me how much he learned from the experience. I don't know for sure that it was HABS, but it sure sounds like it was and I would encourage our more gifted drawers and drafters to pursue these experiences ASAP:

2010 SUMMER EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

ARCHITECTS · LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS · HISTORIANS · ENGINEERS

SUMMER JOBS WITH HABS/HAER/HALS

The Heritage Documentation Programs (Historic American Buildings Survey / Historic American Engineering Record / Historic American Landscapes Survey), a division of the National Park Service, seeks applications from qualified individuals for summer employment documenting historic sites and structures of architectural, landscape and technological significance throughout the country. Duties involve on-site field work and preparation of measured and interpretive drawings and written historical reports for the HABS/HAER/HALS Collection at the Prints and Photographs Division of the Library of Congress. Projects last twelve weeks, beginning in late May or early June.

Salaries range from approximately $6,000 to approximately $11,000 for the summer, depending on job responsibility, locality of the project, and level of experience. Applicants must be U.S. Citizens. Applications must be postmarked by February 8, 2010.

Detailed application information is available our web site: http://www.nps.gov/history/hdp/jobs/summer.htm

View examples of HDP documentation at the Library of Congress: http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/hhhtml/hhhome.html

HABS-SAH SALLY KRESS TOMPKINS FELLOWSHIP

The Sally Kress Tompkins Fellowship, a joint program of the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) and the Society of Architectural Historians (SAH), permits an architectural historian to conduct research on a 12-week HABS project during the summer of 2010. The award consists of a $10,000 stipend. Applicants should be pursuing graduate studies in architectural history or other related fields. Applications must be postmarked by February 1, 2010.

For detailed information, visit: http://www.nps.gov/history/hdp/jobs/tompkins.htm or contact James A. Jacobs at or (202) 354-2184.

MARITIME DOCUMENTATION INTERNSHIP 2010

The Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) and the Council of American Maritime Museums (CAMM) announce the Maritime Documentation Internship 2010. The internship will permit a student or recent graduate of architecture or history, interested in maritime preservation, to work on a HAER maritime documentation project. The applicant must be a U.S. Citizen. The selected recipient will receive a stipend of approximately $7,000 and will work with a HAER team for 12 weeks during the summer. The Internship will require research and writing or measuring and drafting of historic maritime resources. Applications must be postmarked by February 8, 2010.

For detailed information, visit: http://www.nps.gov/history/hdp/jobs/maritime.htm or contact Todd Croteau at

or (202) 354-2167.

NOTE: Sally Kress Tompkins Fellowship and Maritime Documentation Internship applicants who want to be

considered for summer positions with HABS/HAER/HALS will need to submit a separate application. For instructions, visit: http://www.nps.gov/history/hdp/jobs/summer.htm

For additional information regarding any of the Heritage Documentation Programs Summer 2010

Employment Opportunities, please contact:

Summer Program Administrator

Heritage Documentation Programs Division, NPS

1201 Eye Street, NW, 7th Floor (2270)

Washington, DC 20005

Tel: (202) 354-2135

Email: HDP_Summer_Program_Admin@nps.gov

Slate on the Netflix maps

Slate readers have been digging into the Netflix maps that I mentioned earlier today and posting zipcodes with odd results on the BrowBeat Blog.

Netflix maps

The NY Times has created city-by-city maps of Netflix rentals by zip code. It turns out that movies are pretty spatial.

I'd really like to see the map of where Cabin Boy rentals are higher, or what kind of place there is where people rent Gigli.

NJCF position

As you can probably tell, this is a direct copy from something sent my way. But it seemed like it might be of interest to some of our readers and didn't warrant further changes:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
New Jersey Conservation Foundation is currently seeking a full-time top notch Raiser's
Edge Database administrator/ administrative assistant to join the Development and
Communications team of our successful statewide nonprofit environmental organization.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The ideal candidate will have:

* At least 3 years Blackbaud Raiser's Edge fundraising software administration and
usage experience;
* Excellent Microsoft Office Word, Excel, and Publisher skills;
* Excellent internet research skills;
* Excellent written, oral communications and time management skills;
* Meticulous attention to details;
* High level of comfort working on multiple tasks in deadline-oriented, fast-paced
environment;
* Friendly, outgoing personality with strong interpersonal skills, including the ability
to work as part of an integrated team;
* High level of comfort working with all levels of staff, board, major donors, corporations,
foundations and volunteers.
* 3 + years experience in non-profit development or comparable work experience;
* Commitment to the mission of NJCF;
* Bachelor's degree or equivalent work-related experience.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
New Jersey Conservation Foundation, one of the nation's premier land preservation groups, seeks enthusiastic professionals to join our growing team. We are a leading force in the nation's strongest open space movement, with over 30 staff and a 50-year history. We offer competitive nonprofit salaries (commensurate with experience), offices in a beautiful setting, an excellent benefits program, and a great work environment.

We are an equal opportunity employer committed to having a diverse staff, where employment and promotional opportunities are based upon individual capabilities and qualifications without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status or any other protected characteristic as established under law.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Interested applicants should email or fax their resume to:
Maria Hauser at maria@njconservation.org [mailto:maria@njconservation.org]
908-234-1189

A LULU of a movie

The Princeton Environmental Film Festival continues at the Public Library of Princeton until January 17th. It all sounds great, but one film has a particular Rutgers connection. In 1981 Frank Popper published a Planning article on "Siting LULUs" that introduced the now common term for locally unwanted land uses. On Friday, January 15, between 12 and 3, the PEFF will show a short called "Locally Unwanted Land Use."

Geodesign Summit blogging

Adena Schutzberg is blogging the GeoDesign Summit this week in Redlands. So is Matt Ball. That means I don't have to. One of the real highlights has been a plenary by Bran Ferren. It is an important meeting and is really pushing to see how GIS and Design can finally move ahead some together.

The Jersey Shore is going down!

The Cape May Herald reports on two studies that say that sea level rise will be worse in that area than elsewhere. Not only is the sea level rising there, but the land is slowly sinking into the Atlantic. The Philadelphia Enquirer spoke with the researchers at Penn responsible for the papers as well as other experts:

"There are two take-homes here," added Kenneth Miller, a Rutgers University researcher who reviewed the studies. "There's been an acceleration of sea-level rise from pre-Industrial Revolution rates.. . . And we're throwing on one to two millimeters a year in New Jersey due to sinking."

Just to be safe, LBI schools will implement a new policy to try to reduce the weight pressing down on their sinking barrier island.

Top fight songs

As you watch the grandaddy of them all, the Rose Bowl, you can wonder whether those schools' fight songs are really so great. Or, you can just trust this completely unbiased list of the top 10 college fight songs:

10. Georgia Tech
9. Kentucky
8. Northwestern
7. USC and Tusk
6. Michigan St.
5. Notre Dame
4. Michigan (also)
3. Tennessee (unofficial)
2. LSU - PreGame - I am sure this will rock today's Capital One Bowl
1. University of Wisconsin - Both the fight song and Varsity

Note: Wisconsin's fight song was so good it became the state song.

Mike Siegel, a New Jersey institution

In a recent feature, the Star-Ledger focused on Rutgers' mapmaker Mike Siegel and included a quote from CRSSA's John Bognar. Both are extremely gifted cartographers whose maps are always beautiful.

It is a lengthy piece and well worth the time, but here are the highlights:

"If I were anywhere in the world,’’ Bognar adds, "I’d want to have one of Mike’s maps because it will be accurate, reliable and creative in how it can tell a story. In this digital age of computer-generated maps, Mike’s work shows that the design and understanding behind the map is as important as the technology.’’

And Mike's priorities come through:

Favorite Three-word SELF-DESCRIPTION: Best. Dad. Ever.