Dr. Amanda Huron, associate professor of political science and interdisciplinary social sciences and coordinator of the political science program in the Division of Social and Behavioral Sciences and Dr. Elizabeth Gearin, a project specialist in environmental planning at CAUSES, have been awarded a $90,000 grant by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
The grant, titled “Mapping Historic and Contemporary Ecological Stewardship in Washington, DC,” will support a two-year research project investigating historic and contemporary ecological stewardship in Washington, DC. The proposed research project builds on the emerging field of civic ecology, which promotes hands-on stewardship practices that integrate local civic, cultural and environmental values. Using the U.S. Forest Service’s STEW-MAP survey tool as a foundation for the work, the principal investigators will identify where and how local ecological stewardship occurs in the District, including how and why some groups achieve greater and long-term impacts and sustainability. Research in local archives will uncover earlier histories of stewardship which may help inform current practices. The final products will include a publicly accessible online map and two peer-reviewed articles. For more information, please contact Dr. Amanda Huron at amanda.huron@udc.edu