Welcome to Selkirk Alliance for Science
We are an IRS 501(c)(3) nonprofit alliance of scientist and nonscientist volunteers who advocate an increased understanding of the nature, value, and integrity of science to benefit our communities. Our members have expertise in applying and teaching earth, life, and physical sciences. The communities we call home are located in northeast Washington and northern Idaho.
NEWS UPDATE
POWER OF SCIENCE: Ray Entz presentation: In case you missed our JANUARY 10, 2022 virtual presentation by Ray Entz, Director of Wildlife and Terrestrial Resources for the Kalispel Tribe of Indians, here is a link on YouTube youtu.be/nbLvrhlKpZY Ecosystem Services: The "Free Lunch" Theory.
Ray has 30+ years local experience in providing ecosystem services for the benefit of generations of Tribal members.
The ecosystems in nature are storehouses for services and wealth we humans need to survive and prosper. Some local examples include soil formation, genetic diversity, waste treatment, climate regulation, pollination, biological controls, and natural hazard regulation.
Like any business, when those supplies decline in quantity or quality, survival can be jeopardized. Sometimes, we forget or ignore that truth so as to borrow on our future, thereby allowing those stores to diminish without replenishment. One overlooked outcome is that replenishment may take much longer than expected and the deficit continues over time. Is a change in economic theory warranted?
Ray has 30+ years local experience in providing ecosystem services for the benefit of generations of Tribal members.
The ecosystems in nature are storehouses for services and wealth we humans need to survive and prosper. Some local examples include soil formation, genetic diversity, waste treatment, climate regulation, pollination, biological controls, and natural hazard regulation.
Like any business, when those supplies decline in quantity or quality, survival can be jeopardized. Sometimes, we forget or ignore that truth so as to borrow on our future, thereby allowing those stores to diminish without replenishment. One overlooked outcome is that replenishment may take much longer than expected and the deficit continues over time. Is a change in economic theory warranted?
The 2nd annual Science "Wiz Quiz" contest is underway... Last weeks' prize winner is from Oldtown, ID and received a laminated pocket guide titled "Common Butterflies of the Pacific Northwest". Can you guess what this weeks' prize might be? Click on contests to see full rules and enter to win some cool science prizes.
No purchase is necessary to enter or win and it will be a fun and educational experience.
Each Monday at 7:00 AM, a new science question will be posted on the Contests page of Selkirk Alliance for Science's website (www.selkirkscience.org/contests). A contestant may submit only one answer per weekly question. At the end of each week, all contestants with the correct answer for that week will be entered into a drawing for a free science pocket guide. Winners will be notified by email and their prize delivered free. The correct answer will be posted on the Contests page.
For more information, contact selkirkallianceforscience@gmail.com.
Thank you to everyone who entered our March 1 - April 30, 2021 science trivia contest.
Answers to the questions with sources and winners are posted on the 2021 contests page: www.selkirkscience.org/contests.html.
No purchase is necessary to enter or win and it will be a fun and educational experience.
Each Monday at 7:00 AM, a new science question will be posted on the Contests page of Selkirk Alliance for Science's website (www.selkirkscience.org/contests). A contestant may submit only one answer per weekly question. At the end of each week, all contestants with the correct answer for that week will be entered into a drawing for a free science pocket guide. Winners will be notified by email and their prize delivered free. The correct answer will be posted on the Contests page.
For more information, contact selkirkallianceforscience@gmail.com.
Thank you to everyone who entered our March 1 - April 30, 2021 science trivia contest.
Answers to the questions with sources and winners are posted on the 2021 contests page: www.selkirkscience.org/contests.html.
Air Quality Citizen Science Project
The Pend Oreille Conservation District (POCD) and the nonprofit Selkirk Alliance for Science (SAS) have implemented a voluntary citizen science air quality monitoring program throughout Pend Oreille County. The Northeast Tri-County Health District, Kalispel Tribe’s Natural Resources Department, plus some municipalities and private landowners are current partners. This effort will install consumer-grade monitoring devices that measure and record the concentration of tiny airborne particulate matter in real time day or night. The devices transmit data directly to the international PurpleAir map, and is also linked locally to the POCD website for free public viewing.
Monthly summaries of daily air quality data are posted on the SAS Citizen Science webpage. The monitoring devices are the size of a softball, sturdy for outdoor installation. They require continuous AC electricity, a continuous WiFi connection/signal, and yearlong physical access for possible maintenance. Data from this new citizen science air monitoring program is not precise enough for use by regulating officials, but it can indicate pollution trends and the influence of time of day or season, atmospheric conditions, and human activity on air quality. It may also indicate a need for more detailed study.
The Pend Oreille Conservation District (POCD) and the nonprofit Selkirk Alliance for Science (SAS) have implemented a voluntary citizen science air quality monitoring program throughout Pend Oreille County. The Northeast Tri-County Health District, Kalispel Tribe’s Natural Resources Department, plus some municipalities and private landowners are current partners. This effort will install consumer-grade monitoring devices that measure and record the concentration of tiny airborne particulate matter in real time day or night. The devices transmit data directly to the international PurpleAir map, and is also linked locally to the POCD website for free public viewing.
Monthly summaries of daily air quality data are posted on the SAS Citizen Science webpage. The monitoring devices are the size of a softball, sturdy for outdoor installation. They require continuous AC electricity, a continuous WiFi connection/signal, and yearlong physical access for possible maintenance. Data from this new citizen science air monitoring program is not precise enough for use by regulating officials, but it can indicate pollution trends and the influence of time of day or season, atmospheric conditions, and human activity on air quality. It may also indicate a need for more detailed study.