Research Aids

This page is a collection of web sites, research resources, research application procedures and other electronic materials that can be useful for environmental research. In addition, see the list of optional supplementary readings on the Readings page. You are encouraged to offer suggestions for additional resources.

Work by ES faculty and previous ES seniors
Organizations
Northfield and Rice County links
DNR web documents
MPCA sources
Miscellaneous web resources
Additional government web links
Application procedures: Research involving human subjects

WORK BY ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES FACULTY AND PREVIOUS ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES SENIORS

The Northfield Environmental Community: Scientific Expertise, Local Knowledge and Collaboration in Environmental Decision-Making: Multimedia research projects by the 2003 Environmental Studies senior capstone seminar

The Three E's: Environment, Economy, and Ethnicity in Rice County, Minnesota, Agriculture, 1850-1885: Multimedia research project by one section of the 2002 Environmental Studies senior capstone seminar

Cannon River Wilderness Area: Information compiled by the 1999 Environmental Studies Senior Capstone Seminar. Available on a CD from Prof. Breen, containing the following information:

• Aerials folder: Aerial photographs stored in a tiff format.
• Historical folder: Scanned pictures, documents, and recollections of the park. Also includes Goverment Land Office Information.
• Research folder: Research reports done by students and others. Includes the Forest Stewardship Inventory, work by Carleton Geology students on erosion in the CRWA, and research by two St. Olaf students on forest composition.

Report on Rice County Prairie Roadside Remnants: Prepared by Prof. Charles Umbanhowar Jr. and Prof. Mike McKone (Carleton College) in 2000 and submitted to the Rice County Integrated Roadside Committee. A CD that contains photos of the prairie remnant sites is available from Prof. Breen. See also Rice County Roadside Native Vegetation Survey web site.

ORGANIZATIONS

St. Olaf Environmental Coalition: The web site for the environmental coalition (campus Greens, Environmental Coalition and Students for Sustainable Development) contains a link to an Earth Week events schedule.

Cannon River Watershed Partnership: A source of local and regional information about the Cannon River. The organization's web site includes links to its newsletter, contact information, projects and events

• PowerPoint presentation by Justin Watkins and Gordon Cumming, CRWP, March 17

Minnesota Environmental partnership: A coalition of 90 Minnesota non-profit environmental and conservation organizations

Rivers Council of Minnesota: An advocacy and educational organization

The Land Institute: The Natural Systems Agriculture project in Salina, Kansas, founded by Wes Jackson

Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture: A coalition that includes the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, the Land Stewardship Project, the
Minnesota Food Association, the Minnesota Project and the Sustainable Farming Association of Minnesota, organized through the University of Minnesota

NORTHFIELD AND RICE COUNTY LINKS

Northfield Community Development Department: City planning and zoning information and documents, including the 2001 Comprehensive Plan (see Ch. 10 on Environmental Protection) and zoning map

Rice County, Minnesota: County's home page, with access to Planning and Zoning Department, 2002 Comprehensive Plan, Environmental Health Division and Environmental Planners Information

Rice County GIS: Access to Rice County real estate data and GIS map

DNR WEB DOCUMENTS

Minnesota DNR Division of Ecological Services: Links to maps, publications, project reports and case studies

DNR Data Deli: Access to downloadable GIS data

Rice County Geologic Atlas: Downloadable data on geology and hydrogeology

The Wild and Scenic Cannon River and Cannon River Management Rules: Current status and legislation regarding the Cannon River Wild and Scenic Rivers Program designation

Cannon River canoe route: Basic information about the Cannon River, including a four-part pdf boating and canoeing guide map

River level reports: Updated every Thursday at 2 pm from early April through late October; includes a link for the Cannon River report

Major basins and watersheds of Minnesota: DNR map showing the eight major basins and 81 major surface-water watersheds in Minnesota

Major watersheds in Minnesota: DNR map of the state's 81 watersheds

Rivers and streams FAQ's: Basic information, including a link to common hydrologic terms and definitions

Minnesota river lengths: Compare the Cannon's 120.6-mile length to other state rivers

River and stream management: Multiple links to river and stream programs

Legacy of Names: Learn how the Cannon River got its name

Big Woods Project: Home page for the Big Woods Project in Rice County

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MINNESOTA POLLUTION CONTROL AGENCY SOURCES

MPCA water publications: Links to fact sheets, reports, newsletters and other publications on state water-quality issues

MISCELLANEOUS WEB RESOURCES

Minnesota Environmental Briefing Book: Compiled by the Minnesota Environmental Partnership "to provide information to legislators, the Governor, state agency officials, media representatives and the general public on a number of current environmental issues under discussion at the Legislature in 2004."

Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center's Minnesota page: A division of the U.S. geological survey; this center's web page provides links to aerial photos and GIS data; available files include the Mississippi River valley.

Water Resources Center Archives: Housed at the library of the University of California, Berkeley, the archives is a vast collection of water-related information, primarily technical material on freshwater quality. The archives includes sources from all 50 states.

Water on the Web: A collaborative web site between the National Science Foundation and the University of Minnesota, aimed at water resource management curricula for secondary and college students

ADDITIONAL GOVERNMENT WEB LINKS

FedWorld: Links to all federal departments and dozens of agencies and information sources. Site owned by the Department of Commerce Technology Administration, National Technical Information Service

NTIS: National Technical Information Service, a division of the U.S. Department of Commerce, provides a searchable library of government-funded technical, engineering and business research reports

Federal Register Online: Official, searchable publication of federal agencies' rules and notices, executive orders and other presidential documents

United States Code: Searchable library of the general and permanent laws of the United States in effect since January 1995.

U.S. Government Periodicals Index: Lexis-Nexis's guide to government document periodicals. Coverage begins with 1988.

Catalog of U.S. Government Publications: Another way to find records of U.S. government information and federal agencies' online resources. Coverage begins with 1994.

State and Local Government on the Net: Links to all states, multistate associations and national associations dealing with state and local government

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APPLICATION PROCEDURES: RESEARCH INVOLVING HUMAN SUBJECTS

The Institutional Review Board of St. Olaf College must approve original research that involves human participants. To gain approval, follow these steps:

• Complete the St. Olaf College Application to Conduct Research with Human Subjects form.

• Read Guidelines for Review of Human Subjects Research Ethics Disclosures and complete the St. Olaf College Human Subjects Research Ethics Disclosure form.

• Complete the St. Olaf College Human Subjects Research Approval Form. Your project will fall into the category of "instructional surveys." Submit all three forms to Prof. Breen for her signature.

• Submit the same set of three forms to Prof. Charles Umbanhowar Jr., Environmental Studies Program director, for his signature.

• Submit the same set of three forms to Prof. Jo Beld, chair of the IRB.

• Once IRB approval is obtained, you are free to proceed with your original research.

Thanks to the generosity of Megan Gregory, all class members have access to a model of a successful IRB application. Megan's thorough set of application materials can provide a template for adaptation to your own project's needs and design.

For help in designing a survey or questionnaire, check out the following:

• Use the subject heading Social sciences -- Research in Sage to find a broad collection of books on social science methods. Many include sections on survey and questionnaire design.

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