Animals – Kristen Baumlier

Category: Animals

Engineered Corn and Sea Monkeys: The Center for PostNatural History

Posted on March 21, 2012 by Kbaumlier

The Center for PostNatural History opened in its permanent exhibition facility in Pittsburgh earlier this month. The Center for PostNatural History (CPNH) is a center that is dedicated to the research and exhibition of lifeforms that have been altered by humans. The CPNH has examples of diorama, taxidermy, photography and living exhibits. Some exhibits have included engineered corn, Sea Monkeys, modified Chestnut Trees, and BioSteel Goats.

The center explores the intersection of humanity and biological sciences through changing and traveling exhibits. Currently on display is a poster series produced by the Center for Genomic Gastronomy which catalogues the diversity of genetically modified fruits and vegetables available in the US and European Union. Other exhibitions included a show about the transgenic mosquitos of Southern California, and a show that explored a selection of techniques and technologies that have been used to prevent organisms from reproducing. In May there will be an exhibit about the Svalbard Global Seed Vault which was produced by a group of American and Norwegian researchers who visited the worlds largest repository of domesticated food crop seeds.

There is a Center for PostNatural History Introduction Video that is worth checking out on Vimeo and if you happen to be in Pittsburgh, the Center for PostNatural History will be open Sundays 12-6 and also for select events. Appointments may be made by contacting the CPNH by email: rich@postnatural.org.

Image Source:
The Center for PostNatural History Website

Links:

The Center for PostNatural History Website

The Center for PostNatural History: An Introduction – Video

Partnered: We Are All Pests, A Responsive Sound Installation with Termites

Posted on March 6, 2012 by Kbaumlier

Artist Brittany Ransom writes,” You are a pest, one of the most expansive, destructive, and wasteful of creatures. Together with your own kind you will run yourselves extinct. Eventually you will run out of clean air, water, space and resources to survive.”

Her piece Partnered: We Are All Pests, explores this idea through a sonic floor installation that is a 9 foot by 9 foot pine floor that houses three termite enclosures. Each of the enclosures is filled with sculpted paper forms that are primarily made from human paper waste products (newspapers, paper cups, plates, phonebooks, copies of the artists electrical and gas bills, etc.) that are structurally similar to termite colony construction.

The termites are housed in these enclosures and naturally eat away at the paper forms. As termites consume paper, they digest them and naturally release hydrogen gas, a process which takes human wastes and transforming and recycling them into usable materials. This process of the release of this hydrogen gas and its production through the bacteria in the termite’s body is currently being investigated as a potential source of energy by the U.S. Department of Energy.

The viewer is invited to stand, sit, or lay on the custom sonic floor. By standing on or engaging with the piece, the sound of the termites decomposing the paper waste forms is amplified and heard acoustically by the viewers in real time. The floor becomes a sonic plane.

The piece explores levels of decay, human waste, and explores how humans can collaborate with other species to create renewable energy. The piece recently got Honorable Mention in the Creative Divergence showcase, an online showcase of experimental creative works. You can read more about Ransom’s work on her website, and also see a video on Vimeo where you can hear the termites, and see individuals interacting with the work.

Image Source:
brittanyransom.com

Links:

Partnered: We Are All Pests – Video Documentation

brittanyransom.com

Fish Farming and Aquaponics

Posted on January 8, 2012January 5, 2012 by Kbaumlier

When I was back in Wisconsin for the holidays, I spent some time with my friend Joe Kaye, who has been doing research and experimentation in the area of aquaponics, and making a fish farm.

Aquaponics is the symbiotic cultivation of plants and aquatic animals in a re-circulating system. In a greenhouse setting, Kaye has been growing perch and using cattails, irises, and other native WI plants to filter the water. The water needs to be filtered since fish excrete ammonia, which turns to nitrogen. The nitrogen needs to be removed or it kills the fish. Usually this is done by filtering the water through a bed of gravel, then to the plants, which remove the nitrates, and then back to the fish.

In Kaye’s greenhouse, the perch are in an insulated tank and are heated by day from the sun and light, and at night from a small heater. Kaye chose perch to grow, since they are the favorite fish fry fish, are currently are selling at $17 a pound, and are supposed to be easy to grow.

Today Kaye has 100 perch growing. Perch will grow to full-size in 2-3 years when outdoors, and indoors in one year. Keeping the water warm, and feeding them as much as they can eat will increase their growth.

Years ago in Milwaukee, people used to fish in lake Michigan, and within an afternoon fill up a 5-gallon bucket with fish. They would then bring the fish to their local church – and the popular Friday night tradition was founded. Statewide, at a fish fry battered or deep-fried fish is accompanied by potato (baked, mashed, French fries, etc.) and coleslaw. This became popularity due to the tradition of meatless Fridays among German Catholics and Wisconsin’s proximity to Great Lakes.

Perch used to be widely available. According to population estimates, the number of perch in the Wisconsin waters of Lake Michigan has declined from 24.6 million in 1990, to 2.6 million in 2000, to 316,210 in 2009. There are several efforts occurring in Wisconsin and other states to support improving water quality, and in increasing the fish population in the lake.

Milwaukee is location for fish farm and aquaculture. Recently at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, a new School of Freshwater Science was created which includes research and education in the area of filtering water, aquaculture and other water issues.

At the forefront of aquaculture, a national non-profit organization called Growing Power that supports access to healthy, high-quality, safe and affordable food and is at the forefront of acquaulture. Their fish farms use plants such as basil and with the use of compost – other vegetable plants like tomatoes are grown while also filtering the water for the fish. It was started by Will Allen, a former professional basketball player who bought the Milwaukee farm in 1993. He was awarded a MacArthur Foundation “Genius Grant” in 2008 for his work on urban farming, sustainable food production, and with Growing Power.

Next time I am in Wisconsin, I plan to visit Growing Power, and also to check in and see how Kaye’s fish are doing.

Image Source:

Growing Power

Links:

School of Freshwater Sciences

Growing Power – Hydroponics

Carp: It’s what’s for dinner!

Posted on November 13, 2011November 13, 2011 by Kbaumlier

The Asian carp, considered an invasive species that have made it up the Mississippi River and possibly to Lake Michigan might be the next up and coming fish to eat. Some chefs and officials in Illinois are considering marketing the fish which includes of two species (the Bighead and Silver carp) instead of trying to just get rid of it.

Carp is said to be a tasty fleshy fish. The carp has two obstacles to wider acceptance: bones and a bad rap. Currently the carp suffers from bias in the U.S. The fish looks terrible and smells bad, but it has a subtle, moist flavor that is surprising – provided you remove all the bones.

“Everyone agrees the word carp has a negative connotation to diners in the U.S.,” John Rogner, assistant director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, an agency charged with keeping the fish from taking over Lake Michigan, said in an article from the latest issue of Audubon. “I think they’re great smoked, and I’ve had them fried. I think the fish will sell itself once it’s given the chance.”

The fish is already being eaten by a number of ethnic groups. The Vietnamese community cooks carp in coconut milk with lemon grass and chili peppers. The Polish like to draw out the fishy odor by soaking it in milk and onions.

There is precedence of chefs popularizing fish. Prior to the early 1980’s, the Louisiana Redfish was not a popular fish. After Chef Paul Prudhomme developed a recipe for “blackened redfish”, the fish got so popular it almost got fished to extinction.

Chef Philippe Parola and his group plan to re-brand Asian carp as Silverfin and popularize the fish with boneless, pre-cooked and flavored Silverfin fish fillets.

According to Chef Phillipe Parola, the taste of carp is like a cross between scallops and crabmeat. He has created recipes, which include silver fin fried strips, silver fin almondine, silver fin with fresh berries and silver fin cakes.

Image Source:
Photo by Chef Philippe Parola www.chefphilippe.com
Links:

Silver Fin Craze

Carp for Dinner – Audobon Magazine article

Fish Flying in Your Face – and No Fishing? Invasion of the Asian Carp

Posted on November 12, 2011November 12, 2011 by Kbaumlier

Yesterday I got an email from my Senator which gave an update about what he is doing in support of the Great Lakes and the Asian carp problem. I have not exactly understood what Asian carp are and why they are a threat – so I spent some time reading and researching about this issue.

Originally from Asia, they’re about 3 ft. long and weigh up to 100 lb, and are known to be difficult to capture. They eat a lot and grow quickly into giant fish. Asian carp arrived in the lower area of the Mississippi River in the 1970s, and recently they are about to enter the Great Lakes. The states that border the Great Lakes are working together to try to keep the fish out.

Asian carp include the bighead carp and silver carp and are considered a invasive species, an animal or plant that moves into a new environment, often disrupting it. We are seeing more invasive species because of international trade bringing new species into new areas and because of climate change, which prompts species to migrate to better environments, often at the expense of those that already live there.

How did they get here? Asian carp have been cultivated for aquaculture for more than 1,000 years, often raised in submerged rice paddies in China. Catfish farmers in the U.S. imported Asian carp decades ago to eat up the algae in their ponds. The fish slowly escaped into the wild and have been making their way up the Mississippi River. The fish eat a lot, grow incredibly fast, and reproduce rapidly often called, “eating machines.”

The Asian carp eat plankton which then eliminates the bottom layer of the food chain. If the fish make it to the Great Lakes and start breeding, they could disrupt the existing ecosystem, potentially starving out the trout and other native fish that make the Great Lakes a popular tourism hot spot.

The silver carp also pose a direct threat to people in boats. When startled, the fish project themselves out of the water, turning into 40-lb. missiles that can cause injuries to boaters.

No one is certain that Asian carp have made it into the Great Lakes. The Army Corps of Engineers put an electric barrier in the canal to prevent the carp from infiltrating Lake Michigan. No live fish have been found yet, but scientists discovered Asian carp DNA in the lake.

Currently there is a “Stop Asian Carp Act” in Congress introduced this year which would direct the Army Corps of Engineers to study the watersheds of the Illinois, Chicago, and Calumet rivers to determine the feasibility and best way to separate the rivers from the Great Lakes. The study would address flooding, wastewater, stormwater, and safety concerns. It also would direct the U.S. Geological Survey and the Fish and Wildlife Service to monitor and survey the waters of the Great Lakes basin to identify additional threats from Asian Carp, and to identify means of prevention.

Image Source:
www.JasonLindsey.com

Links:

Stop Asian Carp Website and Petition

Asian Carp Invasion video

Animal Planet: Asian Carp Invasion