Sentek Drill & Drop Soil Moisture Probe - NexSens

Case Studies

Wetland Mitigation Bank

Wetland Mitigation Bank

Wetland Mitigation Bank

The Great Miami Wetland Mitigation Bank is the only such bank in Ohio offering stream restoration credits. It offers credits for corporations and others who want to offset the wetlands they destroy through construction by buying newly restored wetland space. But alongside that mission is another that is mapping the transport of gases as restored wetlands take shape. It is looking at the big question of whether or not newly restored wetlands are sources of greenhouse gases or sinks for them.The University of Nebraska-Lincoln, with funding from NASA, is heading up the work. Scientists with the school instrumented the mitigation bank with a number of monitoring stations to chart changes that a newly restored wetland undergoes. After all, the lands used to serve as fields for growing corn.Demand for the wetland credits is high, as Five Rivers Metroparks sold nearly a third of those available before construction ever began. In addition to the money the bank will help generate for the organization, the restored wetlands are yielding new habitat for wildlife, as well as a worthwhile study ground to chart changes that occur in newly restored wetland spaces.

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Natural Habitat Restoration

Natural Habitat Restoration

Natural Habitat Restoration

Located near Ball State University in Muncie, Ind., Cooper Farm is a diverse land area comprised of two properties: the Cooper Woodland Area and Cooper Natural Area. Within the farm, distinct micro-environments reflect various natural habitats found in east-central Indiana. The Cooper Farm offers students at Ball State an excellent outdoor laboratory for hands-on environmental education.A major effort is underway to more actively restore natural communities in some areas of this 88-acre farm, including wetlands, prairie, and forest. Conversely, other areas will be left to develop without active restoration, to provide opportunities for studying the succession process. Researchers hope to establish baseline environmental data at various locations within the farm so they can better understand these processes.NexSens Technology was contacted to assist in designing and implementing permanent monitoring stations for the biotic and abiotic components of the Cooper Field Area ecosystems.

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Educational Green Roof Project

Educational Green Roof Project

Educational Green Roof Project

Officials at Muhlenberg College, a small liberal arts school in Pennsylvania, had begun work on a sustainable redesign of the college’s student union building. As part of their planning process, they decided to consult with those who use the facility most - the students.After talking with them, it became clear that students at Muhlenberg wanted to retrofit the old student union building to be less impactful to the environment. But as the students made clear to the administrators, they still wanted the union to retain some of its old-school charm.With those insights in mind, Muhlenberg officials opted to install an educational green roof on top of the building. They garnered support from the PPL Corporation, an energy company headquartered nearby, that awarded them a grant to cover the equipment needed. For setup of the system, they signed up students who arranged plant trays on the roof, installed monitoring equipment and worked with sensor manufacturers to get the whole thing up and running.

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