Newsletter

Volume 14, Number 4
July - August 1997

Director’s Note

There is growing concern that a
majority of young people are not
making the connections to the out-of-
doors that so many of us did as children.
Among the reasons for this may be
parental concerns about safety as well as
the technology that lures people of all
ages to computer and television screens.
The consequences are as yet unknown.
But experiences out-of-doors, whether
play or more structured activities, help
to nurture concern for nature. To
sustain healthy ecosystems in the future,
we will need a human population with
that kind of concern and, more than
that, with expertise about the function-
ing of ecosystems.

Ecology education is an integral part
of the Institute’s mission. In this issue of
the newsletter you will read of three
current programs, one that excites the
youngest students about the wonders
and mysteries of nature, and the other
two that help to draw college students
into the field of ecology.

The lES Newsletter is published by the
Institute of Ecosystem Studies, located
at the Mary Flagler Cary Arboretum in
Millbrook, New York.

Director: Gene E. Likens

Administrator: Joseph S. Warner

Head of Education: Alan R. Berkowitz
Newsletter editor: Jill Cadwzillader

Address newsletter correspondence to
the editor at:

Institute of Ecosystem Studies
Education Program, Box R

Millbrook NY 12545-0178

or e-mail toJillcad@aol.com

Printing: Central Press, Millbrook, N.Y.

Where Do I Go from Here?

How might our lives have been different
if, as students, we’d had the chance to
open the blinds on a dozen different
windows to the future, to see the chal-
lenges and opportunities that lay ahead,
and to use those visions to help us decide
which path we wanted to follow?

At the Institute of Ecosystem Studies,
Research Experiences for Undergradu-
ates (REU) students as well as students
from nearby colleges and universities
look through those windows to the future
at the annual “Forum oil^Opportunities
in Ecology”. The day-long forum is
scheduled typically for the midway point
of the REU experience (see box, page 3).
During the morning session, in succinct
presentations liberally laced with humor,
twelve professionals explain how they got
to the job they’re in and address questions
like “What excites me about my job?” and
“What does a typical day or week look
like?” In the afternoon, students rotate to
panels for informal discussion.

One hundred ten students were in the lES
Auditorium on the morning of July 22 to
absorb the experiences and advice of this
year’s presenters. In addition to REU
students from lES, Harvard Forest and
the University of Massachusetts, Boston,
there were groups from Columbia,
Fordham and New York universities,
SUNY Purchase, Union College and
Ulster County Community College, as
well as individuals from a number of
other institutions. lES Head of Education
Dr. Alan Berkowitz welcomed students
and speakers and introduced the forum’s
goal as a way to explore the interface
between ecology and life: how does
ecology contribute to each of the
represented professions, and how does
the profession contribute to ecology?

Mr. Jerry Sherman, for example, a ninth-
grade teacher at Millbrook High School,
told how he developed a course called
earth systems, which integrates all the
sciences and literally brought life to the
existing “biology-free” earth science class.
A teacher for 35 years, Mr. Sherman
counted among the rewards of his
profession the fact that his “synapses are
still increasing” — that he is always
learning — and the awareness that by
providing his students with a system-wide
view of the world he is making a differ-
ence not only in their lives but also in the
lives of their families. At the other end of
the educational spectrum was Ms. Felicia
Keesing, a doctoral candidate at the
University of California at Berkeley who
was chosen to represent the area of
“research abroad”. Ms. Keesing, an
ecologist who studies small mammals, did
her thesis research on interactions among
hoofed mammals, small mammals and
vegetation in Kenya. Challenges included
keeping a 1972 Land Rover running so she
could travel to her field sites; rewards
came from working with animals like the
pouch mouse that people knew little to
nothing about, and with the discovery of
previously unknown ecological connec-
tions between ungulates and small
mammals.

Mr. Shabazzjackson is the Director of
Greenway Marketing in Beacon, N.Y. He
told how, after graduating from high
school, he did a considerable amount of
traveling during which he saw the impact
of wasted resources. Upon his return he
went into the resource recovery business,
designing a system that recovers 70% of
Beacon’s wastes. Dr. Louis Sorkin repre-
sented the career opportunities presented
by museums. Specializing in entomology
and arachnology at the American

continued on page 3

During the afternoon session of the Forum on Opportunities in Ecology, RE U students asked doctoral
degree candidate Felicia Keesing center, about the logistics of doing field work abroad.

SEEDS for Growth in Diversity

Ecology Recruitment Program Coordinator Stephanie Shoemaker met with Dr. Charles
Nilon at lES in July to plan for the SEEDS Workshop in A Ibuquerque. Dr. Nilon,
Associate Professor of Wildlife Management at the University of Missouri-Columbia,
serves on the ESA!s Gender and Minority Affairs Committee and is participating in a
SEEDS Mentor Program.

Imagine a world without
diversity. Only blue jays at
the feeder. Only oak trees in
the forest. Only Muzak on
the radio. The word “dull”
wouldn’t begin to describe it.

Diversity makes life interest-
ing, and, more than that, it
ensures survival and growth.

Biological diversity sustains
a healthy ecosystem: a broad
gene pool enables a species
to adapt to changes in its
environment, and a diver-
sity of species supports the
network of interactions that
holds ecosystems together.

Diversity creates a richer
human environment as well.

Varied life experiences,
grown from different
ethnic, cultural and geo-
graphical backgrounds,
contribute to a healthy
exchange of ideas and skills in the
community, in business, in government ...
and in science.

Identifying, understanding and solving
environmental problems — all of which
have strong social and economic compo-
nents — increasingly demands the diverse
perspectives of a broad sector of society.
Unfortunately, not only are certain
groups under represented in environ-
mental fields, but their communities
often are disproportionately affected by
environmental degradation. Are we
missing or improperly framing problems
because of the homogeneous nature of
the ecology work force?

In an effort to address this question, the
Ecological Society of America (ESA) and
The College Fund/UNCF (formerly the
United Negro College Fund, an organiza-
tion that provides educational opportuni-
ties and programs for students attending
historically black colleges and universi-
ties in the United States) formed a
partnership aimed at increasing the
number of minority students majoring in
ecology in college. Dr. Alan Berkowitz and
Mr. Dan Durett* representatives from the
two organizations, started a program
called Strategies for Ecology Education,

* Dr. Berkowitz is the Head of Education,
Institute of Ecosystem Studies, and Vice
Presidentfor Education and Human
Resources, Ecological Society of A merica;
Mr.Durett is Director of the Department of
Environmental Education Programs at The
College Fund/UNCF.

Development and Sustainability, or
SEEDS, funded by a grant from The
Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The
Mellon Foundation, through its Minority
Undergraduate Fellowship Program, has
provided financial support for Research
Experiences for Undergraduates
students at lES and three other sites since
1994. The ESA portion of the project is
coordinated by Ms. Stephanie Shoemaker,
working at lES, and Ms. Susan Veres
coordinates The College Fund/UNCF
portion.

SEEDS addresses a key barrier to minority
recruitment: students’ lack of awareness
of ecology as a course of study and a
career. UNCF institutions interested in
participating in SEEDS submitted
proposals detailing how they would
recruit freshmen and sophomores into
ecology, develop innovative ecology
courses and increase career awareness,
and five were selected to share the Mellon
Foundation grant. Each of those five
schools created an Ecology Recruitment
Team comprising faculty members,
students and Ecological Society of
America ecologists, which Ms. Shoemaker
matched with each site based on the
scientist’s location and field of expertise.
For example, St. Augustine’s College in
Raleigh, North Carolina, which proposed
an outdoor ecology laboratory, has been
paired with Dr. Boyd R. Strain, a plant
ecologist at Duke University, and Dr.
Martin H. Posey, an aquatic ecologist at
the University of North Carolina,
Wilmington. Another participant is Wiley
College in Marshall, Texas. Its ESA

partners. Dr. Thomas
Arsuff i (who coinciden-
tally was a 1986 lES Cary
Summer Fellow), an
ecologist at the Aquatic
Station, Southwest Texas
University, and Dr. Paula
Williamson, also of
Southwest Texas Univer-
sity, will be helping to
develop new ecology
courses including one
called Environmental
Biology: Biology of
Wetlands and Aquatic
Organisms.

I Claflin College in
< Orangeburg, South
^ Carolina, Dillard Univer-
sity in New Orleans,
Louisiana and Tuskegee
University in Tuskegee,
Alabama are the other
SEEDS participants. The
five colleges are develop-
ing a number of ideas for boosting
undergraduate exposure to ecology,
including scheduling special guest
speakers, adding field trips to the course
syllabi, addressing issues of local concern
and creating websites. The recycling
program initiated by the Wiley College
recruitment team has increased environ-
mental awareness school-wide, and at
least one university has started an on-
campus environmental organization.

Seventeen SEEDS students, ten faculty
and seven ESA partners are attending the
annual meeting of the Ecological Society
of America in Albuquerque this August.
At a SEEDS Workshop following the
meeting they will present their Ecology
Recruitment Plans for the 1997-98
academic year and exchange ideas for
recruitment and curriculum develop-
ment. One objective is to ensure
sustainability of the programs and the
partnerships, so that recruitment at all
campuses is ongoing.

SEEDS has helped all its partners grow.
For The College Fund/UNCF schools, the
program has increased ecological
awareness among faculty and students
and has drawn them into the Ecological
Society of America, an organization that
promotes ecological research and
emphasizes the importance and relevance
of ecological education. And the ESA has
become richer by tapping into the
perspectives and talents of students and
professors at UNCF institutions.

Where Do I Go?, from page 1

Mttseum of Natural History in New York
City, he described how a childhood
fascination with insects led to his 20-years
at the museum. Now, as word of his
expertise spreads, he often works with the
police in matters of forensic entomology
and consults on the ecology of insect
infestations in buildings.

The speakers also offered career tips. Ms.
Barbara Murphy, an environmental
educator at Scenic Hudson in
Poughkeepsie, N. Y, emphasized the

importance of good writing, grammar
and communication skills. In her position
as an environmental activist, these
qualities are necessary to persuade people
to come around to her organization’s way
of thinking. Ms. Elizabeth Farnsworth, a
stewardship ecologist with The Nature
Conservancy, advised, “Follow your heart
before settling on one goal.” And, in one
of the afternoon panel discussions, a
student asked Mr. David Stern, Supervisor
of the Pathogen Program at the Depart-
ment of Environmental Protection in

Valhalla, N.Y., what was the most impor-
tant quality to be successful in a career.
Mr. Stern’s reply: a sense of humor.

The fields of academia, industry, law,
consulting and science journalism were
equally well represented at the forum. By
the end of the day, the students had a
better feel for the diversity of careers in
ecological fields. Beyond that, they had
glimpsed “ecology in context” — the
theme of the lES REU program — from a
front row seat.

A mong the speakers at the Forum were, L to r.:
Thomas Lalley, The Environment Show, WAMC
(science journalism); Drayton Grant (environ-
mental law); Shabazz Jackson, Greenway
Marketing (entrepreneur); and Jerry Sherman,
MillbrookHigh ^hool (education).

lES Summer Ecology
Day Camp - 1997

Ninety-six second through seventh
graders were ecologists-for-a week in
the fourth season of the Institute’s
summer ecology day camp. With
educators Kris Desmarais and Laura
Sanker leading the way, children were
immersed in the ecology of forests,
fields and wetlands.

One of the activities is a predation
study. Here, Ms. Desmarais and Hillary
Casson help Hannah Guernsey (center)
try to figure out what kind of animal
left tooth marks on the surface of a clay
egg left overnight in an artificial nest.

The lES REU Program

The National Science Foundation (NSF)
developed the Research Experiences for
Undergraduates program in the mid-
1980s as a way to improve science educa-
tion in the U.S. and to help assure an
adequate supply of top-notch scientists,
mathematicians and engineers for the
future. Many institutions across the
country compete for NSF funds to
support REU students, and consistently
the Institute of Ecosystem Studies has
been among the recipients.

Funding from NSF since 1988 and The
Andrew W. Mellon Foundation since 1994
allows students to do ecological research
at the Institute for three months in the
summer. The students collaborate with a
mentor on the lES scientific staff to
design their own studies, do field and/or
laboratory work and analyze results.
Finally, they present their findings at a
symposium attended by Institute staff;
members of the public also are invited to
the symposium. Final reports are pub-
lished as an lES Occasional Publication.

The REU experience at lES has helped to
focus the lives of 93 students over the
decade that the Institute has participated
in the program. The ten 1997 students,
their projects and mentors were:

Steven Adams (Clark Atlanta University,
Atlanta, Ga.): The quantification afforest edge
structure: Exploring methods for the study of
edge function. Dr. S.TA. Pickett, mentor.
Sarah E. Caban (Princeton University,
Princeton, N J.): Defining the chemical
environment of photobleaching. Dr. M.L. Pace.

Polly L. Hicks (College of Wooster,

Wooster, Oh.): Edge dynamics: T he influence of
shrubs upon the establishment and growth of
tree seedlings on a forest edge. Dr. S.TA. Pickett
Heather D. Kieweg (Carleton College,
Northfield, Minn.); The effect of earthtmrm
(Lumbricus terrestris) middens on denitrifica-
tion rate. Dr. PJ. Bohlen.

Melissa Moyer (Yale University, New Haven,
Ct): Theeffectsof the density of white-footed mice
(Peromyscus leucopus) on the persistence of
gypsy moth pupae and the resulting impact on
gypsy moth population dynamics.
Dr.R.S.Ostfeld.

Robert A. Naumann (University of
Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich.): Theeffectsof
white-footed woi«^(Peromyscus leucopus)
density upon the predation of ground-nesting
bird eggs: A n artificial nest study.

Drs. AR. Berkowitz and R.S. Ostfeld.
Caroline Nielsen (Brown University,
Providence, R.I.): The effects of different
freezing regimes on soil microbial processes.

Dr. P.M. Groffman

Patricia Townsend (Harvard University,
Cambridge, Mass.): Temperature, water
relations and isoprene emissions in defolicated
black oaks (Quercus velutina). Dr. QG. Jones
Douglas Van Hoewyk (Bates College,
Lewiston, Me.): A ssessment of fens in eastern
New York Effects of disturbance on biogeochem-
istry. Dr. PM. Groffman
Joshua West (Yale University, New Haven,
Ct): Influence of hydrologicflowpath on nitrate
release from forested catchments of the Catskill
Mountains, AT. KDr.S.E.G. Findlay

The Institute’s Research Experiences for
Undergraduates program is planned and
directed by Drs, Alan Berkowitz, Stuart
Findlay and Steward Pickett. Ms. Patricia
Atkinson is the lES REU coordinator.

INSTITUTE OF
ECOSYSTEM STUDIES
Education Program
BoxR

Millbrook, New York 12545-0178

Newsletter

Volume 14, Number 4
July - August 1997

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CONTINUING EDUCATION
For a Fall 1997 catalogue and program
information, call the Continuing Education
office at 914/677-9643. Programs during
September and October include:

Landscape Design

Sept. 16 (5 sessions): Construction II
Sept 18 (6): Ecological Landscape Design
Sept 24 (8): Landscape Design I
Oct. 4: Contour Plans
Oct 8 (7): Graphics I

Oct 18 (6): Principles of Landscape Design
Oct. 19: Designing Natural Landscapes
Gardening
Sept 18 (5): Plant Propagation
Sept. 20 (6): Plants for the Landscape
Sept. 28: Fall Plant Identification
Oct. 4 (6): Soil Science
Oct 30 (6): Floriculture

Natural Science Illustration
Sept 15 (6): Drawing I

Sept 20 (6): Botanical Watercolor Exploration
Biology and Earth Science
Sept 16 (8): Basic Botany
Oct 18: Ethnobotany of North America
Oct 25: Schoolyard Wildlife Habitats
Workshops

Sept 20: Pond Management and Restoration
Oct 23: Wetland Creation and Restoration
Oct 25: Shade Gardening at Its Best

Ecological Excursions and Garden Tours
Sept 21: Wetland Ecology from a Canoe
Sept 27: A Walk in the Forest Canopy
Oct 5: Zipfelberg Bog and Thompson Pond
Oct 25: Mohonk in Autumn

SUNDAY ECOLOGY PROGRAMS
Free public programs are held on the first or
second Sunday of the month. Call 914/677-5359
to confirm the day’s topic or, in case of poor
weather, to learn the status of the day’s program.
The September and October walks are
especially appropriate for families with children
age five and up. Meet at 2 p.m. at the Gifford
House on Route 44A for:

Sept 7: Stream Walk, led by Dr. Stuart Findlay
Oct 5: Pond Walk, led by Dr. Michael Pace
• We recommend that participants wear long pants
tucked into socks and sturdy waterproof shoes for all
outdoor programs.

Calendar

lES SEMINARS

Free scientific seminars are held each Friday at
11:00 a.m. [note new time\ at the lES Auditorium:
Sept 12: Food Webs on Islands in the Gulf of
California: Influence of Predation, Marine
Productivity and El Nino Events. Dr. Gary A.
Polis, Vanderbilt Univ, Tenrt
Sept 19: To be announced. Speaker: Dr. Peter
Attiwill, Univ. of Melbourne, Australia
Sept 26: Plant Niches and the Conundrum of
Existence. Dr. Jonathan W. Silvertown, Open
University, Milton Keynes, UJC.

Oct 3: Restoration of Eelgrass, Mudf lat, and
Salt Marsh Habitats to Mitigate for Port of New
Hampshire Expansion. Speaker: Dr. Frederick T.
Short, Univ. of New Hampshire
Oct 10: To be announced.

Oct 17: Arthropod Diversity and Functional
Importance in Temperate and TVopical Forest
Canopies. Dr. Timothy D. Schowalter, Oregon
State University

Oct 24: Role of Benthic Microalgae in
Estuarine Ecosystems. Dr. Carolyn A. Currin,
NOAA, Beaufort, N.C.

Oct 31: To be announced. Speaker: Dr. Tracy L.
Benning, Univ. of California at Berkeley

GREENHOUSE

The lES greenhouse, a year-round tropical plant
paradise and a site for controlled environmental
research, is open until 3:30 p.m. daily except
public holidays. Admission is by free permit (see
“HOURS”).

HOURS

Summer Hours: May 1 - September 30
Closed on public holidays.

Public attractions are open Mon. - Sat., 9 a.m.-
6 p.m. & Sun. 1-6 pan., with a free permit*.

The lES Ecology Shop is open Mon.- Fri., 11 a.m.-
5 p.m.. Sat 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. & Sun. 1-5 p.m. (The shop
is closed weekdays from 1-1:30 p.m.)

* Free permits are required for visitors and are
available at the lES Ecology Shop or the Education
Program office daily until 5p.m.

Winter Hours: October 1 - April 30
Public attractions and the lES Ecology Shop close
at 4 p.m. and permits are available until 3 p.m.

lES ECOLOGY SHOP

New in the Shop ._ photo albums ~ stationery „
for children „. back-to-school folders, notepads,
pens, reusable lunch bags ™ and in the Plant
Room hanging baskets
Senior Citizens Days: 10% off on Wednesdays

•• Gift Certificates are available ••

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

For information on volunteering at lES, call
Ms. Su Marcy at 914/677-5359.

MEMBERSHIP

Join the Institute of Ecosystem Studies. Benefits
include subscription to the newsletter, member’s
rate for courses and excursions, a 10% discount
on lES Ecology Shop purchases, and participa-
tion in a reciprocal admissions program.
Individual membership: $30; family member-
ship: $40. Call Ms. Janice Claiborne at 677-5343.

The Institute’s Aldo Leopold Society
In addition to receiving the benefits listed above,
members of The Aldo Leopold Society are
invited guests at spring and fall lES science
updates. Call Ms. Jan Mittan at 677-5343.

TO CONTACT lES...

-. for research, graduate opportunities, library
and administration:

Institute of Ecosystem Studies
Box AB

Millbrook NY 12545-0129
Tel: 914/677-5343 • Fax: 914/677-5976
Street address: Plant Science Building,

Route 44A, Millbrook, N.Y.

_. for education, general information and the lES
Ecology Shop:

Institute of Ecosystem Studies
Education Program, Box R
Millbrook NY 12545-0178
Tel: 914/677-5359 • Fax: 914/677-6455
Street address: Gifford House Visitor and
Education Center, Route 44A, Millbrook, N.Y.

lES e-mail: cacw@vm.marist.edu

lES home page: http://www.marisLedu/~ies