News The Rubenstein School W

The Rubenstein School
of Environment and Natural Resources
News
Vol. XXX, No. 1, October 2008, The University of Vermont, www.uvm.edu/envnr
WELCOME TO THE RUBENSTEIN SCHOOL!
WELCOME TO ALL NEW STUDENTS
AND WELCOME BACK TO RETURNING STUDENTS.
This year, The Rubenstein School has one new faculty member:
Dr. Jennifer Pontius, Research Assistant Professor—Forest Ecosystem Health and Remote
Sensing
And one new staff member:
Kathleen Wells, Business Support Assistant
The Rubenstein School
News, published monthly
from October through May,
is one of the school‘s primary vehicles for keeping
students, faculty, and staff
informed. We publish news
and highlight coming
events, student activities,
and natural resources employment opportunities.
Copies are available in the
Aiken Center lobby and the
Student Resource Area (336
Aiken) in the Dean‘s office.
http://www.uvm.edu/envnr
RECORD NUMBER OF RUBENSTEIN SCHOOL INTERNS
DURING SUMMER 2008
This past summer, at least 35 RSENR students
tested their skills in for-credit internships all
over the United States as well as Indonesia,
Israel, and Switzerland. Below are some interesting numbers and the list of interns. You will
learn more about their experience over the
course of the year. We also want to thank all of
our wonderful Employers and Faculty Sponsors!
The breakdown of internships on page 5 includes internships for credit only. There are
MANY more students who spent Summer 2008
in exciting jobs and internships that I simply
don‘t know about. You deserve recognition,
too, so I want to hear from you! Let me know
―What you did last summer‖ at [email protected]. (cont’d on page 5)
FOREST CRIMES UNIT
VICTORY
By Hillary Jane Archer and Connor Gibson
Editor:
Rachael Beddoe, ‗09G
Aiken Center 218
[email protected]
ISSUE HIGHLIGHTS:
Publications and
Presentations
Focus on Graduate
Research—Ashley Bies
Focus on Undergraduate
Internships—Justin
Grodman and Meredith
Simard
350 Event at Battery
Park
Spring 2008 Dean‘s List
and more...
With the kick-off of the new semester came a successful
close to the Forest Crimes Unit eleven-month ―ecology of
toilet paper‖ campaign, which served to replace all Kimberly-Clark paper products with ones of substantial ecological credibility. "UVM is switching to a toilet paper that
meets standards for environmental responsibility, prompted
by student concerns," says Gioia Thompson, UVM's director of sustainability. "This use of standards fits well with
the university's commitment to sustainability--and it's a
success story for student activism." All the members of the
group are now reforming in order to branch out and extend
the momentum of the campaign into newer
directions. "We have a paradigm shift here,
where the students are really our partners,"
says UVM director of custodial services, Leslye Kornegay. "These students had legitimate concerns and
we take that into account in our business decisions."
Follow the link for the full story, or refer to At UVM, Even
the Toilet Paper is Green on the UVM homepage: http://
www.uvm.edu/~uvmpr/?Page=News&storyID=12707
STAFF RECOGNIZED FOR
YEARS OF SERVICE
On Friday, September 19th the
following RSENR staff were recognized by UVM at the Staff Recognition dinner for having served
the University for more than 15
years:
For 25 Years of Service:
Shari Halik, Murphy MacLean
and John Shane Jr.
For 35 Years of Service:
Carl Waite
Other staff members that have
reached milestone years are Rose
Feenan (10 years) and Anjanette Merino (5
years).
Congratulations and
thank you for your
dedication and service!
2
The Rubenstein School News
THE RUBENSTEIN SCHOOL IN ACTION
PUBLICATIONS
Ali, Saleem H. ―Environmental Cooperation in the Indian
Ocean Basin.‖ In Timothy Doyle ed. Crucible of Survival: Environmental Security in the Indian Ocean. New Brunswick NJ:
Rutgers University Press, 2008
Photo: Red Rocks, VT. Curtsey of Pete Weafer, ENVS ‘12
Ali, Saleem H. "The Siachen Peace Park Proposal: Moving from Concept to Reality." Environment magazine, May/June, 2008.
Kuentzel, W. F. 2008. Comparing Rural Development Strategies in Four Irish Communities, 1930-2005. Dublin: The Policy Institute, Trinity College, Dublin.
Kuentzel, W. F. & Heberlein, T. A. 2008. ―Life Course Changes and Competing Leisure Interests as Obstacles to Boating Specialization.‖ Leisure Sciences, 30, 143-157.
Kuentzel, W. F., Laven, D., Manning, R. E., & Valliere, W. A. 2008. ―When do Normative Standards Matter Most? Understanding
the Role of Norm Strength at Multiple National Park Settings.‖ Leisure Sciences, 30, 127-142.
Masse, R.J., A.M. Strong, and N.G. Perlut. 2008. ―The potential of uncut patches to increase the nesting success of grassland
songbirds in intensively managed hayfields: a preliminary study from the Champlain Valley of Vermont.‖ Northeastern Naturalist
15:445-452.
McEvoy, T.J. 2008. ―Reporting and Taxes: How to Handle Income and Expenses from Timber Sales. Farming.‖ The Journal of
Northeastern Agriculture. Vol. 11, No. 2. February issue. pp 80:84.
McEvoy, T.J. 2008. ―Ants and Aphids.‖ Tree Services Magazine. Vol. 4, No. 2 (February). pp 34:38.
McEvoy, T.J. 2008. ―Evolution of GPS in Forestry.‖ Forest Products Equipment Journal. Vol. 16. No. 7. pp 22:28.
Perlut, N.G., A.M. Strong, T.M. Donovan, and N.J. Buckley. In press. ―Regional population viability of grassland songbirds: effects of agricultural management.‖ Biological Conservation.
Schaberg, P.G., Hennon, P.E., D’Amore, D.V., Hawley, G.J. 2008. Influence of simulated snow cover on the cold tolerance and
freezing injury of yellow-cedar seedlings. Global Change Biology. 14:1-12.
Schaberg, P.G. Murakami, P.F. Turner, M.R., Heitz, H.K., Hawley, G.J. 2008. Association of red coloration and senescence of
sugar maple leaves in autumn. Trees. 22:573-578.
Murakami, P.F., Schaberg, P.G., Shane, J.B. 2008. Stem girdling manipulates leaf sugar concentrations and red expression in sugar
maple trees during autumn. Tree Physiology. 28:1467-1473.
Schaberg, P.G., DeHayes, D.H., Hawley, G.J., Nijensohn, S.E. 2008. Anthropogenic alterations of genetic diversity: Implications
for forest ecosystem resilience. Forest Ecology and Management. 256:855-862.
Stokowski, P.A. 2008 ―Creating Social Senses of Place: New Directions for Sense of Place Research in Natural Resource Management.‖ Pp. 31-60, in: Understanding Concepts of Place as Applied in Recreation Research and Management. L.E. Kruger, T. Hall,
and M. Stiefel (technical editors). General Technical Report, PNW-GTR-744. Portland, OR: U.S.D.A. Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station.
Van Riper, C. J., N. Healy. (2008) Perceptions of the 2007 International Symposium on Society and Resource Management Student
Forum. Society & Natural Resources. Vol. 21. No 8. pp 740:747.
Voigt, B. and A. Troy. 2008. ―Land-Use Modeling.‖ Encyclopedia of Ecology, 1st Edition (Sven Erik Jorgensen & Brian D. Fath,
Ed.) Oxford: Elsevier B.V.
Zalik, N.J., and A.M. Strong. 2008. Effects of hay-cropping on invertebrate biomass and the breeding ecology of Savannah Sparrows (Passerculus sandwichensis). The Auk 125:700-710.
The Rubenstein School News
3
PRESENTATIONS
Associate Professor Saleem Ali was an invited speaker at the Amazon conference on indigenous development in Manaus Brazil, over the summer, sponsored by the Anderson
School of Management at the University of New Mexico, where he presented some of his
work on environmental planning for extractive industries involving indigenous people. He
also shared two of the film documentaries with the delegates that were produced by him
and graduate students at RSENR under a grant from the Tiffany & Co. Foundation. Details
about the videos are at http://www.gemecology.org and http://www.tropicalgold.org
Earlier in the summer, Saleem also made two presentations at the Conference of the Parties
of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity in Bonn, Germany related to his
work on transboundary conservation and "peace parks."
RSENR graduate students Wayne Bouffard, Ryan Butryn, and Paul Simonin along with
Ellen Marsden (Professor) and Donna Parrish (Leader, Vermont Cooperative Fish and
Wildlife Research Unit), participated in the 138th Annual Meeting of the American FishPhoto: Red Rocks, Burlington, VT.
eries Society in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada held August 17-21, 2008. Titles of their presen- Courtesy of Pete Weafer, ENVS ‘12
tations and poster were:
Beauchamp, D.A., D.L. Parrish*, Roy A. Whaley. Sampling coldwater fish in large lakes. (*Presenter--Invited speed
presentation and poster)
Bouffard, W., J.E. Marsden, and D.L. Parrish. Field trials for the use of sea lamprey migratory pheromone as an attractant
within tributary systems.
Butryn, R.S., D.L. Parrish, D.M. Rizzo, and B.C. Wemple. Biological relevance of summer stream temperatures for brook
trout in Vermont.
Marsden, J.E., S.J. Smith, and J. Hatt. Status of lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) in Lake Champlain.
Simonin, P.W., D.L. Parrish, L.G. Rudstam, B. Pientka, and P.J. Sullivan. Young of year planktivore dynamics: native
rainbow smelt and non-native alewife in Lake Champlain.
Additionally, Donna Parrish was an invited speaker at the AFS Student Subsection Colloquium and, as immediate past president of the AFS Education Section, was a member of the Best Student Paper Symposium committee.
Robert Costanza will present a talk entitled ―Understanding, valuing, and modeling ecosystem service‖ at the Conference on
Ecosystem Services in Beijing, China on October 13th, 2008. The goal of the conference is to focus attention on China and the
USA, two nations that are very important on the world stage economically, demographically, and environmentally, and examine our current state of understanding of the complex dynamics that maintain ecosystem services and human well-being. For
more information, visit http://www.uvm.edu/giee/chinaconf/.
Robert, along with Ida Kubiszewski, also received a grant to start Solutions, a new publication for a
sustainable and desirable future. Solutions is both an online and print journal, a hybrid between a peer
-reviewed journal and popular magazine. Solutions synthesizes existing knowledge and creativity,
driven by a vision of a future with a globally higher quality of life. It is intended for practitioners of
design sciences, as well as for a broad audience that reaches beyond traditional academic journals to the informed public. It will
provide a much-needed forum, devoted exclusively to wholesystem solutions and the design of an integrated human and natural
world. Founding editors are Robert, Paul Hawken, David W. Orr, and UVM‘s own John Todd. For more information see
http://www.thesolutionsjournal.com/.
Keeton, W.S. Biomass development in riparian late-successional northern hardwood-hemlock forests: implications for forest
carbon sequestration and management. Ecological Society of America 93rd Annual Conference. August 3-8, 2008, Milwaukee,
WI.
Keeton, W.S. Long-term forest ecosystem responses to 19th and early 20th century reforestation approaches in New England:
implications for forest carbon storage. 14th International Symposium on Society and Resource Management People and Place:
Linking Culture and Nature. June 10-14, 2008, Burlington, VT.
Keeton, W.S., V. Kovalyshyn, J. Nunery, B. Magura, I. Neyko, and Y. Shovhan. Opportunities for sustainable forest management in the Carpathian Mountain Ecoregion. Special session on ecology and culture in the Carpathian Mountain Region.
14th International Symposium on Society and Resource Management. June 10-14, 2008, Burlington, Vermont
4
The Rubenstein School News
PRESENTATIONS (cont’d)
Walter F. Kuentzel and Patricia A. Stokowski. 2008. ―Amenity-based Development and the Post-Industrial Mood: Adapting to
Change in Rural Vermont.‖ Walter F. Kuentzel and Patricia A. Stokowski. International Symposium on Society and Natural Resource Management, Burlington, VT. June.
David Raphael recently was a speaker at the annual conference of the Northern New England Chapter of the American Planning
Association, of which he is a member. His workshop was entitled "The Geography of Green: Connecting People with Place and
Landscape" and focused on introducing young people and children to the planning, design and stewardship of our outdoor environments and open spaces. David also participated in the annual Vermont Historic Preservation Conference in Brandon last spring
where he gave a presentation on contextual design for Vermont highways in villages and towns.
Paul Schaberg (USDA Forest Service and The Rubenstein School) gave an invited presentation on ―Autumnal expression of anthocyanins in tree leaves‖ as part of the Gordon Conference on plant senescence at Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, MA, June
16-20. This presentation described a range of research conducted by Paul and Rubenstein School alumnus Paula Murakami
(Forest Service) along with John Shane, Gary Hawley and various RSENR students over the years, although emphasis was given
to two new studies published this summer (see publications).
Patricia A. Stokowski. 2008. ―Rhetorical Dimensions of Place in the Context of Agency Organizational Behaviors.‖ International
Symposium on Society and Natural Resource Management, Burlington, VT. June.
Allan Strong gave a presentation at the American Ornithologists' Union annual meeting in Portland, OR in August. The presentation was titles ―Natal, breeding, and within-season dispersal in Bobolinks: Implications for management, conservation, and populations dynamics.‖
AWARDS and APPOINTMENTS
Associate Professor Bill Keeton has been selected to be a Fulbright Specialist by the U.S. Fulbright Scholarship Program. He has
been awarded a Fulbright Scholarship for his sabbatical research in Ukraine this fall.
This summer, Jarlath O’Neil-Dunne received the Vermont Spatial Data Partnership (VSDP) Outstanding Achievement Award.
Since 2002 the VSDP has recognized valuable members of the VT Geographic Information System (GIS) community by presenting
this award to a Vermont GIS Professional or Citizen GIS User who has effectively used and promoted GIS as a tool to improve his
or her community at a local, regional, statewide, national, or international scale. We commend the recipient of this award for engaging in this process with enthusiasm and respect.
David Raphael, Lecturer, was recently appointed to the Vermont Urban and Community Forestry Council, as the representative for
the Vermont Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects. The Council advises the program in Urban and Community
Forestry, which is administered by the Vermont Division of Forestry of the Agency of Natural Resources. The program's mission is
"To promote the stewardship of urban and rural landscapes to enhance the quality of life in Vermont communities."
MEDIA
Bob Manning of the Park Studies Lab was interviewed by the Burlington Free Press regarding the Lab‘s research on Camel's
Hump. Additionally, a reporter came up to Camel's Hump to take pictures and talk with Carena van Riper, one of the field researchers, about the field research. Research involved surveying hikers as part of a summer-long study of hiker attitudes on three
summits in the Northeast. The results are expected to help land stewards make decisions about how to manage a steady stream of
hikers in a way that visitors find acceptable — while still protecting the fragile mountaintop ecosystem. A front page Free Press
story about the interviews can be found at the following link: http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?
AID=/200808210415/NEWS02/80821001
...ON SABBATICAL FOR THE 2008-2009 SCHOOL YEAR…
Saleem Ali
Bill Keeton
...AND BACK FROM SABBATICAL...
Walt Kuentzel
Suzanne Levine
9TH ANNUAL DOC DONNELLY DAY
And the WINNERS are:
Croquet Golf: Dillon Owen
The "Cup" Race: Alyssa Frediani
Bocce Ball: Zachary Theberge
Stringball: Alex Kliminsky
Toss-Your-Cookies: Patrick Bixler
The Rubenstein School News
5
...Record # of interns (cont’d from page 1) THE NUMBERS
Total hours worked by all interns:
Average total hours worked per intern:
11,425
336
Total paid internships:
Total non-paid internships:
20
15
Average wage: (positions that paid an hourly basis)
Breakdown of Majors:
Environmental ScienceWildlife and Fisheries BiologyForestry-
$11.34/hour
Natural ResourcesEnvironmental Studies-
13
8
4
4
2
Breakdown of Majors (cont‘d):
OtherDouble majors
Forestry, Env. ScienceSelf-designed majorsIntegrated Nat. ResourcesUndecidedGraduation Year:
December 2008200920102011-
1
1
2
2
14
12
7
LIST OF INTERNS
Intern Name
Autumn Amici
Position Title
Biologist Assistant
Employer
US Fish and Wildlife, Backbay Nat‘l Wildlife Refuge
Location
Virginia Beach, VA
James Baros
Service Learning Intern
UVM Hillel
Arad, Israel
Brian Beck
Environmental Technician
VT Center for Clean and Clear
St. Albans, VT
Andrea Bruno
Drew Cameron
Watershed Educator
Research Technician
UVM Watershed Alliance
UVM- Dr. Kimberly Wallin
Burlington, VT
Burlington, VT
Hannah Cohen
Jonathan Falcone
Horticulturist Assistant
Animal Care Intern
East Bay Regional Parks District
ECHO Lake Aquarium & Science Ctr
Berkeley, CA
Burlington, VT
Paige Fisher
Russell Ford
Education Intern
Stewardship Committee
ECHO Lake Aquarium & Science Ctr
Green Mountain Club
Burlington, VT
Waterbury Cntr, VT
Marty Frye
Ryan Grasso
Energy System Intern
Seasonal Policy Intern
Edison Electric Institute
Dept of Environmental Management
Washington, D.C.
Providence, RI
Justin Grodman
Matthew Gustafson
Research Assistant
Environmental Scientist Asst.
The World Conservation Union
Vanasse Hangen Brustlin
Gland, Switzerland
Middletown, CT
Heidi Henrichs
Addison Kasmerak
Field Assistant
Research Technician
Hubbard Brook Research Foundation
UVM- Dr. Kimberly Wallin
Woodstock, NH
Burlington, VT
Hayden Lake
Daniel Lim
Forestry Assistant
Landscape/Horticulture Intern
George Weir Consulting
New York Restoration Proj.
Williamsville, VT
New York, NY
Dexter Locke
Nikkohl Luehm
Land Stewardship Intern
Watershed Educator
UVM LANDS Program
UVM Watershed Alliance
Burlington, VT
Burlington, VT
Samantha Manetti
Lauren Morley
Research Assist., Operation Wallacea Dr. David Smith and Phil Wheeler
Community Outreach Assistant
South Hero Land Trust
Indonesia
South Hero, VT
Ashley Murphy
Theodore Ortiz Y Pino
Corps Member
Research Technician
Coconino Rural Environmental Corps
Vermont Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit
Flagstaff, AZ
Burlington, VT
Kizette Ortiz-Vanger
Samuel Parker
Biological Intern
Staff Scientist
US Fish and Wildlife, Monomoy Nat‘l Wildlife Refuge Chatham, MA
Fitzgerald Environmental Associates, LLC
Colchester, VT
Polly Perkins
Molly Reddington
Watershed Educator
Contracted Student Intern
UVM Watershed Alliance
MA Dept. of Public Health, Env. Bureau
Burlington, VT
Boston, MA
Greg Turner
Ben Sherman
Invasive Management Assistant
Fisheries Technician
Montpelier Parks and Conservation
Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest
Montpelier, VT
Elko, NV
Meredith Simard
Josh Stewart
Streams Project Intern
Environmental Scientist Intern
Peter Stothart
Research Assistant
Sam Webb
Katharine White
Solar Technology Installer
River Management Intern
Vermont EPSCoR Streams Project
Nobis Engineering Inc.
Helen Mills Poulos-Yale School of Forestry, Env.
Studies
SolarWrights
Bureau Land Mgmt.
Burlington, VT
Concord, NH
Big Bend Nat‘l Park,
TX
Montpelier, VT
Glennallen, AK
Ashley Wilson
Naturalist
Coutts-Moriarty 4-H Camp
E. Charleston, VT
6
The Rubenstein School News
Congratulations to the following students
who made the Spring 2008 Dean’s List!
Autumn Amici
Jodi Anderson
William Bennington
Jonathan Bergman
Katharine Bolton
Ethan Bond-Watts
Stephanie Brontman
Keith Brunner
William Bulger
Kelsey Campbell
Wendy Carbone
Mikael Cejtin
Lucas Chapman
Brooke Churas
Katie Cleggett
Tyler Cohen
Hannah Davie
Dana Demetrio
Kaitlin Doucette
Christopher Dubin
Jonathan Ellermann
Abby Farnham
Benard Fiorillo
Russell Ford
Kaitlin Francis
Lisa Fredette
Sasha Freeman
Kaitlin Friedman
Martin Frye
Lori Gambardella
Katherine Gibbons
Sarah Giewont
Erik Gilbert
Kyle Greenberg
Kristen Greenwald
Sarah Gruver
Eamon Harrity
Whitney Haskell
Michael Haulenbeek
Marian Herbick
Anna Hill
Blake Hoberman
Katelyn Homeyer
Avery Hurst
Jonna Jermyn
Claire Johnson
Jennifer Jubok
Matthew Judd
Emily Kinghorn
Martha Klepack
Karen Klinger
Alexandra Kormos
Jeremy Koslow
Anna Kovaliv
Deborah Krug
Michael Lester
Jared Levesque
Matthew Linder
Dexter Locke
Kaitlin Lucas
Jacqueline Maisonpierre
Heather McArthur
Kelly McBride
Ethan McElwain
Eric McGivney
Ana McMonigle
Janele Murac
Theodore Ortiz Y Pino
Samuel Parker
Erika Partee
Colin Penn
James Prendergast
Allison Rapp
Hadley Rapp
Molly Reddington
Kathryn Romelczyk
Mark Rosenberg
Elias Rosenblatt
Christian Ruf
Casey Russell
Kellen Ryan
Matthew Sarcione
Alison Schymik
Benjamin Shafer-Rickles
Meredith Simard
David Speer
Matthew Stone
Basil Tsimoyianis
Sarah Wanamaker
Grace Weaver
Katharine White
Molly Williams
William Young
Arthur Zahor
Min Zheng
THE RUBENSTEIN SCHOOL OF ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL
RESOURCES ANNOUNCES
THE TWENTY FIFTH ANNUAL GRADUATE RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM
Presentations by Graduate Students on a Variety of Topics Including:
Ecosystems Ecology and Health; Environmental Policy and Planning; Sustainable Communities; Sustainable
Forestry; Aquatic Ecology; Wildlife and Fisheries Biology; Environmental Thought and Culture
Please Join Us
Wednesday and Thursday, October 8-9, 2008
5:00 - 7:00 PM
Reception: Thursday, the 9th at 6:00
Livak Grand Ballroom, 4th Floor, Dudley H. Davis Center
UVM Campus
The Rubenstein School News
FOCUS ON GRADUATE RESEARCH:
BY ASHLEY BIES, EP ‘09
I realized at the age of 16, while contemplating National Geographic‘s latest article on habitat loss and species
extinction on the window seat of the 12‘x16‘ cabin I‘d grown
up in, that in this context – the tragedy of incomprehensibly
rapid and profound biodiversity losses worldwide – I had to do
something: As much as I could. This became my dream: To
independently initiate landscape-scale conservation initiatives,
to become an effective conservationist.
That dream has brought me through trials, tribulations and realizations. I‘ve come to understand the importance
of filling the ―implementation vacuum‖ in the field of conservation biology, of applying research actively as a tool to implement real-world ecosystem conservation. I‘ve also become
convinced that this work must take place at the landscape
level, to benefit whole systems, and that maintaining connectivity through corridors is perhaps the most urgently needed
form of landscape conservation.
Recently, the work of Dr. Alan Rabinowitz of the
Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) inspired me with a realworld example of my dream in action. I was immediately riveted when I heard of his efforts leading up to the designation
one of the world‘s largest protected area in Myanmar, and the
innovative management strategies being implemented to conserve biodiversity within the context of local human societies…And then thrilled when I learned of the WCS‘s initiative
to conserve Jaguar (Panthera onca) connectivity throughout
the species range Central and South America. My goal became to contribute to a portion of this inter-continental connectivity effort as a graduate student, to prevent my academic
work from being pulled into the implementation vacuum by
contributing to a high-priority conservation initiative while
preparing myself to independently initiate connectivity conservation projects in the future.
After developing contacts with the WCS for a year, I
was given the opportunity to collaborate on research with their
Jaguar Conservation Program (JCP) for my masters project in
the Ecological Planning program at UVM. I conducted research in Belize‘s Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary this
past summer, from mid May through the end of August. This
work focused on developing prey census techniques and baseline data for monitoring the Jaguar‘s main prey species, to
help evaluate concerns that the empty forest syndrome may be
developing in
A Jaguar caught on camera at night
parts of the Jaguar‘s range.
Prey availability
is a critical factor in maintaining suitable Jaguar habitat
throughout the
neotropics, and
depletion of
natural prey
7
populations
may be an important factor
in Jaguar regional declines
not only
through starvation but also as
an important
factor leading
to livestock
predation and
the widespread
Ashley and field assistant Mariano in front of
shooting of Jagtheir Belizean home-away-from-home.
uars in response
to rancher‘s perception of this threat.
The term that best characterizes my fieldwork in Belize is ―endurance.‖ Mariano, my 20 year old Mayan field
assistant, and I concluded our final data collection sortie 3
hours before dark on my last day in Cockscomb, the final
stroke yielding a complete data set for assessing the natural
abundance of the Jaguar‘s prey species. I recall the many
casualties along the way.
Sleep deprivation began just as we finished cutting
our transects through the dense jungle and started collecting
wildlife sign data and setting out camera traps, when the first
clutch of botflies to burrow into my scalp began their development by nibbling away within inside my head. They were
followed by a week-long bout of diarrhea that culminated in
an (unrelated) episode of food poisoning (alone on top of a
mountain 10km into the back country). The nighttime privations continued with another cohort of flies in the head and, as
the skies cleared for a few weeks and the jungle dried out,
cohorts of up to 164 tiny ticks per field night.
Meanwhile, the GPS that I‘d brought with me for
backup but had to rely on completely, since the JCP equipment available to me wasn‘t up to our backcountry conditions,
filled up, and the backup download program I‘d also brought
failed to download a single point. I was reduced to emergency
data entry, dedicating most of my waking moments out of the
field over two weeks to alternately plugging data for individual points into my laptop and seeking an opportunity to charge
the machine when the field station‘s generator was running to
pump water or for a tour group‘s evening presentation.
Over the same two weeks the one-speed Belizean
bicycle I relied upon to commute between our transects along
the old logging road managed to extend my field hours nearly
every second day. First the handlebars came loose during one
of the ―tropical waves‖ of heavy rain that kept the trail muddy
for two months straight, then the pedal crank, the back wheel
(twice), and the seat post failed, and finally, the chain broke
catastrophically as I was pumping hard up a hill the day before
the flu struck the research station, propelling my knee with the
full force of my weight behind it into the acute corner of the
metal handlebar brace…the same knee that had been playing
host to the impaled fragment of a large stick since my first
week in Belize. I suppose that it was fortunate the flu kept
anyone from being willing to come out into the field with me
(cont’d next page)
8
The Rubenstein School News
wildlife activity data and mesmerized by the wonder
of these snapshots into the lives of the creatures we
had been tracking all summer – the Jaguar shots re(cont’d form previous page) that weekend, allowing my knee minding me of that fleeting encounter at dawn on my first field
and lungs a few days of recovery, but I still had to pedal the
day, solo but not alone with a Jaguar pacing ahead of me down
bike using only one leg for the first few days once Mariano
the path and around the bend of our trail.
was ready to return to work.
Now, back in the States with the complete data set,
Communication is not the Mayan way. Mariano cost I‘ll be pushing throughout the fall and coming spring to anaus at least a week over the course of the summer by not show- lyzing and interpreting results into a report for the JCP. But
ing up, sometimes for good reasons and
the data set isn‘t the only sense in which
sometimes without good cause, but always
the summer‘s work was a success, nor the
without notice. Though US personnel stanmost important one. Over the course of
dards would almost surely have had him
the field season I also had the opportunity
fired by mid-project, much or our work
to inch my foot ever further toward and
couldn‘t have been accomplished without
through my long dreamed of doorway: By
Mariano‘s experience, energy and committhe close of our work I had established a
ment to learning research skills and collectpreliminary plan with the Jaguar Research
ing quality data. We both pushed ourselves
Coordinator for Belize and my project
to the limit the final two weeks, working
sponsor, Dr. Bart Harmsen, to return next
long days with very little rest, to comyear to begin work on a country-wide
plete the project – despite a strong tropi- An Anteater peering down from the jungle foliage connectivity project – part of the
cal wave that came blowing into our
Mesoamerican Jaguar corridor initiabackpacking hammocks during our final week, turning camp
tive – as a Ph.D. candidate. If I can become sufficiently ininto a river at the end of our most remote transect.
volved in this connectivity work I may be able to realize my
On my final day in the country, waiting in a hostel for dream. If I‘m really, really lucky over the coming years, I just
my flight the next morning, I had a final opportunity to push it. may be able to do my part, to combat biodiversity loss directly
The first batch of film was back and I stayed up until 7 hours
and at a landscape scale.
before my departure sorting through the prints, recording the
FOCUS ON GRADUATE RESEARCH CONT’D
350 EVENT BRINGS NATIONAL ATTENTION TO URGENTLY NEEDED
CLIMATE ACTION AND GREEN JOBS
by Rachael Beddoe, NR Graduate Student ‘09
On Saturday,
Sept. 27, a large crowd
gathered in Battery Park to
rally for vitally important
climate action and green
jobs.
Organized by the
350VT team
(www.350vt.org), the gathering officially launched the 350 global climate campaign
(www.350.org) in Vermont to set the world on course to achieving atmospheric CO2 levels of 350 ppm. Author, 350 founder, and main speaker Bill McKibben spoke plainly about
the importance of the number 350 and the urgent need for international action. ―We poured
more CO2 into the atmosphere in 2007 than any of the models came close to predicting we
would,‖ said McKibben. He described a new sense of ―palpable urgency‖ in the need to
make ―difficult, wrenching, global changes‖ intended to keep us from crossing the tipping
point into runaway climate change.
As McKibben pointed out, ―Climate activism is not new to Vermonters.‖ Two
years ago on Labor Day, Vermont hosted the largest demonstration to date in the United
States calling for action on climate change. One thousand people gathered in Burlington's
Battery Park to send a loud and unified call for leadership to help Vermont and the nation
tackle the challenge with the fortitude required. That rally helped spark a national movement: Step It Up (www.stepitup2007.org).
McKibben stated that the national and international agreements vital to the success of climate action would come about
through the kind of grassroots organizing that speaks to the head and the heart of the listener. To that end, the rally began with a
moving live art piece directed by local artist, Cameron Davis titled ―Let Ours Be a Time Remembered.‖ (cont’d back page)
The Rubenstein School News
9
LUCID DESIGN ANNOUNCES BUILDING DASHBOARD® STUDENT CONTEST
Lucid will award its Building Dashboard® to a U.S. or Canadian college or university whose studentled team submits the best YouTube video demonstrating a creative initiative that engages people to
conserve energy and resources and how a Building Dashboard® would benefit those efforts.
The team that wins Lucid?s energy conservation competition will be awarded a Building Dashboard®
for up to three buildings on their campus. The dashboard can be used to launch real-time energy
competitions among residence halls or in other campus buildings and can serve as an important
data-gathering tool for tracking university sustainability efforts over time.
Student contestants should submit a YouTube video of between 3 and 10 minutes that introduces an
innovative program for promoting conservation behaviors among students, faculty and staff, and
how their college or university would utilize the Building Dashboard® in their effort. The winner will
be announced at the Greenbuild 2008 International Conference & Expo in Boston on November 19,
2008. Complete entries must be submitted by October 24.
For more information see http://www.luciddesigngroup.com/contest.php
This past summer I spent several months workOCUS ON NDERGRADUATE NTERNSHIP
ing as a volunteer intern at IUCN (The World Conservation Union) based in Gland, Switzerland. While spendUSTIN ILIP RODMAN
ing time with my family, who currently live in Geneva, I
was a research assistant for the Chief Scientist, Dr. Jeff
McNeely. I assisted him on a range of topics; however, my
scale problem is absurd, and therefore all of these international
main project was to draft a paper on applying the diversity of
conventions should combine forces in order to preserve the
international conventions to address the challenges of climate
things they are designed to preserve in the face of climate
change. I also formulated an annotated bibliography on a few change.
dozen key biofuel papers, produced a summary of conclusions
A main idea that I have come out of this experience
from the bibliography, researched on topics involving REDD
with is the importance of forming an international convention
(Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation),
on forests. Currently, no such convention exists; even though
aided research for a presentation Dr. McNeely was to deliver in several international organizations exist that attempt to preReunion at a conference on European Union Overseas Territo- serve our forests. An international convention on forests could
ries, and provided research for other various minor topics intake on the task of developing mechanisms for REDD, as well
volving biodiversity, social and ecological economics, and
as address the combined problems concerning international
climate change. Despite my internship being entirely an office forests that are partially covered by the various other convenjob and not involving work outdoors
tions and organizations mentioned
or in the field, I feel I got a lot out of
above. Its purpose could be to adthe experience.
dress all of the issues that forests are
I learned how environmental
now facing and thereby significantly
regulations come into being within the
contribute to the mitigation of and
European Union, United Nations, and
adaptation to climate change.
several other countries. I was conIf anyone ever finds himself
stantly researching how the current
or herself in the southwest corner of
environmental conventions in exisSwitzerland, and is looking for an
tence can all contribute to mitigating
internship or job with an environthe adverse affects of climate change,
mental organization, I strongly recincluding the Convention on Biologiommend IUCN. Dr. McNeely is
cal Diversity, the United Nations Conamazing to work with and is very
vention to Combat Desertification, the
relaxed yet extremely intelligent and
United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the Conven- informed about current environmental issues. As long as you
tion on Wetlands of International Importance, the World Heri- are dedicated and enjoy researching topics about international
tage Convention, and the Convention on Migratory Species.
conventions and regulations on the environment, IUCN is a
Each of these conventions deal with species, ecosystems, or
great place to build experience or begin a career. They even
biomes that are going to or already are being affected by clihave IUCN coffee keys, so all you have to do is swipe it in the
mate change, and therefore each can potentially provide input machine and receive your daily dose of Swiss coffee!
for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC). Having one convention for such a large-
F
J
U
F
I
G
, NR 2010
10
The Rubenstein School
FOCUS ON UNDERGRADUATE INTERNSHIP
washing glassware, each intern at UVM is responsible
for coordinating sampling dates, picking up samples
EREDITH IMARD
from, and providing equipment and educational support to one of the high school teams within the waterThis past summer I began a year-long internship
shed. I am responsible for coordinating the sampling of 12
with the VT Streams Project, a National Science Foundation- sites along Munroe Brook, a stream that discharges into Shelfunded collaborative research effort by VT EPSCoR
burne Bay. I work directly with three schools-CVU, Rice
(Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research). HS, and Vermont Commons School-who are each responsible
The purpose of the internship was to collect long-term data
for two sites, leaving the remaining six sites as the UVM
on streams within the Lake Champlain watershed with teams team‘s responsibility. Watershed sampling days are conof undergraduates, faculty, and high school teachers and stu- ducted once every two weeks, during which discharge is
dents.
measured and samples are taken for total phosphorus, E. coli,
My involvement with the Streams Project began on and suspended solids. Once a month, we also take samples
June 1 with a week-long Orientation with other undergradu- for the state to analyze. Throughout the course of the day, I
ates from regional universities, one being the Universidad
drive back and forth between sites, picking up samples from
Metropolitana in Puerto Rico. Many different backgrounds
the schools and keeping them in coolers until we arrive back
were represented among the undergrads. Our orientation was at UVM where we are responsible for analyzing them. We
led by faculty members from SMC, JSC, Norwich, and Mid- hope to begin entering our results into a publicly-accessible
dlebury who conducted short lectures in general stream ecol- web-based database soon.
M
S
, ENSC ‘09
Undergraduate interns during Orientation Week
measuring discharge.
ogy, water chemistry, macroinvertebrate identification, and
data analysis, and brought us out to streams in the Burlington
area for on-site training in water quality sampling methods,
discharge measurement, macroinvertebrate collection and
identification, and site assessment.
Following Orientation week, the undergraduate interns departed for our schools to complete one of the many
projects that the Streams Project encompasses, from macroinvertebrate identification, to E. coli source tracking, to sample
analysis. I worked with the other students from UVM and
those from Green Mountain and Puerto Rico under the supervision of the Streams Project Coordinator KathiJo Jankowski
here at UVM to perform laboratory analysis of water samples
for total suspended solids, phosphorus, and E. coli. Much
more fun, however, is the chance to educate and work with
high school students and teachers over the next several
months in water sample collection, stream physical measurements, and macroinvertebreate collection.
When we are not in the lab running samples or acid-
Photo: Stream site along Munroe Brook.
Courtesy of Edward Garcia.
The Streams Project has been a perfect opportunity
because it provides the ideal combination of laboratory and
field work with an awesome group of people. It is exciting to
know that our results will provide a more detailed understanding of the connections between land-use and precipitation and water quality within the watershed. Additionally,
having worked in a laboratory the past few summers, this has
also been a great opportunity to learn basic field techniques
while becoming involved in environmental education for the
first time. I have discovered that I love working with
younger students and teachers outside the University community because of their enthusiasm about understanding and
becoming involved in maintaining the health of their watershed. I‘m excited to continue my involvement in the Streams
Project over the next two semesters, which will culminate
with a project symposium sometime in April 2009.
For more information about the Streams Project go to:
http://www.uvm.edu/~streams/
The Rubenstein School News
11
HELP WANTED
The following is a sampling of positions listed at The Rubenstein School. Job postings are updated daily on the Job Board outside the Dean‘s
office in the Aiken Center and weekly on the web at http://www.uvm.edu/envnr/?Page=employment/employmt.html. For further information contact: Marie Vea-Fagnant, Career Services Coordinator, 656-3003, email: [email protected]
INTERNSHIPS
Position:volunteer and internship opportunities to fight global warming
Org: PowerVote Campaign
Description: Power Vote harnesses our
generation's political strength by asking
student to vote to create a clean energy
economy that can create thousands of new
jobs, make
To Apply: Contact Anna Lange at (828)
734-6508 or [email protected] to set
up an interview.
Info session on upcoming internships
For more info, visit
http://www.uvm.edu/envnr/?Page=employ
ment/employmt.html.
Teach for America Our mission is to
build the movement to eliminate educational inequity by enlisting our nation's
most promising future leaders in the effort.
Wednesday, Oct. 15, 12pm, Aiken 105
Operation Wallacea is a series of biological and social science expedition projects
that operate in remote locations across the
world. These expeditions are designed
with specific wildlife conservation aims in
mind.
Monday, Oct 20, Time TBA, Aiken 105
Student Conservation Association
October 27-29, Details to come!!
Org: CEDO
The CEDO We All Belong AmeriCorps*
State Program is a national service program dedicated to making Burlington a
more welcoming place for all to call
home. The initiative is primarily tailored
to reach the school community and those
most affected by poverty. The following
host organizations are just a few that are
NOW accepting apps: Vermont Refugee
Resettlement Program, Visiting Nurses
Association-Family Room, Neighborkeepers, ECHO, Friends of Burlington Gardens, King Street Youth Center
To Apply: visit www.cedoburlington.org
or www.americorps.gov/ or call AmeriCorps Team Leader Sara Osaba at 802363-1901 or [email protected].
Deadline is October 10th
derness, Minneapolis MN
Description: Friends is dedicated to protecting, preserving and restoring the wilderness character of the Boundary Waters
Canoe Area Wilderness and the QueticoSuperior ecosystem through public advoBACHELOR’S DEGREE REQUIRED cacy, legislative action, and education and
Position: Regional Planner
outreach activities that advance wilderness
Org: Northwest Regional Planning Com- preservation.
mission, St. Albans
To Apply: visit http://www.friendsDescription: 3-5 years of experience in
bwca.org.
community development or local and regional planning. The Planner will help to
PHD REQUIRED
build stronger communities in Franklin
Position: Assistant Professor of Environand Grand Isle Counties by implementing mental Studies
projects and programs of NRPC.
Institution: Mount Holyoke College,
To Apply: Visit
Mass http://www.mtholyoke.edu
http://www.idealist.org/if/i/en/av/Job/3098 Description: The interdisciplinary pro84-168
gram in Environmental Studies at Mount
Holyoke College invites applications for a
Position: PT biologist/office manager
tenure-track, entry-level position in enviOrg: In-home 30-yr old environmental
ronmental studies with a focus in politiconsulting company. Immediate opening. cal/social ecology.
Job is in Concord, NH. Email resume,
To apply: http://jobsearch.mtholyoke.edu.
writing sample, transcripts, references,
Deadline: 10/15/2008
salary history and a cover letter to
[email protected]
Position: Biological Scientist Position in
Population Ecology
Institution: U of Florida Department of
MASTER’S DEGREE REQUIRED
Position: International GIS Specialists
Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
Org: ARD, Inc.
Description: Florida Cooperative Wildlife
Description: will support our growing
Research Unit, Post-doctoral Research
Geospatial Technology Group, provide
Associate position for 1 year with a possigeospatial expertise in multiple internability of extension for 6-12 months. Will
tional development projects. The primary also consider apps for a Biological Scienresponsibility will be to support the appli- tist position, which requires a MS degree
cation and continued expansion of the
and relevant experience to fulfill aforefirm's GIS activities across our business
mentioned responsibilities.
sectors: Env. and NR, Agriculture, GovTo apply: Send a CV, contact information
ernance and Institutional Dev, Infrastruc- for 3 references, and examples of pubture, Land Tenure & Property Rights.
lished papers or unpublished manuscripts
To Apply: visit http://www.ecojobs.com/ to: Ms. Joan Hill ([email protected]). Send
jobs_details.php?sec=6&AID=21223
inquiries to Dr. Franklin Percival
([email protected]) or Dr. Madan Oli
Position: Executive Director
([email protected]).
Org: Friends of the Boundary Waters Wil-
Faculty Colleague Lunch: Intl. Service-Learning
Wed, Oct 22nd, 12-2pm, Billings Marsh Lounge. RSVP to: [email protected]
This colleague lunch will bring together faculty who are interested
in, or already practicing, international service-learning. Loosely
formatted, the roundtable lunch is designed as a time to dialogue
with colleagues around challenges, best practices, and ideas. Bring
your brown bag lunch; refreshments and dessert will be provided.
The Gund Institution for Ecological Economics
Online Certificate Program
The Gund is developing an online certificate program for E.E.
Currently two of the metacourses are available at http://
www.metacourses.org/: Simulation Modeling and Ecological
Economics. The Gund is also starting a video library about E.E:
http://www.uvm.edu/giee/?Page=videos.html&defaultmenu.html
These are also being used throughout the courses.
The 350 rally coincided with a national day
of action for 'Green Jobs
Now‘ (www.greenjobsnow.com). Banner-waving students stated to the crowd that they
are ready for a green economy now and demanded that clean, sustainable jobs be provided
to them. ―By launching 350 on this particular day, we want to highlight the opportunity to
help address the world‘s most pressing environmental challenge — global warming —
and create millions of new green jobs at the same time,‖ said rally organizer Will Bates.
―We can do both by rewiring the nation with clean energy today.‖ Students interested in
organizing for a green economy should visit http://www.powervote.org.
VT Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gaye Symington and VT Independent
gubernatorial candidate Anthony Pollina spoke in support of global warming solutions.
Symington and Pollina, along with pro-independent gubernatorial candidate Sam Young
and a smattering of VT congressional and house candidates and members, signed a pledge
to put VT on course to achieve
350VT organizers (left to right): Kendra Myers, Nathaly
the target 350 goal.
Agosto-Filion, Will Bates, Brittany Langdon, Lorenne
The event was powered
Gavish, and Anna Lange
entirely by solar energy provided
by Solarbus (Solarbus.org). Gary
Beckwith, owner and founder of
Solarbus, reminded the crowd
that a 90 sq. mile patch of solar
panels could provide enough
electricity to power the entire US
at current consumption rates.
Many rally participants
walked to the event to show support for fossil fuel-free transportation. As the ―grande finale,‖
organizers coordinated 175 people doing simultaneous headstands, putting 350 feet in the air.
...350 Event (cont’d from page 8)
The UNIVERSITY of VERMONT
THE RUBENSTEIN SCHOOL OF ENVIRONMENT
AND NATURAL RESOURCES
George D. Aiken Center
81 Carrigan Drive
Burlington, VT 05405-0088
PARK STUDIES LAB RUNS
ACADIA HALF-MARATHON
The Park Studies Lab put its motto of ―let's
park and recreate‖ into practice on September 20th when faculty, staff, and students
ran the annual fall half-marathon at Acadia
National Park. The Lab has been working at
Acadia for many years and conducted two
studies on Cadillac Mountain this summer.
The half-marathon begins and ends in Bar
Harbor, but most of the race is on the park's
historic carriage roads, the site of some of
the first Lab studies at Acadia in the early
1990's. Runners included Bill Valliere,
Laura Anderson, Rebecca Stanfield
McCown, Carena van Riper, Kelly Goonan,
Pete Pettengill, and Bob Manning. All finished ―in good health and good spirits.‖