R s ubensTein chool

The
Rubenstein School
of
Environment and Natural Resources
News for our alumni and friends
Fall/Winter 2006
Greening of Aiken Update: Progress leads to preparation
William Maclay Architects and Planners
Another highlight of the
Press Conference will be to
acknowledge the Excellence
in Architecture Citation Award
recently presented by The
American Institute of Architects in Vermont to William
Maclay Architects and Planners for their innovative and
beautiful ecological design
of the project. The Aiken
project was selected from an
impressive list of design plans
because, according to AIA, the
project represented “a textbook in sustainable concept
and criteria.”
Indeed, it has been a busy
year for all areas within The
Rubenstein School, including the Greening of Aiken.
We look forward to updating
you on increased funding and
progress in the spring. Until
then, for more information,
Interior rendition of a green-renovated and expanded George D. Aiken Center by William Maclay Architects and please contact Ashley McAvey
at 802-656-3296 or by email
Planners of Waitsfield, Vermont
at [email protected].
Since the last update in the spring
The Press Conference will serve as an opnewsletter, we have made considerable
portunity to update everyone on the progprogress and fundraising success around
ress to date and the current planning that
the Greening of Aiken Initiative. Apwill make this exciting project a reality.
Best Wishes for a
proximately $3 million has been raised
While many of the lead funders to
Healthy and Happy
privately, thereby meeting the Presidential
date wish to remain anonymous, the Press
Challenge, which will provide an addiConference will be the first public opNew Year from all of
tional $3 million from the University.
portunity to thank all of our lead funders
us at The Rubenstein
In November, the University of Verto this point, including our first lead
mont Board of Trustees met to discuss the
corporate partner, Hannaford Brothers,
School!
University’s top priorities. The Rubenstein Inc. After careful review of the project
School was pleased to learn that the Board and what it will mean for not only the
agreed the Greening of Aiken is a top
University of Vermont but for the entire
priority, and we are now looking to late
community, Hannaford chose to support
Spring 2007 for a Ceremonial Groundour efforts with a generous $150,000 gift.
breaking. President Fogel later stated
We will also be pleased to recognize our
that the project is one of UVM’s top two
two Vermont foundation commitments to
capital project priorities.
date from the Lintilhac Foundation and
Early in 2007, students, faculty, and
the Windham Foundation. The Windham
staff, along with University leaders and
Foundation was the lead donor to the
community members, will take part in
original Aiken Center over two decades
a Greening of Aiken Press Conference,
ago, and we are now honored to, once
open to the greater community outside the
again, be partnered with such a prestigious
University and, of course, the local media.
Foundation.
Sally McCay, University Photography
Dean’s Message
Thank you
Dean Don DeHayes
This newsletter is produced bi-annually
to share news of The Rubenstein School
of Environment and Natural Resources
with alumni and friends.
School web site: www.uvm.edu/envnr
Dean
Don DeHayes (802-656-4280)
Associate Deans
Graduate programs (M.S. and Ph.D.)
Deane Wang (802-656-2694)
Undergraduate programs
Carl Newton (802-656-4280)
Program Chairs
Environmental Sciences
Alan McIntosh (802-656-4057)
Environmental Studies
Ian Worley (802-656-4055)
Forestry
John Shane (802-656-2907)
Natural Resources
Clare Ginger (802-656-2698)
Recreation Management
Bob Manning (802-656-2684)
Wildlife & Fisheries Biology
Dave Hirth (802-656-3009)
Senior Development Officer
Ashley McAvey (802-656-3296)
Newsletter Editor
Shari Halik (802-656-3269)
Please send news or suggestions to:
Shari Halik, Aiken Center, 81 Carrigan
Drive, UVM, Burlington, VT 05405 or
[email protected].
Happy New Year to our alumni and
friends from faculty, staff, and students of
The Rubenstein School. It has indeed been
a wonderful holiday season for us here at
UVM. Whether we look at our enrollment
and student quality (page 7), research
funding and new faculty hires (page 4), or
the wonderful work and commitment of
our faculty, staff, and advisors (pages 3, 5
& 6), we are in an extraordinary place and
feel very fortunate. We have a lot to be
thankful for this year.
In particular, I want to express my
sincerest gratitude to the many alumni,
friends, faculty, and staff who support the
School. Your generosity has allowed us to
meet and exceed the President’s $3 million challenge for the Greening of Aiken
project (page 1). We have now raised
more than $12.5 million for the project.
We hope to soon make the dream of this
project a reality. Your consistent generosity and support will allow us to not only
“green” and expand the George D. Aiken
Center, but also transform our pedagogy
by making the renovated “living” building
a major contributor to the active learning experience of our students. I want to
acknowledge and express my gratitude to
Steve and Beverly Rubenstein whose lead
gift truly helped us launch our campaign.
On a more personal note, I am both
honored and enormously grateful for the
gift that established the new Multicultural
Scholarship in my name (page 9). For me,
this is very special and meaningful. The
new endowed scholarship will help provide a quality environmental and natural
resources education at UVM for young
men and women who would otherwise not
be able to afford to be part of our program. The fact that the major donor is a
long-time friend and colleague makes this
honor even more special. I hope our alums and friends might be inspired by the
supplemental challenge gift to make gifts
of their own to help us grow the fund.
Thank you in advance for your generosity.
As we embark on a new year, I want
to reflect with pride on the important work
and expanding impact of our School. We
will continue to commit to placing quality
over quantity and student experience over
self-interest — we will continue to insure
that our work really matters. And, most
of all, we won’t forget the many critical
and necessary ways that you advance
our School through your support. I wish
for all of you a peaceful, productive, and
healthy new year.
Terry Turner (1938-2006)
Terry Turner
(MS-FOR ’64),
retired lecturer in
forestry, died October 18, 2006, after
a battle with cancer.
He was born January 26, 1938, and
grew up in Brattleboro, Vermont. The
first of his family to
go to college, Terry earned bachelor’s and
master’s degrees in forestry from UVM
and the University of Maine. While at the
University of Maine, he met Judy (Matthews) Turner. They were married on May
30, 1964, and eventually moved to Jericho, Vermont. With Terry’s support, Judy
opened her own business, The Flower
Mill, in Jericho. Devoted to his family,
Terry took great pride in his sons, Michael
(FOR ’88) and Kevin (UVM ’94).
Terry’s professional life was unique
in that he worked for the same employer,
UVM, throughout his entire career. From
1964 until his retirement in 1999, he was
a lecturer in the forestry program. His students and colleagues will remember Terry
2
for his tireless work at summer camp and
his willingness to do everything necessary to help his students succeed. Terry’s
dedication to young people and education
went far beyond his family or his students
at UVM. He was a member of the Mount
Mansfield Union school board for nine
years and was chair for six years.
In 1999, Terry and Judy moved to
Hubbardton, Vermont, where they lived
on Beebe Lake. Terry enjoyed floating
on the lake, birdwatching, or reading the
paper on the deck. His workshop was a
woodworker’s dream, and, as was Terry’s
nature, he put great care and patience into
each project he completed.
Many emeriti and current faculty and
staff and alumni spoke in memory of
Terry at a memorial service on October 23
in Castleton, Vermont.
Memorial contributions may be sent
to the Twin Lakes Watershed Association,
c/o Jodi Zeoli, 421 Birch Road Hubbardton, Brandon, VT 05733. This non-profit
association is dedicated to maintaining the
health and beauty of the lake that Terry so
loved. (Adapted from the Burlington Free
Press, October 20, 2006)
Mary Watzin wins Teddy Roosevelt Award
Professor Mary Watzin didn’t grow
up on Lake Champlain. “But I feel like it
is my lake now,” she said, having spent
the last 15 years studying its waters and
ways, “and I want to do everything I can
to protect it.”
She seems to be succeeding. Mary,
professor in The Rubenstein School and
director of the Rubenstein Ecosystem
Science Laboratory, received the Teddy
Roosevelt Award—given to “those who
have dedicated themselves to preserving
Lake Champlain as a precious resource,”
the award citation reads—from the Lake
Champlain Islands Chamber of Commerce in Isle La Motte, Vermont on
September 16.
“The reason we picked Mary is her
outstanding research,” said Ruth Wallman, executive director of the chamber
of commerce that established the award
and co-hosted this year’s celebration with
the Isle La Motte Preservation Trust and
the Lake Champlain Land Trust. “She
has done so much on the lake over the
last dozen years to help us understand the
blue-green algae that have been such a
problem for landowners up in the northern
part of the lake.”
Mary, an ecologist whose research focuses on understanding how human activities influence ecosystem health, received
the award as part of Isle La Motte’s annual “Teddy Roosevelt Day” celebrations,
held at the historic Fisk Farm. There, on
September 6, 1901, then Vice-President
Theodore Roosevelt declared: “the nation behaves well if it treats the natural
resources as assets which it must turn over
Professor Mary Watzin, director of the Rubenstein Ecosystem Science Laboratory
and award recipient for her dedicated research toward preserving Lake Champlain.
to the next generation increased, and not
impaired in value.”
During that same visit, Roosevelt
learned of the shooting of President
McKinley, an event that soon lead to
Roosevelt’s rise to the presidency from
which he launched an unprecedented era
of land conservation in the United States.
“The challenge for my generation is
not just to conserve what we have, but
to aggressively restore some of what we
have lost,” Mary said as she received
Maria Erb
RSENR staff members celebrate 40 years
RSENR staff members Dick Furbush and
Marcia Caldwell celebrate 40 years at UVM.
“The best part of my 40 years
at UVM,” said Marcia McAllister
Caldwell, “has been seeing all ‘my’ students go through commencement after all
their hard work.” Marcia and Dick Furbush were each honored for their 40 years
of service at UVM in September. Marcia
is currently administrative assistant in the
Dean’s Office, and Dick is captain of the
Melosira and research facilities manager
at the lakefront Rubenstein Ecosystem
Science Lab. Dick said, “As I think back,
I am amazed by the technological changes
we have experienced in the marine sciences. Developments such as GPS/GIS
electronic charting, data loggers, and
environmental sensors have enabled us to
do and teach so much more.”
3
the award before more than 100 people
including Vermont Governor Jim Douglas.
“By [Roosevelt’s] criterion, I’m not sure
that the nation has always behaved that
well. When we look at Lake Champlain
today, no question, we see impairments.”
The most problematic of these impairments comes from excess phosphorus,
pouring down from farms and lawns into
streams and rivers and then building up
in lake water and bottom sediments; it’s a
key culprit in the complex blue-green algae bloom that Mary is helping to unravel.
“I see my job as not just doing research but as translating science for the
purpose of better management of the
lake,” Mary said.
Past Teddy Roosevelt Award winners include U.S. Senators Patrick Leahy
and James Jeffords, Art Cohn, executive
director of the Lake Champlain Maritime
Museum, state Senator Dick Mazza, and,
last year, the conservation organization,
Friends of Missisquoi Bay & Conservation Baie Missisquoi.
“On the hundredth anniversary of TR’s
visit to Isle La Motte, we established this
award to honor people who have carried
on his legacy of conservation,” Ruth Wallman said. “Mary has provided practical
information and focused attention where
problems are the worst. She’s a great
friend to the lake.”
—Joshua Brown, UVM Communications
New faculty member adds atmospheric science expertise to RSENR
Nadine Unger, new RSENR assistant professor in atmospheric sciences
Nadine Unger, assistant professor in
atmospheric sciences, set up her widescreen computer monitor in her office
in Aiken this past August. “This is all I
need,” she laughed, her English accent
bubbling with enthusiasm. “All of my
research is simulation, using a computer
model and satellite observations to assess
and project climate change resulting from
air pollution.”
Nadine hails from the Yorkshire Dales
of northeastern England. “I grew up in
countryside similar to Vermont’s,” she
explained, which is partially what attracted her to UVM, along with RSENR’s
interdisciplinary nature, UVM’s aspiration to become a premier environmental
university, and her desire to teach.
With a BS in chemistry and a PhD in
atmospheric chemistry from Leeds University in England, Nadine has a thorough
understanding of the molecular level of
her science, but uses her chemistry savvy
to work at a global scale. To study our
atmosphere, she manipulates a model of
the earth designed at NASA’s Goddard
Space Studies Institute. At the Institute’s
Columbia University Center for Climate
Systems Research in New York City, Nadine worked as a post-doc and a research
scientist with Dr. James Hansen, a leading
authority on global climate change.
“The model is extremely cool,” said
Nadine. “It simulates the earth’s climate—its wind and precipitation patterns, chemical formation of pollution,
and surface emissions. We can reproduce
what the earth was like in the last Ice Age,
diagnose how humans have changed the
earth’s atmosphere, and project how air
pollution will affect our future climate.”
Nadine will continue her NASA research at UVM but will develop a higher
resolution version of the model to focus
on the Northeast and how emissions of
volatile organic compounds from forests
and vegetation impact our climate.
Not always an academician, she took
time out after her doctoral work and a
post-doc at Harvard University to test
the waters of the business world. For a
year, she worked at the Arthur D. Little
Corporation in Cambridge, England as an
environmental consultant on an impact
study for a large company building a
petrochemical plant in China.
“One day I woke up and wanted to go
back to what I loved—my research and
its quantitative rigor,” she admitted. “It is
important to help humans understand our
atmosphere and how enormously we’re
impacting it.”
Nadine will teach a graduate-level
course on global warming this spring. In
fall 2007, she will offer an atmospheric
science class as part of the undergraduate
environmental sciences curriculum.
Married in June 2006, Nadine and her
husband, Michael, a career counselor in
UVM’s School of Business Administration, live in Burlington, where they walk
to work each day. Nadine, who enjoys acting, plans to join a community theater.
—Shari Halik
Alum and policy entrepreneur Richard Watts asks energy questions
Richard Watts, RSENR lecturer
Previously an adjunct lecturer in
UVM’s Environmental Program, Richard
Watts (PhD-NR ’06) is filling in as a
lecturer for RSENR Professor Curt Ventriss who is on sabbatical leave. Richard
designed his courses around his expertise
in environmental activism and transportation and energy policy.
“With a name like Watts,” joked
Richard, “what else could I specialize in
but energy?” For his doctoral research,
Richard studied conflicts surrounding the
siting of a 63-mile high-voltage transmission line from Rutland to Burlington and
interacted with citizens, town officials,
and energy planners.
“I found there were significant limitations placed on citizen participation and
an urgent need for more locally generated
energy policy discussions,” said Richard.
As a policy fellow at the not-for-profit
Snelling Center for Government, Richard
focuses on citizen participation in Vermont energy and transportation planning
and works closely with graduate students.
“If Hydro-Quebec and Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant contracts are not
renewed in the next several years, what
should Vermont’s energy sources be?”
asked Richard. “Who decides and how do
we engage the public?”
Richard’s expertise goes back to his
undergraduate years in the 1980s. With a
BA in political science and, later, an MA
in journalism, Richard worked as an aide
in the statehouse in Albany, New York;
as a grassroots organizer with the New
York Public Interest Research Group; and
on political campaigns throughout the
Northeast.
4
First executive director of the Vermont
Advanced Vehicle Project (EVermont),
Richard raised $2 million in mostly
federal funds to test 25 electric vehicles
in Vermont’s rural climate. “Since I left
in 2001, the Project has begun testing
hydrogen-fueled Geo Metros and plug-in
hybrids,” Richard pointed out.
Richard owns a consulting firm specializing in public relations and strategic
communications for public and private clients, mostly involved with transportation,
energy, campaigns, and policy. “I guess
you could call me a policy entrepreneur,”
grinned Richard. “I raise funds to engage
citizens, planners, utilities, scientists,
politicians, and anyone else in discussions
about energy conflicts and solutions. I especially enjoy getting students involved.”
His courses include NR 104 Social
Processes and the Environment, NR 153
Introduction to Environmental Policy, and
ENVS 195 Energy and the Environment.
Richard lives in Hinesburg, Vermont
with his wife, Allison Cleary, a freelance
writer and editor, and their two daughters,
Anna and Rose. A third daughter, Kristina, works for the Peace Corps.
—Shari Halik
Carl Waite sees three decades of change in natural resources and
RSENR
Shari Halik
Researcher-analyst, technician,
jack-of-all-trades—Carl Waite (FOR
’72, Wildlife Management option) has
witnessed many changes in the natural resources field and in the School over three
decades, beginning with his early years
caring for captive deer and fisher for Professors Tom Hoekstra and Bob Fuller
and growing birch seedlings for Professor
Pete Hannah. During his 33 years as staff
member, Carl’s responsibilities evolved as
faculty or projects needed support, much
of it increasingly technical.
Carl worked on genetics and forest
tree improvement in the late 1970s with
Professor Don DeHayes. “It was a big
research focus then,” explained Carl.
“We collected seed range-wide—mostly
birch, walnut, and fir—grew seedlings on
growth frames in Hills Building’s basement, and outplanted to provenance tests
throughout the Northeast. We measured
and assessed growth characteristics to
select superior seed sources.”
In the mid-1980s, national forestry
research concentrated on acid rain. Supported by NAPAP (National Acid Precipitation Assessment Program), Carl teamed
up with Don, Chip Williams (MS-FOR
’80), Gary Hawley (FOR ’78, MS-FOR
’82) and other colleagues to study genetic diversity and cold tolerance of high
elevation red spruce to determine causes
for winter injury and how it was related to
acid precipitation.
“It was an exciting time,” admitted
Carl. “We found only new growth of red
spruce is being injured, the tree lacks the
genetic diversity and cold tolerance of
other montane species, acid in mountain
fog reduces cold tolerance of red spruce
seedlings, and nitrogen fertilization enhances cold tolerance.”
In the early 1990s, Carl investigated
precipitation and leaf chemistry in forest
canopies with Research Professor Tim
Scherbatskoy (MS, PhD-UVM ’80, ’89).
Carl’s tenure began as a meteorological
site supervisor for the Vermont Monitoring Cooperative at the Proctor Maple
RSENR staff member Carl Waite stands on the roof of the George D. Aiken Center where he has
helped to install and test solar panels as part of the Greening of Aiken Initiative.
Research Center in Underhill, Vermont.
He helped build a 22-meter walk-up tower
to access forest canopy for environmental
and meteorological monitoring. Efforts
by Carl, Miriam Pendleton, technician at
Proctor, and others transformed the center
into a nationally-recognized meteorological and atmospheric monitoring site.
With Professor Deane Wang and
other colleagues, Carl helped develop
an intensive ecosystem study in 1994.
“Historically, ecosystem studies, like the
big Hubbard Brook Ecosystem and ‘Sandbox’ studies in New Hampshire, used
non-replicated designs with one plot per
treatment,” explained Carl. “We wanted to
assess interactions occurring in the early
stages of ecosystem development, so we
used two to three treatment replications at
two different sites.”
Carl maintains sites in South Burlington and Wolcott, Vermont where he buried
49 large plastic tanks as open-topped mescosms in which seedlings were planted
and their growth measured. He pumps
leachate from the bottoms of the mesocosms for chemical analysis. “We found
even small amounts of biomass planted
in over five metric tons of soil influence
nutrient export in the leachate,” said Carl.
Since 1996, Carl spends much of his
time, along with RSENR staff member
Dick Furbush, maintaining four additional VMC meteorological stations located
on the east and west sides of Mt. Mansfield and at two sites on Lake Champlain.
A Greening of Aiken initiator, Carl
worked with RSENR students and Draker
Solar, Inc. to install and test solar panels
on the roof of Aiken.
“I enjoy the outdoor work and the mix
of responsibilities I’ve accumulated over
the years,” said Carl.
He lives in Essex Junction, Vermont
with his wife, Sarah, secretary at a local
elementary school. Their children, Nathaniel and Ashlee, both recently graduated from college, are now employed in
the medical profession.
—Shari Halik
Society of Environmental Journalists connects with VT’s environmental leaders
Late October brought the Society of
Environmental Journalists to Burlington.
Sponsored by UVM and Vermont Law
School, the annual conference attracted
working journalists to explore the environmental leadership, scientific expertise,
and land stewardship found in Vermont.
Journalists from National Geographic,
Audubon, The New Yorker, The New York
Times, ABC News, National Public Radio,
and dozens of other major publications
took tours and participated on panels,
including “The Biggest Story, the Biggest
Challenge: Capturing Climate Change.”
Participants connected with environmental experts, including RSENR faculty, on tours of Lake Champlain, Stowe
Mountain, Camel’s Hump, Burlington’s
Intervale, Shelburne Farms, and MarshBillings-Rockefeller National Historic
5
Park, among others.
“This is an opportunity for Vermont
and regional journalists to learn from
their peers and for Vermont’s environmental leaders to demonstrate the state’s
strengths,” said conference organizer
Cheryl Dorschner, communications
professional in UVM’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
Board member John Douglas passes along his environmental
and business insights
career attention to golf.
In the late 1990s, he
joined Carnegie Abbey Club, a private
golf and sporting club
in Portsmouth, Rhode
Island. Commuting
from his Stowe, Vermont
home, John was the club
secretary of this unique
development from 2000
to 2005.
He was appointed
to the RSENR Board of
Advisors in 2000. He
serves on the Development Committee and has
played a key role in the
search for the School’s
development officer
and the creation of a
strategic development
plan. “When I first met
and talked to Dean Don
DeHayes, I was struck
by the uniqueness of The
Rubenstein School with
its aim to bridge the gap
between the environment and the business
world,” John recalled.
John Douglas, member RSENR Board of Advisors
“I also find it exciting to
work with Don and the
Grandparents, parents, and other famSchool’s leadership in helping to push the
ily members passed along an important
concept of UVM becoming ‘The Environlegacy to John Douglas: to enjoy and
mental University’,” he added.
appreciate the outdoors. “Growing up in
“John brings a thorough understandMinnesota, there was an overall outdoor
ing of both environmental issues and
theme to all of our activities from skiing,
the business world to the School and the
hunting, fishing, and golfing to spendBoard; his insights are absolutely critical
ing summers canoeing on the lake,” John
to the advancement and relevance of The
recalled.
Rubenstein School and the environmental
After graduating from the University
university. His knowledge about marketof Minnesota with a degree in political
ing has helped tremendously in our efforts
science, John weaved together a career
to promote the School. He is a wonderwith his passion for skiing and golf. He
ful friend, a superb communicator, and a
started at Rossignol Ski Company in 1972
great supporter,” said Don DeHayes.
and drove a van full of skis to promote the
When asked to reflect upon the ski
product across the Midwest region. Each
industry, John honestly admitted there was
year, he accepted more responsibilities
less awareness about best environmental
with the company. A promotion to manpractices in the early days. Things have
agement in 1976 brought John to Vermont
changed. John is currently working with
to assume duties initially as racing direcSpruce Peak at Stowe where 2,000 of
tor, then product manager, advertising
3,000 possible development acres have
director, and eventually an involvement
been permanently protected through state
in marketing. John left Rossignol in 1991
ownership by the use of conservation
to join Olin Ski Company as vice presieasement. The company has an environdent. He then had an opportunity in the
mental charter to guide its actions and has
late 1990s to become president of Atomic
worked with the surrounding community
USA, the second-leading ski brand.
to seek stakeholder input and to improve
John smiled when he talked about
communication and increase understandleaving the ski industry only to turn his
ing. John stated, “I am inspired to work
6
with this project which will likely be considered the most environmentally sound
plan in the history of ski area development. I feel that I am making an impact
on the environmental front through this
work, as well as with my involvement on
the Board of Advisors.”
Just as John’s grandparents and parents influenced him, he has passed along
to his family a love for the outdoors and a
respect for nature. His daughter Devon is
a graduate student studying environmental policy at the University of Michigan.
“Devon’s work continues to influence and
inform me and she has helped raise my
awareness about many more environmental issues,” John shared with pride.
John lives in Stowe with his wife,
Julie, and daughters, Devon and Kerry.
Good luck catching him at home, though.
You most likely will find John outdoors
enjoying his sports and learning a new
lesson about nature.
—Kate Baldwin, Advancement Officer
The Rubenstein School
Board of Advisors
Chair
Ann Pesiri Swanson (WFB ’79)
Ned Austin (UVM ’57)
Mark Biedron (UVM ’74)
Gary Black
David Blittersdorf (UVM ’81)
Herb Bormann
John Douglas
Kay Henry
Matthew Kolan (UVM ’05)
Crea Lintilhac (UVM ’78)
Frank Parker
Genevieve Pence (ENSC ’99)
Will Raap
Peter Rose (UVM ’54)
Chuck Ross (UVM ’78)
Steve Rubenstein (UVM ’61)
Senator Robert Stafford
Sam Webb
Ross Whaley
John Wilson (FOR ’75)
Min Zheng (ENVS ’08)
Honorary Members
Lola Aiken
Eugene Kalkin (UVM ’50)
RSENR admissions and Aiken Scholars Program record banner year
Fall 2006 saw the enrollment of the
largest class first-year class in the history
of The Rubenstein School. This year, 136
new first-year, first time students enrolled
in the School. Since 2003, we have
been on a consistent upward trend in the
number of applicants and the number of
students enrolled.
University of Vermont
UVM and RSENR host fall environmental events
munity to all humans in
our relationship to the
environment.
A panel of Vermont
environmental leaders,
including alum Katie
Manaras (MS-FOR
’06), discussed forest
stewardship and engaged the audience in
how to reach practical
resolutions in Vermont.
The day concluded
with an address by Dr.
2006 Aiken Lecture discussion panel, left to right, Hank Lunde,
Michael Rosenzweig,
Stowe Mountain Resort; Katie Manaras (MS-FOR ’06); Stephen
Morse, Windham Foundation; Leo Laferriere, consulting forester;
professor of ecology and
Lisa Chase, Vermont Tourism Data Center
evolutionary biology at
The University of Arizona and author of Win-Win Ecology. Dr.
The 2006 George D. Aiken Lecture
Rosenzweig penned the term “reconcili“Common Sense & Compromise” helped
ation ecology,” a theory that there is still
lead off this fall’s environmental events
time to save the world’s species by creaton September 26.
Winona LaDuke, member of the Mis- ing and maintaining sustainable habitats.
In spring 2007, the second half of this
sissippi Band of Anishinaabeg and Green
year’s lecture series will consider internaParty vice-presidential candidate with
tional agreements on climate change.
Ralph Nader in 1996 and 2000, spoke
Sponsored by RSENR and ECHO at
on “Forests for the Seventh Generation.”
the Leahy Center for Lake Champlain,
LaDuke, who has written extensively
Jean-Michel Cousteau, ocean explorer,
on Native American and environmental
filmmaker, and environmental activist,
issues, related the values of her own com7
presented clips from his films at UVM on
October 5. For more than four decades,
Jean-Michel Cousteau, son of the legendary ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau, has
used his vast experience to communicate
the importance of oceans and water—and
the interconnectedness of the whole planet, from mountain rain to ocean basin—to
people around the globe.
The Gund Institute for Ecological
Economics hosted a global ecosystems
services conference during the week of
October 9. Over 40 UVM professors and
grad students joined visiting scientists in
applying ecological and economic insight
into a local, regional, and global model
to aid in ecosystem conservation efforts
by organizations around the world. The
project is funded by the Gordon and Betty
Moore foundation.
Professor David Orr, chair of the Environmental Studies Program at Oberlin
College and James Marsh Professor-atLarge at UVM, visited campus in late
October. World-renowned pioneer and author in the areas of environmental literacy
and more recently, ecological design, Dr.
Orr spoke to UVM about “Design on the
Edge” and with the RSENR community,
shared his vision of the greening process.
Maria Erb
students who enrolled this
fall in the School, 46% were
in the top 20% of their high
school graduating class.
Of these students, 6 are
in the University Honors
College and 53 are in The
Rubenstein School’s Lola
Aiken Scholars Program.
Number of students applying to and enrolling in We created the Lola Aiken
The Rubenstein School
Scholars program to attract academically highAdmission Year 2003 2004 2005 2006
achieving students to
Applicants
293
306
403
434
The Rubenstein School
as well as to honor Lola
Enrollments
81
87
126
136
Aiken, a long-time supporter of the School.
This is especially exciting given that the
Too many students in the
national trend of student interest in the
Lola Aiken Scholars Proenvironment and natural resources fields
gram is a great problem to
Left to right, Lola Aiken Scholars Emily Lord (ENVS ’07) and
have! Because of the large
is on the decline.
Tori Jones (ENVS ’07), Professor David Hirth, and Lola Aiken,
number of Aiken Scholars,
Another exciting development is the
long-time friend of the School
we offered two sections of the
increase in the quality of our enrolled
tary followed by a group photo with Lola
Lola Aiken Scholars Seminar this fall.
students. This fall’s yield (percentage of
and a reception.
Professor David Hirth and David Brynn,
admitted students who enroll) of RubenThe next cycle of admissions has beDirector of the Green Forestry Education
stein School applicants who were in the
gun and applications are already pouring
Initiative, led the seminars. On October
top 20% of their high school graduating
in to the Admissions Office. We hope to
23, Mrs. Lola Aiken came to campus for
class was 43%, compared to the Univerhave more good news to share next year
her annual visit with the Scholars. They
sity-wide yield of applicants which was
about our fall 2007 incoming class!
enjoyed the George D. Aiken Documen15% in the same category. Of the 136
—Maria Erb, Assistant to the Dean
The Rubenstein School Honor Roll of Supporters
The Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources gratefully acknowledges the following contributors for their generous support
in fiscal year July 1, 2005 through June 30, 2006.
Class of 1934
Ellinor Bean Hauke
Class of 1941
Dawn Nichols Hazelett
Class of 1945
Betty Walker Wilkinson
Class of 1950
Eugene Kalkin
Jane Gates Capizzi
Class of 1954
F. Peter Rose
Class of 1955
Janet Tudhope Austin
Luther F. Hackett
Class of 1956
Sally Smith Hackett
Class of 1957
Edward L. Austin, Jr.
Class of 1961
Stephen B. Rubenstein
Class of 1963
Alfred S. Glazier
Class of 1964
Linda Herzenberg Sparks
Class of 1967
Philip H. Steckler
Class of 1968
Jennifer Berger Stanley
Class of 1969
Paul M. Woodard
Class of 1973
Brehon H. Odronic
Class of 1974
Mark W. Biedron
Barbara L. Curran
Michael E. Curran
Deane C. Wilson
Class of 1975
Jorgene Zetta Barton
Margaret Field Lyons
Richard D. Paul
John D. Wilson
Class of 1976
Jill Jones Agnew
Gary N. Back
Susan Swenson Barbuto
Peter A. Beekman
Kathleen Marr Chesney
Susan Hudson Wilson
C. Bertram Plante
Leigh Wickham Seddon
Beth Frances Volker
Richard R. White
Brian H. Williams
Class of 1977
Charles D. Agnew
Timothy V. Bouton
Class of 1978
Martha L. Agan
John T. Dore
Stephen W. Feder
David Gibson
Robert S. Houghton
Thomas F. Ketcham
David Kittredge
Chelsie Wallace Levitan
Crea S. Lintilhac
Jay F. Madden
Charles R. Ross, Jr.
Class of 1979
Diana Tanielian Frederick
Douglas I. Greenhaus
Julie A. Lundgren
Richard A. Poecker
Ann Pesiri Swanson
Eric Swanson
Class of 1980
Hiram J. Brown
Paul D. Dub
Amy Estabrook-Ross
Mary R. Gulbrandsen
G. Montgomery Lovejoy III
Thomas T. Menees
Laura E. Robison
Katharine Tannahill Sexson
Nancy Brill Sklar
Susan J. Warren
Class of 1981
David Blittersdorf
Robin A. Chadderdon
Sally A. Hommer
Class of 1982
Paul Frederick
William ‘Kip’ Graham
David B. Krause
Mark Mazzola
Carl Russell
Jacquelyn Trilling Sattler
Nancy G. Voorhis
Class of 1983
Todd R. Baldwin
Donald J. Dewees
Johanna Goldsmith Laggis
Michelle Simpson Mazzola
Daniel D. Sperduto
Natalie Thayer Starr
Sam Wear
Class of 1984
Jeffrey P. Clavin
Jane S. Kaufman
Johnna Lyn Roy
David R. Shepard
Class of 1985
Diane White Mealo
Nancy L. Patch
Janet L. Powers
Phillip J. Royer
Joan Price Weir
Class of 1986
Lydia Bailey
Michael D. Finley
Richmond B. Hopkins
Linda Allen Lussier
Tracey M. Tomajer
Class of 1987
Robert J. Henke
Matthew G. Kenna
Nancy E. Owens
Class of 1988
Debra A. Drucker
Warren P. Gray
David K. Person
Alma E. Ripps
Andrea Stahl Uchtman
Class of 1989
Ethan S. Meginnes
Michele E. Malone
Brooke Doherty Mindnich
Morgan Schenk Pierce
Scott W. Smith
Fawn A. Stevenson
Maureen Halnon Wheeler
Class of 1990
Robyn R. Rehak
Zoe R. Rothchild
Class of 1991
Sheila E. Finn
Margaret ‘Pegs’ Gibson
Grant Gund
Andrew L. King
Suzanne Taylor King
John O. Niles
Class of 1992
Andrea Kavanagh
Class of 1993
John L. Clark
Jeffrey L. Gaeckle
Zachary Gund
Deborah C. Lester
Katharine Welles Locke
J. Macveagh Murphy
Charles R. Staples
Class of 1994
Andrew S. Carlo
Richard B. Chipman
David L. Fairfax
John Landis
Greta J. Lowther
Gregory A. Smithers
Eli S. Weissman
Class of 1995
Matthew H. Catapano
August Ganzenmuller
John D. Russell
Class of 1996
Marcus T. Bradley
Kristin M. Hathaway
Grey S. Lee
Eric R. Lutz
Sean S. Madden
Pamela Pedley-Deming
Todd M. Rohlen
Class of 1997
Hilary Stuart Coole
Gregory J. Falcone
Deborah A. Lynch
Class of 1998
Corey Hendrickson
Jeremy A. Kudesh
Gerilynn Saxe
Richard Simmons
Thomas S. Woodruff
Class of 1999
Anonymous
Lauren K. Borofsky
Andrea F. Donlon
Genevieve Quinault Kent Pence
Jonathan C. Ramsay
Class of 2000
Karen F. Bright
Heather Leahy-Mack
Patrick F. Martin
Phillip C. Perron
Gabe Russo
Class of 2001
Grace E. Dyer
Amy C. Giaquinto
Roger J. Hart
David R. Newman
Michael H. Schambach
Peter B. Steckler
Class of 2002
Jenna L. Gatski
Peter T. Hyde
Scott Pfister
Kathryn E. Sylvester
Jamie K. Weaver
Andrea E. Ziga
Class of 2003
Katherine M. Sargeant
Class of 2004
Brett W. Donah
Sarah D. Jones
Brynne E. Lazarus
Brent Oblinger
Sarah K. Silverberg
Class of 2005
Sarah A. Hagan
Christopher J. Jager
Matthew Kolan
Class of 2006
Timothy Schmalz
Class of 2008
Min Zheng
Faculty and Staff
Lorraine Berkett
W. Breck Bowden
Herb Bormann
Marcia McAllister Caldwell
8
David Capen (emeritus)
Donald H. DeHayes
John Donnelly (emeritus)
Maria Dykema Erb
Anne Trask Forcier ’79
Lawrence K. Forcier
Richard Furbush
Alphonse Gilbert (emeritus)
Caryn D. Gronvold
Shari Halik ’83
Thomas Hudspeth
David A. Kaufman
William Keeton
John Lindsay (emeritus)
Philip M. Lintilhac ’63
Ashley P. McAvey
Thomas McEvoy
Leslie Morrissey
Carl Newton
Donna Parrish
David A. Raphael
Carl H. Reidel (emeritus)
Jean Richardson (emeritus)
Paul Schaberg ’81
Allan Strong ’83
Donald Tobi ’83
Carl Waite ’72
Deane Wang
Mary Watzin
Roy Whitmore (emeritus)
Friends
Lola Pierotti Aiken
Anonymous (2)
Cynthia Ash
Russ Ayer
Joseph Barbuto
Alan and Judy Barry
Holly and James Bartlett
Barbara B. Beekman
Gretchen J. Biedron
Gary and Heather Black
Betsy and Harry Calcutt
Timothy D. Cross
Frederick and Heike Doane
John and Julienne Douglas
Frank and Vilma Falck
Laurel A. Glazier
Mary Griswold
Gordon and Llura Gund
Lara Gund
Lindsay Guinan Gund
William Hall
Nancy F. Hammer
R. William Hazelett
Raymond W. Hencir
Kathryn W. Henry
Gail Wilcox Holmes
Virginia Louering Hopkins
David Houston
Linda O. Johnson
Joan Kalkin
Ronald Kelley
Pamela Kohlberg
Alexandra Loeb
Jo-Ann G. Lovejoy
Edward and Beth Merritt
Franklin and Margaret Parker
William Raap
Rudolph and Sheila Rauch
David C. Ray
Robert E. Rickett
Beverly Rubenstein
Robert W. Satkowski
Thomas ‘Mike’ Scott
Susan and William Seitz
Dale Smeltzer
Senator Robert Stafford
Edmund A. Stanley
Marcia S. Steckler
Continued on page 9
RSENR Honor Roll of Supporters continued
Anne and Frederic Stutzman
Ellen and Frank Svitek
H. Brent Teillon
Diana and George Tsimoyianis
Samuel and Marshall Webb
Ross S. Whaley
James E. Wilkinson
Carrie Smith Woodruff
Corporations, Foundations, and Organizations
Anonymous
Cape Branch Foundation
Capizzi Family Trust
David B. Krause, LLS
Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund
Foundation for a Sustainable Future
Gordon and Llura Gund Foundation
Donor honors Dean Don DeHayes
A long-time friend of The Rubenstein
School recently made an outstanding gift.
Deeply devoted to Dean DeHayes and
his leadership, dedication, and passion
for the School’s mission, the anonymous
donor generously established a $100,000
endowed scholarship in Don’s name
($67,000 from the donor who utilized the
valuable $33,000 match from the Lintilhac Challenge). What makes this gift
even more special is that the donor asked
Don to determine the criteria for awarding
the scholarship. Given Don’s commitment to fostering multicultural diversity in
the School for over a decade and his longtime quest for an endowed scholarship in
this arena, Don knew exactly what kind of
scholarship he wanted to bear his name.
The Donald H. DeHayes Multicultural Scholarship will provide annual
scholarship assistance to one or more fulltime undergraduate or graduate students
in The Rubenstein School of Environment
and Natural Resources. Awards will be
based on the student’s academic ability,
financial need, commitment to a career
in the environment and natural resources,
and propensity to advance the University’s goal of creating a diverse community.
Preference may be given to inner-city
students and students from The High
School for Environmental Studies in New
York City, where The Rubenstein School
recruits students each year. Don took the
lead in forging close ties between UVM
and the inner-city environmental school,
to the benefit of both institutions.
“I am proud to be dean of a school that
understands the importance of ensuring
ethnic diversity in environmental professions,” Don said. “In addition to perspectives of societal relevance and equitability, there exists an essential connection
between multiculturalism and long-term
ecological health and sustainability.”
Nevertheless, Don points out, environment and natural resources programs
at UVM and elsewhere have to work at
building enrollment among ethnically
diverse populations. “I am both humbled
and exceedingly grateful to accept this
new scholarship in my name,” he said.
“It represents an ardent ambition—both
personally and of the entire Rubenstein
School community—to create more
pathways for these qualified scholars to
become successful environmental leaders
in all corners of the Earth.”
Don invites all interested alumni,
parents, and friends to support the Donald
H. DeHayes Multicultural Scholarship
with a gift of any level and to participate
in the Donald H. DeHayes Multicultural
Scholarship Challenge (see box). To do
so, you will honor Don as well as countless students who will benefit from the
scholarship in perpetuity. For more information, please contact Ashley McAvey,
Senior Development Officer, at 802-6563296 or [email protected].
The Donald H. DeHayes
Multicultural Scholarship Challenge
Second donor challenges
others to help further grow
the fund
Upon learning of the newly created and endowed Donald H. DeHayes
Multicultural Scholarship, another
friend of The Rubenstein School has
made a challenge gift of $50,000 for all
Rubenstein School alumni, parents, and
friends to collectively contribute an additional $50,000. By committing to this
challenge, the donor hopes to see the
initial amount of the scholarship double
from $100,000 to $200,000 within the
first year.
The anonymous friend stated, “I
am making this matching gift to the
scholarship because I want to challenge all alumni, parents, and friends
of The Rubenstein School to grow this
endowment as quickly as possible. As
this endowment grows, it will provide
critical support to our multicultural students enrolled in our School and make
a tremendous difference in their lives. Ultimately, I want to see the endowment
fund providing many full attendance
scholarships for exceptional multicultural students.”
Indeed, the Donald H. DeHayes
Multicultural Scholarship is completely about students. We invite you to step
up to the challenge!
Hazelett Strip-Casting Corporation
Henry David Thoreau Foundation
The Elm Foundation
Kate Svitek Memorial Fund
Lintilhac Foundation
North Woods Forestry
Paradigm Analytical Laboratories
Personalized Fitness Solutions
Philip & Marcia Steckler Charitable Lead Trust
Rohlen Foundation
Smith Barney Charitable Trust, Inc.
Shelburne Shipyard, Inc.
Sterling Forest Products
Steve & Beverly Rubenstein Foundation
Trucost PLC
Member of RSENR Board of Advisors
All Cycle/Casella supports RSENR students
Recently, a local University of Vermont vendor, All Cycle/Casella, informed
us of their decision to create the All
Cycle/Casella Scholarship Fund, a
Rubenstein School operating scholarship
fund that will exist for five years. It will
be used to provide annual scholarship
assistance to one or more students with
financial need who are pursuing a degree
in the School.
The scholarship is open to students in
good academic standing from all geographic areas and will be given to students
entering their junior year. Nominations
and scholarship selection, including a
one-page application process stating the
student’s passion for the environment,
will take place in the Dean’s office this
spring. The Rubenstein School applauds
All Cycle/Casella’s generosity and thanks
them for their outstanding support of our
students.
Thank you!
Thank you to the alumni who participated in the 2006 Rubenstein School
Alumni Employment Survey. Your
information is invaluable to the School.
We look forward to reporting results of
the survey in a future newsletter.
If you would still like to paticipate in the survey, please log on to
http://www.uvm.edu/envnr/alumnisurvey2006.htm or contact Varna Ramaswamy at [email protected]
or 802-656-2514.
Shari Halik
Alum David Demarest grows VTea
Alum David Demarest (ENSC ’02) holds spawn of the reishi mushroom which he cultivates on wood chips in Underhill, Vermont and brews into a cold beverage sold as VTea.
What do you get when you brew Vermont mushrooms, cultivated on Vermont
milled wood chips, and use Vermont
maple syrup and Vermont cranberries for
flavoring? VTea, of course! That’s what
David Demarest (ENSC ’02) produces
on his 51 acres in Underhill, Vermont.
Why mushrooms? “As an undergrad,
I concentrated on ecological design with
Professor John Todd,” explained Dave,
“and we grew oyster mushrooms using
farm and food processing by-products. I
got into sustainable production of mushrooms for their healing properties and
founded Green Mountain Mycosystems.”
Dave and colleague, Jason Pappas of
Burlington, dabble in oyster mushroom,
shiitake, and maitake cultivation, but
spend most of their time growing a mushroom called reishi or Ganoderma tsugae
which grows naturally on our native hemlock. “Asians call it the ‘mushroom of
immortality’,” explained Dave. “They’ve
used it for 2000 years to balance the
immune system, improve stamina, and increase vitality. It can be taken as a concentrated extract or enjoyed as a tea.” Dave
and Jason produce and sell dried reishi, its
extract, and a cold drink called VTea.
VTea Limited markets two flavors of
mycobrew—Maple Lemon Reishi and
Maple Cranberry Cordyceps—containing extracts of dried reishi and Cordyceps mushrooms brewed at a non-profit,
USDA-inspected kitchen rented by the
hour. Dave works hard to add locally
grown ingredients to his brews. “One of
my sugarmakers is just down the road,” he
pointed out. And the cranberries are grown
by Bob Lesnikoski (FOR ’83), a couple
towns north in Fletcher, Vermont.
“It’s tough to keep production local.
We brew the tea in Fairfax, Vermont, but
it’s bottled in Pennsylvania,” he admitted.
“It’s the only way we can afford to use the
high quality local ingredients our drinks
are made from and keep up with demand.”
The partners are continually refining,
whether it’s their recipes, their techniques,
or their logistics. They discovered that
making their own deliveries to their 50
retailers, mostly health food stores and
cooperatives, around the Northeast wasn’t
economical. “We now have a small
distributor who takes care of our out-ofstate runs, and we deliver to our Vermont
customers,” Dave said, pointing out the
white box truck parked at the bottom of
the driveway (really a logging road) to his
one-room, straw bale house.
Dave and Jason also found that using
log cultivation to grow their mushrooms
was too labor and time intensive for their
business. “We’ve changed gears to wood
chip bed cultivation,” Dave explained,
nodding downhill to the 22-ton stockpile
of wood chips at the base of the logging
road leading up to his work site. He steam
pasteurizes the chips in windrows and
makes beds of chips on his woodlot for
mushroom production.
To grow mushrooms, you start with
spawn, and to prepare spawn, sterility
is everything, according to Dave. A box
trailer serves as his solar-electric, spawn
culturing lab. He slices pieces from inside
a wild-collected mushroom and grows
them in Petri plates. The spawn is expanded to 5-pound bags of sawdust for
mass production. In the spring and fall, he
carries bags of spawn, the size of loaves
of bread, into the woods where he mixes
chunks into his chip beds, covers them
with cardboard, waters as needed, and
waits for his mushrooms to grow.
“We’re constantly working on ways
to become more sustainable,” said Dave.
“Our goal is to make the health benefits
of mushrooms easily accessible to our
customers using a production process that
minimizes reliance on fossil fuels and
leaves the least environmental impact.”
For more information on Dave’s sustainable mushroom business, visit www.
vermontmushrooms.com. —Shari Halik
Alum Chip Williams makes his way back to teaching
Chip Williams (MS-FOR ’80) found
a round about way to the forestry program at UVM. “When I graduated from
Middlebury College, some friends and I
built a cabin in the mountains near Norwich, Vermont and set up a maple sugaring operation,” he reminisced. “One early
spring day, a neighboring Vermont farmer
drove up on his tractor while we were
tapping an especially large tree. ‘Expect
to get a lot of sap out of that one?’ he
asked us. My partners and I answered,
‘Yeah, it’s huge; we’ll hang five buckets
on this one!’ The farmer nodded and said,
‘Well, good luck to you,’ as he drove off.
Soon after, we learned we had tapped an
extremely large white ash!”
His curiosity roused, Chip headed to
UVM where he hooked up with Professors
John Donnelly and Don DeHayes and began a master’s program in forestry. He became intrigued with genetics and statistics.
Not satisfied with a master’s, he proceeded
to Pennsylvania State University where he
10
received his PhD in forestry in 1984 and
returned to UVM to teach Dendrology.
“I’d come a long way from a college grad who couldn’t tell an ash from a
maple,” Chip admitted. “I enjoyed sharing my tree identification expertise with
young natural resources students.”
Chip became immersed in forest
research. Awarded a NAPAP (National
Acid Precipitation Assessment Program)
grant, he studied effects of acid rain on
high elevation red spruce with Don. He
Continued on page 11
Chip Williams continued
also worked as a research plant geneticist
at the Forest Service in South Burlington
for several years.
Unfortunately, it was the late 1980s.
The Forest Service was not hiring permanent employees, enrollment in forestry
schools was dropping, universities were
not hiring, and forest industry was moving toward research cooperatives with
universities. Chip resorted to earning his
MBA and becoming financial officer of a
wetlands mitigation firm in Florida.
“The concept of wetlands banking is
appropriate in our south Florida ecosystem,” Chip explained. “If developers want to build on a wetland, they are
forced to mitigate to abide by the federal
policy of no net loss of wetlands. They
can compensate for destruction of a
wetland by paying to establish or improve
another wetland.”
“This shotgun approach,” added
Chip, “creates wetlands that may provide
habitat for wildlife but aren’t connected
to one another and therefore have no real
ecological benefit. A regional approach
would be much more beneficial.”
Chip became an economic analyst
for the South Florida Water Management
District which administers the water supply for agriculture, recreation, and private
and industrial consumption from Orlando
to the Keys and is partnering to restore
the Everglades. At this time, he traveled
to China with his father, a professor of
Alum Chip Williams (MS-FOR ’80) visits China with the Royal Geographic Society.
international finance, and members of the
Royal Geographic Society.
“I met scientists involved in construction of the Three Gorges Dam, which is
flooding the entire Yangtze River Valley
and completely changing the temperature
regime and ecology of the area,” said
Chip. “Their lack of acknowledgement
of the ecological impacts is frighteningly
similar to our federal government’s attitude regarding drainage of the Everglades
in the 1950s for real estate development
and sugar cane production.”
Chip lives in Hobe Sound, Florida and
Alumni Notes
To keep this Alumni Notes section on-going, we need to hear from you! Please
send your updates to [email protected].
’78
Matt Jenkins (FOR) lives in Jamaica,
VT where he owns 40 acres. He works
in the woods, sells firewood, and has a
carpentry business.
’94
Deanna Fryer Deinzer (WFB) and her
husband Kurt welcomed a new baby boy,
Ryan Nelson Deinzer, on April 11, 2006.
Ryan arrived 5 weeks early and was 5 lbs.
6 oz. and 19 in. They reside in Boonton
Township, NJ with their dog Casey.
’98
Tom Woodruff (RM) and his wife
Carrie had their first baby, John Christian
Woodruff (Jack), on November 19, 2006.
Tom says Jack is already strengthening
his legs for ski season. They live in
Ipswich, MA where Carrie is a Spanish
teacher and Tom builds boats. Contact
Tom at [email protected].
’02
Gretchen Nareff (WFB) is a graduate
research assistant at the University of
Georgia’s Warnell School of Forestry
and Natural Resources. She is comparing
paired natural tidal marshes and managed
tidal impoundments in coastal South
Carolina, with an emphasis on seasonal
use and behavior of avian species. She
will produce a predictive model for landowners and natural resource managers.
’03
Brian Schneider (FOR) is a forester for
the state of VA.
’04
Cassie Martin (WFB) is working on
her masters in marine biology at the
University of North Carolina-Wilmington.
She would like to say thanks to all the
Rubenstein professors!
11
teaches statistics and agricultural economics at Indian River Community College
and the University of Florida. Recalling
how much he enjoyed teaching Dendro at
UVM, he made his way back to teaching.
“Maybe I can get a student or two
interested the way Don got me enthused
about genetics and statistics,” laughed
Chip. “We used to discuss his ideas for an
integrated school curriculum back in the
1980s, and I’ve enjoyed seeing the School
progress as a leader in natural resource
education under Don’s guidance.”
—Shari Halik
2005-2006 masters
theses and projects
and doctoral dissertations
Masters theses and projects:
Adams, Zakery. Thesis: Understanding
Biothermal Energy. Advisor: John Todd
Cappelletti, Carl K. Thesis: Photosynthesis
and Respiration in an Arctic Tundra River:
Modification and Application of the WholeStream Metabolism Method and the Influence
of Physical, Biological and Chemical Variables. Advisor: Breck Bowden
Clark, Jeremy M. Thesis: Conservation
Reserve Design Using Ecological Land Units
and Predicted Habitats of Forest Birds in the
Northern Forest of New England. Advisor:
Dave Capen
Crehan, Ryan. Thesis: Performance Analysis of a Duckweed Pool and Sub-surface Flow
Constructed Wetland to Treat Effluent from a
Dairy Manure Anaerobic Digester. Advisor:
John Todd
Continued on page 12
Nonprofit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Permit No.143
Burlington, VT
The Rubenstein School
George D. Aiken Center
81 Carrigan Drive
Burlington, VT 05405-0088
Printed on recycled paper
Theses, projects, and dissertations continued
D’Agostino, John R. Thesis: The Functional
Validation of Floodplain Valuation in Coastal
New Jersey. Advisor: Austin Troy
Davis, Keri K. Thesis: Evaluating Economic
Renewal and Environmental Performance Opportunities for Vermont’s Wood Products
Industry. Advisor: Jon Erickson
DeLano, Stephanie. Thesis: Information
Hubs and Communication Barriers in Acid
Rain Policy: Moving Information across Institutional and Disciplinary Boundaries.
Advisor: Clare Ginger
Detwiller, Christopher R. Project: Integrated Natural Resource Management Defining
the Framework and Evaluating the U.S.
Army’s Approach. Advisors: Deane Wang
and Jeff Hughes
Errecart, Jacqueline. Thesis: Science in
Acid Rain Decision-Making: A Vermont
Case Study. Advisor: Clare Ginger
Geczi, Emilian. Thesis: From Timber to
Tourism: Discourses of Place in Two Vermont
Towns. Advisor: Patricia Stokowski
Kreider, Meghan A. Thesis: Toxic Cyanobacteria: Conditions Favoring Their
Abundance in Lake Champlain and Potential
Impacts on Larval Zebra Mussel Survival.
Advisor: Mary Watzin
Lishawa, Shane C. Thesis: Hemlock
Woolly Adelgid Risk Assessment in Deer
Wintering Areas of Southern Vermont.
Advisor: Dale Bergdahl
Lovitz, Sara Beth. Thesis: Scales of
Responsible Gold Mining: Overcoming
Barriers to Cleaner Artisanal Mining in
Southern Ecuador. Advisor: Saleem Ali
Manaras, Katherine W. Thesis: Forest
Structure at Multiple Scales: Structural
Classification and Predicting Species
Occurrence in Northern Hardwood-Conifer
Forests. Advisor: Bill Keeton
McCutcheon, Kelly L. Thesis: Large Wood
Debris (LWD) Distribution and the Formation
of Habitat Patches in Vermont Streams. Advisor: Mary Watzin
Hanna, Bethany C. Project: The Role of
Town Forests in Promoting Community
Engagement and Fostering Sense of Place.
Advisor: Cecilia Danks
McKenny, Heather C. Thesis: The Effects of Structural Complexity Enhancement on Eastern Red-Backed Salamander
(Plethodon cinereus) Abundance in Northern Hardwood Forests. Advisor: Bill
Keeton
Hey, Mischa J. Thesis: A Spatially Hierarchical Approach to Systematic Reserve Design in the Northern Forest of New England.
Advisor: Dave Capen
Mohr, Jesse. Project: Ecological Inventory
and Integrated Forest Planning for the Roger’s
Tract, University of Vermont’s Jericho Research Forest. Advisor: Deane Wang
Hood, Abigail E. Project: In Search of a
Sustainable, Nature-based Agriculture: Identifying Problems, Defining Goals, Envisioning
Solutions, and Measuring Success. Advisor:
Deane Wang
Schmalz, Timothy F. Thesis: A Statistical
Assessment of the Impact of Sirococcus
clavigignenti-juglandacearum on Butternut
Health. Advisor: Dale Bergdahl
Huggett, Brett A. Thesis: Long-term
Calcium Addition Increases Crown Health,
Growth, and Wound Closure among Sugar
Maple (Acer saccharum) Trees. Advisor:
Paul Schaberg
Smith, Stephen J. Thesis: Fecundity of Lake
Champlain Sea Lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) and Factors Affecting Egg Survival in
and out of Nests in Lake Champlain Streams.
Advisor: Ellen Marsden
Stritzel Thomson, Jennifer L. Thesis:
Rainbow Smelt (Osmerus mordax) in Lake
12
Champlain: The Role of the Stinky Biter on
Zooplankton Populations and How LargeSized Prey Affects Growth Rates. Advisor:
Donna Parrish
Vistein, Geri T. Thesis: The Controversy
over Hunting at Cape Cod National Seashore:
Intergroup Conflict and the Potential for Consensus. Advisors: Walt Kuentzel and Patricia
Stokowski
Watrous, Kristen S. Thesis: Predicting Minimum Habitat Characteristics of the Indiana
Bat (Myotis sodalis) in the Champlain Valley
of Vermont and New York. Advisor: Terri
Donovan
Wells, Daniel B. Project: Rewilding Vermont: Tree Demography through the Ages
with Reference to Presettlement Conditions.
Advisor: Jeff Hughes
Doctoral dissertations:
Fisher, Brendan P. Distribution and Development: Analysis of Global Poverty, Policy and
Sustainability. Advisor: Bob Costanza
Hermans, Caroline. Methods in Collaborative Environmental Decision-Making: Managing Group Deliberative Processes in Watershed
Communities. Advisor: Jon Erickson
Long, Robert A. Developing Predictive Occurrence Models for Carnivores in Vermont
Using Data Collected with Multiple Noninvasive Methods. Advisor: Terri Donovan
Mulder, Kenneth P. Stoichiometry and the
Efficiency of Resource Utilization in Ecological and Economic Systems. Advisor: Roel
Boumans
Watts, Richard A. Planning for Power: Citizen Participation in the Siting of a High-Voltage Transmission Line in Vermont. Advisor:
Stephanie Kaza
For more information about these theses,
projects, and dissertations, contact Deane
Wang at 802-656-2694 or deane.wang@uvm.
edu.