News The Rubenstein School UVM G

The Rubenstein School
of Environment and Natural Resources
News
Vol. XXVIII, No. 4, February 2007, The University of Vermont, www.uvm.edu/envnr
UVM GRADUATE IS FIRST WOMAN TO
LEAD U.S. FOREST SERVICE
By Joshua Brown
University Communications Staff
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
Editor:
Eileen Horn, ‘07G
Aiken Center 101
[email protected]
ISSUE HIGHLIGHTS:
• RSENR In Action
• Multicultural
• Scholarship honors
Dean DeHayes
• Undergraduate Internship: Kate Riley
• Graduate Research:
Loona Brogan
• Career Services
• Green Forestry
• Education Update
• Help Wanted
Abigail Kimbell, a 1974 graduate from the
University of Vermont and former St. Albans resident, will become the first woman
to head the U.S. Forest Service. She will
oversee 191 million acres of national forests with a staff of 30,000 employees and a
nearly $5 billion budget. Kimbell holds a
degree in forest management from the
School of Natural Resources (now The
Rubenstein School of Environment and
Natural Resources).
Kimbell expands the roster of UVM
women who have pioneered top positions
in federal natural resource agencies: Mollie
Beattie, who received a master’s degree
from UVM, was the first woman to head
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from
1993 until her death in 1996.
“Natural resource fields have traditionally
been dominated by men,” said Carl Newton, associate dean in The Rubenstein
School. “We’re a small forestry program in
a modest sized school. Gail’s appointment,
following Mollie Beattie’s, is an outstanding affirmation of what we do.”
Kimbell will become the agency’s 16th
chief, succeeding Dale Bosworth, who will
retire in February.
“Our school has always stood for developing the nation’s and the globe’s natural
resource leaders,” said Don DeHayes, dean
of The Rubenstein School. “Gail Kimbell
is demonstration of that mission. She is
thoughtful and dynamic.”
Kimbell began her
career in the federal
government as a forester with the Bureau
of Land Management in Oregon, then
worked her way up the ranks of the Forest
Service, most recently as the regional forester of the agency's northern region, headquartered in Missoula, Montana.
“Gail demonstrated tremendous leadership
in helping to carry out the Healthy Forests
Initiative and provided support to the Administration and Congress in the development of the Healthy Forests Restoration
Act,” said Bosworth in a Forest Service
press release.
The Bush administration’s controversial
“healthy forests” program followed the
devastating wildfires of 2003 to allow
commercially valuable trees in national
forests to be cut in exchange for clearing
fire-prone brush and small trees.
“Regardless of what decisions she makes
or positions she endorses she will face
criticism,” said DeHayes. “It speaks to her
leadership that she can navigate successfully to such a prominent position.”
Kimbell has served as forest supervisor of
the Pike and San Isabel National Forests
and the Comanche National Grasslands,
Colorado, as well as for Wyoming’s Bighorn National Forest and Alaska’s Tongass
National Forest.
Story continues on page 3
2
The Rubenstein School News
THE RUBENSTEIN SCHOOL IN ACTION
PUBLICATIONS
McEvoy, T.J. 2006. Service Contracts and Agency Relationships with Forest Owners – Part 1 – Service Contracts. Forest Products
Equipment Journal. Vol. 15, No. 4. December issue. pp 30 – 33.
McEvoy, T.J. 2006. Sustainable Family Forests: The Wisdom of Creating an LLC. The Forestry Advantage. Vol. 10, No. 4. pp 1 – 4.
(A quarterly insert to National Woodlands Magazine – Autumn 2006)
McEvoy, T.J. 2006. Preventing White Pine Weevil Injury in Conifers. Tree Services. Vol. 2, No. 12. pp 25 – 27.
McEvoy, T.J. 2007. Timber Tax – Forest Owners Benefit from Recent Changes. Farming -- The Journal of Northeastern Agriculture.
Vol. 10, No. 1. January issue. pp 60 – 65.
Ellrott, B. J., J. E. Marsden, J. Fitzsimons, J. Jonas, and R. M. Claramunt. 2007. Effects of temperature and density on consumption
of trout eggs by Orconectes propinquus and O. rusticus. J. Great Lakes Res. 33:7-14.
Perlut, N. P., A. M. Strong, T. M. Donovan, and N. J. Buckley. 2006. GRASSLAND SONGBIRDS IN A DYNAMIC MANAGEMENT LANDSCAPE: BEHAVIORAL RESPONSES AND MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES. Ecological Applications. 16:22352247.
Costanza, R., Mitsch, W.J., & Day, J. W. Jr., 2006. A new vision for New Orleans and the Mississippi delta: applying ecological
economics and ecological engineering. Front Ecol Environ. 4(9) 465-472.
Costanza, R. 2006. Toward an Ecological Economy. The Futurist. July/Aug 2006; 40 (4) 26.
Costanza, R. 2006. Nature: ecosystems without commodifying them (correspondence) Nature. 443(19) 749.
Hagens, N., Costanza, R., & Mulder, K., 2006. Energy Returns on Ethanol Production. (letters) Science. 312, 23 June 2006.
Vemuri, A., & Costanza, R. 2006. The role of human, social, built, and natural capital in explaining life satisfaction at the country
level: Toward a National Well-Being Index (NWI). Ecological Economics 58 (2006) 119– 133.
PRESENTATIONS
Graduate student Valerie Esposito presented at the International Society for Ecological Economics in Delhi in December. The presentation was entitled Incorporation of Ecosystem Services and Public Participation in the Camisea, Peru Pipeline Project: Alternatives to Development.
Professor Bob Manning spent time over the semester break speaking at a conference and several universities in Taiwan and Thailand. He was invited to present the keynote address at the
conference of the Outdoor Recreation Association of the Republic of China. He also presented
lectures at three universities in Taiwan -- the National Taiwan University, Providence University, and the National Dong Hwa University. In Thailand, he presented a lecture at Kasetsart
University in Bangkok. In both countries, he visited several national parks and discussed opportunities for collaborative research with university faculty and national park officials. Photo:
(left) Bob Manning and Professor Chun-Yen Chang at National Taiwan University.
MEDIA
Paul Schaberg (USDA Forest Service and Rubenstein School), Kendra Gurney (Rubenstein
School) and representatives from The American Chestnut Foundation (TACF) conducted public
outreach at the Vermont Farm Show, Barre, VT on January 23-25, 2007 concerning joint research to restore the American chestnut in
Vermont. Each year about 30,000 people attend the Barre Farm Show, which is a 70-year-old tradition and a major winter event in
the region. Rubenstein School, Forest Service and TACF collaborators had an information table with a steady steam of interested
visitors throughout the show. During the show, Paul Schaberg and TACF staff were interviewed about joint restoration efforts by
Vermont Public Radio (VPR). The resulting story was aired on VPR as part of the shows “All Things Considered” (1/24/07) and
“Morning Edition” (1/25/07).
Recently-retired professor Dale Bergdahl was featured in the New York Times in an article entitled “Protecting a Little-Known Tree
From an Insidious Disease” about his work with butternut trees in the UVM Jericho forest.
AWARDS
Mary Ackley, a graduate student in the Environment Society and Public Affairs masters degree concentration won the national
"Annie's Environmental Scholarship." Mary is working with advisor Saleem Ali on research pertaining to gold mining in Fiji, where
she was a peace corps volunteer before joining UVM. In addition to a $1000 check, Mary also received a huge basket full of Annie's
homegrown pasta as the prize!
The Rubenstein School News
3
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE FOLLOWING
STUDENTS WHO MADE THE
FALL 2006 DEAN’S LIST!
Jillian Abraham
Erin Affronti
Kevin Alkire
Jodi Anderson
James Baros
Brent Barry
Kyla Bedard
Patrick Bird
Andrew Book
Stephanie Brontman
Elizabeth Calcutt
Drew Cameron
Kerry Canton
Andrew Carter
Lucas Chapman
Noah Chute
Hannah Davie
Kayla Decarr
Dana Demetrio
Forest Donaj-Keys
Eliese Dykstra
Jonathan Ellermann
Abby Farnham
Erin Farrell
Lisa Fredette
Kaitlin Friedman
Katherine Gibbons
Johannes Griesshammer
Dana Gulley
Whitney Haskell
Kaylyn Hawkes
Heidi Henrichs
Stephen Hoffmann
Katelyn Homeyer
Hunter Houde
Ian Howes
John Ibsen
Benjamin Janes
Kate Johannesen
Anna Johnson
Claire Johnson
Nathan Johnson
Matthew Jokajtys
Victoria Jones
Emily Kinghorn
Bryce Klein-Perler
Anna Kovaliv
Deborah Krug
Michael Lester
Jared Levesque
Daniel Lim
Dexter Locke
Katherine Lord
Maggie MacKillop
Roger Masse
Mikayla McDonald
Madison Monty
Renee Morley
Elysia Nelson
Caitlin O'Neil
Erika Partee
Kelly Phillips
Allison Prokop
Allison Rapp
Alison Reeve
Audrey Reid
Elias Rosenblatt
Kellen Ryan
Natasha Sadoff
Terra-Nova Sadowski
Bryanne Salmonsen
Matthew Sarcione
Alison Schymik
Thomas Scott
David Seekell
Benjamin Shafer-Rickles
Meredith Simard
Katherine Stinchcomb
Matthew Stone
James Stoops
Kathleen Stutzman
Kate Sudhoff
Emily Tompkins
Jacqueline Travers
Basil Tsimoyianis
Maria Tsuji
Ashley Veselis
Stephanie Walsh
Alena Warren
Liron Weiss
Emily Wellington
Katharine White
Sarah Wilkins
Brittney Yegla
Min Zheng
RSENR GRAD LEADS FOREST SERVICE
Continued from page 1
Kimbell attended Bellows Free Academy in St. Albans,
Vermont, and as a youngster enjoyed hiking, fishing and
camping in the White Mountain National Forest of New
Hampshire.
Newton was a new professor at UVM when Kimbell was
a senior. He recalls that she was one of three intrepid students in the winter of 1973-74 who lived in the then rundown farmhouse at UVM’s research forest station in Jericho, making the trek to campus despite unplowed roads.
“We got a caretaker in later years,” he said with a laugh.
Now the farmhouse is part of UVM’s new Green Forestry
Education Initiative; Kimbell has stepped up in the world
too.
But she faces many challenges. The Forest Service has
amassed a more than $300 million maintenance backlog,
many environmental groups object to her championing
the healthy forests policy, and she inherits a complex set
of legal issues surrounding the repeal of roadless area
designations put in place during the Clinton administration.
“She has worked in all sorts of challenging positions,”
said Newton, “and the Forest Service thinks she is doing
very well.”
4
The Rubenstein School News
MULTICULTURAL SCHOLARSHIP HONORS DEAN DONALD DEHAYES
By Jay Goyette
University Communications Staff
Nevertheless, DeHayes points out, environment and natural resource 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."
An anonymous donor has established
an endowed scholarship in The
Rubenstein School of Environment
and Natural Resources at the University of Vermont and named it in honor
of the school's dean, Donald H.
DeHayes.
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
The initial gift of $67,000 was matched
Environment and Natural Resources.
by $33,000 from the Lintilhac FoundaAwards will be based on the student’s
tion Challenge Grant to UVM, bringing
academic ability, financial need, comthe total to the $100,000 threshold the
mitment to a career in the environment
university sets for named, endowed
and natural resources, and propensity
scholarships. As word of the gift circuto advance the University’s goal of
lated among alumni and friends of The
creating a diverse community. PreferRubenstein School, a second anonymous
ence may be given to inner-city stuDonald DeHayes, dean of The
donor stepped forward with a $50,000
dents and students from The High
Rubenstein School of Environment
gift to be added to the fund and a chalSchool for Environmental Studies in
and Natural Resources, sees a
lenge to alumni, parents, and friends to
New York City, where The Ruben"connection between multiculturalcontribute an equivalent amount over
stein School recruits students annuism and long term ecological health
the next year, effectively doubling the
ally. DeHayes took the lead in forging
and sustainability."
initial commitment to the fund. "As this
close ties between UVM and the in(Photo: Sally McKay)
endowment grows, it will provide that
ner-city environmental school, to the
much more critical support to our multicultural students
benefit of both institutions. He has long sought to establish
enrolled in our school and make a tremendous difference
an endowed scholarship supporting multicultural diversity
in their lives," the donor said. "Ultimately, I want to see
in The Rubenstein School student body and took advanthe endowment fund providing many full attendance scholtage of the opportunity to do so when the donor offered to
arships for exceptional multicultural students."
support whatever priority the dean chose to advance.
"I am proud to be the dean of a school that understands the
importance of ensuring ethnic diversity in environmental
professions," DeHayes said. "In addition to perspectives of
both societal relevance and equitability, there exists an
essential connection between multiculturalism and long
term ecological health and sustainability."
Anyone interested in contributing to the Donald H.
DeHayes Multicultural Scholarship fund may contact Ashley McAvey, Senior Development Officer, at 802-6563296 or e-mail [email protected].
USDA NATIONAL NEEDS GRADUATE FELLOWSHIPS
THE RUBENSTEIN SCHOOL OF ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES
Full Fellowships for Master’s Degrees for Multicultural Graduate Students in Conservation Fields
Application Deadline: March 1, 2007
For more information, visit:
http://www.uvm.edu/envnr/welcome/gradpages/UVM_Multicultural_Conservation_Fellowship_Recruitment_Flyer.pdf
Or contact: Carolyn Goodwin Kueffner at: [email protected]
The Rubenstein School News
5
CLIMATE CHANGE ACTIVIST AND FILMMAKER LAURIE DAVID VISITS UVM
Photo (left) Climate change activist and filmmaker Laurie David
(left) accepts a humble bowl
made at UVM’s Jericho Research
Forest and presented by Jessica
DiBiasio ENSC ‘07 (center), and
Nathan Johnson FOR ‘07 (right).
David, perhaps best known as the
producer of An Inconvenient
Truth, addressed a standingroom-only crowd of 1500 in Ira
Allen Chapel this past November.
The event was sponsored by the
Office of Alumni and Parent Programs.
RUBENSTEIN SCHOOL OUTREACH
CONTINUES WITH
THE HIGH SCHOOL FOR
ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES
Photo (right): Rubenstein School student Pearson
McCracken helps students at New York’s High School
for Environmental Studies build an eco-machine as
part of the School’s recruitment outreach efforts.
Visits such as this one are part of The Rubenstein
School’s efforts to promote multicultural diversity in
the undergraduate and graduate student body population. Two recent federal grants and a private gift have
allowed The Rubenstein school to surpass the $1 million mark in funding designated to promote diversity.
These funds, alongside outreach efforts has allowed
The Rubenstein school to increase its undergraduate
population of ALANA (African, Latino/a, Asian and
Native American) students significantly since it received its first diversity funding in 1989. In the 1980s
and early 1990s, the school had no ALANA students.
Currently ALANA students represent 5.7% of The
Rubenstein School’s population.
6
The Rubenstein School News
FOCUS ON: UNDERGRADUATE INTERNSHIP
KATE RILEY, NR ‘08
Another thing I learned this summer is that while
farming in general is a lot of work, organic faming is a lot more
work. In the end however, the success of organic crops mostly
the result of favorable weather and a great deal of luck. Farming
Food gives the human body energy. Rarely, however, is an inexact science and in most cases knowledge of specific
is the amount of energy needed to produce food considered. I
crops comes from experience which is the result of lots and lots
spent this summer working on an organic farm finding out just of failure. There is a perpetual cycle of failure, reevaluation,
how much energy food production does take. I have a newand replanting that occurs on any organic farm. It may take four
found respect for anyone who does manual labor for a living,
seasons to discover that squash grows better in the company of
and most of all for the farmers of the world. Farming is a tresweet corn, and by that time it may already be time to rotate the
mendous amount of work; back-breaking, never-ending, rarely- fields making it impossible to plant the two together. Eventually
lucrative work. No wonder the American
things begin to fall into place, but a good
farmer is a dying breed. Our society refarmer never stops adjusting and improving
stricts workdays to eight hours, the long
the way his crops compliment each other
hours put into an average farm workday is
while still preserving the health of the land.
unappealing if not unthinkable to most
This type of knowledge is invaluable. Most
Americans. As a nation, we have created a
farmers don’t attend an agricultural coldivide between our produce and its produclege, instead they learn mostly from other
ers. I discovered this summer what a huge
farmers and from heir own experience.
mistake this truly is.
What I found to be most important
I found Black Creek Farm through
about the way C.P. ran Black Creek Farm
the National Organic Farmers Association
was how insistent he was that his farm
(NOFA) website. A small, organic operamethods improve the land, not just provide
tion close to home, it was a perfect introhim with a source of income. C.P. used all
duction to the growing industry of smalltypes of cover crops, green mulch and has
scale organic agriculture. C.P. is the owner
also planted a stand of locust and poplar
and resident of Black Creek Farm as well as
trees. The trees will purify the ground wamy boss and teacher. He also works full
ter while being a profitable source of firetime as a computer engineer and farms his
wood. The rotation of his crops as well as
ten acre plot in his spare time. He is the
the free-range animals of Black Creek
only person I know who comes home from
Farm assured that the land was well rested
work and voluntarily continues working
and properly fertilized for later growing
until dark.
seasons.
We agreed that in exchange for working I would reI can’t fully describe the feeling of satisfaction I got
ceive a share of the farm free of charge, meaning that I was
from seeing the fruits and vegetables of my labor this summer.
given a bag of vegetables every weekend but I could also harIt must be the same feeling which drives so many others to purvest fresh vegetables to take home any time I wanted. Sweet
sue such demanding work. In closing, I would just like to state
deal. I also helped sell vegetables at a local farm market and
that I can in no way claim to have the knowledge, patience or
received half of our profits as well. C.P. was very generous with dedication needed to operate a farm. I do however; have a
advice and extremely knowledgeable about traditional farming greater appreciation for every carrot, cucumber and leaf of letmethods as well as up to date on newer ideas. C.P. gave me
tuce I eat.
several books to supplement my hands on experience.
Black Creek Farm cannot technically be labeled organic because it has not been USDA certified, however no pesticides or herbicides of any kind were used in production. For
the consumer and others (including the farmer and his workers)
who might come in contact with these dangerous chemicals this
is good news. For farmers though, it is a double edge sword.
The absence of pesticides and herbicides equates to hours and
hours of extra work and maintenance. Many times without pesticides farmers will lose large portions or even entire crops. I
became very familiar with the process of weeding; by hand, hoe
or tractor it was all time consuming and laborious. We spent
hours tilling weeds under, hacking at them with scythes and
hoes and when all else failed pulling by hand. I began to accept
that a farm does not always match the popular image of straight
rows and square plots. Weeds happen.
The Rubenstein School News
FOCUS ON: GRADUATE RESEARCH
LOONA BROGAN,
MS, NATURAL RESOURCES, E.T.C.
“Talking Trees:” historic photographs + oral histories =
tree-centered ‘sense of place’
People care about what they can relate to. Tree have not
only their own individual (natural and cultural) history, but a species and variety history as well — offering us many opportunities
for relating to them. The question behind my thesis project is simple, and has been asked by many others before me: “What can
this tree teach me about this place?” I’ve chosen five individual
trees and three scales of “tree-scape” in, Montpelier, Vermont,
that I believe will yield rich histories. In asking for and articulating these “tree-stories,” I suspect we’ll find deeper ‘stories of
place.’ Consider: trees in the built environment are almost never
happenstance: they are chosen and placed quite intentionally. And
behind every intention lies a story. Environmental historian William Cronin, in a 1992 Journal of American History paper, was
one of many scholars to posit that stories form the core of how
human beings relate to each other— and even to their own life.
This project is both an asking for and a telling of tree-centered
‘stories of place’ which will also examine the power of storytelling over our perceptions of ‘nature.’ It is, additionally, an exploratory report on techniques useful in finding and delivering
tree-stories and other tales of ‘place’ using internet-accessible
archives of historic photographs and recorded oral history excerpts. I will present my research premise, objective and design
with preliminary findings at the 2007 Association of American
Geographers conference in San Francisco this spring and plan to
complete and document my research and analysis in the fall.
7
have come to know and relate to trees in New England. The decision to make photographic and spoken evidence my primary
sources came from the necessity of it: in many cases, the only
archived information is in the photographic record, which then
can only be further deciphered or enriched by the spoken lore of
living community members. This provides me with the opportunity to present these visual and oral sources and methods as not
just valid but invaluable in certain kinds of studies of
“Environmental Thought and Culture.”
My approach is possible because of the relative ease
with which we can both gain and provide access to digitalized
recorded material and historic images, via an internet-accessible
archive. Paul Bierman, with the UVM Geology Department, has
created a search-driven web site, The Landscape Change Program (LCP), with over 13,000 historic and contemporary images (maps and drawings as well as photos). Visitors to the site
not only see others’ comments on the images, but can add their
own as well. Currently, they are developing audio capacity for
the archive. Some of the very first mp3 files the site designers
plan to make available are recordings of David Brynn, who directs UVM’s Green Forestry Initiative. He describes (while related photos show) aspects of the land-use history of the Jericho
Research Forest, which once was a fertile, and then barren, farmstead. The oral histories I’ll collect in my “Talking Trees” project
will be linked to corresponding historic and present-day Montpelier images on the LCP web site in the same fashion.
The three scales of treescape I’ve chosen for this study
are: the State House grounds, the Hubbard Park/State House
slope, and Montpelier’s overall Urban Forest canopy. The
individual trees are: The Barre St./”Captain Hubbard” Gingko,
The Kellogg-Hubbard Library Norway maple, the Cliff Street/
Elm Street white oak, the Court Street American elm and the
Knowing the history of their built environment and land- Montpelier High School apple tree. What might be learned, from
pictures and from people, about the history of these trees? …And
scape provides invaluable context for citizens engaged in landand resource-use policy-making and regulation. Trees provide a what might be gained with that history? If and when we learn
kind of code: they offer, when we know their traits (habitat pref- about the life of a tree-- and as well, the people who planted it
there— will it help us to be more aware of, more connected to,
erences and climatic adaptations, to name a few), a bountiful set
even more responsible for, the processes that shape our landof clues for the natural historian to read and translate into ‘the
scapes?
story’ of a place. Equally, through the symbolic meanings assigned them by cultures past and present, the economic significance of our relationships with them, and the impact we have had As a result of this study and facilitated through my semi-monthly
on their histories-- we can see how much information and mean- Montpelier Bridge newspaper column, “Into Our Trees,” Central
ing an environmental historian can reap from stories of individual Vermont arborist Padma Meier will be making a free demonstration of his volunteer pruning of the apple tree that grows at the
trees and ‘tree-scapes.’ I am convinced that there is merit in the
specific use of visual and audio records in environmental history entrance of Montpelier High School on February 3, from 9-11
am.
scholarship. My ultimate objective is to effectively convey what
I’ve learned to others interested in creating a similar methodology
Loona represented Vermont in this winter’s People, Places and
for their own research.
Plants northeast region gardening magazine’s annual feature
“Neighbor Knowledge.” The profile was subtitled “Detective in
This “Talking Trees” project draws from methods of
the Trees,” and summarized her thesis research project as well
observation and analysis developed in history, geography, biolas providing background on her earlier endeavors, from 2002ogy, ecology, ethnobotany, anthropology, and folk studies (oral
history), with observations and insights drawn from literature, art 2004, as founder and President of the (currently ‘dormant’)
Vermont Tree Society. Besides the occasional mention of her
history and even entomology. Regarding its research design: it
was ‘a recipe,’ in true Yankee spirit, of ‘what was in the pan- work in popular media, Loona writes a semi-monthly column,
“Into Our Trees,” in the community newspaper The Montpelier
try.’ I began with was a desire to understand trees—and teach
about them— by understanding the physical and cultural ways we Bridge.
8
The Rubenstein School News
THE GREEN FORESTRY EDUCATION INITIATIVE UPDATE
By David Brynn, Green Forestry Director
In his book THE GREAT WORK: Our Way Into the Future,
Thomas Berry pointed out that we may be at the end of the
Cenozoic Era. We have an opportunity – what he calls a
‘moment of grace’ – to initiate the ‘Ecozoic Era.’ Berry suggested that if humans are to address this most daunting of
tasks known as Global Climate Change, we must do a much
better job of integrating and applying across disciplines.
Berry tells us that to manifest the Ecozoic Era we must draw
upon the wisdom of indigenous peoples, classical traditions,
science, and women more than ever before.
First Saturday Forest Walk and Fire workshops are active
again and Matt Dragon and the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps are involved. The February 3rd event at Jericho on
Traditional Tools is co-sponsored by the UVM Woodsmen’s
Team. Plan to attend 4TH SATURDAY TRACKING with
Mike Kessler, skilled tracker, teacher, and caretaker. These
tracking sessions happen the fourth Saturday of every month
from 1:00 ~ 3:00 PM.
Development has been proposed for the adjacent 300-acre
Fay South Parcel and a variety of options are emerging. One
Students from across UVM and beyond have been starting to option is fee simple conservation involving the Tarbox Road
do this by applying their knowledge and skills at The Ruben- neighbors, the Vermont Land Trust, and Jericho-Underhill
stein School’s Jericho Forest Conservation Center. They
Land Trust. Another involves an innovative Eco-Village
have been examining fluvial geomorphology, designing the Project on a very small portion of the land. With luck, this
Wolcott Experiment Station as a mobile unit complete with a exciting project will provide many opportunities for active
solar array, facilitating wood procurement for the Dudley
student involvement.
Davis Center, developing comprehensive forest management
plans, tracking using native American traditions and techWe are seeking funding to continue assessment and restoraniques, and exploring spirituality. This is forest conservation tion of the 1802 Thompson House and the 150-acre Roger’s
and culture at work! In sum, it includes lots of science and
Tract and hope to have some exciting news to report shortly.
the ‘warm and fuzzy’.
This is just a sample of the activities that are happening at
Matt Kolan’s NR 206 continues to be actively involved in
the UVM Jericho Forest and Conservation Center. The place
Jericho. Projects are just getting under way this semester.
is alive and buzzing. Please plan to join in as we move from
Projects include designing a solar wood drying kiln and cre- a fairly hectic creation mode to one with more seasonal
ating a portable yurt, funded in part by an anonymous gift to rhythms and traditions. For more information, please check
Green Forestry. Other active projects include developing
out: www.greenforestry.org which will soon have a new
sustainable forestry demonstration areas as part of the Verlook and expanded content.
mont Town Forest Health Check. Twelve students from
GreenHouse are working with mentors Alicia Daniel, Ralph
Tursini, and Ted Ingraham in the Healthy Forests, Humble
Harvest Table and Humble Bowl Project that will culminate
in a spring celebration. Other students working at The Lake
Champlain Maritime Museum are building a long boat out of
wood carefully harvested last year at Jericho.
Photo (left): Students and instructors from the Lake Champlain
Maritime Museum checking out the new wood-fired flatbread
oven at Jericho. These students visited Jericho to learn about
sustainable forestry, to see the source forest for the lumber they
are using to build a rowing gig at LCMM in Ferrisburgh, Vermont, and to help select trees for future boat projects.
Photo (above): Andy Book and Mike Scott implementing their
forest management plan for the White Pine Stand in Compartment 6 at the Jericho Research Forest. The trees they have
marked and tallied will be harvested this winter and milled into
lumber for the Wolcott Research Station Re-Build Project.
The Rubenstein School News
9
10 The Rubenstein School News
A MESSAGE FROM RUBENSTEIN CAREER COUNSELOR MARIE VEA-FAGNANT
Welcome to Spring 2007! From
the student traffic I’ve had the
last two weeks, many of you
thought a lot about spring and
summer internships, as well as
the job search for those of you
graduating in May. Below is a
review of services and a list of
upcoming career events. Do
remember, we also enjoy hearing any updates on jobs & internships! So when you receive
good news, pass it along so we in The Rubenstein School can
celebrate with you! Good luck and talk to you all soon. Marie
• Appointments
To schedule an appointment with me, please sign up for a
time on the bulletin board outside my office in 336 Aiken. I
can also schedule a time over email if you send to me three
good days and times along with the purpose of the meeting.
It is very helpful to have a rough draft of a resume before
meeting with me.
Kaytee Duskin, a sophomore in The Rubenstein School, has
worked with me for 1 ½ years and is happy to help students
create a resume or search for jobs & internships. You can
sign up for appointments with Kaytee on the bulletin in my
office, as well.
• THE JOB BOARD
Various information is posted on the bulletin board outside
the Dean's Office on the third floor of Aiken Center, including internship & job announcements, special events, and career resources (articles, publications, presentations, etc). We
also post current issues of several journals that specialize in
advertising environmental and natural resources employment
opportunities.
• THE RUBENSTEIN SCHOOL WEB PAGE
There are several tools now available on The Rubenstein
School web page to assist with your search for an internship
for full-time job: Check out the "Featured Jobs & internships"
section highlighting Vermont opportunities and job postings
forwarded to RSENR from colleagues across the country:
http://www.uvm.edu/envnr/?Page=employment/
help_wanted.html. During the academic year, these are updated weekly.
Web Links: You will also find helpful web links to a variety
of environmental organizations to assist you in your research,
including login information for “Subscriber Only” sites.
•
THE RUBENSTEIN SCHOOL STUDENT
RESOURCE AREA
Located inside the Dean's Office in room 336, the Resource
Area offers numerous helpful publications. References include directories of environmental employers, resume writing
guides, information on the federal job application process,
application forms, employer files, and internship directories.
There are also graduate school catalogues for schools with
environmental programs and information on Study Abroad
and summer study programs.
• UVM CAREER CONNECTION
Several Rubenstein School alumni have volunteered to assist
current students in pursuing natural resources employment.
These individuals are happy to talk with you about their own
career paths and to offer advice about the current job market.
Go to www.uvm.edu/career then click on “Alumni Connections” on the right hand tool bar. Follow instructions to
“Activate Your Account”. Feel free to meet with Marie in
336 Aiken for a test run.
• CAREER SERVICES
Don't forget to take advantage of the full array of career related services and resources available at UVM's Career Center in the Living/Learning E Building. Assistance is provided
in determining career objectives, resume writing, interview
preparation, and identifying employment opportunities.
Mark Your Calendar!!!
And go to www.uvm.edu/career for more info.
Senior Orientation: Life After College
Thursday, February 22 from 11 am to 4 pm
in Billings, North Lounge
Stop by for a few minutes for resumes, cover letters,
interviewing, job search resources, grad school information and more!
Vermont Career Networking Event
Thursday, March 1, 2007 from 6 to 8 pm
Billings Student Center
2007 Spring Career Fair
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
from 1:30 pm to 5 pm
at the Sheraton Conference Center in Burlington, VT
2007 Vermont Green Job and Internship Fair
Wednesday, March 28 from 12-4:30 in Billings Student
Center.
We will host a Rubenstein School Alumni panel and
environmental employers from around the state.
The Rubenstein School News 11
SCHOLARSHIP ANNOUNCEMENTS
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 an annual scholarship totaling $2500 to one or more students with financial need who are pursuing a degree in The
Rubenstein 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.
TO APPLY: Bring the following items to Marie Vea-Fagnant (336 Aiken) by MARCH 1, 2007:
-a copy of your resume
-a one-page, single-spaced essay describing your demonstrated commitment to the environment and an explanation of
your financial need.
All applications must be received by 4:30pm, March 1, 2007.
Awards will be announced by March 16.
Please direct any questions to Marie Vea-Fagnant, Career Services Coordinator for RSENR, Ph: 656-3003 or
[email protected].
KATE SVITEK MEMORIAL AWARD ANNOUNCEMENT
In memory of Kate Svitek, a Rubenstein School graduate who died in a tragic
snow boarding accident in Spring 2002, an award has been created by her family to help
Rubenstein School students fund internship experience. If you would like to learn more
about Kate, please visit the Kate Svitek Memorial Foundation website at
www.katesvitekmemorial.org. You can also read about past recipients of this award.
The student(s) selected will receive a $2500 award to use for internship expenses. Students
may also earn academic credit for their internship through the submission of a learning contract. Speak with Marie Vea-Fagnant in 336 Aiken for details.
To be eligible for this award, the student must be a major in The Rubenstein School and:
• demonstrate outdoor leadership skills and a love for the great outdoors.
• be able to demonstrate financial need for the funding.
• have completed their sophomore year before doing the internship.
TO APPLY: Bring the following items to Marie Vea-Fagnant (336 Aiken) by March 30th:
a copy of your resume
• a detailed description of your upcoming internship
• a letter of application addressed to Marie describing how you meet the criteria listed
above and your need for this funding.
4:30pm, March 30, 2007.
Awards will be announced by April 13.
DEADLINE TO APPLY:
Questions? Contact Marie Vea-Fagnant at [email protected] or by phone at 656-3003.
12
The Rubenstein School News
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]
Northern Forest Canoe Trail Internship
Through a competitive grant application
Urban Ecology Research Assistant
process, NFCT will select 2 Waterway
Interested in urban ecology? Looking to
Stewardship Interns for a six-week internspend the summer outside gaining experience ship in June and July, 2007. The interns
in the field?
will help to build and maintain the NorthDescription: Research Assistants will aid in ern Forest Canoe Trail, and will also have
the collection of urban vegetation data in
opportunities to mentor with professionals
Baltimore, MD as part of research for the
in the fields of natural resource manageBaltimore Ecosystem Study (BES). BES is a
ment, ecotourism, recreation, outdoor eduLong Term Ecological Research (LTER)
cation, and environmental policy. Besides
project funded by the National Science Founcompleting necessary stewardship work
dation (NSF). Assistants will work in pairs to
along the Trail, the interns will be joining a
collect data in the field using ArcPad softnetwork of waterway stewards who underware and GPS-enabled PDAs. The research
stand the powerful connections between
will be directed by a Natural Resources
graduate student and a USDA Forest Service healthy waterways and healthy communities.
employee. The focus will be on vegetation
condition and land management practices of Applications due Feb. 15th.
residential properties. This data will be used For more information, go to:
http://www.northernforestcanoetrail.org/
in conjunction with social data to consider
how the health and maintenance of vegetapages/internshippage.html
tion varies across the city.
Qualifications:
BACHELOR’S DEGREE REQUIRED
• Must be an undergraduate currently
Teacher/Naturalist
enrolled at the University of Vermont with
The Green Mountain Audubon Center in
an interest in natural resources and urban
Huntington, Vermont provides natural
ecology.
science education for schools, families,
• Must be able and willing to work full
days (7 to 9 hours) in the field in all weather adults, teachers and the general public. The
Center also offers a summer day camp
conditions (particularly heat).
for children ages 4 to 12. Audu• Must be self-motivated and able to work program
bon education programs provide people
independently, but also enjoy working in
with direct experiences in nature. Our prosmall groups.
grams are outdoors, science-based, interac• Must be detail-oriented and possess
tive, and lead participants to take action to
good organizational skills.
help protect birds, other wildlife and their
Dates: 4-5 weeks during the summer of 2007 habitats.
(Starting June 4th and running until July 6th
Essential Functions include:
at the latest)
• Develop, deliver and market Audubon
Hours: Hours may vary, but will generally
education programs
be from 9am – 5pm Monday - Friday.
•
Oversee day camp programs at Green
Compensation: $350 weekly stipend, plus
Mountain Audubon Center
housing provided (on a local college cam• Oversee the maintenance of the Dispus).
covery Room.
If interested please send a resume and
brief cover letter explaining your interest • Represent Audubon at special events
to Ashley Lidman at
• Assist the Education Manager and
[email protected] by Wednesday, March
Facilities Manager in overall Center
21st. Feel free to contact me with questions
responsibilities.
as well.
Send a letter of interest and resume to Kim
For more information on the Baltimore Eco- Guertin at: [email protected]
system Study visit
Deadline: February 12, 2007
http://www.beslter.org/
INTERNSHIPS
MASTER’S DEGREE REQUIRED
Project Director
The Penobscot East Resource Center seeks
an experienced Project Director to lead the
Downeast Initiative, a groundbreaking pilot
program in community-based management to
rebuild the groundfishery in the eastern Gulf
of Maine. Through alliance building, advocacy and organization, the project director
will secure federal regulatory policy support
for community-based fisheries management.
Responsibilities include developing and implementing a campaign strategy that will
result in the approval of a pilot area management program by the New England Fisheries
Management Council. This job position will
be located in Stonington, Maine.
A master’s degree in fisheries or environmental policy, a law degree, or comparable
experience required.
Candidates should send a letter of interest
and a detailed resume to Robin Alden, Penobscot East Resource Center, PO Box 27,
Stonington, ME 04681, or
to [email protected]. Full job description posted at www.penobscoteast.org
PHD REQUIRED
Faculty Position in Wetland Ecology
This position is a joint appointment at the
Assistant Professor rank in the Department of
Fisheries and Wildlife and the Department of
Plant Biology. Applicants will be expected
to develop an independent research program
supported by extramural funding. Successful
candidates will address basic & applied ecological questions in vegetated aquatic habitats, including topics such as wetland restoration or mitigation, ecosystem services, invasive species dynamics, water quality, or biotic interactions that structure wetland environments or wetland-watershed linkages.
The candidate will be expected to co-instruct
an undergraduate course in wetland ecology
and management, develop a course in their
area of specialization and implement an active outreach program related to the management of wetland landscapes.
http://www.fw.msu.edu and
http://www.plantbiology.msu.edu.
Questions regarding this position or electronic
submission of applications may be directed by
e-mail to: [email protected]