News The Rubenstein School T

The Rubenstein School
of Environment and Natural Resources
News
Vol. XXVII, No. 4, February 2006, The University of Vermont, www.uvm.edu/envnr
TWO RUBENSTEIN FACULTY-LED TRAVEL COURSES
EXPLORE COSTA RICA OVER WINTER BREAK
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]
By Eileen Horn and Emily Lord
This past January, two groups of
RSENR students traveled to Costa Rica to
study environmental issues and escape the
frigid Burlington winter. Although each course
had a different objective, both were successful
in that students were exposed to many examples of environmental conservation and restoration. Costa Rica, a tiny nation only the size of
New Hampshire and Vermont put together,
hosts 5% of the world's biodiversity and about
500,000 species.
One course was entitled “Watershedbased Ecological and Economic Restoration in
Costa Rica,” and sought to apply ecological
design and entrepreneurship principles to the
Rio Andamojo watershed in Guanacaste, a
province on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica.
This course aimed to apply an interdisciplinary
approach to studying the problems of this particular watershed, which is threatened by deforestation, erosion, and pollution.
The first phase of this course involved
one week of field trips and guest speakers, all
utilized to inform students of ecological attrib-
ISSUE HIGHLIGHTS:
• Travel Study Courses
to Costa Rica
• Spring 2006 Seminar
Series
• The Dean’s List
• Sam Couture’s Graduate
Student Research
• Kait Frantz’s Internship
• Help Wanted
• and more...
Students exploring a residential development
site within the watershed which was experiencing severe erosion and stream degradation.
The Rio Andamojo, one course’s example
watershed, as it flows into the Pacific Ocean.
utes of this watershed in the dry tropical forest.
Guest speakers included Alvaro Ugalde, considered by many to be the father of the Costa
Rican system of protected areas, and biologist
Dan Jantzen whose work in the Area de Conservacion Guanacaste (ACG) has helped to
preserve the 235,000 species living in this
unique park which encompasses the four major
tropical ecosystems.
The second phase consisted of a group
design process, in which students created projects designed to address an aspect of the Rio
Andamojo’s rapidly deteriorating watershed,
while also considering the economic and social
realities of their designs. Student groups produced aquaculture design systems, plans for an
eco-village, plans for value-added products
made locally, and educational materials for the
local schools.
John Todd, the lead professor on the
course commented, “The creative response of
the students was what I found most impressive,
due to the time pressures and range of intellectual inputs thrown at them. Really, it was an 8
week course crammed into 12 days.”
(continued on page 3)
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The Rubenstein School News
THE RUBENSTEIN SCHOOL IN ACTION
PUBLICATIONS
Ventriss, C. & Kuentzel, W. (Winter, 2005) "Critical Theory and the Role of Citizen
Involvement in Environmental Decision Making: a Re-examination. International
Journal of Organizational Theory and Behavior, 8(4): 519-539
Jarlath O'Neil-Dunne, UVM Spatial Analysis Lab GIS-Remote Sensing Specialist
recently co-authored "A Report on Baltimore City's Present and Potential Urban Tree
Canopy."
Recent publications by Adrian Ivakhiv:
"Coloring Cape Breton 'Celtic': Topographies of Culture and Identity in Cape
Breton Island." Ethnologies 27 (2), 2005, in press.
"Toward a Geography of 'Religion': On the Spatial Dimension of Significance." Annals of the Association of American Geographers
96 (1), 2006, in press.
"Stoking the Heart of (a Certain) Europe: Crafting Hybrid Identities in the Ukraine-EU Borderlands." Spaces of Identity 5 (2), 2006, 9-37.
"The Revival of Ukrainian Native Faith." Modern Paganism in World Cultures: Comparative Perspectives, ed. Michael F. Strmiska,
209-239. Oxford, U.K.:ABC-CLIO, 2005.
"Nature and Ethnicity in East European Paganism: An Environmental Ethics of the Religious Right?" Pomegranate 7: 2 (2005), 194-225.
"In Search of Deeper Identities: Paganism and Native Faith in Contemporary Ukraine." Nova Religio 8: 3 (2005), 7-38.
Executive Editor, Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature, vols. 1 and 2. With L. Hobgood Oster, J. Kaplan, B. R. Taylor (Ed.-in-Chief),
and M. York. 2 vols. London/New York: Thoemmes Continuum, 2005.
PRESENTATIONS
Breck Bowden, Patrick Professor of Watershed Science Planning, and Jennifer Jenkins, Research Assistant Professor of Ecosystem
Ecology, were invited to make presentations in a special session on Urban Hydrology, Ecology, and Biogeochemistry at the American
Geophysical Union in San Francisco, California in December 2005. Jennifer and Breck also participated in a press conference associated with this special session, to highlight for local and national media some of the key themes that were presented in this special session. Aspects of these themes and the specific work being done by faculty and students in The Rubenstein School and the Gund Institute were subsequently reported in the press, including an article in USA Today (27 December 2005).
AWARDS
David Giuliani, a 1st year grad student at RSENR concentrating in community-based forestry, was awarded the 2006 National Wildlife Federation Campus Ecology Fellowship. This entitles David to a modest grant towards his project on sustainable forest product
use and participation in the NWF Annual Meeting in New Orleans this March.
Adrian Ivakhiv:
Thomas Robbins Award for Excellence in the Study of New Religions ($500 first prize award) for the article "In Search of Deeper
Identities: Paganism and Native Faith in Contemporary Ukraine."
Co-recipient (collaborating partner), Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Strategic Grant on "Changing Urban Waterfronts" (responsible for oversight of the integration of natural science, social science, and humanistic/cultural methodologies in this interdisciplinary three-year, $150,000 grant).
The Rubenstein School News
(continued from front page)
The other course, entitled “Ecotourism and Sustainable Development Practices in Costa Rica,” was led by Walt
Kuentzel and Dave Kestenbaum. This course explored the
forces and process of social change in Costa Rican communities given the rise of nature-based travel to this Central American nation, as they traveled throughout the San Jose region in
central Costa Rica, down to the Pacific coast, and further south
to the Osa Peninsula.
The format of the course involved hands-on learning
experiences including: site visits to National Parks/Preserves,
community stays,
eco-lodge tours,
rainforest tours,
and guest speaker
presentations.
Emily Lord, class
participant, noted,
“By meeting,
talking, seeing
and listening to
people, we all
were able to learn
so much more
than possibly
could be packed
into a traditional
class.”
3
The focus of this course was primarily on assessing
the sustainability of these recent tourism sites. Students were
inspired by the many examples they witnessed of Costa Rican
business owners who had integrated sustainability principles
into their operations, and were challenged to think about their
own choices.
Says Lord, “ It made us all question the implications
of globalization on even the tiniest, seemingly remote villages. We had no choice but to reflect on our own consumption
simply in daily living in the U.S., and how that measures up to
the consumption of a Costa Rican.”
Interested in a travel-study course?
Two students from the course hiking in
Guaymi Indian Lands nearby Corcovado
National Park.
SEMINAR ANNOUNCEMENT:
The Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources is collaborating with the River Management Program
in the Department of Environmental Conservation (Vermont
Agency of Natural Resources, ANR) on a graduate-level project seminar entitled Advances in River Corridor Management
(NR 385G). The primary purpose of this seminar is to explore
key questions and current thinking about river corridor management, especially as it relates to land and water use in the New
England region. Rivers are intimately connected to the watersheds they drain. And of course, rivers and watersheds are intimately intertwined with human activities. Consequently river
management can't be easily separated from environmental, social, economic, and political interests. The objective of this
seminar is to explore these interactions.
The seminar involves graduate students from several different
programs across the UVM campus and staff from the River
Management Program in ANR. The group intends to produce a
series of six white papers on key issues in river corridor management, which will serve as the basis for a public symposium
on this topic that is planned for late 2006.
There are still 3-4 spaces available for the NR 262 travel-study
course to Belize over spring break. See: http://www.uvm.edu/
~thudspet/NR262spring2006/ and contact Tom at x60171 or
[email protected] immediately if interested.
Aiken Lecture Series– Keynote Event
Wednesday, February 15, 6:00 PM
Ira Allen Chapel
For more information:
http://learn.uvm.edu/aiken/?
Page=mansfield.html&SM=submenukeynote.html
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The Rubenstein School News
THE RUBENSTEIN SCHOOL
OF
ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES
In conjunction with THE GUND INSTITUTE FOR ECOLOGICAL ECONOMICS PRESENT:
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
SPRING 2006 SEMINAR SERIES
BEYOND ENVIRONMENTALISM:
ENVISIONING A SUSTAINABLE
AND DESIRABLE FUTURE
In their essay “The Death of Environmentalism,”
Michael Shellenberger and Ted Nordhaus identified a critical missing element in the environmental movement. Despite the extreme threats to our future, they claimed that “not
one of America’s environmental leaders is articulating a
vision of the future commensurate with the magnitude of the
crisis.” Environmentalism has instead relied on a negative
vision, a complaint-based style of activism that fails to engage with the public. It has become too focused on technical
policy fixes and single-issue politics and is “no longer capable of dealing with the world’s most serious ecological crisis.”
The object of this seminar series is to move beyond
the negative environmentalism of the past by creating a positive, detailed, shared vision of a sustainable and desirable
future—a future in which living in harmony with nature is
not a sacrifice, but an improvement in everyone’s quality of
life; a future that can captivate and motivate the public; a
future that we would be proud to leave to our grandchildren.
Until we create and widely share this vision, we have no
hope of achieving it.
All presentations will take place in
104 Aiken Center
Thursdays, 12:30-1:45 PM
(unless otherwise noted)
FEBRUARY 2
“SCENARIOS OF A SUSTAINABLE AND DESIRABLE
FUTURE: LESSONS FROM THE MILLENNIUM ECOSYSTEM ASSESSMENT”
Rik Leemans, Wageningen University
FEBRUARY 9
“ECOTOPIA REVISITED: LIFE IN A SUSTAINABLE
AND DESIRABLE FUTURE”
Ernest Callenbach, Author of Ecotopia and
Ecotopia Emerging
FEBRUARY 16
“THE UNIVERSITY IN A SUSTAINABLE AND DESIRABLE FUTURE”
Daniel Fogel, The University of Vermont
(Carpenter Auditorium)
FEBRUARY 23
“THE REBIRTH OF ENVIRONMENTALISM AS ADAPTIVE, PRAGMATIC MANAGEMENT”
Bryan Norton, Georgia Institute of Technology
MARCH 2
“AFTER THE PARTY: ENERGY IN A SUSTAINABLE
AND DESIRABLE FUTURE”
Richard Heinberg, New College of California
(Carpenter Auditorium)
MARCH 9
“THE INSTITUTIONS OF A SUSTAINABLE AND DESIRABLE FUTURE”
David Batker, Earth Economics
MARCH 16
“THE EMERGING ALLIANCE OF RELIGION AND
ECOLOGY”
Mary Evelyn Tucker, Harvard University
MARCH 30
“THINKING SMALL: SCALE AND DESIRE”
Bill McKibben, Middlebury College
(Ira Allen Chapel, 1:30 p.m)
* Seminars continue through the end of
April, featuring many speakers, including David Orr on April 27th.
Visit the website at: www.uvm.edu/giee/
beyondenvironmentalism.htm for seminar
abstracts and updated location and time
information. Questions? Contact Emilie
Bass at 656-2675, [email protected]
The Rubenstein School News
5
Congratulations to the following students
who made the Fall 2005 Dean’s List!
Jillian Abraham
Erin Affronti
Kevin Alkire
Christopher Anderberg
Jodi Anderson
Caitlin Andrews
Reuben Baris
Brian Beck
Kyla Bedard
David Berg II
Patrick Bird
Stephanie Brontman
Elizabeth Calcutt
Andrew Carter
Eammon Coughlin
Caitlin Crowley
Dana Demetrio
Forest Donaj-Keys
Abby Farnham
Shelby Fraga
Jessica Frank
Kristin Geldert
Katherine Gibbons
Shaun Gilpin
Andrew Giunta
Charles Hancock
Elizabeth Harrison
Whitney Haskell
Kelly Hayes
Jessica Heman
Heidi Henrichs
Katelyn Homeyer
Hunter Houde
John Ibsen
Benjamin Janes
Alexander Johannesen
Claire Johnson
Nathan Johnson
Matthew Jokajtys
Coco Joly
Ethan Joseph
Jennifer Jubok
Katherine Kain
Owen Kiley
Karen Klinger
Nathaniel Koeppel
Peter Kovacs
Anna Kovaliv
Gwen Kozlowski
Deborah Krug
Jared Levesque
Benjamin Levy
Daniel Lim
Caitlin Loerch
Emily Lord
Heidi Lyon
Maggie MacKillop
Andrew Mahon
Roger Masse
Kelly McBride
Elizabeth McDonald
Caleb Merrill
Daniel Mills
Madison Monty
Anne Morrison
Janice Moynihan
Shane Murphy
Samuel Parker
Erika Partee
Darrel Pendris
Colin Penn
Rhys Probyn
Kesha Ram
Kimberly Reinhardt
Danielle Roy
Alison Schymik
Matthew Scott
Thomas Scott
David Seekell
Kristen Simard
Katherine Stinchcomb
Matthew Stone
Kathleen Stutzman
Kate Sudhoff
Susanna Taylor
David Toye
Jacqueline Travers
Jeremy Walker
Sarah Wanamaker
Liron Weiss
Emily Wellington
Carter Westlund
Timothy Woods
Krysta Zambroski
NEWLY-FORMED GRADUATE STUDENT SENATE INCLUDES SIX RSENR GRADUATE STUDENTS
represent their fellow RSENR graduate students to the GSS.
Also, Jon D’Agostino, 3rd year MS student, is chair of the
The Graduate Student Senate (GSS) executive coun- Public Relations Committee, and Eric Howe, 2nd year PhD
cil was elected in May 2005 by an overwhelming percentage student, served as one of the founding members.
of the graduate student body. The following graduate students
Goals for the Spring semester include organizing and
were elected: President Rachel Weston from Public Admini- reformatting the annual Graduate Research Day, developing
stration, Vice-President Hilary Harp from RSENR, Secretary the graduate student community with social and service
events, enhancing the professional and personal development
Laura Hill from Biology, Outreach and Programs Director
of graduate students through a series of workshops, securing a
Bree Druschel from Mathematics, SGA Liaison James Ross
graduate student lounge in the new Davis Center, and increasfrom Civil & Environmental Engineering, and Ombudsman
ing awareness of graduate student issues on campus.
Tom Fontana from Counseling.
In December 2005, the graduate student body elected
Any UVM graduate student can be involved with the
GSS! Just come to the monthly GSS meetings (meeting
35 GSS Senators from 29 programs to serve as liaisons bedates/times can be found on the GSS website, www.uvm.edu/
tween graduate programs and the GSS. GSS Senators are
required to serve on external campus committees (such as
~gss). The first meeting is Monday, February 6th 12:30-2pm
those of the Faculty Senate) and internal GSS committees
in the John Dewey Lounge in Old Mill.
(such as the Professional Development and Social Committees).
If you have questions, comments or concerns, please email
Four of the 35 new GSS senators are students in The [email protected].
Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources.
Eileen Horn and Amanda Holland, both 1st year MS students,
and 2nd year PhD student Valerie Esposito were all elected to
By Laura Hill and Eileen Horn
6
The Rubenstein School News
FOCUS ON GRADUATE RESEARCH:
BY SAM COUTURE, AEWS ‘06
There have been many changes in the Missisquoi Bay
ecosystem in the past few decades. One change that receives the
most attention lately is the presence of potentially toxic cyanobacteria blooms during the summer. These cyanobacteria blooms
sometimes have the ability to kill pets and wildlife and have had a
negative economic impact on the northernmost region of Lake
Champlain. But beneath the surface and the highly visible scums
of blue green algae that often form during mid to late summer,
other less evident ecosystem changes have occurred in the bay as
well.
One of these changes has been an increase in the white
perch population in the last decade. White perch became established in the southern end of Lake Champlain in the early 1980’s.
Since that time, they have spread to suitable habitat throughout
the lake, but even in the mid 1990’s they only made up around 5%
of total catch during various sampling events in Missisquoi Bay.
However, a study by the Quebec Ministry of Environment in 2003
found that the white perch population had increased greatly. And
the results of field sampling for our project here at The Rubenstein School in the summer of 2005 found that white perch made
up over 70% of gillnet catch. It is clear that this population of
white perch has grown very quickly since their initial establishment.
Is it possible that the dominance of cyanobacteria could
somehow be related to the establishment and subsequent growth
of a white perch population in Missisquoi Bay? Missisquoi Bay
is a complex ecosystem and therefore many factors may have lead
to cyanobacteria dominance during summer. For instance, human
induced changes in nutrient inputs into the bay as well as changes
to water flow patterns and perhaps even global warming may all
be factors in this shift. But it is also possible that the large white
perch population may have added to these other factors and created a food web shift that, through various mechanisms, has al-
Sam Couture, Advisor Mary Watzin, and Mark Eisenhower
collecting zooplankton aboard the Melosira for use in white
perch feeding experiments
lowed for cyanobacteria to be favored over green algae.
In order to explore this question, a project was designed
and carried out to examine the current white perch diet in Missisquoi Bay to address how their presence may have actually
changed the food web of the bay, and to look specifically at one
of the hypothesized mechanisms through which white perch grazing could have shifted conditions to those that favor cyanobacteria.
White perch were collected weekly from April thru August of 2005 using the University of Vermont’s 21 ft. Mako. The
fish were preserved and taken back to the Rubenstein Ecosystem
Science Lab for stomach content analysis to gain insight into what
the white perch are eating. This can be compared to how their
prey preference may differ from known preferences of the native
fish in the bay to make inferences as to how the food web may
have shifted. Additionally, a specific hypothesis was tested examining whether or not white perch feed on a specific type of zooplankton called Daphnia to a greater extent than other zooplankton groups. The reason for studying this specific mechanism is
that Daphnia have a high phosphorus content compared to other
types of zooplankton. Therefore, if Daphnia are depleted by
white perch during the summer growing season, more of this otherwise tied-up phosphorus may be available to the phytoplankton
community. Much of the current literature on cyanobacteria suggests that high levels of
phosphorus in relation
to nitrogen may favor
cyanobacteria over
green algae.
To determine
if white perch could in
fact deplete Daphnia by
feeding, a series of
laboratory experiments
were conducted at the
Rubenstein Ecosystem
Science Lab. In the
experiments, live white
perch captured in Missisquoi Bay were exposed to various zooplankton communities
consisting of different
Couture collects plankton samples from
densities of Daphnia.
experimental tanks to determine if white
Measurements were
taken from the experi- perch grazing depleted Daphnia
mental tanks to determine if, in fact, the Daphnia were depleted by the grazing of
white perch.
The data from the field collection and the lab experiments is still being analyzed, but from observations during the lab
experiments and from initial gut content analyses, it is clear that
white perch do in fact feed on Daphnia. Future analyses of the
data collected during this project should help us understand one of
the factors that may have led to this shift to cyanobacteria dominance in Missisquoi Bay. Through an increased understanding of
these mechanisms, similar ecosystem shifts could be predicted or
prevented in other areas of the lake as changes to Lake Champlain
occur in the future.
7
The Rubenstein School News
For the first half of this past summer I worked for
Sanders Wildlife, Inc. This was a great job that was located
in the Manongahela forest of West Virginia. This job required that we sleep in our cars and be completely away
from civilization, which was nice for a while, but turned out
to get old after a week without a shower. The man who
owned this company would get contracts to sample bat popuAt the end of my sophomore year, one of my
friends e-mailed me to tell me that she had found the perfect lations in different areas of the Manongahela forest and rejob for me. She knew how much I loved bats and how much port back to the Forest Service about his findings. This also
gave me even more experience with identifying different
I wanted to work with them, as does everyone else who
knows me. So I applied for this job in Virginia not sure if I species of bats.
The second half of my summer I spent working for
was ready to move down there for an entire summer to work
Bat Conservation and Management which does basically the
with an animal that most everyone else fears. Kathrynn
same thing except that we were able to stay at camp grounds,
Durkee called me the very last day of finals when I was all
packed to spend a summer at home. She offered me the po- which meant we all smelled a lot better. This job, however,
was not only in West Virginia, but in New York and Pennsition and I grabbed at my first opportunity to work with
sylvania and wherever
bats.
he could get a conI spent my entract. There was a lot
tire summer (from June
of traveling involved,
7 until late August)
but there were also
working in the Buckingweeks where we
ham-Appomatox forest
would go to his house
in Virginia. At first I
and do shop work.
was very scared and was
Shop work consisted
afraid that I would not
of building bat houses
know as much as everyand excluding bats
one else did. Once she
from people’s houses.
had gone through everyThis gave me even
thing that we would
more experience beneed to learn we all because I was able to
gan to mist net for bats.
learn many more useOur focus was on the
ful things that will
Eastern Red bat
help me to further my
(Lasuirus borealis) and
career.
their day roosts. Our
Also with
mission was to mist net
Kait Frantz processing a bat caught in a mist net.
this last company I
for lactating females
was able to work for the BCI (Bat Conservation Internaduring the evening hours (from 8pm until 1am). Once we
tional) workshop. This is a big thing in the bat biologist
had captured these lactating females we had to put a radio
community. During this workshop I was able to teach peotransmitter on their backs and radio track them during the
day to discover where they roost. A lot of work was put into ple how to identify bats and take them out of mist nets (not
an easy task). I was also able to put my name out in the bat
radio tracking and mist netting. It was grueling hours and
biologist community. At the end of the workshop I had peohard work under the hot sun, but catching the bats at night
ple coming up to me and telling me that I should call them
made it all worth it.
Once we had discovered their day roosts we had to because they would hire me. This was a great feeling and
the best experience of all.
then wait until they had changed roosts and then go back in
I am still currently working for Bat Conservation
to do vegetation sampling plots, which took a lot of time.
All of the trees needed to be identified and measured, as well and Management while finishing my final year at UVM. I
think that if I have any advice for people looking to get into a
as measuring all of the plants around the base of the roost
certain field it would be this: Work hard and pay attention in
tree itself.
class because I have found that it actually becomes useful in
Of course, this gave me experience in identifying
not only the Eastern Red bat, but most of the other common the end. Apply for as many jobs as you can and once you
bats that were caught. This first job was an excellent experi- find something you like go for it. Work hard because in the
end, word gets around that you are a great worker and more
ence and gave me the information I would need to get me
into the bat biology community, since that is what I am going people will be asking to hire you. I found that once I was
to school for. Because of the experience from this job I was able to get that first job, the rest was smooth sailing. So go
able to be accepted by two other jobs the following summer out there and find a job that suits you and things will all
both relating to bats.
work out for the best in the end.
Focus on Undergraduate Internships:
Kait Frantz NR ‘06
The Rubenstein School News
8
NEW PARTNERSHIP TO MANAGE VERMONT’S WATER RESOURCES
By Breck Bowden
The Vermont Water Resources and Lake Studies Center
has entered into an exciting new collaboration with the River
Management Program in the Department of Environmental Conservation (Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, ANR) to address several broad aspects of river corridor management and research that are of mutual interest.
The Vermont Water Center is a member of the National Institutes of Water Resources (NIWR) and receives base
funding annually from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
to support research that addresses key water resource management issues in the state of Vermont. The new partnership
with ANR leverages funding that the Vermont Water Center
receives each year from the USGS/NIWR and has been
linked to a generous gift from the Lintilhac Foundation to
effectively double the size of the research program that the
Vermont Water Center will be able to fund in the coming
year. The general objectives of the Joint ANR/Vermont Water Center include:
1. to advance scientific understanding that helps describe
and quantify the contribution of sediment and nutrients derived from fluvial processes in Vermont’s rivers;
2. to establish the socio-economic justifications, costs, and
benefits associated with or represented by river corridor protection in Vermont; and
3. to contribute to Vermont's river corridor management,
restoration, and protection infrastructure.
The research program that the joint program will fund includes one continuing and three new projects, as follows:
Trophic Status of Lake Champlain over 400 years of Changing Land Use: A Paleolimnological Study. Andrea Lini
(UVM – Geology) and Suzanne Levine (UVM – The Rubenstein School). This is a continuing project that is utilizing
information gleaned from sediment cores taken from Lake
Champlain to better understand historical trends in the health
of the lake system. Like tree rings, layers of sediment on the
lake bottom retain information about past nutrient and pollutant concentrations. This project will provide valuable information about how the lake has responded to historical
changes in land use and lake management.
Phosphorus Availability from the Soils along Two Streams of
the Lake Champlain Basin: Mapping, Characterization and
Seasonal Mobility. Donald Ross (UVM – Plant and Soil
Science), Joel Tilley (UVM – Plant and Soil Science), Eric
Young (UVM – Plant and Soil Science), Kristen Underwood
(South Mountain Research and Consulting). Cooperators:
Steven Gourley (NRCS), Caroline Alves (NRCS). This new
project focus on soil phosphorus availability the floodplains
of Lewis Creek and Rugg Brook, two important tributaries to
Lake Champlain. Results will include a new digital soils map
of the stream corridors and a data layer that includes total P
content and a range of availability indices. Results from this
project will help quantify the effects of stream restoration
and other best management practices on the control of P
transport.
An Adaptive Management System Using Hierarchical Artificial Neural Networks and Remote Sensing for Fluvial Hazard Mitigation. Donna Rizzo (UVM – Civil and Environmental Engineering), Leslie Morrissey (UVM – The Rubenstein School). This new project utilize a type of computer
modeling approach called ‘artificial neural networks’ to explore ways to more effectively integrate, model, and manage
environmental data that are essential to effectively manage
river corridors. This project will generate information that
will directly enhance the Vermont Stream Geomorphic Protocols and related GIS-based tools that have been developed
by ANR and that are currently being used in Vermont watersheds to characterize the sensitivity of river reaches to historic and current watershed and corridor stressors.
Riverbank Stability Evaluations: Comparing Quantitative
Assessments to Qualitative RGA Scores. Mandar Dewoolkar
(UVM – Civil and Environmental Engineering) and Paul
Bierman (UVM – Geology). The primary objective of this
new project is to better understand the physical and mechanical processes leading to bank instability in Vermont’s rivers.
We suspect that river bank erosion is a major source of the
sediment and phosphorus that are of concern to river managers, residents, and recreational users. This project will provide essential information that will allow us to put this
source of erosion hazard in proper context at the basin scale.
It is noteworthy that these projects include over a dozen collaborating researchers from seven different organizations
including four departments and three colleges/schools at
UVM, state and federal agencies and private consultants.
The Vermont Water Resources and Lake Studies Center is
hosted by the The Rubenstein School for Environment
and Natural Resources at The University of Vermont and
is directed by Breck Bowden, Patrick Professor for Watershed Science and Planning. For more information about the
Vermont Water Resource and Lake Studies Center, see:
http://www.uvm.edu/envnr/?Page=vtwater/default.html
For more information on the River Management Program in
ANR contact Barry Cahoon or Mike Kline and see:
http://www.anr.state.vt.us/dec/waterq/rivers.htm
9
The Rubenstein School News
KATE SVITEK MEMORIAL AWARD ANNOUNCEMENT:
In memory of Kate Svitek, a graduate of The Rubenstein School who died in a tragic snow boarding accident in
TO APPLY: Bring the following items to Marie VeaSpring 2002, an award has been created by her family to help Fagnant (336 Aiken) by the deadline:
Rubenstein School students fund internship experience. If
• a copy of your resume
you would like to learn more about Kate, please visit the Kate
• a detailed description of your upcoming internship
Svitek Memorial Foundation website at
• a letter of application addressed to Marie describing
www.katesvitekmemorial.org. The student(s) selected will
how you meet the criteria listed above and your
receive a $2500 award to use for internship expenses. Stuneed for this funding.
dents may also earn academic credit for their internship
through the submission of a learning contract.
To be eligible for this award, the student must be a
DEADLINE TO APPLY: Friday, March 31 at 4:00 pm
major in The Rubenstein School and:
• demonstrate outdoor leadership skills and a love for the
Questions? Contact Marie Vea-Fagnant at:
great outdoors.
[email protected] or by phone at 656-3003.
• be able to demonstrate financial need for the funding.
• have completed their sophomore year before doing the
internship.
VERMONT GREEN JOB & INTERNSHIP FAIR
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15, FROM 12:00 – 4:30 PM
The tentative agenda for the day is as follows:
The event will be held in the Billings Student Center, co12:00 - 12:30 pm **Remarks by Lt. Gov. Brian Dubie
sponsored by UVM’s The Rubenstein School of Environment
and Natural Resources, UVM Vermont Campus Energy
12:30 - 1:30 pm **Panel presentation, “Future Possibilities
Group, and the Vermont Environmental Consortium.
in Sustainable Energy Solutions.” Professionals and educators in the field of sustainable and renewable energies will
The event is an excellent opportunity for students to network share their thoughts on the future.
with Vermont’s environmental businesses, agencies, and organizations and learn about job and internship opportunities
1:30 - 4:30 pm **Jobs & Internships Fair. Participating
in the Green Mountain State!
firms and organizations will meet with students to discuss the
internships and career opportunities they offer.
CONSERVATION EDUCATION JOBS
WITH VERMONT FISH & WILDLIFE’S GREEN MOUNTAIN CONSERVATION CAMP TEAM
Natural Resource Instructor Positions Available
Seasonal position: June – August, 2006
Send resume and letter of
interest by March 15, 2006.
Instructors work at one of two conservation camp sites
conducted by Vermont Fish & Wildlife. Areas of instruction include hunter education, first aid, forestry, fishing, Mark Scott
Vermont Fish & Wildlife Dept.
ecology, and fish and wildlife management.
103 South Main St., 10 South
Applicants must have completed at least one year of col- Waterbury, VT 05671-0501
lege and have a major relating to wildlife, conservation, [email protected]
or education.
10
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/help_wanted.html. For further information contact: Marie Vea-Fagnant, Career Services Coordinator, 656-3003, email: [email protected]
INTERNSHIPS
Atlantic Research Center Intern
The Atlantic Research Center (ARC) at
Cape Cod National Seashore (CCNS)
promotes research focused on the coastal
ecosystems of the northeast's National
Parks. This year, internship opportunities
include amphibian monitoring, kettlepond
water quality monitoring, vernal pond vegetation monitoring, saltmarsh nekton and
vegetation monitoring, and a study examining the response of benthos to estuarine
restoration.
You can apply through the Student Conservation Association at: www.theSCA.org or
contact:
Nancy Finley, Chief of Natural Resources
Cape Cod National Seashore
99 Marconi Site Rd.
Wellfleet, MA 02667
Phone: 508- 349-9052 ext. 216
Email: [email protected]
Research Intern: Harvard Forest - Harvard University
http://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/
May 30 - August 18, 2006
Harvard Forest offers an exciting program
for up to 30 undergraduate students and
recent graduates to collaborate with scientists conducting ecological investigations
for 12 weeks during the summer of 2006.
Harvard Forest research focuses on the effects of natural and human disturbances on
forest ecosystems, including global warming, hurricanes, forest harvesting and invasive organisms. Visit http://
harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/education/reu/
reu.html for our on-line application. Applications are due March 5, 2006
Research Experiences for Undergraduates– Konza Prairie and Kansas State
University.
The research theme of the REU Site program will be in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology of a Temperate Grassland.
Complete applications must be received by
March 1, 2006. Information on the REU
program, including application forms, can
be obtained at :
www.k-state.edu/bsanderc/reu, or by contacting DR. GAIL W.T.WILSON, REU
Program Coordinator, Division of Biology,
EM:[email protected],
PH: (785)532-2892.
BACHELOR’S DEGREE REQUIRED
The State of Vermont, Department of
Forests, Parks, and Recreation has a fulltime position open for application until
February 16th, 2006 for a Senior Research
and Statistics Analyst. Responsibilities
include management of complex databases
Research Assistant
We are seeking a laboratory research assis- of forest health projects and related information for VMC and FPR, programming
tant to assist with a DOE funded project
and administration of the VMC website,
examining the impact of elevated CO2 on
archival and analysis of data, maintenance
forest soil organic matter transformations.
This project primarily will entail laboratory and creation of automated data collection
work, including soil incubations using 13C- systems, data quality control, preparation of
administrative reports, presentations at delabeled substrates and analysis of soils for
partment and public meetings as well as
carbon isotopic composition (d13C) of
related technical administrative, and outphospholipid fatty acids. Interested applireach duties.
cants should send a curriculum vitae and
letter of interest to: Dr. Susan Ziegler, Asso- Contact: VMC Acting Executive Director
and Monitoring Coordinator, Sean Lawson
ciate Professor, Department of BiologicalSciences, SCEN 632, University of Arkan- at (802) 879-5687 [email protected]
Or :http://erecruit.per.state.vt.us/ to apply.
sas, Fayetteville, AR 72701
([email protected]).
MASTER’S DEGREE REQUIRED
Field Technician
needed for a population study of the Bicknell’s Thrush in the montane forests of the
northeastern US and southeastern Canada
for June and July 2006. The project is for
graduate work at the University of Vermont
and is being conducted in conjunction with
the Vermont Institute of Natural Science
and The Canadian Wildlife Service.
Please send a cover letter, resume and 3
references to [email protected] or by snail
mail to: Sarah Frey, Re: Bicknell’s Thrush
Project, Aiken Center, 81 Carrigan Dr.,
University of Vermont, Burlington, VT
05405. To learn more about Bicknell's
Thrush visit http://www.vinsweb.org/cbd/
MES/. Feel free to email with questions.
Graduate Positions
School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, Michigan Technological
University. We are seeking two graduate
students (Ph.D.) for the following positions.
Both projects will examine trade-offs between plant and avian community diversity
and productivity in grassland and forest
landscapes in the Great Lakes region. For
more information, contact David Flaspohler
([email protected], phone: 906-487-3608)
or Chris Webster ([email protected];
phone: 906-487-3618).
PHD REQUIRED
Posted 12/20/05 Director, School of Natural Resources
An innovative administrator/scientist is
Penn State assistantship in forest ecology sought to promote and facilitate multidisciplinary activities within the School of Natuand carbon cycling
A Research Assistantship is available to
ral Resources at The University of Arizona.
work as part of an interdisciplinary and
Applicants should apply online at http://
inter-institutional team funded by a USDA www.uacareertrack.com (position #34075).
Inquiries should be directed to David E.
NRI grant to quantify the effects of fire
suppression, wildfire, and fire management Cox, Associate Dean and Search Committee
strategies on long-term C storage in ponder- Chair, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Office of Academic Programs, P.O.
osa pine forests of the southwestern
Box 210036, The University of Arizona,
US. Interested students should contact
Tucson, AZ 85721-0036; (502) 621-3612;
Jason ([email protected]) or Margot
([email protected]) for more information.
[email protected].
The position is open until filled, but to ensure consideration, applications should be