News The Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources

The Rubenstein School
of Environment and Natural Resources
News
Vol. XXVI, No. 5, March 2005, The University of Vermont, www.uvm.edu/envnr
Community Empowerment through Grassroots Organization:
A Travel Study in AIDS Education and Batey Life in the Dominican
Republic
By Andrew D’Aversa, RSENR Class of 2005
It seemed at some point throughout each
day as we traveled to the Batey Libertad, a small
Haitian community a half hour outside of Santiago, we spotted a
The Rubenstein School
rainbow someNews, published monthly
where in the sky.
from October through May,
Whether it was
is one of the school’s prifound hovering
mary vehicles for keeping
over the distant
students, faculty, and staff
lush green mouninformed. We publish news
tains or growing
and highlight coming
out of the cinderevents, student activities,
and natural resources emblock wall on the
ployment opportunities.
community soccer
Copies are available in the
field, it never failed
Aiken Center lobby and the
to show its beauty.
Student Resource Area (336
It was hot, the sun
Aiken) in the Dean’s office.
was constantly
http://www.uvm.edu/envnr
blazing, and the
kids were always
Batey Street
smiling. In the final
Editor:
two weeks of winter break, twelve UVM stuSara Lovitz, NRP ‘05G
dents, alumni, and Professors Jon and Pat Erick218 Aiken Center
son (Rubenstein School and Animal Science)
[email protected]
traveled to the Dominican Republic to pilot an
HIV/AIDS education project in this migrant
worker community. The project was the brainchild of Jeff DeCelles (CDAE ’03) and Oriana
ISSUE HIGHLIGHTS:
Campanelli (ENVS ’04) who now work for the
- Travel Study to the
HIV/AIDS prevention and education organizaDominican Republic
tion Grassroot Soccer (www.grassrootsoccer.org)
- The Rubenstein School and who co-founded the Batey Libertad Coalition
in Action
with John Antonucci (Sociology ’04).
- Greening Aiken Update
Bateyes are communities of migrant
- Upcoming Events
workers in the Dominican Republic (DR), lack- Kesha Ram at the WSF ing the most basic access to health care, clean
- Shane Lishawa’s
water, and sanitation. Chronic health conditions
Graduate Research
include blindness, malnutrition, diarrhea, diabe- Help Wanted
tes, hypertension, malaria and tuberculosis. Haiti
- and more
and Batey communities within the DR also have
the highest rates of HIV infection in the western
hemisphere (perhaps the highest outside Africa).
Haiti and the DR combined account for more
than 80% of all HIV cases in the Caribbean.
Batey Libertad is a poor Haitian community
about forty minutes outside Santiago that depends on migrant agriculture jobs and each other
to sustain themselves. The atmosphere in this
community was extremely positive with each
family opening their one room homes and huge
hearts to our class. They have so little but keep
spirits very high and cherish what they do have.
Feeling comfortable enough to stay one night in
the Batey (with three or four UVM students to a
bed) showed the generous hospitality of these
people, making it an interesting and humbling
experience for the whole group.
Students worked with the men’s and
women’s soccer teams doing various Grassroot
Soccer activities which proved to be fun and educational for all. The activities indicated that
many of the girls have rudimentary knowledge on
the subject of sex and HIV/AIDS and while the
men understood more, they were far from being
well informed. Using soccer as a universal language, it was easy to connect with the community
and build a sense of trust and ownership of
knowledge, discovered through games and role
playing. The culminating event was a soccer
tournament
sponsored by
the class
in
which
UVM
students
joined
Haitian
men and
women
in beat- Women’s soccer team
ing rival
Dominican teams.
(Continued on page 4)
2
The Rubenstein School News
The Rubenstein School in Action
PUBLICATIONS
McEvoy, T.J. 2005. Estate Planning Saves Money. Farming -- The Journal of Northeastern Agriculture. Vol. 8, No 2 - February Issue. pp 78 – 80(3).
McEvoy, T.J. 2005. Designing Forest Access that Protects Soils and Streams. Forest
Products Equipment Journal. Vol. 13, No. 6 - February Issue. pp 24-29(5).
McEvoy, T.J. 2005. Business-Use Equipment Tax Benefits Extended. Farming -- The
Journal of Northeastern Agriculture. Vol. 8, No 3 - March Issue. pp 55 – 56(2).
Newman, P., R. Manning, D. Dennis, and W. McKonly. 2005. Informing Carrying Capacity Decision Making in Yosemite National Park, USA Using Stated Choice Modeling. Journal of Park and Recreation Administration 23(1): 75-89.
PRESENTATIONS
Masters Student Shane Lishawa attended a conference, presented a poster, and submitted a paper to the symposium proceedings of the Third Symposium of the Hemlock
Woolly Adelgid in Asheville, NC, February 1-3rd.
Masters Student Kelly McCutcheon gave a presentation entitled, “Considering scale
in the design of stream and watershed classification systems” at the ASLO (American Society of Limnology and
Oceanography) 2005 Aquatic Sciences Meeting in Salt Lake City, UT, February 20-25, 2005.
Post-Doctoral Research Associate Mazeika Sullivan gave a presentation entitled, “Connecting physical and
biotic thresholds in streams” at the ASLO (American Society of Limnology and Oceanography) 2005 Aquatic
Sciences Meeting in Salt Lake City, UT, February 20-25, 2005.
Two Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources professors delivered papers at the American Association for the Advancement of Science Meeting in Washington, D.C. Feb. 17-21. Assistant Professor Saleem
Ali spoke on "Himalayan High Ice: Climate, Water, Hazard, War and Peace," describing potential escalation of
conflicts in border countries over water as the climate changes in the region. Professor Robert Costanza delivered "New Developments in Human and Social Dynamics: Social Science for Public Policy." The AAAS is one
of the premier nonprofit organizations of scientists worldwide and publishes the journal Science.
MEDIA
Assistant Professor Saleem Ali was interviewed for a six-minute segment by the BBC World Service radio program "The World Today" about the impact of the Siachen conflict and environmental changes on South Asia's
water supply. The BBC World Service is the world's largest media broadcast covering over 150 countries.
OTHER
Over the winter break Assistant Professor Saleem Ali conducted a field visit to the diamond processing centers
of Surat, India to work on a new research paper on "Diamonds and Development." In addition Saleem Ali received a $43,500 grant from the Tiffany & Co. Foundation to do a two-year study of the environmental impact of
gemstone mining in Brazil, Burma and Madagascar.
The Rubenstein School News
3
UPCOMING EVENTS:
International Dinner and Presentation Event
Wednesday, April 6th, 5:30-7:30 PM, Aiken 116, sponsored by the RSENR Diversity Task Force.
Dinner is free but you must reserve a space by contacting Casey Hayes by March 31st at:
[email protected]
5:30 PM—Introductions by Professor Saleem Ali:
Event Presenters: Libby McDonald—Ecuador, Zach Carson—
Costa Rica and Namibia, Ben Graham—Tasmania, Andrew
D’Aversa—Dominican Republic, Ganlin Huang—China, Nathaly
Filion—New Zealand, Ryan Crehan—16 European countries
GREEN FLASH: Greening Aiken activities heating up
It may be cold outside but the greening of Aiken has really heated up. Committees bringing together the Aiken
community, the Maclay design team and professional colleagues from across campus have been tackling project
issues like landscaping and the green roof, water use and conservation, open space design, and material use/recycling. Highlights from various committees are summarized below; please contact
the committee chair for further information or to help:
Space: most discussion has centered on the design and use of the new atrium, which will house
both a solarium and a living machine. Planned as a gathering place for the School and the campus,
the atrium must be designed to be both highly attractive and broadly functional (Chair: Dave Hirth;
e-mail [email protected]).
Water: with the help of students Dave Brownlow and Blake Rainville, the committee has been surveying water
use (thanks to all for good participation!) to help in the design of the water systems, including a living machine,
in the renovated Aiken Center. Students in Roelof Bouman's Greening Aiken class are also modeling storm water
quality and quantity and investigating conventional, alternative and experimental strategies for water use, treatment and reuse in the building (Chair: Barton Kirk; e-mail [email protected]).
Landscape/green roof: most of the work in this committee has focused on the type and extent of the green roof;
committee members are investigating the feasibility of using the green roof as an experimental watershed and are
debating modular vs non-modular types of roofs. Issues of landscaping around the building are next on their
agenda (Chair: Roelof Boumans; e-mail [email protected]).
Materials: this committee is working closely with students in NR 105, NR 206, and Roelof's modeling class and
John Todd and Bob Costanza's ecological design studio to gather information on both reuse/recycling and new
materials for the project. A particular focus is on strategies for using certified Vermont lumber as a source of
wood for the project. (Chair: Keri Davis; e-mail [email protected])
Again, if you'd like more information or would like to work with any of the committees, please contact the
appropriate chair.
4
The Rubenstein School News
(DR story continued from page 1)
The tournament was followed by a community celebration and a
special vodou ceremony making it a day we'll never forget.
The group stayed in the city of Santiago for most of the duration,
traveling to Puerto Plata for two days of relaxation and to Santo
Domingo to present our work to the Batey Relief Alliance. Part
way through our presentation the Alliance wanted to know how
and when we could expand the Grassroot Soccer curriculum to
other Bateyes in the country.
Each student took away something very different and
meaningful from the trip, but the whole group could agree that
the experience was powerful and reflective in that many of us
thought back to the way Americans and many other developed
countries live. Each individual, family, and community finds
happiness in their own respective way.
The Grassroots Soccer trip did
not end when the
students and faculty
arrived back in Vermont. During our
stay we were inspired to return to
Burlington and help
raise funds for a
much needed health
clinic to service this
community and
neighboring migrant
Soccer Field—Vermont Invencibles
communities in the
Esperanza region of the DR. After visiting a huge art market in
the capital city Santo Domingo, the idea for an art auction was
born! With rolled up paintings, wood carvings, and stone statues
in tow, the class returned to balmy Vermont with a beautiful
array of art from the Caribbean island of Hispaniola. Over 40
pieces of art from Haiti and the
Dominican Republic were up
for bid as part of a Silent Art
Auction to raise money for the
clinic.
The silent auction ran
from February 23rd to 25th, commencing after a special 2:30
John Lico and Andrew
p.m. seminar by and reception
for Michele Wucker, Senior
Fellow of the World Policy Institute and author of "Why the
Cocks Fight: Dominicans, Haitians, and the Struggle for Hispaniola". Michele spoke about the historical and cultural roots
of conflict and underdevelopment in the Dominican Republic
and Haiti, the two countries sharing the island of Hispaniola, and
the role of culture and new migration in creating prospects for
change. Haitian migrants labor under sub-human living and
working conditions in Dominican cane fields, even as a growing
Dominican consciousness of African roots has begun to soften
animosity toward Haitians. Michele also discussed the role of
the million Dominicans and million Haitians in the United States
in the future of Hispaniola.
After the excellent and well-attended seminar with numerous questions for Ms. Wucker, the silent auction battle began. There was a long line with friends and colleagues vying for
the final high bid just before 5pm. There were many smiles and
a few disappointed folks, but overall the auction was a great
success, raising almost $3000 for an excellent cause. Jon and Pat
Erickson will be returning to the DR over March break to continue working on the health clinic.
UVM Continuing Education is trying something new. This summer, UVM Alumni/ae will be able to participate in a summer session travel-study course offered for undergraduate and graduate students, but not sign up for credit.
ENVS 195/295: Natural History, Cultural Heritage, and Community-based Ecotourism Initiatives
of Ecuador's Upper Amazon Basin and Galapagos Islands
3 credits
26 May – 13 June 2005
On this travel-study course, we visit several islands in the Galápagos Archipelago to experience some of our planet's most intriguing flora and fauna and geological landscapes and learn about efforts to protect this unique living laboratory by means of National
Park, Biosphere Reserve, and UNESCO World Heritage Site designation. We also learn about
the natural history and cultural heritage of Ecuador's upper
Amazon basin and experience community-based ecotourism
initiatives. This involves observation of local flora and
fauna on hikes in the primary rainforest with native
Quechua guides, night excursions, and upper rainforest canopy trips, as well as travel by dug-out canoes down the
Napo River. We also visit Quito, located right on the equator, and Otavalo market in the highlands.
Further information: [email protected] or 656-0171
The Rubenstein School News
5
Focus on Undergraduates: The World Social Forum
Kesha Ram, ‘08
The World Social Forum is the largest environmental and social justice event on the planet, is attended by presidents and world leaders, and has been
taking
place
annually for
five
years,
but
sadly
most
Americans
don’t
even
Honors College Students Lindsey Bryan, Devin Klein
know it
and Kesha Ram spent a week at the World Social Forum
exists.
in Brazil researching a film about issues facing young
I was
people around the world. (Photo: Bill DiLillo)
fortunate enough to find out about it at a conference in California two years ago, and that knowledge has changed
my life.
The World Social Forum (WSF) first took
place in 2000 in Porto Alegre, Brazil, a time when governments were being sued by the World Trade Organization (WTO) and multinational corporations for trying
to keep genetically modified foods out of their countries and protect endangered species from industry pollution. It was created to counter the policies and activities of the World Economic Forum (WEF), which takes
place in Davos, Switzerland, at approximately the same
time as the WSF. Organized in conjunction with the
World Bank and WTO, the WEF pushes economic interests over environmental protection and social justice.
Therefore, the WSF maintains the stance that environmental and social justice should be valued above economic freedom.
In 2004, the WSF moved out of Brazil for the
first time and was held in Mumbai, India. This was my
first WSF. I organized a trip for a small group of students out of my high school; we brought a video camera, did some interviews, and returned home with footage to make a documentary. As amateur as our film
was, it showed many people in the Los Angeles area
that students cared enough to travel halfway across the
world to attend an event and share their experiences.
Thus, when the WSF came around again this January, I
organized another small trip, this time out of UVM.
This year, I wanted to focus the documentary on issues
of youth empowerment and student action since we
were staying in the Intercontinental Youth Camp, a
branch of the WSF just for young people to camp together and discuss their role as the next generation.
Dancing, singing, sleeping, showering, and talking
amongst 30,000 youths from all over the world was an
indescribable experience. We hope to highlight the
differences and similarities between young people from
around the world and those from the United States with
our film. This is because the US was (understandably)
cited as the root of a lot of corporate and military evil,
but people from around the world want more Americans to attend the conference and prove this horrible
stereotype wrong.
If you would like to get involved in the issues
I’ve discussed above, there are many organizations on
campus that are dealing with them directly, such as the
Students for Peace and Global Justice and the Consortium for Ecological Living. I urge you keep yourself
updated on the times and dates of our WSF presentations on campus once our film is complete (probably in
mid-April). Our website is
“worldsocialforumproject.org” and you can contact me
at [email protected] for email reminders. Last but certainly not least, come to Caracas, Venezuela, next January for the Sixth Annual WSF and always remember:
Another world is possible!
See article in The View, Filming a Forum, by Jon Reidel, published February 14, at:
http://www.uvm.edu/theview/article.php?id=1516
6
The Rubenstein School News
Living Lab
By Jon Reidel, The View, February 23, 2005
Waking up in the
middle of the
night with escaped beetles
crawling all over
wasn’t part of the
project proposal.
Neither was
nearly getting
arrested by campus police for
taking some
Students Wyatt Sidley (left) and Gautam Muralidharan sit in the midst of their indoor ecosys- sand, or the viotem located in their Living/Learning Center suite. lent death of a
(Photo: Bill DiLillo)
lizard at the toes
of a pet store
frog gone wild after being re-introduced to wilderness — as
wild as a college dorm with a pond, rubber plants, orchids and
baby palm trees can get, anyway.
Such is life in the experimental jungle of Living/
Learning, where junior Gautam Muralidharan and his suitemates have built a miniature indoor ecosystem in the common
area of their rooms.
Projects like these have inhabited the themed floors of
Living/Learning since its opening in 1973. L/L’s mission is to
provide a residential environment that integrates formal and
informal learning experiences and encourages students to be
responsible for their own education. And that it does: more
than 40 programs currently exist in the maze of brick residence
halls, ranging from clusters of students interested in topics including foreign languages, art, Japanese animation, documentary filmmaking and emergency medicine.
John Sama ‘84, the center’s director and alumnus of
the emergency medicine program, says graduates often point to
the lifetime connections they made by living there. Some even
parlay their experience into a profession. One graduate of the
mime and circus arts program went on to work for Ringling
Bros. and Barnum & Bailey before teaching physics in a clown
outfit to students around the country. Another graduate of a
sign language dorm is now an ASL interpreter. “People often
tell me at alumni weekend how they made lifetime connections
with people of similar values at Living/Learning,” Sama says.
“I know I did.”
Welcome to the jungle
When you walk into Room 370 in Building E of Living/Learning, the first thing that hits you is the warm blast of
humidity. It’s balmy for February, especially afternoons, when
the sun hits the Mylar wallpaper on the wall above the 36square-foot oasis below, warming the trees, edible plants and
pond stocked with frogs and minnows.
The interior ecosystem came about after Muralidharan, and partners William Wheeler, Wyatt Sidley, Joe Cos-
mides and Benjamin Kruse submitted a formal project proposal
through Living/Learning’s “Walking the Walk: Applying Your
Natural Resource Education” program. That initiative is designed to provide students with opportunities to blend formal
coursework in natural resources with a living environment that
emphasizes applying that knowledge to day-to-day life.
The resulting common area has become a popular
destination for students looking to escape from the dreariness
of the Vermont winter. Some visitors say it looks like a giant
terrarium or compare it to one of Professor John Todd’s living
machines. “Most people aren’t sure what to make of it and just
think it’s cool and that the air is really clean in here,” Muralidharan says.
“I thought it was the coolest thing I ever saw,” says
first-year student Oliver LaFarge, who was inspired to start his
own ecosystem in his room one floor below. “I moved my bed
out of my room and sleep on the floor to make room for it. I
get a lot of enjoyment out it — tending my garden so to speak.
It’s amazing how happy it makes people just to walk in here
and see it.”
For Muralidharan, the project has become a way to
put his classes in ecosystem management and ecological design
into practice. “This is a living lab that I can try out things that
I’ve learned in class,” he says. “I’m seeing what happens up
close when I allow for structure and function in an ecosystem.
We get to sit right at the foot of nature so we can constantly
interact with it. It’s also been keeping us sane during winter.”
Walking the walk
The project has also put the students in contact with
people they normally wouldn’t have interacted with, and
helped to create new alliances. Aside from meeting campus
police, who thought the students were stealing sand for a beach
party but now ask them “how their jungle is doing,” the students received free gravel from Pizzagalli Construction; roofing from Evergreen Slate; rocks from the geology department
and plants from the UVM Greenhouse. That’s all part of the
plan, says Professor John Shane, chair of forestry and director
of Walking the Walk.
“It’s incorrect for us to believe that there is a magic
separation between what students do in school and what they
do after class,” Shane says. “We as educators are missing the
boat if we’re not engaging them in the other two-thirds of their
existence. We ourselves know that the majority of real learning
we did in college wasn’t in the classroom. Geometry, for example, doesn’t mean anything until you try to build a lean-to.”
Muralidharan says he hopes his indoor ecosystem will
motivate students to take part in the university’s push to become a “green campus.” “There’s been a lot of talk about
making this a green campus, but we’re actually doing something about it. We broke some rules, bypassed some red tape
and apologized later, but we got it done. We took quite a bit of
heat and I know that L/L has taken a little heat as well, but
John Sama deserves credit for going to bat for us. Experimental
education is what Living/Learning is all about. That’s the main
reason I’m living here.”
The Rubenstein School News
Focus on Graduate Research:
Shane Lishawa, Vermont’s eastern
hemlock ecosystems at risk
Increasingly, non-indigenous plants, animals, fungi,
and microorganisms are adversely affecting the biodiversity
and ecological processes of native
ecosystems in North America and
the world. Although the processes of species dispersal and
colonization have shaped evolutionary history, the current rate
and scale of species dispersal as
influenced by humanity is unparalleled in history. As world trade
and travel has heightened in the
last century, the unintentional
introduction of biological invader
has increased concurrently. The
perpetual introduction of biological invaders forces us to either
manage and resist further introduction or passively watch native
Snowy Hemlock
ecosystem succumb to invasion.
A non-indigenous species currently causing much
concern is the aphid-like insect, hemlock woolly adelgid
(HWA). This insect species is primarily responsible for the
death and declining health of eastern hemlock throughout
much of its range in eastern North America. The reduction
of eastern hemlock in the landscape is tragic in its own right,
but when considering the dramatic ecological implications of
the selective removal of this dominant and unique tree species the consequences become nearly immeasurable.
Eastern hemlock is a unique player in the East’s
ecology because of its tendency to grow in monospecific
stands or “groves”, its extreme shade-tolerance, dense canopy structure, potential for extremely long life, and ability to
alter and acidify local soil conditions. Eastern hemlock’s
shade-tolerance allows needles to photosynthesize while
deep in the forest
canopy, which in
turn allows the plant
to maintain a dense
network of living
branches throughout
the crown of the
tree, thus creating a
canopy of such denBlack throated green warbler
sity that little light
can penetrate. At low and mid elevations in the northeast,
the microclimatic conditions in the light limited, moist, and
acidic hemlock stands are unique ecologically. Eastern hemlock stands are strongly associated with numerous vertebrate
7
species including the black-throated green warbler, blackburnian warbler, Acadian flycatcher, porcupine, and white-tailed
deer. Eastern hemlock is of particular importance in providing winter cover in Vermont’s deer wintering areas.
In the first week of February, former RSENR masters student Ben Machin, Dan Ruddell of Antioch New England, and I attended the third symposium of the hemlock
woolly adelgid in Asheville, North Carolina. Some 200 concerned citizens, land managers, and researchers attended and
participated in the conference. The symposium highlighted
current forest service, national park, and university research
concerning HWA. Presentations and posters displayed the
most up to date research occurring in the field. This was the
most dramatic experience I have had with an open community of collaborating researchers. It was extremely encouraging to meet many of the people responsible for the body of
growing HWA research that I have become so familiar with
in my time here at UVM. I presented a poster displaying the
current state of my research at
the conference.
In brief, the first goal of
my thesis research focusing on
deer wintering areas, is to incorporate an eastern hemlock coverage map into a HWA risk assessment model for southern Vermont. Vegetation data, collected
with the assistance of RSENR
senior Shawn Hyland, and site
characteristics such as slope,
aspect, soil moisture, elevation,
and distance to stream, are being
incorporated in a model predict- Riverside Hemlocks
ing where in the landscape of southern Vermont eastern
hemlock currently exists. If we can determine where eastern
hemlock is, and where the environmental conditions are right
for the survivability of HWA, then we can focus monitoring
and potential eradication efforts on those areas at highest
risk.
There is a noticeable lack of research on eastern
hemlock winter ecology. The second goal of my research is
to quantify some of the effect of eastern hemlock coverage
on winter microclimatic conditions. I am conducting a study
comparing the snow depth and temperature profiles within
eastern hemlock and hardwood stands. Preliminary results
reveal significant temperature and snow depth buffering in
hemlock dominated stands.
I like to think of eastern hemlock as the grandfather
species of Eastern forests. HWA is currently within miles of
the Vermont border and with its introduction our forests may
lose eastern hemlock. With these things in mind, it becomes
apparent how vital it is to understand the role eastern hemlock plays in the ecology of New England’s forests.
8 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
WILDLIFE RESEARCH ASSISTANTS – CO
You will help assist with locating, capturing and
radio collaring both mule deer and white-tailed deer
fawns, locating fawns and does with radio telemetry
equipment and compiling and summarizing data
using spreadsheets. Apply: send a cover letter
explaining interests and dates of availability, resume, and names and phone numbers of 2 references Contact: Deer Telemetry Project, Rocky
Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, Building 121, Commerce City, CO 80022, email:
[email protected] (email encouraged) Deadline: April 30 (I076)
CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN – NATIONAL
SCIENCE FOUNDATION RESEARCH
Awards will be given to qualified undergrads who
are interested in conducting plant research. You
will gain hands-on experience and training in a
wide variety of filed studies, including: plant demography, quantitative genetics, molecular ecology,
plant breeding, and more. Core program activities
include the desing and executaion of independent
mentored research projects and participation in
weekly seminars. Apply: applications and further
info from Dr. David Lentz Contact: Dr. David
Lentz, email: [email protected] Deadline:
March 15
WILDLIFE BIOLOGY INTERNSHIP – US
DEPT OF INERIOR Your duties will consist of
assisting with amphibian bird and other wildlife
surveys. You may also assist with wildlife surveys,
public use/environmental interpretive work and
other general refuge activities. Apply: application
packet required: update resume with 3 references,
current college transcript, desired internship period,
written statement addressing the three qualifications
requirements Contact: Internship Coordinator,
Lake Umbagog NWR, PO Box 240, Errol, NH
03579, phone: 603-482-3415 Deadline: March 18
SCHAEFFER RESEARCH INTERNSHIP –
MOHONK RESERVE You will have the opportunity to work with Preserve research staff, worldclass scientists and land managers on land management related initiatives, recreational impact assessment projects, ongoing field studies, and detailed
data collection as part of the Research team. Interns
will also develop an individualized research project
and complete a written report. Apply: freshmen
and sophomores; send a copy of resume, cover
letter clearly stating your reasons for pursuing this
internship and what you hope to gain as part of
career goals, your transcript and two letters of recommendation Contact: Paul Huth, Director of
Research, Daniel Smiley Research Center, Mohonk
Preserve, Inc., 1000 Mountain Rest Road, New
Paltz, NY 12561 Deadline: March 15 (I108)
ESTUARINE RESEARCH EXPERIENCE –
MASSACHUSETTS You will conduct independent research projects that are linked to larger studies
of watershed, streams, estuary, marshes or tidal
creeks. In addition, participants are expected to
assist principal investigators to gain experience in a
variety of research areas related to coastal science.
Apply: send cover letter describing your area of
interest, resume, unofficial transcripts and the
names/addresses/phone numbers and email of 3
references Contact: Marine Biological Laboratory,
Attn: Human Resources reference code [REU
TIDE], 7 MBL St., Woods Hole, MA 02543, email:
[email protected] with [REU TIDE] in subject line
Deadline: April 1 (I110)
resume; list of 2 references with phone and email
contact information; copies of unofficial college
transcripts Contact: Shanti Berryman, Dept of
Forest Science, 321 Richardson Hall, Oregon State
University, Corvallis, OR 97331, email:
[email protected], phone: 541737-9882 Deadline: April 1 (B040)
LAND PROTECTION PROGRAM ASSISTANT – BUZZARDS BAY You work under the
supervision of the Trustees’ Buzzards Bay/South
Shore Land Protection Specialist. Your primary
responsibilities include 1) assisting the Westport
Program Coordinator with the identification of
WILDLIFE BIOLOGY – LAKE UMBAGOG
conservation opportunities and the protection of
NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE You will
priority properties in Westport in connection with
assist with amphibian, bird and other wildlife surveys. You may also be asked to assist with wildlife an ongoing land protection partnership with the
surveys, public use/environmental interpretive work Westport Land Conservation Trust 2) assisting the
Buzzards Bay/South Shore Land Protection Specialand other general refuge activities. You may also
ist with a variety of conservation-related projects
do maintenance and landscaping work. Apply:
throughout the region, including preparation of
application packet: update resume, names of 3
references, current college course transcript, desired documents, proposals and reports and representainternship period, written statements addressing the tion at meetings. Apply: submit a cover letter,
resume, 2 references, and salary requirements Con3 qualification requirements (knowledge of both
tact: Buzzards Bay Program Assistant Search, The
wildlife bio/natural resources management via
Trustees of Reservation, 1100-D Main Rd, Westcoursework or experience; ability to clearly and
effectively communicate both verbally and in writ- port, MA 02790, email: [email protected] (no phone
ing; ability to work both independently and with
calls please) Deadline: April 1 (B044)
individuals Contact: Internship Coordinator, Lake
Umbagog NWR, PO Box 240, Errol, NH 03579,
MASTER’S DEGREE REQUIRED
phone: 603-482-3415 Deadline: March 17 (I111)
EXTENSION AGENT: FORESTRY AND
FORESTRY/BOTANY – LAKE UMBAGOG
NATURAL RESOURCES - VIRGINIA You
will determine program needs by monitoring trend
NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE You will
conduct forest stand exams on 5,000 acres of hard- and issues involving extension leadership councils
wood, softwood and mixed wood stands. Survey
and other leadership committees; design programs
forest structure and vegetation associated with bird to meet needs of target audiences, specifiy program
point count stations. Assis in developing habitat
goals and objectives, and identify resources; inform
management plan and wetland vegetation surveys.
clientele of program activities; use appropriate
Apply: application packet: update resume, names of technologies to plan and deliver programs; etc.
3 references, current college course transcript, deApply: required to apply online http://jobs.vt.edu,
sired internship period, written statements address- you must also submit by attachment a cover letter,
ing the 3 qualification requirements (knowledge of complete resume and a listing of references contact
forestry, dendrology and botany through courseinformation for three individuals, also a copy of
work or experience; ability to clearly and effecofficial undergrad and grad transcripts Contact:
tively communicate both verbally and in writing;
Carolyn Sowers, Personnel Manager, 121
ability to work both independently and with indiHutcheson Hall, Virginia Tech 0437, Blacksburg,
vidual Contact: Internship Coordinator, Lake
VA 2401, questions: phone: 540-231-7619,
Umbagog NWR, PO Box 240, Errol, NH 03579,
[email protected] Deadline: April 15
phone: 603-482-3415 Deadline: March 17 (I112)
DIRECTOR OF MONITORING PROGRAMS
BACHELOR’S DEGREE REQUIRED
– NEW JERSEY AUDUBON SOCIETY You
will develop, execute and promote aspects of New
Jersey Audubon Society’s research mission that
FOREST ECOLOGY FIELD POSITIONS –
OREGON You will participate in vegetation stud- emphasizes avian population monitoring using a
ies as part of the Density Management Study. The
variety of widely used field and analytical methods.
study was designed to investigate whether thinning Duties include managing existing monitoring proat various densities can accelerate development of
grams, hiring and supervising technical staff, and
late-successional characteristics in managed young conducting statistical analysis of data. Apply:
forests. You will establish and sample permanent
submit cover letter, resume, 3 references Contact:
plots to characterize response of vegetation compo- David Mizrahi, VP for Research, New Jersey Audusition and structure to harvest treatments. Apply:
bon Society, 600 Route 47 North, Cape May Court
cover letter that includes your qualifications, work- House, NJ 08210, email:
related interests, and your dates of availability;
[email protected] Deadline:March 15