S N R N e w s

Volume XIII
No.5
March 2002
SNR News
Newsletter of the School of Natural Resources • The University of Vermont • http://snr.uvm.edu/events/news/snr_newsletter.html
Gift Will Expand Environmental Learning
Opportunities
By Will Mikell
UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT STUDENTS will
have expanded learning, research and outreach opportunities in sustainable forestry
thanks to a $230,000 donation from the
Westford Forestry Foundation. The gift
establishes an endowment fund in the
School of Natural Resources, named for
Marthe Kruse of Westford, Vermont, and
her late husband, Henrik.
SNR 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, the SNR
Student Resource Area (336
Aiken) and in the Dean’s
office.
http://snr.uvm.edu
Editor:
Melissa Levy, NRP ’03 G
210 Aiken Center
[email protected]
Assistant:
Stefanie Folk, RM ‘02 U
Email:
[email protected]
“This generous contribution will give our
students broader hands-on experiences.
They’ll be in the forests, maximizing their
exposure to sustainable practices,” said
Don DeHayes, dean of the School of
Natural Resources. The Kruse Sustainable
Forestry Fund will support sustainable
forestry internships for academic credit, the
establishment of sustainable forestry
demonstration areas, and the development
of sustainable forestry seminars and outreach activities, DeHayes said.
“We wanted to support what UVM is
already doing well and expand the practical
opportunities so students see what’s happening on a larger scale, in more locations,” said Christian Kruse, son of Henrik
and Marthe. The Kruse family owns and
operates the 450 acre Westford Woods Tree
Farm, which is home to one of the few
small band saw mills and solar kiln operations in the state. Their progressive timber
management and land stewardship practices also have earned Henrik and Marthe
the Vermont Woodlands Association honor
of being Chittenden County’s Outstanding
Tree Farmer in 1997.
During the past six years, UVM Forestry
Professor Dale Bergdahl has been working
with the Kruse family designing and implementing sustainable forestry practices with
the aid of his forestry students working as
interns. These interns mainly have been
involved with the implementation phase by
getting their “hands dirty” working on
ongoing projects such as forest health
inventories and the development of a geographic information system (GIS) database
for the property.
“The Kruses have been a great inspiration
to our students and faculty by virtue of
their responsible forest management practices and abiding concern for the welfare of
wildlife and the forest ecosystem as a
whole,” DeHayes said. “We intend to emulate their private land management practices on University-owned forest land in
ways that involve our students in hands-on
learning experiences. The late Henrick
Kruse was a passionate believer in innovation, learning-by-doing, and implementing
new and improved ways of managing
forests in a way that can enhance local
communities. Our students will experience
his vision,” he said.
UVM intends to use the Westford Forestry
Foundation’s gift as a catalyst for an effort
to raise $500,000 in endowment funding
for educational and research activities related to sustainable forestry. “This is the start
of a solid foundation from which we can
build upon, “DeHayes said. “We believe
others support the expanded educational
opportunities we’re providing and hope
they will follow the Kruses’ lead by contributing to the sustainable forestry fund.”
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SNR News
Library Living Machine
By Mark Keffer, Natural Resources
Planning Graduate Student
THERE 'S A NEW LIVING MACHINE in the
front lobby of the Bailey-Howe Library. If
you look just to your right as you enter,
you will see a curious assortment of tanks
sitting in a small wading pool, with bubbles
bubbling, water gurgling and various bits
of tubing snaking from tank to tank.
The basic idea of a living machine is that
plants and other aquatic organisms can
treat wastes and purify water. In the
process, the plants absorb needed nutrients
and a diverse food web is sustained. Living
machines, developed by UVM’s Dr John
Todd, have been used all over the world to
treat wastes and purify water without the
addition of harmful chemicals. The model
in the library, set up by graduate student
Mark Keffer, is a small demonstrator to
show some of the principles and ideas
involved.
There are all kinds of life in the living
machine. At first glance, it is easy to notice
the tall plants emerging from the system,
such as papyrus, taro, and calla lilies. As
you look more closely though, there is
much more to see. Frogbit and tiny duck-
weed float on the surface of the water,
snails move about through various containers (and love to hang out in the in-between
tubes), moss grows on top of the tall central tank, and that tank itself is full of
tilapia fish. Even more important are the
tiny invertebrates, algae and microorganisms that all have homes in one tank or
another.
Another important idea for living machines
is that nature will do a better, quicker and
cleaner job of treating wastes than we
could ever devise, and all we have to do is
provide the right conditions for nature to
do what it does best. The model in the
library provides a home for a wide variety
of organisms; these organisms, just by pursuing their normal life activities, can clean
the water and provide for plant growth.
Living machines allow us to work with
nature, instead of always trying to work
against it.
The library’s living machine is still growing!
One of the taro plants was recorded to
have grown 50 cm (20 inches) in just one
week. Also, the system itself will change
over time; watch for the new, larger and
more visible home for the fish within the
upcoming month. Stop by and have a look!
Focus on Graduate Student Research
By James Olsen, Wildlife & Fisheries Biology
WITH DONNA PARRISH AS MY ADVISOR, I
undertook my master’s thesis research on
juvenile Atlantic salmon in the Connecticut
River in southern Vermont. Atlantic salmon
are an anadromous fish species and are
native to the Connecticut River, but were
extirpated from the watershed in the early
1800s. Currently there is a large-scale
effort involving four states and several federal agencies to restore salmon to the
Connecticut. The support for my study was
a grant to the Vermont Cooperative Fish
and Wildlife Research Unit for the National
Marine Service. Vermont Fish and Wildlife
provided in-kind support.
My research focused on the growth of
salmon in the year prior to their migration
to the ocean; specifically, I studied when
salmon grow over the course of a year and
what factors influence their growth. Some
of my findings included that salmon grow
well during early spring (i.e., March-April)
despite cold water temperature, salmon
density can have substantial effects on
growth, and drought conditions have variable effects on growth. I defended my thesis
on December 12, 2001 and we hope to
publish our research later this spring.
I have recently accepted a position with
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks as a fisheries biologist in Columbus, which is north
and east of Yellowstone and adjacent to the
Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness area. I will
perform population monitoring of trout
populations in the lower Yellowstone River,
Stillwater River and other local streams
and lakes. I will also work with landowners
and other agencies to restore habitat and
improve the aquatic resources of south-central Montana.
SNR News
SNR in Action
PRESENTATIONS
Professor Thom McEvoy was recently invited by the Hawaii Forest Industry Association
to develop and teach a five-day curriculum for logging contractors on the islands in May.
The program is a replication of the Logger Education to Advance Professionalism (LEAP)
program developed by McEvoy and others in Vermont, that has served since 1991 as a
national model for logger education in the US.
Several faculty, staff and graduate students in SNR’s Park Studies Lab participated in the
conference on Monitoring and Management of Visitor Flows in Recreational and
Protected Areas held in Vienna, Austria, January 30th to February 2nd. Bob Manning
presented a keynote address on the lab’s program of research on carrying capacity of
national parks and related areas. Steve Lawson also attended and presented two papers.
The first, co-authored by Steve and Bob, was titled “Integrating Multiple Wilderness
Values into a Decision-Making Model for Denali National Park and Preserve.” The second, co-authored by Steve, Bob, Bill Valliere, Ben Wang, and Megha Budruk, was titled
“Using Simulation Modeling to Facilitate Proactive Monitoring and Adaptive
Management of Social Carrying Capacity in Arches National Park, Utah, USA.” Steve
and Bob also participated in a conference workshop on simulation modeling.
PUBLICATIONS
McEvoy, T.J. 2002. The Future of Forests and Forest Products: Some Thoughts on
What’s to Come in Our Industry. Forest Products Equipment Journal. January Issue, pp
13 - 14.
McEvoy, T.J. 2002. Managing Woodlands for Wildlife. Farming - The Journal of
Northeastern Agriculture. February Issue, pp 42 - 44.
McEvoy, T.J. 2002. The Evolution of Logger Education Programs in the US. Forest
Products Equipment Journal. February Issue, pp 23 - 26.
McEvoy, T.J. 2002. Using Fertilizers in the Culture of Christmas Trees - 2nd Edition.
Racing Dreams LLC., Bolton Valley, Vermont. 176p.
RESEARCH
Professor Thom McEvoy
was recently awarded a
grant from the Vermont
Dept. of Forests, Parks and
Recreation and the US
Forest Service to fund a
major, two-year effort entitled: Estate Planning for
Woodland Owning Families.
($40.5K - FY 02 - 03). The
purpose of the project is to
show woodland families
how to keep forest holdings
intact by teaching methods
of long-term, intergenerational forest planning.
SNR Volleyball Update
The SNR FacTeam took on the undergraduate co-rec intramural volleyball circuit on
Saturday, February 9th and advanced to the second round with a 2-1 record. They
missed advancing to the playoffs with a 1-2 performance. Al “the trickster” McIntosh
used his wily moves to outsmart the opposition and give Al “tall guy” Strong and Austin
“the sneaker” Troy openings to lay the opposition low. Sheryl “the Ace” Glubok
(Austin’s better half) served her way to many critical points for the
team. Deane “it hurts” Wang managed his way to standing up most of the time.
The Team takes on the “Graduate or Challenge” team from SNR on
February 28th at 9 PM...
Be there to watch the Graduate Students try to clean the faculty clocks.
Note: any undergraduate challenge team is invited to throw down the gauntlet.
Location: Patrick Gym Track facility
Time: 9 PM
3
4
SNR News
Earth Day Activities
INTERESTED IN DOING SOMETHING
really awesome on Earth Day?
SEEDS (Student Environmental
Educators Doing Something) runs
afterschool programs teaching kids
about the environment, along with
running a program with the girl
scouts. This year we have decided
to hold an Earth Day event, both
on campus and in the Burlington
community, and we are in the
beginning stages of planning. We
are going to be working with other
environmental groups on campus,
particularly VSTEP, and hope to get others
involved as well. We are having our first
meeting to discuss ideas and make plans on
Wednesday, February 27th at 8:30 in the
Fireplace lounge, at L/L. Anyone who has
an interest in Earth Day and would like to
share their ideas, help organize, or just volunteer is welcome to attend!!!!
Questions? Email
[email protected] or call the
Volunteers in Action office and ask for us,
656-0789
Ecological Design Studio to Examine Retrofitting of
Hills Building
Sitar Concert
By Alex Moody
On Saturday, March 9,
2002, Philadelphia-based
sitar player Allyn Miner will
give a concert of North
Indian (Hindustani) classical music and will be
accompanied by Samir
Chatterjee on the tabla.
Presented by the Friends of
Indian Music and Dance
(FIMD), the concert will
start at 7:00 pm, at the
Music Dept. Recital Hall on
UVM’s Redstone Campus.
Tickets are $10 for general
admission, $7 for FIMD
members and $5 for students. Advance tickets are
highly recommended and
are on sale at the UVM
Campus Ticket Store
(802/656-3085).
The Ecological Design Studio, headed by
design guru Dr. John Todd of Ocean Arks
International, has begun research and
design on the future of the Hills
Agricultural Science Building at the
University of Vermont. The University
administration recently announced its
intention to reconstruct the building, which
could possibly involve the complete
removal and rebuilding of Hills.
For information, please call
(802/860-9556, or email
[email protected] or visit
our website:
www.uvm.edu/~fimd
ADA: Individuals requiring
accommodations should
contact Sue Pochop at
(802) 656-3166, no later
than February 27.
The Ecological Design Studio hopes to
present a cost-effective alternative to traditional architectural standards. While many
students and faculty feel that the current
building should be replaced, the goal of the
Design Studio is to retrofit the old building,
using the principles of ecological design.
The studio is currently laying the groundwork to begin the ecological retrofit of the
future building. Preliminary sketches focus
on the development of a ‘living architecture.’ “A building should be able to
respond to the seasons and have its own
internal metabolism,” says Dr Todd.
The ultimate goal of the project is to design
a cost-effective and aesthetically pleasing
retrofit for Hills that has a low ecological
footprint.
This will be achieved through the use of the
latest sustainable resource technology,
including photovoltaic and passive solar
systems, rainwater gathering, recycled construction materials, rooftop gardening, and
ecologically sound wastewater treatment
methods, including the use of Dr Todd’s
Living Machines.
The Design Studio is comprised of
University students from diverse academic
backgrounds, and the group will be
employing aid from many experts in order
to present a complete and convincing
design to the University administration.
University President Dr. Daniel Fogel has
expressed his interest and his vision for a
‘green’ University; coupled with the
relocation of the Institute for Ecological
Economics to the University of Vermont,
this presents a promising future for the
University, and for ecological design.
Watch future editions of this newsletter for
updates on the process.
John Todd, research professor in
natural resources, is in a select
group of 35 inventors that
includes Henry Ford, George
Washington Carver and Steve
Wozniak, who are profiled in
Inventing Modern America: From
the Microwave to the Mouse. See
Will Mikell’s article on John Todd
on the SNR website at
http://nature.snr.uvm.edu/events/
jtoddinventor.html.
SNR News
Focus on Internships
By Jamie Weaver, Environmental Science,
Senior
IMAGINE WORKING WITH A BOSS who has
provided a job displaying some of
Vermont’s greatest vistas. Or rather imagine
a job where you spend the entire work day
in the woods, and you’re paid for it while
receiving three credit hours. Does it sound
too good to be true? Nonsense. During the
summer of 2001, I and fellow SNR undergraduate students worked with Dr. Bill
Keeton in the School of Natural Resources.
The summer of 2001 was spent learning
invaluable skills. I had the opportunity to
use pieces of equipment such as the Trimble
GPS unit used to locate sampling plots, clinometers to measure the percent slope of
the sampling area, and a laser surveyor to
accurately and quickly determine tree
heights. I also became familiar with standard sampling techniques to measure
parameters such as percent cover of ground
vegetation and soil depths. These tasks
were learned while working in three study
areas scattered around the state.
Our work was divided into two distinct
geographic regions: northern and southern
Vermont. The southern region focused on
developing plots throughout MarshBillings-Rockefeller National Historic Park
(MBR) which is located in Woodstock,
Vermont. The plots will be annually sampled to determine the forest health and successional pathways for the many stands
and tree plantations throughout the park.
The plantations consist of both native and
exotic trees, and many of the older
American Beech trees are plagued with a
devastating pathogen, Beech Bark Disease.
All of these aspects have left park managers
scratching their heads as to the future
direction of the park and how to best manage for these changes. The monitoring plots
will assist in answering these questions.
The data collection is predicated upon an
age old sampling method, slightly refined
by Dr. Keeton. The protocol consists of a
series of nested squares. Within the boundary of each square, certain parameters are
measured. Such parameters
include obtaining data on tree
seedling and sapling counts,
groundcover vegetation and
tree species inventories, tree
diameter, height and tree
health, depth of the O horizon, and the length, diameter,
and decomposition stage of
large decaying pieces of wood.
The remainder of the summer
was spent sampling at Mount
Mansfield and Jericho
Working in the forest with Dr. Bill Keeton
Research Forest. Aside from a
few minor modifications, data collection
and sampling methods were similar to
those methods conducted at MBR. Unlike
MBR, the data for Jericho and Mount
Mansfield is not for a monitoring program,
but rather for obtaining pretreatment conditions prior to silvicultural applications,
directed towards restoring ecological characteristics of old-growth forests. Such characteristics include the importance of large
pieces of coarse woody debris, complex
vertical vegetative structure, and dead
standing snags. Dr. Keeton is experimenting
on how best to restore these structures
through new experimental silvicultural
techniques. These techniques, however, will
not be used until the winter of 2002-2003.
Instead, the summer of 2002 will consist of
more pretreatment sampling.
Dr. Keeton’s project provides an opportunity to acquire “real world” experience right
in our backyard. Aside from this, his work
also helps to restore ecological integrity to
the forests of Vermont. This work experience overall has helped shape my focus for
studies at the graduate level as well as
define employment opportunities following
graduation.
5
Help Wanted
The following is a sampling of positions listed at SNR. Job postings are updated daily on the SNR Job Board outside the Dean’s
office in the Aiken Center and weekly on the web at http://snr.uvm.edu/community/help_wanted.html. For further information,
contact: Jan Spencer, Career Services Coordinator, 336 Aiken Center, 656-3003, email: [email protected].
PART-TIME JOBS
APPALACHIAN TRAIL CREW.
Spend a week or more building
or rehabilitating a piece of
America’s best known long-distance trail. Great scenery, food,
transportation, lodging, tools,
equipment, training, and opportunity for fun all provided.
Contact: Green Mountain Club,
4711 Waterbury-Stowe Rd.,
Waterbury Center, VT 05446,
802-244-7037, www.greenmountainclub.org. (356)
PROJECT LAUNDRY LIST.
Project Laundry List uses words,
images, and advocacy to educated people about how simple
lifestyle modifications, including
air-drying one's clothes, reduce
our dependence on environmentally and culturally costly energy
sources. Contact: Career
Service, Work-Study
Coordinator, Living/Learning, E
Building, 802-656-3450. (487)
INTERNSHIPS
CAMPAIGN COORDINATOR
ASSISTANT. Missoula, MT.
Work with the National Forest
Protection Alliance's campaign
coordinator with projects concerning political research, event
coordinating, and communications. Contact: www.oriononline.org/pages/ogn/members/nfpa
.html. Applications accepted
year round. (I155)
REGIONAL FARM AND
FOOD PROJECT. Albany, NY.
The Regional Farm and Food
Project, a non-profit educational
organization, is seeking interns
interested in farming, environmental, nutrition, community
development or sustainable agriculture issues. Contact:
www.oriononline.org/pages/ogn/
members/rffp.html. Applications
accepted year round. (I157)
RESTORATION INTERNSHIP.
San Francisco, CA. Be a part of
the Habitat Restoration Team
whose goal is to preserve, restore
and maintain the natural diversity and beauty of the Golden
Gate National Recreation Area.
Contact: Terry Kreidler, Fort
Mason, Building 201, San
Francisco, CA 94123, 415-5614755, [email protected].
(I228)
FIRE EDUCATION CORPS.
Student Conservation
Association. Work with US
Forest Service to educate and
inform homeowners about making their homes more defensible
against wildland fires through
public outreach, home evaluations, and fuels reduction projects. ositions available in photography, vegetation studies,
GIS/GPS mapping and research,
public relations, community outreach and environmental education. June through August
2002. www.scainc/vo/raca/racasrch.asp (I337)
LANDSCAPE
ARCHITECT/PLANNER
INTERN. McHenry County
Conservation District,
Woodstock, IL. Responsibilities
include site inventory, field
observation, and preparation of
site analysis maps, site maps,
Master Plans and landscape
planting design. Contact:
Steven Gulgren at 815-338-6223
or [email protected].
(I510)
BACHELOR'S DEGREE
REQUIRED
DOMESTIC FISHERIES
OBSERVER. Work for Alaskan
Observers, Inc gathering management data for the
Government, living and working
aboard U.S. flagged commercial
fishing vessels operating in the
Bering Sea, North Pacific, and
Gulf of Alaska. Contact: David
Edick, Alaskan Observers, Inc.,
130 Nickerson, Suite 206,
Seattle, WA 98109, 1-800-4837310 or 206-283-7310,
www.alaskanobservers.com,
[email protected].
No closing date-positions open
year-round. (B097)
ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAM SPECIALIST.
Department of Environmental
Conservation, various locations
throughout New York state.
Perform a variety of tasks
including carrying out of projects or serving as a member of a
project team in the resolution of
problems related to solid and
hazardous materials, environmental remediation, water
resources, or air resources.
Contact: www.dec.state.ny.us.
(B351)
MASTER'S DEGREE
REQUIRED
RESEARCH SUPPORT SPECIALIST. Gloversville, NY.
Lead a field and laboratory
study of contaminant levels in
mink, river otter and muskrat in
New York's Hudson Valley
region. Contact: Milo
Richmond, Unit Leader, NY
Cooperative Fish and Wildlife
Research Unit, 202 Fernow Hall,
Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
14853, [email protected].
(M169)
WILDLIFE BIOLOGIST.
Mojave Desert, CA. Responsible
for planning cooperative
research activities and making
public presentations. Other
duties include collaborating with
and supervising staff biologists,
consultants, and student interns
during extensive field investigations. Contact: Dr. Phil Leitner,
Project Director, California State
University, Stanislaus,
Endangered Species Recovery
Program, 1900 N. Gateway
Blvd., Suite 101, Fresno, CA
93727, [email protected].
(M290)
Ph.D REQUIRED
SENIOR COASTAL/MARINE
ECOLOGIST. Arlington, VA.
Act as the Association for
Biodiversity Information (ABI's)
resident expert on coastal and
marine issues and be responsible
for implementation of ABI's
Coastal Habitat Initiative.
Contact: Melisssa Molter,
Human Resources & Operations
Coordinator, Association for
Biodiversity Information, 1101
Wilson Blvd., 15th floor,
Arlington, VA 22209,
[email protected].
(Ph.D.119)
FACULTY
Boston University-Faculty
Positions (Environmental Policy
and/or Management and
International Economics and
International Environmental
Policy Specialist)
Oglala Lakota College-Instructor
of Wildlife
Conservation/Conservation
Biology
University of Illinois-Faculty
Position (Tourism and Leisure)
Rutgers University-Assistant
Extension Specialist (Water
Quality Management)