Inside ESF 1998-2

The magazine of the SUNY

COLLEGE OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & FORESTRY

INSIDE E◆S◆FINSIDE E◆S◆FSummer 1998Summer 1998

In This IssueINSIDE ESF is published fourtimes each year for alumniand friends of the SUNYCollege of EnvironmentalScience and Forestry.

SUNY-ESF

1 Forestry Drive

Syracuse, NY 13210-2778

President: Ross S. Whaley

Vice President for Administration:

Connie S. Webb

Editor and Designer: Jeri Lynn Smith,

Director of News and Publications

Photo Credits: page 3, Justin F.

Culkowski ’73; page 4, Ben Dall,

SUNY System Administration

(Hjerdt); page 6, Empire Forester;

pages 7-12, Claire B. Dunn; page 11,

Richard A. Schwab ’69; page 13, Ben

Dall

Additional Assistance: Kathleen A.

Ciereck, Geraldine C. Trendell

Office of News & Publications

122 Bray Hall

315-470-6644

Campus Update 4Leopold Named Distinguished Teaching Professor

Rawls Earns Chancellor’s Award; Five ESFStudents Cited For Excellence

Chemistry Alum Donates $200,000 To Jahn Lab

Renowned Scientists Speak On Campus

Commencement Wrap-Up

Bridging The Scientific Gap 6ESF’s Environmental Studies Project uses the WorldWide Web to help high school teachers enhancetheir science classes with real-life research.

The Muskie Fishing Is Getting Better 8ESF’s Ellis International Laboratory in the ThousandIslands has helped area residents—and the state’seconomy.

Campus Profile: Kevin Reynolds 13The Public Safety officer has more than campussafety on his mind.

On The CoverCover photographer Claire B. Dunn shows off theRobin Hood Oak, the number one tree on NewYork’s historic tree register. A very dry season in1995 coupled with nearby construction took itstoll on the tree’s health. Last year, the collegebrought in Cayuga Tree Service owner ChrisSandstrom ’75, a respected arborist who pruned,fertilized, and otherwise undertook to rejuvenatethe campus’ favorite tree.

The State University of New York College of Environmental Science andForestry offers a diverse range of accredited programs and degree options inchemistry, construction management and wood products engineering, envi-ronmental and forest biology, environmental resources and forest engineer-ing, environmental studies, forest resources management, forest technology,landscape architecture, and paper science and engineering.

The College’s mission is to be a world leader in instruction, research, andpublic service related to: understanding the structure and function of theworld’s ecosystems; developing, managing, and using renewable naturalresources; improving outdoor environments ranging from wilderness, tomanaged forests, to urban landscapes; and maintaining and enhancingbiological diversity, environmental quality, and resource options. As such,ESF has maintained its unique status within SUNY’s 64-school system as oneof only four specialized colleges and one of only eight doctoral-grantinginstitutions.

ESF takes affirmative action to provide equal opportunity for all peopleand to build a campus community that reflects a wealth of diversity.Printed on recycled paper.

1998 Summer INSIDE ESF 3

Campus Views

The ‘Alumni’ Annual Fund: Shifting A Paradigm

by Gary A. Waters

In the coming months, an organizational changewill shift responsibility for the Annual Fund fromESF’s Office of Alumni Services and the AlumniAssociation to the college’s Office of Develop-ment. Success—not the lack of it—is the drivingforce behind this decision.

Several years ago, the Alumni Association un-dertook the challenge of soliciting ESF alumni toraise scholarship funds to assist students withtheir educational expenses. Whether at public orprivate schools, students always have had andalways will have financial difficulties affording acollege education.

The gap between what students can afford topay for higher education services and the cost ofa college education increases each year—often bya rate higher than inflation.

During the last 10 years, New York state fund-ing for ESF has dropped from a high of approxi-mately 85 percent of the college’s total budget toless than 50 percent today. Quipsters on indi-vidual State University of New York campuseshave taken to calling their institutions “state as-sisted” instead of “state supported.” But the situ-ation is no joke for those schools—including ESF—whose missions are unique in the state and whosereputations for excellence are worldwide.

Maintaining programs of quality and distinc-tion and attracting talented students regardless oftheir ability to pay requires money. During thissame 10-year period, student enrollment at ESFincreased and the college’s reputation as a pre-mier institution grew. Scientists and studentscontinued solving “real-world” problems related

to environmental issues. Credit for sustaining thismomentum is due in no small part to the generoussupport of ESF alumni.

To date, the Alumni office, in particular JustinCulkowski ’73, theoffice’s director, hasmanaged all aspects ofthe Annual Fund. Theoffice has done thiswhile carrying out themany other functionsof a well-run alumniservices unit.

The success of theAnnual Fund, and itscritical importance tothe institution, re-quired a decision toinvest more resourcesin it. For that reason,management of the An-nual Fund is shiftingto the Office of Devel-opment, the primary fund-raising arm of the col-lege.

In no uncertain terms, alumni always will bethe central focus of the Annual Fund. Assistingdeserving students with educational expensesalways will be the core purpose of the AnnualFund. Implementing changes to build on this forthe future is a challenge ESF is most fortunate tohave.

Gary A. Waters is ESF’s director of Developmentand executive director of the ESF College Founda-tion. He joined the college staff in 1997.

Gary A. Waters

4 INSIDE ESF Summer 1998

Campus Update

ESF DendrologistNamed DistinguishedTeaching Professor

Dr. Donald J. Leopold was nameda Distinguished Teaching Professorby the SUNY Board of Trustees.

Leopold has been amember of ESF’s Facultyof Environmental andForest Biology since 1985.He teaches dendrology,freshwater wetland eco-systems, and Adirondackecosystems.

The nomination docu-ment submitted by the col-lege describes Leopold as“a splendid teacher, stu-dent mentor, and learningfacilitator of the highestcaliber.”

Leopold’s research fo-cuses on forest and wet-

land ecology. In the last five years,he has worked on research grantstotaling almost $1 million.

Leopold earned his bachelor’s andmaster’s degrees from the Univer-sity of Kentucky and his doctoratefrom Purdue University.

He is the co-author of the recentlypublished Trees of the Central Hard-wood Forest: An Identification andCultivation Guide, has written chap-ters in five other books, and pub-lished more than 30 articles in jour-nals and technical publications.

Distinguished Teaching Profes-sors are a prestigious tenured rankabove that of full professor. Facultymembers who receive the title areexpected to devote time to curricu-lar reform and to the improvementof instruction.

Rawls Honored BySUNY Chancellor; FiveStudents Cited ForExcellence

ESF’s director of Student Activi-ties, Julie L. Rawls, was awarded a

Chancellor’s Award for Excellencein Professional Service while fiveESF students were among 75 SUNY-wide to be named to the list of inau-gural Chancellor’s Awards for Stu-dent Excellence.

Rawls joined the Student Affairsstaff in 1993. She plans programs forthe college’s 1,800 graduate and un-dergraduate students on the Syra-cuse campus and at the RangerSchool in Wanakena. The programsinclude commencement, convoca-tion, and orientation, and Rawlsworks extensively with student gov-ernment and student organizationson campus.

A program she designed to helpintroducefreshmento colle-giate lifeearned thetitle ofS U N YOutstand-ing Stu-dent LifeP r o g r a mfor 1997.During hert e n u r e ,Rawls alsohas imple-mented leadership training semi-nars and recently assumed a newrole as ESF’s chief student judicialaffairs officer.

The Chancellor’s Award for Ex-cellence in Professional Service rec-ognizes extraordinary professionalachievement.

The Chancellor’s Awards forStudent Excellence, created lastyear, honor students whose“academic achievements bringcredit to themselves and the entireState University.”

ESF’s recipients are K. NiclasHjerdt of Uppsala, Sweden, a gradu-ate student majoring in forest re-sources management; Marcy Lay-man ’98 from Sanborn, NY, and

continued on next page

Donald J. Leopold

Julie L. Rawls

K. Niclas Hjerdt


Karen Roach ’98 from Syracuse, bothpaper science and engineering stu-dents; Suzanne P. Wechsler, a forestresources management graduate stu-dent from West Hollywood, CA; andHelga K. Zollner of Aschafenberg,Germany, a paper science and engi-neering graduate student.

“ESF is tremendously proud tobe represented by these five stu-dents, among the first honored withChancellor’s Awards,” said ESFPresident Ross S. Whaley. “That ourcollege—whose student body rep-resents about one-half percent ofthe total SUNY student body—should have almost 7 percent of theChancellor’s Awards recipients saysa great deal about the quality of ESFstudents.”

ESF Draws NotableSpeakers To CampusFor Spring Events

Carl Djerassi, listed by the Ameri-can Chemical Society as among themost important chemists of the 20thcentury, spoke on campus as part ofthe Distinguished Lecturers inChemistry series. His April 24 pre-sentation coincided with Earth Weekcelebrations at ESF.

Djerassi is considered the inven-tor of the birth control pill. He wasthe first scientist to synthesize theactive chemical component of thepill. He also is credited with pio-neering environmentally safe meth-ods of insect control.

The Distinguished Lecturers inChemistry series is one activitymarking ESF’s “Year in Chemistry,”a celebration tied to last October’sopening of the Edwin C. JahnLaboratory.

by Claire B. Dunn

ESF has received a $200,000 giftfrom an alumnus who said hewanted to give somethingback to the college thatstarted him on a path to asuccessful career.

Walter Smith of PortolaValley, CA, a member of theClass of ’54, donated$200,000 to the Jahn Lab Ap-peal, the fund-raising cam-paign to equip the college’snew, state-of-the-art chem-istry building. Smith’s do-nation is the largest singlegift the college has ever re-ceived from an alumnus.

The gift brings the JahnLab Appeal to within$50,000 of its $1.1 million goal.

“I was a chemistry student, sothis fits very well with what I hadbeen given by the school,” Smithsaid. “I think ESF has a sense forexcellence. I look for that in peopleI work with. It’s a place you learnthat average just isn’t good enoughand I like that.”

Smith, a Kingston, NY, native, isthe founder of Prognostics, a com-pany that developed new methodsfor measuring consumer satisfactionand loyalty. He sold the companylast year to NFO Worldwide Inc., amarket research company based inGreenwich, CT, for $30.9 million instock. NFO is traded on the NewYork Stock Exchange.

He said his methods take a tech-nical approach to assessing customersatisfaction, much the way a chem-ist tries to solve a problem.

“You get data and do experimentsover and over again,” he said. “Youalways have to be measuring what’simportant.”

The aim is to achieve a balancebetween what is important to a

customer and thecustomer’s levelof satisfaction.

“Without hav-ing been at thecollege, I nevercould have devel-oped the method-ology of precisemeasurements,”he said.

“ I ’ m v e r ypleased to see acontinuation ofthe level of excel-lence I rememberbeing at the col-

lege when I was a student. It takesreal dedication from a lot of peopleto maintain that level of excellencefor so many years.”

Smith studied pulp and papertechnology, and high polymerchemistry at ESF. He later earned amaster’s degree from the HarvardUniversity Graduate School ofBusiness.

He began his career in the plas-tics division of Dow Chemical Co.and then worked with LongviewFibre Co., where he gained experi-ence in the paper industry. He thenmoved into IBM’s paper industrymarketing group in San Francisco,where he worked on marketing com-puter techniques for use in the pa-per industry.

In the 1970s, he worked with twomarketing/consulting companies inthe high-tech sector, and foundedPrognostics in 1981. During the next16 years, Prognostics developed aclient list of 250 companies in 30countries.

$200,000 Gift Helps EquipESF’s Chemistry Lab


Campus Update,continued

Walter Smith ’54


Campus Update,continued

Howard Thomas Odum, theworld-famous scientist who foundedsystems ecology, delivered the key-note address for the Spotlight onGraduate and Undergraduate Re-search symposium, sponsored byESF Faculty Governance April␣ 14.

The University of Florida profes-sor emeritus’ controversial 60-yearcareer has focused on ecological eco-nomics and engineering, and envi-ronmental policy evaluation. Oneof his former students, Charles A.Hall, is an ESF professor who spe-cializes in systems ecology and en-ergy issues.

355 Receive Degrees AtCommencementCeremonies; RangerSchool Graduates 44

ESF conferred more than 350 de-grees during commencement cel-ebrations May 9-10 in Syracuse.

Angela M. Blair of Harpursville,NY, an Environmental and ForestBiology student, was Class of 1998valedictorian. Peter L. Fry ofGabriels, NY, a Landscape Archi-tecture student, was salutatorian.

ESF’s 300 baccalaureate, 40master’s and 15 doctoral candidatesreceived their degrees from ESFPresident Ross S. Whaley and Boardof Trustees Chair Curtis H. Bauer ’50during ceremonies held jointly withSyracuse University in the CarrierDome. Best-selling author RobertFulghum was the 1998 commence-ment speaker.

Daniela J. Shebitz of Nyack, NY,and Michael W. Wichrowski ofAttica, NY, were named class mar-

The EnvironmentalStudies Project:

Bridging TheScientific Gapby Mary Beth Malmsheimer

Recent reports on high school sci-ence education have revealed twodisturbing facts. While students un-derstand basic scientific informa-tion, they lack in-depth knowledgeof how scientific inquiry can helpsolve everyday problems. And thatmay be why high school studentsoften lose interest in science.

ESF’s dean of Nonresident Pro-grams, Robert C. Koepper, knew thatscience can be both fun and intellec-tually stimulating, especially if itinvolves the environment. He wasconfident ESF could help promoteinterest in science among highschool students. Assembling a groupof SUNY colleagues, Koepper de-veloped the Environmental StudiesProject, a unique program thatbridges the gap between secondaryand higher education by linking highschool teachers and their studentswith outstanding environmental sci-entists and faculty in the State Uni-versity of New York.

The Environmental StudiesProject (ESP) is based on a series ofinstructional modules, explainedBrian L. Fisher ’83, senior staff as-sistant for Continuing Education andproject coordinator, that are acces-sible via the World Wide Web<http://www.esf.edu/esp>. Eachpresents a student-centered, hands-on approach to environmental edu-cation. Written by a variety of SUNYfaculty, the modules encourage stu-dents to learn by doing.

Modules include complete les-son plans with components de-signed to foster ideas for original


shals and led the procession of col-lege degree candidates into theDome. Both Shebitz and Wichrowskimajored in Environmental and For-est Biology.

ESF’s 1998 Faculty Honors stu-dents are Penelope J. Houston ofHoneoye Falls, NY, and Amber K.King of Camillus, NY, Environmen-tal Studies; Blair and Shebitz, Envi-ronmental and Forest Biology; andJason A. Rodrigue of Gloversville,NY, and Jason A. Pieklik of Syra-cuse, dual program in Environmen-tal and Forest Biology/Forest Re-sources Management.

Also, Michael R. Lippacher ofBarneveld, NY, and Benjamin C.Pokon of Hancock, NY, Forestry;and William G. Palmer of Syracuseand Robert E. McBride of Rochester,NY, Paper Science and Engineering.

Also, Denise R. McCoskery ofSyracuse and Thomas F. Rogers II ofMonroe, CT, Construction Manage-ment and Wood Products Eng-ineering; Frank P. Sidari III of Bath,NY, and Thomas D. Parmiter ofHomer, NY, Environmental Re-sources and Forest Engineering;Michael P. Schramm of Syracuseand Josef W. Kaser of Marcellus,NY, Chemistry; and Fry and JeffreyM. Uryniak of Canastota, NY,Landscape Architecture.

Forty-four students received as-sociate in applied science degreesin Forest Technology from ESF’sRanger School in Wanakena, NY,during graduation ceremonies heldMay 23.

Robert Rogers of Altamont, NY,led the class as valedictorian.Lauchlin Groff of Springville, NY,was salutatorian.


research, laboratory and field work,classroom demonstrations, peerteaching, and group discussions. Thelimnology module, for example, in-cludes a board game, “Sink orSwim.” This game can be playedindividually or in groups and is de-signed to illustrate the impact ofchanges humans have made to afreshwater lake. “Sink or Swim”exists in hard copy format, and theinteractive computerized version ofthe game can be accessed via theESP web site. In addition, each mod-ule allows students to use the powerof the Web to access other resourcesfor more information on the topic.

“The basic idea is to tap the ex-pertise resident at the college anduniversity level and translate thatfor the high school audience,”Koepper said.

About 16 teachers across CentralNew York download the informationfrom the Environmental StudiesProject web site to supplement theirteaching plans. Heidi Busa ’80, ateacher at Marcellus Senior HighSchool and new member of the ESFboard of trustees, uses the modulesin her environmental studies class.“It is wonderful to have access to theexpertise of these research scientistswho are the leaders in their fields,”she said. “The modules provide aterrific link between the peopledoing the research and the kids inhigh school. It allows my studentsto see what it would actually be liketo be a research scientist.”

Students are able to get right downinto the water and evaluate the im-pacts of human use on watershedsthrough the Environmental Qualityof Watersheds module. This mod-ule provides various exercises thathave students taking water samples,and then determining the biologicaland chemical extent of pollutionthat exists in a particular ecosys-tem. They conduct the research andanalysis themselves and generateresults as any professional “researchscientist” would.

ESF, which developed the pro-gram under a grant from the SUNYOffice of Advanced Learning andInformation Services, is searchingfor new funds to produce additional

modules, Fisher said. “We’d like todo one or two new modules everyyear until we reach 15 to 20 total.”

An eighth module under devel-opment at ESF focuses on PublicPolicy and Environmental Manage-ment: A Case Study InvolvingOnondaga Lake. It is the first mod-ule that enables teachers to presentenvironmental issues from a socialscience, economic, and public policyperspective. It is, Fisher said, a “ho-listic approach toward environmen-tal conservation that allows studentsto understand that conserving wateror protecting the environment is anintegrated process.” Students ex-plore not only physical science butlearn that people, policy making,and law are inherent in every envi-ronmental issue.

In addition to developing newmodules, Koepper’s goal is to modifyand refine existing modules regu-

larly to keep them up-to-date andeasy to use to meet the needs of highschool teachers as well as reflectiveof scientific progress. To accomplishthis, ESF will establish a “module

development team” to refine andstandardize module formats as wellas keep them current. The interdis-ciplinary team, composed of publicschool, private school, and SUNYpersonnel, will evaluate how tomake the modules more productivefor the students and teachers.

The Environmental StudiesProject, said Koepper, is just an-other way ESF fulfills its outreachmission. “We recognize that we havean important public service missionat ESF and that working with theschools is an integral part of thatmission” he said. In addition, theproject allows research scientists tocommunicate with students andteachers and enables students to dis-cover for themselves the excitementinherent in scientific inquiry.

Mary Beth Malmsheimer is a free-lance writer and desktop publisherwho lives in Syracuse.

Janel Rao, left, and Lotta Elvander, both Marcellus High School seniors,complete a dissolved oxygen test in Nine Mile Creek.


by Claire B. Dunn

A Boston Whaler cluttered with gear putted slowlyacross a placid bay off Grindstone Island in the St.Lawrence River. It stopped alongside a big yellow buoy.

Two young scientists reached into the 50-degreewater and pulled out a heavy trap net. John Farrell, apost-doctoral associate at ESF, peered into the net andoffered a quick assessment: “Nothing.” He dropped itback into the river and steered the boat toward the nextbay and the next set of traps.

The second time, at Flynn Bay, they were luckier.“Got one pike in here,” Farrell yelled.

He pulled the northern pike into the boat and slippedit into a cooler half-filled with water. Farrell showedMolly Connerton ’95 how to determine the pike’s gen-der and take a scale sample that will reveal the fish’sage, working in much the same fashion as the rings ona tree. Farrell measured and weighed the fish. Heattached a numbered metal tag to the pike’s jaw andsnipped off a small piece of fin, leaving a tell-tale markthat will identify the fish if the jaw tag falls off and thefish is captured a second time.

“This fish is done. Then you let him go,” he toldConnerton, a fisheries technician who is working withFarrell this summer. “Hopefully, someone will catchthis fish and return the tag.”

Farrell let the pike slide back into the river andheaded the boat toward a trap net across the bay.

He and Connerton checked traps for several morehours. The work was done daily from April 7 throughJune 7, when northern pike and muskellunge finished

spawning in the St. Lawrence. Then, Farrell, Connerton,and a handful of other staff members began searchingfor young pike and muskellunge that occupy the baysduring the summer.

At the same time, twograduate students are in-vestigating other aspectsof the river’s fish popula-tion. Doctoral studentJohn Cooper is studyingthe development andfeeding habits of youngpike and muskellungethat feed on plankton.Master’s student BrianSmith ’95 is studying theway northern pike useFrench Creek, a tributary,for spawning.

Their base of opera-tions is Ellis InternationalLaboratory, a research fa-cility on a 3-acre islandgiven to ESF in 1970 byJames P. and Toni Ellis Lewis. The late James P. Lewis,a longtime member of ESF’s board of trustees, hadowned Beaver Falls Paper Co. He and his wife receivedthe island as a wedding present from Mrs. Lewis’parents.

The main building, on a bluff uphill from the boat-house and dock, serves as an office and spare sleeping

‘The muskie fishin’ isgettin’ better. . .’

Underwater nets capture catfish muskellunge and northern pike.


quarters. Farrell, who directs the day-to-day operationson the island, lives in a small building known as the“master bedroom.” Graduate students are housed in the

servants’ quarters and in a liv-ing area in the boathouse.

The island mascot isFarrell’s dog, a glossy blackLabrador retriever namedCalvin.

On maps, it is calledGovernor’s Island. Some col-lege employees refer to it asShotbag Island. In Clayton, thenearest town on the mainland,some people call it Little Calu-met because it is adjacent tothe larger Calumet Island.

“There are a number ofcolleges and universities thathave biological stations on theshore of a lake, or a river. Butright in the St. Lawrence River?I don’t know of any othercollege that has one,” said Dr.

Robert G. Werner, the faculty member most closelyassociated with the research conducted at the laboratory.

Werner, of ESF’s Faculty of Environmental and For-est Biology, has been involved in Ellis projects for aslong as ESF has owned the island. Researchers therehave investigated the relationship between terns andgulls in the Eagle Wing Islands, the egg and larval stages

of minnows and sun-fish, and aquatic plantcommunities. In re-cent years, the re-search focus has been the esocid family—Great Lakesmuskellunge and northern pike.

Over the last 11 years, the state Department of Envi-ronmental Conservation has invested more than $1␣ mil-lion in the college’s effort to research the decline of themuskellunge and pike, both of which are economicallyimportant gamefish.

According to Steven R. LaPan MS ’85, it was moneywell spent. LaPan did the research for his master’sthesis at Ellis and is now a senior aquatic biologist withthe DEC’s Region␣ 6, which includes the ThousandIslands area.

“That money ($100,000 a year) would pay for twoDEC biologists for a summer,” LaPan said. “But give itto ESF and you’ve got a small army of people out thereseven days a week.

“The presence of that research facility on the St.Lawrence River is extremely important. It has becomea mainstay to the department and to the local area,”LaPan said.

The DEC operates management research units onLake Ontario, Lake Erie, Lake Champlain, and theHudson River, but not on the St. Lawrence.

“There is no way we could pull off this level of effort.We could not effectively keep our finger on the pulse ofthe St. Lawrence River without that research facility,”LaPan said.


as well as the sought-after

Robert G. Werner


This summer’s work at Ellis is rooted in a project thatbegan about 10 years ago, when DEC fisheries expertsnoted a decline in the number of muskellunge in the St.Lawrence. The reason for the decline is a mystery.There are several theories: maybe young pike, whichhatch earlier in the spring than muskellunge, wereeating the young muskies; maybe as North America’slakes become more eutrophic and suffer oxygen deple-tion, the muskellunge, which like deep water, can’t getenough oxygen; maybe they were being fished out.

“The skills of the fishermen and the technology haveimproved over the years with things like down riggersand sonar,” Werner said. “The fish aren’t getting anysmarter.”

Werner took on the problem, performing baselineresearch to find out where the fish were spawning andliving the early part of their lives.

Werner and LaPan, then a graduate student, col-lected fish in nets, searching for nursery sites and usingradio telemetry to track the muskies. LaPan spent threeyears tracking between 30 and 40 fish. He found thebays they used for spawning. He also found some baysthat looked like perfect spawning sites, although themuskellunge apparently did not use them. The re-searchers stocked five unused sites with young fishraised in a hatchery. That was seven years ago, andsince muskellunge don’t spawn until they are 6, theresults of that study have so far been inconclusive.

“This summer is going to be a critical time,” Wernersaid. “That’s a big experiment. We’re hoping that it doeswork out successfully.”

The focus of the researchexpanded a year ago to in-clude northern pike.

“We’ve been seeing agradual decline innortherns,” LaPan said.

The DEC’s warm water fisheries assessments, inwhich nets are dropped at specific locations at the sametime each year, showed there were fewer northern pikethan in previous years. The long-term study that hadalready been directed at muskellunge made it easy forresearchers to turn their attention to pike.

What’s the reason for the northern pike’s decline?LaPan’s chief suspect is variations in water levels,which are regulated to facilitate shipping on the St.Lawrence Seaway. The result, he believes, is a slow,long-term degradation of the wetlands that providesnorthern pike and some 30 other species with crucialspawning habitat.

A year ago, the DEC agreed to include pike in thestudy that had been aimed solely at muskellunge. Theresearchers hope it is as successful as the muskieproject.

Werner, LaPan, and Farrell believe the muskie popu-lation is recovering. The trap net catches are increasing,hitting a high of 35 in 1997. Farrell is netting twice asmany fish as LaPan did 10 years ago. This spring, thenets had trapped 32 muskies. “We’ve had entire yearswhere we’ve only had 12,” Farrell said.

In addition, anglers appear to be having more suc-cess than they did a few years ago. An anglers’ diary

John Farrell releases a muskellunge that was captured in a net.

After the fish are brought on boartagged.


program and reports fromlocal fishing guides indi-cate last autumn’s fish-ing success was “phe-nomenal,” according toFarrell.

“Muskie fishing is getting a lot better,” said JimBrabant, a fishing guide in Clayton for 33 years.

He often stops at Ellis International Laboratory toshow the anglers the young fish being raised there.

“Those guys are out on the water when it’s freezingcold. It ain’t an easy life out there,” he said. “The thingsthey’re finding out have never been known before. I’mreally glad they’re doing it.”

Hilary Grimes, executive director of the nonprofitSave the River organization, said the Ellis work had a“huge” impact on both the St. Lawrence fishery and thelocal community.

“Sometimes [the ESF scientists have been] a fairlyunknown entity, but they’re getting to be better known,”she said. College staffers on the island are frequentlyinvited to speak at schools and community events, andresidents are increasingly more inclined to turn to theESF representatives with questions about the river andits fish population.

She gives the college credit for turning around themuskie decline.

“The muskellunge population has recovered,” shesaid. “The muskellunge were a really important gamefishfor the Thousand Islands area all through the early andmid-20th century. A lot of people around here depend

on anglers coming in to fish for these great big fish. Andif the anglers aren’t here, we’re losing a lot of money.”

Farrell and LaPan say ESF can claim the credit forchanges in fishing regulations that helped protect themuskellunge. State rules once said a muskie had to be36 inches long before an angler could keep it. But in1986, the minimum size was increased to 44 inches.

“The rationale for the 44-inch limit came out ofESF,” LaPan said.

When muskies begin spawning at the age of 6, theyare about 36 inches long. The change in the size limitmeans they now have at least three to five years ofspawning, instead of just one.

The research also led to the identification of 36crucial spawning sites in the river. Armed with infor-mation collected by the college, the DEC asked the NewYork Department of State to designate the areas assignificant coastal fish and wildlife habitat. Now, iflandowners want to dredge in those areas, state officialscan discourage them and offer alternatives, such as alonger dock.

“That has afforded these areas some protection. Itallows us to look at projects with a little more scrutiny,”LaPan said. “These sites are very important. They don’tjust spawn anywhere. We better protect these sitesbecause, boy, if we lose them, what happens?”

In addition to the scientific research, part of thesolution was educating people and changing theirattitudes.

Save the River began offering incentives to anglers torelease muskies. The group provides a limited-edition

rd, they are measured, weighed, and

An early spring view of Ellis International Laboratory.



print, depict-ing a St.L a w r e n c eRiver muskel-lunge paintedby local artistM i c h a e lRinger, to anglers who sign affidavits stating they havereleased a 44-inch or larger muskie.

Brabant said most of his customers at Clayton Fish-ing Charters now practice catch-and-release fishing.

“The educational effort resulted in hundreds of le-gal-sized fish being returned to the water,” LaPan said.“Some people are even releasing fish that are 54 incheslong. People are respecting this fish, how long it livesand how majestic a critter it is.

“In the early ’80s, people didn’t know that a 50-pound female fish was 15 years old and that these fishcan live to be 25 or 30 years old,” LaPan said.

Werner compares muskellunge to tigers in a jungle.They are solitary predators at the top of the food chain.

“There just aren’t that many of them at the top of thepredators’ list, so they’re hard to study,” he said. “Mostpeople fish for muskies just for the rare opportunity tocatch one. And if it’s big enough, to take it home and putit on the wall. They used to say it took 100 hours offishing to catch a single muskie.”

Werner’s interest in the big fish was born on theshores of Lake Maxincuckee (pronounced max-in-KUK-ee) in northern Illinois, where he played as a child.

“As a kid, I spent alot of time down at thelake shore and in thewoods, grabbing frogsand fishing and thatkind of thing. And Ijust became en-

chanted with that kind of environment.”That same fascination marks his interest in the St.

Lawrence River. “It’s relatively young. It’s an interest-ing system because it was under ice 10,000 years ago,”he said. “The St. Lawrence River system has been inoperation since the glaciers retreated.

“It’s a very diverse, complex ecosystem. And it’sstrongly influenced by a keystone predator, the muskel-lunge. We’re really right in the heart of muskellungeterritory. They belong here. They should be here. Theyonly exist in North America and this is one of theirbetter habitats. The Thousand Islands part of the St.Lawrence is really a critical area for them.”

Over the course of his 35-year career in fisheries,Werner has learned to look at ecosystems through theeyes of a fish.

“There are 1,800 islands and underwater islands, orshoals, in the St. Lawrence,” he said. “If you go under-water and imagine yourself as a fish, it’s pretty interest-ing. It really hasn’t been fully explored. There’s a lot tolearn about how that system works.”

Claire B. Dunn is assistant director of ESF’s Office ofNews and Publications.

John Farrell and Molly Connerton ’95 reel in a trap off Grindstone Island.


Campus

Profile

KevinReynolds:

The BridgeBuilder

by Carol Boll

The arm patch on Kevin Reynolds’bullet-gray uniform says he’s a publicsafety officer.

A more apt description would be“bridge builder.”

As he logs his nightly five to 10miles crisscrossing the ESF campus onthe 4 p.m.-to-midnight shift, Reynoldsdoes more than look for crime. He’sforging the kinds of bonds that keep acommunity safe and make it strong aswell.

Early in his foot patrol one recentevening, he pauses outside Illick Hall,gazing over the quad as a light rainfalls. A student strides by. “Hi there,”she calls over to him.

Reynolds smiles and waves. “Hi!Did you get that paper finished lastnight?”

“Yeah—Just onemore to go.”

“Good! It’s a start!”he calls back as she con-tinues on her way.

Building bridges.“There are a lot more

of them than there are ofus,” Reynolds says of thestudents. “And theyhave a lot of knowledgeabout what’s going on. Itry hard to get to knowthem. Then you have abridge, something that’sneutral, and that can fos-ter communication.…That makes for a safercommunity, and one thatpeople want to partici-pate in.”

As a public safety of-ficer, Reynolds’ primaryduty is to protect the

people and property of the ESF cam-pus. But the 12-year veteran views hisjob description through a broader lens.He talks more about community thancrime statistics. He rattles off a list offormer deans and talks proprietarilyabout the quad’s changes over the de-cades. He savors the school’s historyand ponders his role in its present.

“I have to ask myself, and I hopeevery employee asks himself—What isthe larger picture? How do I fit into the

mission of the college?” Reynolds says.“If you keep that in mind, I think youhave a much happier, healthier placeto work. And you’ll be a much happierand healthier employee, because youcan see beyond the narrow view ofwhat you do day in and day out.”

His role at ESF, beyond PublicSafety, has included stints on the Qual-ity of Worklife and Personal Safetycommittees. He also serves as crimeprevention officer, and coordinator ofthe Employee Assistance Program(EAP). In the summer, he is a trainingassociate and instructor of new recruitsat SUNY’s Public Safety Academy inAlbany.

Such involvement does not go un-noticed. “There are some people whonot only do their job well, but areparticularly good citizens,” observesPresident Ross Whaley. “People whobring a special spirit to the place. Kevin,to me, is that kind of person.

“Kevin approaches whatever hedoes with a very holistic view. Healways looks at what he does in termsof the place itself, in the context ofcreating an environment in which thestudents and the staff prosper.”

Judy Kimberlin, assistant directorof Personnel and Affirmative Action,saw Reynolds’ commitment in actionwhen they served together on the Qual-ity of Worklife Committee. After suc-ceeding her as chair of that committeesix years ago, she says, he was instru-mental in establishing the President’sPublic Service and the Quality ofWorklife awards.

“Kevin made the awards happen,”she recalls. “I think it was his tenacityand determination that the unsungworkers on campus were highlighted.”

Reynolds won the Quality ofWorklife Award himself about threeyears ago.

“Kevin takes the public safety rolefar beyond just public safety,”Kimberlin says. “He doesn’t just ask ‘Isit safe?’ or ‘Is there something wronggoing on?’ but rather, ‘Are there thingsI can do to enhance it?’ I think studentsfeel confident knowing he’s on patroland that he knows them by name.”


Kevin Reynolds


Profile: Kevin Reynolds continued

Getting to know the people in his“community” is the best part of his job,Reynolds says, and it’s one reason hedoesn’t mind working the evening shift.It gives him a chance to chat withstudents working late in the lab, thelibrary, or the studio.

He glances up as a student emergesfrom Moon Library.

“Hello there,” he calls. “You weren’tin there all night, were you?”

The student laughs and shakes herhead before moving off.

“It’s little transactions like that thatare important,” Reynolds notes, “espe-cially with a quiet student like her. Ithelps to build that bridge with littlerisk to them. She’ll be back next year,and already we have the start of abridge. And that’s important to me.”

A native of Cortland, Reynoldshoned his skill with students aftergraduating from State University Col-lege at Fredonia with a degree in politi-cal science. At the prompting of hiscross-country and track coach, he tooka job as assistant coach and residencehall director. Two years later, he left tocare for his father, who was dying fromcancer in Florida.

Reynolds returned to Fredonia in1983 to resume his residence hall workand pursue a master’s degree in stu-dent personnel administration fromState University College at Buffalo.

Given the chance to work in studentaffairs after completing his master’s,Reynolds opted instead to pursue open-ings in SUNY’s public safety division.He had gotten to know Fredonia’s pub-lic safety officers, and they suggestedhe might enjoy the work himself.

Reynolds says the residence hallexperience was good training for hispublic safety duties, because estab-lishing a healthy rapport with the stu-dent community makes his job thatmuch easier.

“I think it’s important that the stu-dents know me,” Reynolds says, “be-cause if enough of a bridge is built,

they feel comfortable coming to meand saying, ‘Kevin, what about this?’or ‘What about that?’ Or I can go tothem and say, ‘Hey, something’s beenstolen. Let me know if you seeanything’…Very few people are newto me, and I get to meet the ones whoare new pretty quickly.”

He makes a point of knowing stu-dent leaders, speaks to incoming stu-dents about Public Safety, and he greetsvirtually everyone he passes on patrol,mentally cataloging names and faces.

Paul McGuinnes, director of PublicSafety, says Reynolds’ compassion forthe students is well documented. Herecalls a time about a year ago whenReynolds was investigating a bicycletheft on campus. Unable to immedi-ately locate the bike—which the stu-dent relied on for transportation—Reynolds loaned her his own bike un-til she could replace the stolen one.

“That’s a pretty great demonstra-tion of his caring,” McGuinnes says.“He extends himself a little bit fur-ther.”

President Whaley recalls whenReynolds was singled out several yearsago to receive an end-of-the-year staffaward from the student body. That amember of Public Safety was chosenfor the honor still slightly amazesWhaley.

“Often I’m not surprised by the se-lection,” he says. “But for students tochoose somebody in a uniform who—in another context—might be lookedupon as restrictive? I think that says alot about our students and an awful lotabout Kevin.”

ESF senior Carol Johnson agrees.She first met Reynolds in passing oncampus; for the past two years, she hasworked with him in Public Safetythrough her job with the Work-StudyProgram.

“Kevin doesn’t come off as intimi-dating,” she says. “He makes it easy foryou to be his friend. But he’s not just

this happy-go-lucky guy—you respecthim at the same time.”

Reynolds’ campus duties expandedtwo years ago, when he became coordi-nator of the Employee Assistance Pro-gram. In that role, he advises employ-ees on problems ranging from drugabuse to elder care—anything that canaffect their job performance or morale,he says.

In his off hours, Reynolds likes towork out, and he’s currently trainingfor his first triathlon. An avid distancerunner since his school days, he’s work-ing on his swimming technique—thoseflip turns were a struggle—and hisendurance on a bike.

The running has been known tocome in handy at work. Like the timehe came upon a bicycle theft inprogress. When the suspect sawReynolds approaching, he took off, andReynolds gave chase across campus.

“I’m a pretty good runner, and Istayed right with him,” Reynolds re-calls. “He looked back, and his eyes gotwide. He didn’t expect that.” Reynoldsand his supervisor, Lt. Dan Dugan,cornered the suspect behind the Car-rier Dome and made the arrest.

“Dan thinks that may have been theonly time somebody was caught in afoot chase on campus,” Reynolds sayswith a laugh.

Fortunately, the campus generallyis quiet enough that Reynolds can fo-cus most of his energies on what heenjoys most—the people.

A student approaches the PublicSafety entrance. Reynolds looks upand catches his eye.

“Hello! How’s it going?”The student flashes him a wry smile.

“Oh, it’s finals week, you know?”Reynolds nods sympathetically. “I

hear you. Hang in there.”“It’s the people that really make or

break the job for me,” Reynolds says.“And the feeling that I make a differ-ence—whether I do or not, the feelingthat I make a difference. And that Ikeep people safe.”

A veteran newspaper reporter, CarolBoll now works as a free-lance writer.She lives in DeWitt, NY.

SUNY-ESF is establishing a new chair…and it’s up to you to name it!

Join decision makers from local government, state agencies,engineering, consulting, development, law, and funding agenciesto learn how New York communities have used environmentalinitiatives to create new jobs and develop new economicopportunities, while also improving the quality of the environment.

Members of successful public-private partnerships will share theirexperiences in winning state environmental funding to provide

sustainable economic growth for New York state communities.

Keynote Speakers

JOHN P. CAHILL, COMMISSIONER, NYS DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION

CHARLES A. GARGANO, COMMISSIONER, EMPIRE STATE DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION

PARTNERSHIPS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENT AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE

■ O C T O B E R 8 - 9 , 1 9 9 8 ■

SUNY C O L L E G E O F E N V I R O N M E N T A L S C I E N C E A N D F O R E S T R Y

E S F C o n t i n u i n g E d u c a t i o n ■ 3 1 5 - 4 7 0 - 6 8 9 1

ESF Captain’s Chair at $275 $ ________ESF Boston Rocker at $275 $ ________Optional Personalization $25 $ ________

(See Below)

Shipping & Handling $19 $ ________(For Texas, Rocky Mountain States, andwest, add $10 per item.)

TOTAL $ ________❍ Visa ❍ MasterCard ❍ American ExpressCard # _________________________________Exp. Date ____________________Make checks payable to: “Standard Chair”Mail all orders to: Standard Chair of Gardner, 1 South MainStreet, Gardner, MA 01440 ■ Telephone: 1-800-352-5885For information, contact Debbie Caviness, 315-470-6632, at ESF.

Ship To:Name__________________________________Address ________________________________

(No P.O. Boxes permitted)

City/State/Zip____________________________Phone _______________________

Chairs and rockers can be personalizedwith your name and graduating year.

Solid Hard MapleChairs and Rockers

Personalization (Up to 30 characters and spaces):

Laser Engravedwith the ESF Logo

On Campus

N O N - P R O F I T O R G .

U . S . P O S T A G EPAID

I T H A C A , N . Y .P E R M I T N O . 1 6 4

I N S I D E E ◆ S ◆ FOffice of News & Publications1 Forestry DriveSyracuse, New York 13210-2778

A D D R E S S S E R V I C E R E Q U E S T E D

Campus Calendar

July 28 Register by mail for fall continuing education classes.Through August 21 (in-person registration through Au-gust 28). Additional information: Office of ContinuingEducation, 315-470-6891.

August 7 College Information Session for prospective students.Also scheduled for August 14 and August 17. Additionalinformation: Office of Admissions, 315-470-6600.

August 7-8 Ranger School Alumni Reunion. Wanakena, NY. Addi-tional information: Ranger School, 315-848-2566.

August 16-18 Ranger School Student Orientation. Wanakena, NY. Ad-ditional information: Ranger School, 315-848-2566.

August 19 Classes begin. Ranger School.

August 27-30 Student Orientation ’98. Syracuse. Additional informa-tion: Office of Student Activities, 315-470-6658.

August 31 Classes begin. Syracuse Campus.

Sept. 10-11 Lake Ontario Modeling Workshop, Niagara-on-the-Lake,Ontario, Canada. Additional information: Great LakesResearch Consortium, 315-470-6816.

Sept. 19-23 Alumni Reception, Society of American Foresters an-nual meeting. Traverse City, MI. Additional information:Office of Alumni Services, 315-470-6632.

Sept. 23-24 14th New York Geographic Information Systems Confer-ence. Additional information: Office of Continuing Edu-cation, 315-470-6891.

October 3-5 Alumni Reception, American Society of Landscape Ar-chitects annual meeting. Portland, OR. Additional infor-mation: Office of Alumni Services, 315-470-6632.

October 8-9 Partnerships for Environmental Improvement and Eco-nomic Development in New York State conference. Syra-cuse Campus. Additional information: Office of Con-tinuing Education, 315-470-6891.

October 9-10 Homecoming. Syracuse Campus. Additional informa-tion: Office of Alumni Services, 315-470-6632.

Books and MonographsGibbs, James P. , M.L. Hunter, Jr., and E.J.Sterling. Problem-Solving in ConservationBiology and Wildlife Management: Exer-cises for Field, Class, and Laboratory. 215pages. Blackwell Science, Inc., Boston.1998.

Hawks ’72, Richard, and Shelley Mastran.Your Town: Designing Its Future: A RuralCommunity Design Workshop and Fol-low-Up Case Studies. National Trust forHistoric Preservation, Washington, DC.1998.

Hunt, Glenn, Roy A. Norton ’69, MatthewColloff, David E. Walter, and JonathanKelly. The Oribatid Mites of Australia: AnInteractive Key to Species and an Illus-trated Glossary of Oribatid Mite Morphol-ogy. CD-ROM by CSIRO Publishing,Melbourne. 1998.

Awards and HonorsAbrahamson, Lawrence P., 1998 HonorAcademy Inductee. Michigan Technologi-cal University. April 1998.

Ames, Thomas B., Navy CommendationMedal. 4th Marine Division, U.S. MarineCorps. November 1997.

McDonnell, Jeffrey J., Gordon WarwickAward. British Geomorphological Re-search Group. Coventry, England. Sep-tember 1998.

Norton ’69, Roy A., Sir Frederick McMasterFellowship. Commonwealth Scientificand Industrial Research Organization.Canberra, Australia.

Nyland ’58, Ralph D., Forester of the Year.New York Society of American Foresters.

Porter, William F., 1998 Henry MosbyAward. From the National Wild TurkeyFederation. Indianapolis. March 1998.

Documents

Inside ESF 1998-2