2012 Pine Lake Journal

The Pine Lake Journal2012

•Teaching•Research•Collaboration

Watershed Education Initiative

Studying Biodiversity in Honduras

Teaming upwith State

Parks

2012 PINE LAKE JOURNAL

Editorial Board

Brian Hagenbuch, Ph.D. Dan Morse ’97

Cassandra Miller

Contributors Brian Hagenbuch, Ph.D. ,

Max Holden ’15, James Jolly, Chris Lott, Dan Morse ’97,

Neondre McCowan ’14, Casey Mullaney ’12, Alyssa Pearson ’12,

Emma Tipping ’08

Design & Layout Cassandra Miller

PINE LAKE INSTITUTE STAFF

Director

Brian Hagenbuch, Ph.D. 607-431-4518

[email protected]

Manager of Pine Lake Operations Peter Blue

607-431-4202 [email protected]

Coordinator of

Sustainability Programs Dan Morse ’97 607-431-4666

[email protected]

Coordinator of Challenge Education

& Pine Lake Residency Erin Toal


Administrative Assistant Kate Brooker-Milano


www.hartwick.edu/pinelake

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www.hartwick.edu/pinelake

4 Pine Lake’s Mission & Vision5 View From the Lake by Pine Lake Director Brian Hagenbuch

PINE LAKE FEATURE6 Vaudevillian Gets Extreme Makeover

SUSTAINABILITY AT HARTWICK7 Hartwick Begins Zero-Sort Recycling8 Hartwick Takes Third Statewide in Recycling Contest9 A Recycling Pilot Study at Hartwick

CHALLENGE EDUCATION & AWAKENING10 The New Face of Challenge Education

PINE LAKE CLUB11 Contra Dancing, Potlucks, & Bringing People Together

WHAT PINE LAKE MEANS TO ME12 Falling in Love by Emma Tipping ’0813 Finding a Place by Neondre McCowan ’14

40th ANNIVERSARY AT PINE LAKE14-15 Photos from 2011-12 Celebrations

COLLABORATIONS16 State Parks Partnership Creates Student Research Opportunities17 Watershed Education Initiative Launched

RESEARCH18 Field Lab, ES&P Programs Get Boost from Grants19 Working to Protect Amphibians in Honduras

TEACHING20 An Enlightening Class

PINE LAKE HISTORY21 Vaudeville-Era Magician Surfaces at Pine Lake

RENOVATIONS & REPAIRS22 Energy Challenge23 Student Residence Assessment Starts Home Energy Use Conversation

FRIENDS OF PINE LAKE24 Donation Brings New Docks to Pine Lake26-27 Thank You to Pine Lake Donors28 Photo of 2011-12 Pine Lake Residents

CONTENTS 2012 Pine Lake Journal

PHOTO: The walls of the Island House at Pine Lake bear the names of more than 40 years of student visitors.

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PINE LAKE MISSION

MISSION The Pine Lake Institute for Environ-mental and Sustainability Studies ac-tively engages the Hartwick community in education, research, and experiential learning and living opportunities that promote ecological stewardship and economic, social, and environmental sustainability.

VISION The Pine Lake Institute for Environ-mental and Sustainability Studies educates and activates an inspired citi-zenry capable of working toward a just, equitable, and sustainable society. WHAT WE DO The Pine Lake Institute oversees:

• Sustainability at Hartwick

• Hartwick’s Pine Lake Environmental Campus

• Challenge Education and Awakening

• Robert R. Smith Environmental Field Laboratory

• Hartwick’s annual Campus Theme

• Summer courses at Pine Lake

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VIEW FROM THE LAKE

By Brian Hagenbuch, Pine Lake Institute Director

Teaching. Research. Collaboration. For more than 40 years, Hartwick College’s Pine Lake Environmental Campus has supported the Col-lege’s academic mission through ex-

periential learning that engages students in promoting a just, equitable, and sustainable society. In this issue of the Pine Lake Journal, I’m pleased to highlight several initiatives that have strengthened Pine Lake’s academic focus, expanded opportunities for student research, and created novel collaborations with community partners.

Pine Lake offers a rich array of environments for teaching beyond the traditional classroom. Students can learn about upland forest ecology, uncover Native American artifacts, take a creative writing course in the Strawbale House, or use the area’s natural beauty as a studio canvas. In fall 2011, Pine Lake hosted Visiting Professor Krishna Kant Shukla, who taught a course on Indian devotional music and spoke to numerous classes and student groups (Page 20). In April, the Pine Lake Institute received a $201,000 grant to develop and implement watershed education curricula for regional K-12 grades (Page 17). The grant expands the Pine Lake Partnership with re-gional schools and engages pre-service education majors in field-based lesson planning while aiming to protect the Upper Susquehanna River watershed.

Pine Lake continues to be a hub for student and faculty research on the regional environment. While the bio-logical diversity of Pine Lake has been well documented, contemporary questions concentrate on gaining greater insight into the nature of ecological systems. Research focuses on the resilience of forest ecosystems, devel-opmental biology of amphibians, impact of invasive

species on aquatic systems, and the hydrogeology of the Susquehanna River watershed. Research efforts have been aided by a $50,000 grant that created an Environmental Science & Policy (ES&P) Scholar award for students (Page 19) and an additional $383,612 grant to renovate the ES&P lab in Johnstone Science Center, purchase new equipment, upgrade technology in the Smith Environmental Field Lab at Pine Lake, and endow the ES&P scholar program (Page 18).

In 2010, Hartwick College began a collaborative partnership with NY State Parks staff on the biology, ecology, and management of Robert V. Riddell State Park, which includes the Upper Tract property formerly owned by the College. Over the past two years, student interns have worked with Hartwick faculty and park staff to map plant communities, identify rare species, and collect data that will be used to monitor long-term changes in the ecology of the park and prepare a man-agement plan for public use of park resources (Page 16).

In addition to teaching, research, and collaborative part-nerships, Pine Lake continues to lead campus sustain-ability initiatives (Pages 7-9), welcome new staff (Page 10), recognize our alumni and current residents (Pages 12-13), and upgrade facilities to serve our student resi-dents, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends (Pages 6, 22, 23). And we’re having a lot of fun in all these endeavors.

In 2008, six students were the first group of incoming freshmen to call Pine Lake home from their first day at Hartwick. This year, three of those students – Elliot Henry ’12, Casey Mullaney ’12, and Alyssa Pearson – ’12 graduated, having lived their entire Hartwick career at Pine Lake. These students and their peers continue to be the heart and soul of Pine Lake as we continue our mission of teaching, research, and collaboration for a sustainable future. Enjoy!

Focusing on Teaching, Research, & Collaboration

PINE LAKE FEATURE

Pine Lake’s Vaudevillian - so named for its original use as a vaudeville-era theatre hall - received a significant upgrade in 2011-2012: a new 480 square foot addition featuring public restrooms and an entrance lobby overlooking Pine Lake. The new addition, which was built with funding from the Office of the President, greatly expands Pine Lake’s capacity to support academic classes, workshops, contra dances, and other student activities and public events.

In keeping with Pine Lake’s goal of modeling sustainable technolo-gies, the new addition features a Clivus Multrum composting toilet system, funded by Friends of Pine Lake donations. In the self-contained Clivus system, solid wastes are composted with pine shavings and liquid wastes are stored. Given the building’s

proximity to Pine Lake and ecologically sensitive wetland areas, the system provides an environmentally appropriate waste manage-ment solution.

Planning is underway for additional upgrades, including construction of an outdoor deck running the length of the Vaudevillian’s south wall. French doors will provide deck ac-cess from the building’s large main hall. Along with the doors, tall south-facing windows will admit natural light, improve air circulation in warm weather, and allow for passive solar heating during colder months. The windows and deck will offer year-round panoramic views of Pine Lake and surrounding wetland areas, making the Vaudevillian a signature gathering space for the Hartwick community.

Vaudevillian Gets Extreme Makeover

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SUSTAINABILITY AT HARTWICK

With the switch to a new waste-management contractor in February, Hartwick College became one of the first institu-tions in the region to embrace Zero-Sort Recycling. The simplified system now in place with Casella Waste Manage-ment is already reaping benefits.

"In the month of February alone, we doubled our recycling tonnage," said Joe Mack, Aramark Facilities Director. "Envi-ronmental responsibility has been Aramark's directive ever since I've been involved with them, and this is a great partner-ship between Aramark and Hartwick as we move toward our goal of sustainable living."

Zero-Sort Recycling is much like it sounds. All manner of recyclable material may now be placed, without sorting, on the recycling side of the new dumpsters on Hartwick's campus.

"Plastic, paper, metal, tin, glass, cardboard — even clean pizza boxes — can all go in one bin, and the contents of that bin then go into the recycling side of the dumpsters," explained Brian Hagenbuch, Director of the Pine Lake Institute for Environmental and Sustainability Studies.

"What that means is we're greatly increasing the amount of recyclable materials that can be reused and turned into new products. It's also going to greatly reduce the amount of solidwaste that gets sent to the landfill."

Hartwick Begins

Zero-Sort Recycling

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TOTAL NAT’L RANK NYS RANK

Hartwick College 35.34% 85/266 4/20

RECYCLEM

ANIA

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FEBR

UARY

6-M

ARCH

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PER CAPITA CLASSIC COMPETITION (recycling lbs./person)

GRAND CHAMPION COMPETITION (recycling as % of overall waste stream)

TOTAL NAT’L RANK NYS RANK

Hartwick College 34.86 lbs. per person 22/321 3/24

OVERALL SCOREBOARD

Buildings, Rank, Trash and Recycling Data (February 5-March 31)

BUILDING NAME(S) Final Rank Recycling Rate

Maintenance/Pole Barn 1 66.99% Johnstone 2 54.51%

Binder 3 46.39% Van Ess 4 44.06% Smith 5 43.28%

Pine Lake/Saxton 6 39.44% Leitzell 7 38.99%

Table Rock/Perella 8 38.33% Bresee/Golisano/Clark 9 38.19%

Holmes 10 34.09% Townhouses 11 30.31%

Wilder 12 27.12% Dewar 13 26.79%

Hilltop/Oyaron 14 25.15% Yager 15 24.04%

Anderson 16 8.67%

RESIDENCE HALL & BUILDING COMPETITION (recycling as % of overall waste)

FINAL Cumulative

Results

hartwick.edu/recyclemania [email protected]

sustain hartwick @sustainhartwick

Cumulative Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reductions: 64 Metric Tons of CO2 equivalent, or 34 cars off the road,

or the energy consumption of 17 households

The RecycleMania Tournament, an eight-week competition that ignites classic college rivalries, rallying students, faculty and staff to increase on-campus recycling rates beyond their collegiate competitors, wrapped up its 12th year, with Hartwick College recovering 64,524 pounds of organic and recyclable materials.

How Hartwick RankedThe annual competition, which extended from Feb. 5 through March 31, included eight categories. Hartwick finished in third place out of 24 New York State schools in the per capita category (and 22nd out of 321 schools nationwide) as well as fourth out

of 20 New York institutions in the Grand Champion category (and 85th out of 220 nationwide).

“We were really pleased with the results of the competition,” said Dan Morse, Hartwick’s Coordinator of Sustainability Programs. “It’s very exciting for Hartwick to do this well in our very first year of participation. We had a great organizing group, especially our student RecycleMa-nia Team, who were the catalysts for promoting Hartwick’s Zero-Sort Recy-cling Program in their residence halls.”

For more on Hartwick’s recycling initia-tives, vist www.hartwick.edu/recycling.

Hartwick Takes Third Place Statewide in Recycling Contest

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A Recycling Pilot Study at Hartwick CollegeBy Catherine Winters ’14

In J-Term 2012, I interned with the Pine Lake Institute and conducted a recycling pilot study in the Hartwick Admissions offices. My goal was to determine whether increasing accessibility to recycling would increase overall department recycling rates. I held discussions with office staff to determine individual recycling habits, barriers to recycling, and how those barriers could be removed. I also collected baseline data of recycling rates. The entire department then switched over to recycling bins in personal offices and fewer, centrally-located trash cans.

I collected data to determine recycling rates with the new setup, conducted follow-up interviews, and sent out surveys to the entire college community to receive more feedback about recycling. The project successfully increased awareness, visibility, and accessibility to recycling. Recycling rates in the Admissions offices increased by 85% as compared to before the project and became 75% better than the campus average recycling rate.

With the new system, the majority of Admissions staff and Blue Key student workers felt recycling was more convenient, and they had a better understanding of zero-sort recycling. The method of adjusting the ratio of bins on campus to favor recycling was successful on a small scale in the Admissions offices and could be successfully expanded to the entire campus.

Recycled Art Contest Best in Show winner Lindsay Worden ’12 stands with her sculp-ture, “Recycled Coral Reef.” The contest was one of Hartwick’s Recyclemania events during the Spring.

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Hartwick College's Pine Lake Institute and Environmental Campus is pleased to welcome Erin Toal as Coordinator of Challenge Education and Pine Lake Residency. Toal will coordinate Chal-lenge Education activities, supervise student leaders, organize programs, and manage the high and low ropes course at Pine Lake. She will direct the Awak-ening program — Hartwick College's signature outdoor orientation program — and serve as the residential director for students who live at Pine Lake. She will also manage Pine Lake's summer cabin rentals, scheduling, and program-ming.

Toal comes to Hartwick from East Stroudsburg University in Pennsylvania, where for eight years she worked as a high and low ropes challenge course instruc-tor and caretaker at the school's outdoor education center. She received bachelor’s degrees from the college in Physical Edu-cation, Health Education, and Outdoor Recreation and Leisure Services Man-agement. She is also certified to teach

kindergarten through 12th grade.

Hartwick's focus on experiential learning was attractive to Toal, as was the oppor-tunity to engage students in environmen-tal stewardship and sustainable living at Pine Lake. "I appreciate the environ-mental focus of the College; sustain-ability provides a foundation for life-long living and learning that connects both the human and natural world," she said. "Hartwick students are passionate about Pine Lake and I look forward to working with them to model sustainable living and learning.

"Hartwick's Challenge Education and Awakening programs provide a ve-hicle for both individuals and groups to enhance their personal awareness, use their strengths to benefit others, and ac-complish their goals," Toal added. "It's an exciting opportunity to help students as they get started on their college experi-ence, undertake new challenges and adventures, and learn to co-exist with the natural world."

"Erin's passion for the environment and ability to engage students in experien-tial and outdoor learning activities are strengths she brings to Hartwick College and Pine Lake," said Dr. Brian Hagen-buch, Director of the Pine Lake Institute for Environmental and Sustainability Studies. "Under her guidance, Hartwick will continue to offer quality experiential learning opportunities, facilitate leader-ship development in our students, and involve them in efforts to create sustain-able living communities."

Toal assumed residency at Pine Lake on June 1 and has an office in Dewar Union. She replaced Seth Lucas '10, who depart-ed Hartwick to pursue graduate studies in Arizona. In addition to the appointment of Toal, the Challenge Education and Awakening programs have been placed under the administrative umbrella of Pine Lake Institute for Environmental and Sustainability Studies. Previously, these programs were part of Student Affairs.

The New Face of Challenge Education

CHALLENGE EDUCATION & AWAKENING

By Casey Mullaney ’12As I stood waiting at the bottom of one of the sets at our final

contra dance this past May, I looked around at a room full of people dancing and laughing in the Vaudevillian. They ranged in

age from high school and college students to grandparents. Some had traveled over an hour to be there; some had simply walked down the hill

from their cabins. Many didn’t know each other, but that didn’t stop any-one from having a great time. I looked up the set and saw people responding

ecstatically to the fiddle and the guitar and each other, and I thought, “This is absolutely the best thing. We don’t need television, we don’t need a bar — we

just need each other.”

Promoting Community InvolvementThe contra dance marked the end of another good year for the Pine Lake Club.

Looking back on the highlights, which included the Cardboard Boat Race, a fantastic local foods cook-off, group potlucks, an increasingly popular contra dance series, and

a trip to Saratoga for a traditional music festival, I see an emphasis on bringing people together.

I’m very proud of the way Pine Lake Club members embraced the spirit of hospitality and community outreach this year. Not only did we continue to involve members of the larger

Hartwick community at Pine Lake, but we also worked to make Pine Lake a welcoming place for the local community. The boats purchased by Pine Lake Club two years ago are still

getting a lot of use, and our last contra dance, which featured musicians Jay Ungar and Molly Mason, drew over 160 people.

Empowering StudentsAnother goal for the Pine Lake Club this year was student empowerment. Life at Pine Lake

teaches a different way of living — one not focused on buying into the values of consumer culture, but on learning to live simply and provide for each other. On the afternoon of our largest fall event,

the local foods cook-off, over a dozen people crowded into the Lodge kitchen, creating unique recipes that utilized local and seasonal cheeses and produce. The potluck dinner that night featured 16 different dishes. Before we started in on the incredible food, we took a few minutes to go around

the table, and everyone spoke about their contribution and named something for which they were thankful. In my time at Pine Lake, I have learned so many things, but this is perhaps the most important: we can do for ourselves and we can do for each other. We can live differently and it can be very good. My hope for the Pine Lake Club in the future is that it will continue to facilitate that attitude of discovery, self-reliance, and interdependence for the next generation of Pine Lakers and friends.

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PINE LAKE CLUB

Contra Dancing, Potlucks, & Bringing

People Together

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WHAT PINE LAKE MEANS TO ME

By Emma Tipping ’08

I lived at Pine Lake from 2005 to 2008. It’s where I woke up to my first snowfall in the woods, where I overcame my fear of swimming in open water, and where I forged some of my most cherished friendships. Pine Lake is also where I fell in love with my husband. We united our families and communities during our wedding at Pine Lake. These are just a few of the gifts that Pine Lake has given me, and I hope it’s obvious why the place has special significance to me. Even more, though, I would like to point out what Pine Lake means to our community. It’s no coincidence that Pine Lakers have among the highest GPAs of any student group at Hartwick and are consistently

represented among John Christopher Hartwick, Emerson and Duffy Scholars. Whether the lake produces these sorts of students or attracts them, the Hartwick College community is enriched in either case. For me personally, Pine Lake is my home. It’s where my heart lies and where I carved out a place for myself in a tight-knit, respectful community. In a larger context, it is a place that not only fosters idealism but encourages young people to put in the work required to make their ideals a reality. Without even considering the potluck dinners, the contra dances, the handmade houses and breathtaking scenery, this alone makes Pine Lake one of Hartwick College’s greatest assets.

Falling in LoveEmma Tipping ’08 has several connections to Hartwick College and Pine Lake. Tipping recently married fellow Hartwick grad Michael Golden ’07 at Pine Lake. Her father, Jeffrey Tipping ’78, played on the national championship winning soccer team. Tipping’s father-in-law, Ken Golden, is a professor of Theatre Arts at Hartwick. Tipping fondly remembers meeting her hus-band, swimming in the lake, and waking up to snow in the woods.

Emma Tipping walks with her father, Jeffrey Tipping ’78, at Pine Lake.

Emma Tipping dances with her husband, Michael Golden ’07.

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By Neondre McCowan ’14

When I learned about Pine Lake, I thought it was too good to be true. Here I am, a transfer student com-ing to a new school, a person who loves nature and being around it, and I have the opportunity to live at Pine Lake.

I lived on campus my first semes-ter. When the time came around to choose housing for the next term, a friend mentioned Pine Lake. “It would be perfect for you. You could live in a small, close-knit community in the forest on a lake.”

Again I held onto my doubt, but I think I was meant to be at Pine Lake. I applied for a cabin and was approved. I felt so much joy. I began to visit Pine Lake and meet the people there, and I knew

I had found the right place to live. Being a part of Pine Lake is sur-real in a way. It gives me time and space to be studious and focus, and also accomplish goals that are separate from school.

I am majoring in Biology with aspirations of becoming an Ecolo-gist/Herpetologist. Every day and night at Pine Lake I learn some-thing about the forest or the water or the Earth. Different birds and animals that I see, I study them to learn their behavior. There are unlimited opportunities to gain knowledge and to enjoy ourselves with the people and the environ-ment around us. The people at the Lake all aspire to greatness, and it makes everyone around them feel the same. I am glad to be a Pine Laker and proud to contribute to what Pine Lake is.

“Being a part of Pine Lake gives me time and space to be studious and focus, and also accomplish

goals that are separate from

school.”

Finding a PlaceNeondre McCowan ’14 talks about moving into his Pine Lake cabin and finding the perfect home at Pine Lake as a transfer student.

Neondre McCowan sits on the porch of Redwood 2 cabin.

WHAT PINE LAKE MEANS TO ME

PINE LAKE 40TH ANNIVERSARY

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PINE LAKE 40TH ANNIVERSARY

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40th Year Celebrated with EventsIn 2011, Hartwick College celebrated the 40th anniversary of the purchase of Pine Lake with a series of events for students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members. Some of those events are represented in photos on these pages: the Herbert D. and Pauline P. Hebbard Forest Management Area Dedication (1), the Jacy Henderson ’00 Memorial Cob House Dedication (2), the summer 2011 reunion event (4,6), and Eco-Art Fest (5). The Charley Brooks ’90 stage was also dedicated.

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COLLABORATIONS

In 2008, Hartwick College sold the 840-acre Upper Tract of the Pine Lake Environmental Campus to the State of New York as an addition to the newly established Robert V. Riddell State Park (RVRSP). The park, at nearly 2,400 acres, now extends from the Pine Lake campus to the north side of Interstate 88 at the Cooperstown interchange. In 2010, Hartwick faculty and staff began an in-novative research and education collabora-tion with the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preserva-tion (OPRHP). Our mutual goal was to develop a public-private partnership that would establish studies and monitor the

long-term effects of human use on the biological and ecological integrity of recre-ational lands. Such information would be an invaluable tool for public land manag-ers in setting priorities that consider both human and ecological systems.

In 2011, Liam Heiland ’13 and Kristy Scaggs ’12 received ES&P scholar awards from Hartwick’s Environmen-tal Science & Policy program to begin collecting data on RVRSP with Peter Fauth, associate professor of biology; Brian Hagenbuch, Pine Lake director; Tom Hughes, OPRHP natural resource steward biologist; and Julie Lundgren,

state parks ecologist with OPRHP and the New York Natural Heritage Pro-gram. Liam and Kristy studied forest and soil composition, analyzed water quality, sampled biological diversity, and used mapping techniques to identify forest communities and trail systems (see map above). In March, Hughes and Hagenbuch made a well-received public presentation of the RVRSP initiative at a Conversations at the Lake seminar in the Strawbale House at Pine Lake. In 2012, the PLI-RVRSP Collaborative is working with students on an invasive plant species inventory, further identification of plant communities, and watershed initiatives.

State Parks Partnership Creates Student Research Opportunities

0 0.5 10.25 Miles

ROBERT V. RIDDELL STATE PARK - HARTWICK COLLEGE PARTNERSHIP PROJECTINITIAL STAGES OF VEGETATION MAPPING - using field data and ortho images to map ecological communities

Mapping by Julie Lundgren, State Parks Ecologist 2012 NYNHP/OPRHPField assistance from Hartwick interns Liam Heiland & Kristy ScaggsBase layers: Eastern NYS 2001 1-foot orthoimagery and DOT 1:24,000 topographic image Ü1:24,000

NYNHP Ecological Community Types (DRAFT)Appalachian oak-hickory forest (tentative)

Appalachian oak-pine forest (tentative)

Beech-maple mesic forest

Black spruce-tamarack bog

Bog lake

Chestnut oak forest

Cropland

Dwarf shrub bog

Hemlock-hardwood swamp

Hemlock-northern hardwood forest

Shrub swamp

conifer forest to refine

managed forest to define

Robert V. Riddell State Park

Community classification follows Edinger et al. 2002 "Ecological communities of New York".

To learn more about biodiversity at Pine Lake, visit www.hartwick.edu/x41388.xml

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Hartwick College’s Pine Lake Institute for Environmental and Sustainability Studies has received a three-year $201,000 grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Bay Watershed Education and Training Program (BWET).

The project, called Think, Act, Protect the Upper Susquehanna River Watershed (TAP-US), is a partnership between the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Watershed Education & Training Program and the Pine Lake Institute for Environmental and Sustainability Studies at Hartwick College. This collaborative effort will involve the Pine Lake Institute, Hartwick College students and faculty, teachers in 10 regional school districts, NOAA, and Project Watershed — a project of the Izaak Walton League of America and Cornell Cooperative Extension Service-Onandaga County.

Goals of (TAP-US) Watershed ProjectThe goals of the TAP-US collaboration include:

1. Increase knowledge and understanding of the Upper Susquehanna River and Chesapeake Bay watersheds

2. Enhance the field- and classroom-based science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) teaching capacity of in-service and pre-service elementary teachers

3. Provide meaningful watershed educational experiences for students by offering hands-on, inquiry-based learning opportunities that increase environmental literacy and the sense of discovery

4. Enhance awareness of the local outdoors, and engage students in activi-ties to protect and maintain the ecology of rivers, streams, and wetlands in the Upper Susquehanna River and Chesapeake Bay watersheds

5. Enable teachers and students to integrate data collection and technol-ogy and to communicate and collaborate between schools to increase knowledge of system-wide watershed-related issues

The project supports an annual week-long summer professional development work-shop for regional teachers at the Pine Lake Environmental Campus, site visits to Pine Lake and other aquatic environments for school children, a website for commu-nication among partners, and an annual symposium showcasing successful efforts. Participating teachers may qualify for a stipend, and schools will receive watershed equipment and supplies for their classrooms. Teachers interested in participating in the TAP-US workshop should email [email protected] or visit www.hartwick.edu/pinelake for more information.

Watershed Education Initiative Launched

COLLABORATIONS

Michele Donahue ’14 collects crayfish in Charlotte Creek as part of the TAP-US initiative.

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RESEARCH AT PINE LAKE

Environmental Science and Policy Programs (ES&P)In 2010, Hartwick College received a five-year, $50,000 grant from the Margaret A. Cargill Foundation in support of the Environmental Science & Policy (ES&P) program. Funds were used to create the ES&P Scholars Awards program, which funds student research at Pine Lake as well as internships and international study for ES&P minors. In 2011, the Cargill Foundation provided Hartwick’s ES&P Program with an additional $383,612 grant. President Drugovich recently announced that the funds will support the following initiatives:

• $225,000 will create an endowment to support student research re-lated to ES&P. These funds will endow the ES&P Scholars program.

• $148,000 will fund the renovation of Johnstone 305 (the ES&P lab) and purchase ES&P equipment. The lab renovation will benefit ES&P courses taught by the departments of Biology, Chemistry, and Geological & Environmental Sciences, and will result in doubling the maximum student lab capacity.

• Equipment and technology upgrades at the Smith Field Lab at Pine Lake will enhance the state parks collaboration, watershed education, student research, and long-term data monitoring.

• $10,000 was used to support stipends for three additional student researchers (ES&P scholars) at Pine Lake in the summer of 2012.

Equipment UpgradesFunding from the Margaret A. Cargill Foundation has resulted in several equipment purchases and upgrades for the Robert R. Smith Environ-mental Field Laboratory, located at Hartwick’s Pine Lake Environmental Campus. These acquisitions enhance teaching and research at Pine Lake. Cargill funds expand Hartwick’s leadership role in teaching about and moni-toring the Upper Susquehanna River watershed and support students and faculty collaborating with Robert V. Riddell State Park biologists in research on the impact of recreational use on the biology and ecology of public lands. Other ongoing research at Pine Lake benefitting from the funding includes biogeochemical studies of the watershed, amphibian developmental ecology, and the impact of aquatic invasive crayfish on native populations. Cargill funds resulted in the following upgrades and acquisitions:

• Replacement of the permanent meteorology station• Purchase of three portable meteorological stations• Purchase of field lab computer system, printer, scanner, and auto-

mated data logger to support real-time data collection • Purchase of three rowboats and a portable collapsible boat • Increase stock of field water meters, soil and air testing kits, and

GPS units.

Field Lab, Programs Get Boost From Grants

2011-12 ES&P Scholar Award winners Liam Heiland ’13 and Kristy Scaggs ’12 work with Pine Lake Director Brian Hagenbuch, left, at Mud Lake.

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By Emily Lisborg ’13

In 2011, I traveled to Cusuco National Park in northwestern Honduras with Operation Wallacea, an organization that conducts biodiversity surveys in many countries. Cusuco Park is located near the border of Guatemala and is home to six endemic species of amphibians and more than 250 spe-cies of birds. The park has two core habitat zones that are threatened by recent encroachment for cattle grazing, resulting in deforestation and species loss. I surveyed amphibian populations in three distinct habitat types; montagne dwarf

habitat, cloud forest, and lowland epiphyte woodlands. Results from surveys were

compiled to form a satellite image used in tracking changes in

species composition for the purpose of estab-lishing an overall assessment of the

park. Special focus on amphibian popula-

tions is necessary as chytrid fungus, which is

lethal to many frog, toad, and salamander species,

has been found in the area during recent years. In addition

to species monitoring, deforesta-tion throughout the park is being

tracked so that management strate-gies can be formed and implemented

in the future.

Working to Protect Amphibians in Honduras

The 2012-13 ES&P Scholar Awards were provided to the following students (and advisors or agencies):

PINE LAKE RESEARCH AWARDS

Alice Denny ’13:Invasive Plant Species of Robert V. Riddell State Park (Peter Fauth)

Andrea Nieves ’15: Effects of an Inva-sive Crayfish on a Stream Community (Mark Kuhlmann)

INTERNATIONAL STUDY AWARD

Michael Itgen ’13: Comparative Am-phibian Survey Methods for Tropical Frogs (Stan Sessions)

INTERNSHIP AWARDS

Abby Nelson ’14: Field Studies Intern-ship at Robert V. Riddell State Park (NYS Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation)

Sheila Niedziela ’13: Studying An-cient Fossils to Predict Future Climate (Paleontological Research Institution, Ithaca, NY)

Jenna Rodrigues ’14: Stony Creek Farm Apprenticeship (Stony Creek Farm, Walton, NY)

Catherine Winters ’14: Roots and Wisdom Summer Community Out-reach Coordinator (Roots and Wisdom, Schenectady, NY)

2012 Environmental Science and Policy Scholarships

INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH

Emily Lisborg ’13 is seen with her host sister in Honduras.

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TEACHING

By Alyssa Pearson ’12Last fall, I was fortunate enough to take part in The World of North Indian Devotional Music, taught by Visiting Professor Krishna Kant Shukla and Professor of Religious Studies Sandy Huntington. The course, which met entirely at Pine Lake, was different from my other classes because of its setting and its content. For three hours every Monday night, we sat in lakeside classroom at Pine Lake in a circle on our meditation cushions with tea, song lyrics, and books. Although three hours may sound like a long time, it wasn’t enough time to cover the discussions and singing. Krishna gave us thorough accounts and histories of the songs we sang to help us better understand their meanings and importance. Then, slowly but surely, we worked our way through the beautiful pieces translating, interpreting, and attempting to pronounce the words. The course was extremely special for me. In the spring, I spent four months on my own in India on a Duffy Family Ambassador scholarship. While in India, I seldom used my iPod, but the songs we sang in this class were often stuck in my head and made me feel better when I was on my own. For part of this journey, I was working with an organization against child labor, and on my last day I stood up in front of the entire staff, and - for the very first time in my life - I faced my biggest fear and sang alone in front of a group. I sang the song Ham Pardesi, which is about being “a bird from a foreign land.” The class, Krishna, Sandy, and my classmates helped prepare me for a more personal and spiritual encounter with India during my four-month experience there.

An Enlightening Class

Krishna Kant Shukla is seen with his students of The World of North Indian Devotional Music course at Pine Lake.

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Vaudeville-Era Magician Surfaces at Pine LakeA bit of long-forgotten Pine Lake history was brought to our attention by Hart-wick Tutor Coordinator Jason Stanton earlier this year. The article below, which appeared in the July 4, 1922 edition of The Oneonta Star, features news of his great-grandfather, Louis C. Stanton.

In 1922, Pine Lake, then known as Sherman Lake, was owned and oper-ated as a resort hotel by vaudeville performers Dan and Mabel Sherman. Louis Stanton, who performed as a professional magician between about 1900 and 1925, was associated with Dan Sherman’s vaudeville show. As the article indicates, Stanton performed one of his most well-known tricks at Pine Lake just over 90 years ago.

PINE LAKE HISTORY

Article from the July 4, 1922 edition of The Oneonta Star.

AT SHERMAN LAKE TODAY

Louis Stanton Announced to Give His Milk Can Act in Which the Can is Sunk in the Lake This Afternoon

This afternoon those who spend the Fourth at Sherman lake will have an opportunity to witness the sensational act which Lewis Stanton (sic) has put on on a few occasions which has always aroused much curiosity wherever given.

After Stanton has been securely locked with at least a half dozen large padlocks inside what resembles a regulation milk can the can will be taken out into the middle of the lake and sunk in the deepest point. Usually the elusive artist reappears within a 15-minute period on the opposite shore of the lake. Whether he will be able to reappear within the time stated or fail to liberate himself in the depth of water is a matter of conjecture. Certain is it, however, that the act will have the frequenters of the resort puzzled at the exhibition.

An effort is being made also to secure his consent to give his coffin act first presented at the Oneonta theatre a few weeks since during the convention of the New York State Undertakers association, during the afternoon. No definite agreement had been secured late yesterday after-noon to present this act.

Mr. Stanton, after completing his engagement at Sherman lake, will proceed on for a trip in Delaware county, where he is booked to appear successively for three days at theatres in Hobart, Delhi, and Walton. Later he will take a trip to Norwich and other places west of Oneonta.

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RENOVATIONS & REPAIRS

Reducing our energy footprint involves focusing on three areas:

• Energy efficiency • Energy conservation and behavior changes • Alternate and renewable energy

At Pine Lake, Hartwick students and staff are practicing all three.

The 10kW photovoltaic system on the Robertson Lodge converts sunlight to electricity and produces about 35% of the electric-ity used annually in the Lodge. Since the system is net-metered, surplus energy is sold back to the grid, reducing the Lodge electric bill by about 25% annually.

In the past year, Pine Lake contracted with Enerpath, Inc. to upgrade lighting in all buildings. Inefficient light sources were re-placed with compact fluorescent and T-8 fluorescent bulbs. About 70% of the funding for the upgrade was provided by the New York

Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA).

Although solar power and energy efficient lightbulbs are impor-tant, the biggest energy footprint reductions come from changing human behavior. This can be as simple as switching off lights and unplugging battery chargers and other devices that continue to draw electricity even when not in use (called phantom load or vampire power).

As part of the Pine Lake Energy Challenge, residents are encour-aged to conserve energy. Each month, the amount of electricity used in each cabin is posted in the Robertson Lodge, and students are challenged to reduce consumption compared to the previous year.

Between the energy efficient upgrades and student conservation ef-forts, Pine Lake reduced its energy consumption almost 6% during the 2011-12 academic year.

Focus on Efficiency, Conservation, and Renewable Resources

Energy Challenge

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RENOVATIONS & REPAIRS

On April 5, Hartwick College welcomed Norm Farwell, Roberto Romano, and Bennett Sandler of Equity Energy to give a talk titled “Building Science 101: Learning From a Home Energy Audit.” The discussion, part of the Conversations at the Lake sustainability series, was held in the Strawbale House at Pine Lake. Almost 40 students, staff, faculty, and community members attended.

The talk examined modern building science through the lens of an energy audit conducted in March on Bailey Cabin, one of Pine Lake’s student residences. As part of the energy audit process, Equity conducted a compre-hensive home assessment, including:

• Carbon monoxide, gas leak and CAZ depressurization tests• Blower door test• Thermal infrared scanning • Insulation survey & assessment• Appliance survey & assessment • Window and door survey & assessment

In Otsego County the average household spends nearly $4,000 a year on energy. Buildings are responsible for almost 50% of our national energy consumption. Good design and construction practices can reduce that en-ergy use significantly and save money, while improving the health, comfort, and safety of our buildings.

At the March 27 presentation, Equity reported on the results of the Bailey energy audit and presented an overview of home energy efficiency, includ-ing understanding and measuring, and reducing heat loss; producing and distributing heat more efficiently and comfortably; reducing electricity consumption; moisture concerns; and evaluating potential improvements to ensure they make economic sense.

Finally, options for improving Bailey Cabin’s energy efficiency were pre-sented, along with the cost, savings, and payback time associated with each improvement.

Equity Energy (www.equityenergy.net) is a cooperatively owned and managed business dedicated to energy efficiency, comfort, and safety in residential construction. Based in Fly Creek, New York, the firm has been in business for four years. As a BPI-accredited contractor, the company takes a whole-house approach to home performance in order to identify problems and come up with solutions. Equity Energy offers energy audits, infrared thermography, building design, construction, retrofit work, as well as renewable energy (solar hot water, geothermal heat, PV, and wood and pellet boilers).

Student Residence Assessment Starts Home Energy Use Conversation

An infrared image shows systematic infiltration at wall/ceiling intersection in Bailey Cabin.

A blower door measures building shell leakage in Bailey Cabin.

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FRIENDS OF PINE LAKE

Donation Helps Pine Lake Add New DocksThanks to a generous donation from a Friend of Pine Lake, the environmental campus is sporting two new docks. The new boat dock, located near the sauna, has an L-shaped aluminum frame and sitting bench for relaxing while watching boaters on the lake, wildlife among the lily pads, or stars on a clear night. The new swimming dock at the beach extends about 40 feet into Pine Lake, affording great views and excellent sunning potential. The aluminum docks, from Wisconsin-based dock manufacturer Pier of d’Nort, offer several advantages over the previous wooden docks. Attractive and lightweight, they require little maintenance, and can be easily installed and removed by one person.

The new docks add a wonderful new dimension to the Pine Lake waterfront and represent the first stage of an exciting larger project to enhance lake access and views. With the Vaudevillian addition now complete, the waterfront will be re-landscaped to highlight lake views. This will create a more welcoming entrance to Pine Lake and increase storage space for boats, paddles, and life jackets. The improvements will also result in additional space for picnic tables and benches, as well as a grassy slope for relaxing, picnicking, or studying near the waterfront.

Help us transform Pine Lake with your giftwww.hartwickalumni.org

(select Make a Gift, and specify for Friends of Pine Lake)

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FRIENDS OF PINE LAKEHelp us transform Pine Lake with your gift

www.hartwickalumni.org(select Make a Gift, and specify for Friends of Pine Lake)

“In my time at Pine Lake, I’ve learned so many things, but this is perhaps

the most important: we can live differently and it can be very good.”

Casey Mullaney ’12

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Thank You, Donors!Your gifts are making Pine Lake a better placeThis list reflects gifts made between July 1, 2011 and June 30, 2012.

Richard and Jill Karen Nass ’84 AccordinoKaren Ingles ’94 and Ralph AdolfsenJudith Allen and Michael J. FriedmanBarbara L. Allen ’75Edward F. and Mary W. AmbroseAnonymous ’07David L. and Carolyn AndersonJames M. Angstadt ’08Robert F. Apuzzo and Lucy E. OxiosMarc V. and Brenda K. ArnoldCharles W. Ashe and Patricia M. LawsonGary L. BallardLeon BeachBruce and Alice BenjaminKathleen Amatucci ’85 and Brett R. BentleySusan J. BethelElizabeth A. Beyer ’75David and Lois BrennerJames J. and Diane BroschartPhilip J. and Geraldine BuccelliMary Kay Hausmann Campenot ’74Robert J. and Patricia R. CantinDaniel R. ’83 and Katherine Murray ’84 CastleCatskill Medical EngineeringAdriane CejThomas M. H’03 and Katherine C. Chap-pellNatalie Ciccariello

Marie Healy Cunningham ’80Amy D. D’Amico ’04Michael T. DavittKatherine A. DeGroat ’94Lori Del Negro Sommer ’93Delaware Academy and Central SchoolCindy DernCarolyn Cantin ’97 and William C. ’98 DesmaraisG. Dale and Sally Dudley ’67 DionneTabitha J. Dionne ’95Michael C. ’73 and Kristine M. DohertyMegan Molak ’98 and Michael C. Dorritie ’98Susan Earle-Carlin ’69Emily ErnsbergerCarl M. Erwich ’05Mary Lu Wade Eshelman ’62John W. Soltiz and Serena L. EvansKeith C. Ferguson ’98Joseph J. Jr. and Ann R. FiteniKrin M. Flaherty ’00Stanley A. and Joan G. FoxMilton and Carolyn FryeJennifer Smith ’92 and Paul L. Gallerani ’91Betty A. GartenSuzanne Gaynor and Joseph R. BlotNeil Geddes ’97Robert P. Gersch ’02Kevin P. Ghiloni ’83Monique Fritts ’88 and Tobin R. Gilbert ’86 Thomas R. GliddonNicholas R. Gottscho ’95Peter A. and Katherine P. GrawehrRoberta GriffithGary R. and Carol S. GundlachBrian E. HagenbuchGregory J. Hamilton ’06Chris HammondSusan Harple Hannan ’67Harmony Hill Retreat CenterPeter J. HartmannLani N. HearnScott Heiland and Susan Cataffo-HeilandR. Douglas and Marcy Wecker HerbertLynnette G. HitchcockDeborah P. Hollis ’74 and Peter G. BlueRobert H. HolsteadSara HosierDavid M. HutchisonMark A. ’74 and Virginia Traylor ’77 IshkanianDavid E. Johnson Jr. ’76

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Marie Healy Cunningham ’80Amy D. D’Amico ’04Michael T. DavittKatherine A. DeGroat ’94Lori Del Negro Sommer ’93Delaware Academy and Central SchoolCindy DernCarolyn Cantin ’97 and William C. ’98 DesmaraisG. Dale and Sally Dudley ’67 DionneTabitha J. Dionne ’95Michael C. ’73 and Kristine M. DohertyMegan Molak ’98 and Michael C. Dorritie ’98Susan Earle-Carlin ’69Emily ErnsbergerCarl M. Erwich ’05Mary Lu Wade Eshelman ’62John W. Soltiz and Serena L. EvansKeith C. Ferguson ’98Joseph J. Jr. and Ann R. FiteniKrin M. Flaherty ’00Stanley A. and Joan G. FoxMilton and Carolyn FryeJennifer Smith ’92 and Paul L. Gallerani ’91Betty A. GartenSuzanne Gaynor and Joseph R. BlotNeil Geddes ’97Robert P. Gersch ’02Kevin P. Ghiloni ’83Monique Fritts ’88 and Tobin R. Gilbert ’86 Thomas R. GliddonNicholas R. Gottscho ’95Peter A. and Katherine P. GrawehrRoberta GriffithGary R. and Carol S. GundlachBrian E. HagenbuchGregory J. Hamilton ’06Chris HammondSusan Harple Hannan ’67Harmony Hill Retreat CenterPeter J. HartmannLani N. HearnScott Heiland and Susan Cataffo-HeilandR. Douglas and Marcy Wecker HerbertLynnette G. HitchcockDeborah P. Hollis ’74 and Peter G. BlueRobert H. HolsteadSara HosierDavid M. HutchisonMark A. ’74 and Virginia Traylor ’77 IshkanianDavid E. Johnson Jr. ’76

Lucille Dickinson Jones ’78Andrew T. Kaiser ’73A. Lorraine Duprey Kelley ’70Richard E. Klein ’76Pamela Divers Korte ’78Betty KratzensteinPeter K. LangGeraldine Gayson Lapierre ’87Barbara LazarJoseph C. Lentini Jr. ’91Vicky and Edward T. LentzKimberley L. LindsleySeth P. Lucas ’10John A. and Hope P. LucasVernon LymanJanet McColl NicholsonDouglas MacNealErnest D. and Heide Seaman-MahlkeRegina L. Manes ’81Julie A. Martel ’00Randall J. and Teresa L. MartinPatti MatontiWilliam and Margot MatzGlenn E. Mayerschoff ’74Jane G. MedoffAnn E. Micka ’06David P. and Betty L. MickaLauren Milavec ’85Cassandra MillerMarcus D. Miranda ’94Peter J. and Judith L. MohanKathleen R. Mohan ’08Mark E. and Katherine A. MooradianKathryn E. Morse ’00 and William B. Belcher ’00Stephen A. and Nancy M. MorseFranklin and Deborah MortonTeresa MullikenAliria A. Munoz ’07Maynard H. Murch V ’94Patrick J. Murtagh ’09Susan Benzer Myers ’78Amanda L. Nartiff ’04Todd K. and Bonnisue G. NeilPablo and Debra NievesHelen Karas Norton ’73William Sherer and Mildred OkinoJody OstranderGlenn A. Pareira III ’09Philip J. PasconeLaura A. Paszkiewicz ’01

Wanda R. PerryPamela Peters ’78Lynda L. PlackisLindsley S. RidgwayMargaret L. Roberts ’11George W. and Laura A. RodriguesMarjorie S. RowleyLaurel SantomassinoMark D. and Janice SchroederConnie L. SchroederKathryn E. Scullion ’90Ernest D. and Heide Seaman-MahlkeKarl H. and Kate SeeleyHelaine SegalRobin G. Shalline ’76Daniel J. Shapley ’99Christine M. Shields ’05Shannon D. Smith ’93 and Brian BartholomewSusan E. Spinelli ’72Maura E. StewartJennifer K. and Terry J. StoneDorothy Holderle ’72 and Frederick W. Stoss ’72Steven R. Suleski ’76Marvin J. TaubLisa M. and Jack T. TessierJoshua S. Truman ’95Nancy TurickThe Twelve Tribes Community in OneontaBernadette Ucci ’97Gary J. ’73 and Judith VellekampRoop and Tracy VermaPhilip H. WalshChris WaltersThomas D. and Denise M. WarrenJulie Ward ’71 and Joel A. WexlerJonathan M. Wood ’99Mark D. ’83 and Alison Cox ’84 WoodsJ. Scott Wyant ’95Michael S. Zelie ’74

To make a gift, visit www.hartwickalumni.org

Pine Lake Institute & Environmental Campus

PO Box 4020Oneonta, NY 13820hartwick.edu/pinelake

2011-12 Pine Lake Residents

2012 Pine Lake Journal

Documents

Transcript of 2012 Pine Lake Journal