ANNUAL REPORT: June 1, 2008 – May 31, 2009
(i.e., Summer 2008, AY 2008-2009)
DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND FOREST BIOLOGY
SUNY-ESF
NAME:
I. INSTRUCTIONAL ACTIVITIES
1. Regular Course Offerings
Course No.
SUMMER:
513
FALL:
none
SPRING:
484
684
Title
Credit
Hrs.
No.
Students
No. of Lab.
Sections
Adirondack Forest Ecology*
2
13
1
Winter Mammalian Ecology
Winter Mammalian Ecology
3
3
18
2
1
1
2. Non-Scheduled Course Offerings (e.g., 496, 899, 999)
Course No.
EFB497
EFB498
Title
Credit
Hrs.
No.
Students
UMEB Undergrad Research Problems 1
Independent Research
2
1
2
3. Continuing Education and Extension (short courses, workshops, etc.)
4/23/2009
5/15/2009
King's College
NY Master Forest Owners (Warren Co.
Coop. Extension)
Vernal pool residents and ecology
managing woods and waters on private lands for
amphibians and reptiles
4. Guest Lecture Activities
Course No.
EFB496
EFB497
FTC219(?)
Title
CLBS Wildlife Course (J. Frair)
UMEB Colloquium 2008 (R. Kimmerer)
Wildlife/Ecology (J. Savage)
II. STUDENT ADVISING
No. of Lectures
1
1
1
A. Number of undergraduates for whom you are the student’s official advisor __0___ and unofficial advisor __0___
B. Graduate Students: (Name, degree sought, starting date, month & year; if a degree was completed, please give
date and full citation for the thesis or dissertation).
MAJOR PROFESSOR


Kevin Jablonski, MS, August 2007
Caitlin Snyder, MS, January 2009
CO-MAJOR PROFESSOR
MEMBER, STEERING COMMITTEE (other than those listed above)




Anna Harrison, MS Stella
Frank DeSantis, MS Porter
Matthew Smith, MS Porter
Jon Cale, MS Castello
CHAIRMAN OR READER ON THESIS EXAMS, ETC.
III. RESEARCH COMPLETED OR UNDERWAY
A. Departmental Research (unsupported, boot-legged; title - % time spent)
1. Adirondack Long-Term Environmental Monitoring Program (ALTEMP) – a variety of monitoring
occurring at Huntington Wildlife Forest (ESF Newcomb Campus)
30% time
2. Adirondack Biodiversity Project (ATBI, All-taxa Biodiversity Inventory)
5% time
3. Climate change and phenology in the Adirondacks – lake ice and other signals of changing climate
2% time
4. amphibian population trends and habitat associations in a) vernal pools and b) forested uplands/seeps
B. 1. Grant-supported Research (source, subject, amount - total award and current year, award period starting
and ending dates; list graduate research assistants supported by each grant)
Hai, P.B., S. McNulty, and W. F. Porter. National Science Foundation Field Stations and Marine Labs.
$150,000 (est.) 9/2008 start.
Kimmerer, R. and S. McNulty. National Science Foundation Undergraduate Mentoring in Environmental
Biology Program. Integrating Science and Stewardship in the Adirondacks. $591,925, $150,830. 6/1/06 5/31/10. Jacqueline Bilello and Jonathan Cale.
Porter, W., S. McNulty and A. Dechen. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, A
Risk Assessment of a Chronic Wasting Disease Outbreak in New York, $1,008,190, $162,755, 8/1/0512/31/08, extended to 2009. Amy Dechen, Matthew Smith and David Williams.
Porter, W. and S. McNulty. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Application of
GIS to Resource Inventory for Unit Management Planning, $511,431, $103,897 plus $45,000 for 6
months extension, 6/1/03 – 12/31/08, extended to Aug 6, 2009. Steve Signell, Senior Research Support
Specialist.
Snyder, C. Sussman Internship with Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program. Non-native earthworm
distribution and abundance along a gradient of recreation intensity: worms, plants and salamanders near
boat launches. 5/11-8/14/2009, $5,880. Caitlin Snyder.
Jablonski, K. Sussman Internship with New York Natural Heritage Program. Boreal bird communities
and habitat associations. 5/11-8/14/2009, $5,880. Kevin Jablonski.
2. Research Proposals pending (as in B.1., above)
McNulty, S., J. Castello, and S. Teale. The influence of American beech thickets on biodiversity in the
northern hardwood forest. Northeastern States Research Cooperative, October 1, 2009 – September 30,
2010: $ 34,785
Nyland, R.D., G.G. McGee, M. Dovciak, and S.A. McNulty. Effects of Understory Beech Saplings on
Plant Species Diversity and Forest Structure on Protected Lands within New York’s Adirondack Park.
Northeastern States Research Cooperative, October 1, 2009 – September 30, 2010: $ 42,338
Patrick, D.A. and S.A. McNulty. Assessing biodiversity, forest condition and the effects of management in
the Northern Forest: protocol development and field trial in Adirondack Park. Northeastern States
Research Cooperative, October 1, 2009 – September 30, 2010: $42,768
IV. PUBLICATIONS (Full bibliographic citation, i.e., do not use "with Jones," or "Jones, et al."; please list only
publications published, in press, or actually submitted during this reporting period --- do not list manuscripts
in preparation).
A. Refereed Publications
Signell, S., B. Zuckerberg, S. McNulty, and W. Porter. 2008. Development of an Adirondack Ecosystem
Model. Adirondack Journal of Environmental Studies 15:13-17.
Stager, J.C., S. McNulty, C. Beier, and J. Chiarenzelli. In Press. Historical patterns and effects of changes in
Adirondack climates since the early 20th century. Adirondack Journal of Environmental Studies.
B. Non-refereed Publications
Allen, E., R. Curran, S.. Halasz, J. Barge, S. McNulty, A. Keal, and M. Glennon. 2009. Adirondack GIS:
Resources, Wilderness, and Management. Marguerite Madden, ed. Pages 1135-1168 in the ASPRS Manual
of Geographic Information Systems. American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, Bethesda,
MD. 1352pp.
C. Papers Presented at Science Meetings (give title, date, occasion, and location)
Signell, S.A., S.A. McNulty, and W.F. Porter. Establishing a relational database for the Adirondack Region.
Adirondack Research Consortium, May 21, 2009, Lake Placid, NY.
D. Public Service Presentations (lectures, seminars, etc. to and for the public; give group or occasion, date(s), and
attendance)
6/18/2008 Ukranian tour group, HWF
Intro to research and programs at AEC
7/17/2008 Huntington Lecture Series, VIC
Beech nuts' importance to wildlife
9/6/2008 Teddy Roosevelt Days Ecology Hike,
hike around Arbutus Lake
HWF
5/9/2009
Adirondack Landowners' Association
how does AEC help Adirondack landowners?
8/4/2008
Conservation Fund Advisory Board,
HWF
Intro to research and programs at AEC
Adirondack GIS User's Group
presentation on database and GIS use in
Adirondack land use planning
11/18/2009
V. PUBLIC SERVICE
A. Funded Service (include consulting activities)
1. Government Agencies (Federal, State, Local):
none
2. Industrial and Commercial Groups, etc.
none
B. Unfunded Service to Governmental Agencies, Public Interest Groups, etc.
VI. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
A. Professional Honors and Awards (for teaching, research, outreach, etc.)
B. 1. Activities in Professional Organizations (offices held, service as chairman, member, participant or
consultant)
Adirondack Research Consortium Board Member (2009-2012)
2. Professional Society Membership
Adirondack GIS User’s Group
Ecological Society of America
Society of Conservation Biology
The Wildlife Society
3. Other Professional Activities
a. Editorial activity
Journal (s)
Responsibility
Other (books, symposia, etc.)
b. Reviewer
Journal(s)
No. of manuscripts
Journal of Wildlife Management
2
Agency
No. of proposals
Other
c. Participation (workshops, symposia, etc.)
Name of workshop, etc.
Date
Place
NSF Undergraduate Research Mentoring (UMEB) October 2008 Arlington, VA
C. Further Education/Re-training Undertaken, Leaves, Workshops, etc.
D. Foreign Travel (Where, When, Purpose)
VII. ADMINISTRATIVE AND SERVICE RESPONSIBILITIES (include committee participation)
A. Department-level
Editor of AEC newsletter, the Spruce Moose
Helped organize Dudley Raynal celebration and plaque presented at ESF/National Atmospheric Deposition
Program meeting in Oct 2008
B. College-level
Council for Geospatial Modeling and Analysis (CGMA)
Organizer, Huntington Lecture Series
C. University-wide, including Research Foundation
Served on search committee for Center for Adirondack Biodiversity director (extra-university)
VIII. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACTIVITIES AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS DURING THIS
REPORTING PERIOD, ESPECIALLY THOSE MOST NOTEWORTHY AND RELATIVE TO THE
COLLEGE’S AND DEPARTMENT’S MISSION. One paragraph on each of the following would be most helpful:
this past year, what have you done for our students, department/college, and self professionally? NOTE: The
information in this section (along with the supporting specific information elsewhere in this report) should be your
strongest case for being considered for a discretionary raise, which I’ll continue to award based on your contributions to
the department and college this reporting period.
Students: At multiple levels, I serve students: primarily from ESF but many from other institutions studying at the
AEC. I have grown my graduate advising capacity with the addition of a third MS student to arrive this summer. I am
pleased to share my experience with graduate students and enjoy the challenges of mentoring at that level and
producing both sound scientific studies and future career biologists. Turning to undergraduates, the UMEB program
(NSF funded, with Robin Kimmerer) continues to improve and gain recognition regionally and nationally. This
program has been a huge success: getting undergraduates excited about research and motivated to conduct independent
work, to connecting them with mentors in environmental biology fields and working on real-world issues, to helping
them shape their futures. In addition to writing the grant proposal, coordinating summer research at AEC, overseeing a
graduate TA, and mentoring some of the students directly, I am very proud to co-lead this strong program that will
produce future scientists and, more importantly, future thinkers.
Department/College: Two areas where my work has contributed to the mission of the department and college:
visibility and collaboration deserve special mention.
1. I have continued to raise ESF’s visibility and credibility through a variety of means. These include:
 Raising the level of dialog about data sharing and informing decisionmaking in the Adirondacks via the
UMP-GIS project. Originally focused on state Forest Preserve land planning, we have increasingly
expanded our spatial analyses and tools to include all Adirondack lands and beyond for stewardship and
land use planning. Organizations such as DOT, DEC, NY Natural Heritage Program, The Nature
Conservancy, Wildlife Conservation Society, and others routinely confer with me/AEC to collaborate on
problem-solving. Now that I will serve on the Adirondack Research Consortium board, I have an
opportunity to bring more attention to information sharing and more effective policy generation
 The Spruce Moose, AEC’s newsletter, continues to flourish. It is printed in full color and now reaches well
over 1,000 alumni and college partners, keeping them informed of developments and opportunities to stay
involved with ESF. We get many compliments and comments on the activities of AEC/ESF from
newsletter readers and between the print and online versions can reach
 Keeping in touch with alumni and “friends” of Huntington Wildlife Forest. In the past year, I was a key
player in creating Facebook groups for both HWF and the ESF UMEB program, so that students and
colleagues could keep up to date on events and stay in touch with the college and each other. As social
networking continues to expand on the internet, and as our graduates use these tools to stay connected, to
maintain a vital alumni network, we must as well.
2. I also have worked hard to collaborate with colleagues at ESF as well as those at other institutions. The
Adirondack Biodiversity Project (ATBI), which I continue to be involved with, has a coordinator housed at the
Center for Adirondack Biodiversity, located at Paul Smiths College (the director is an ESF post-doc, David
Patrick). This citizen science initiative has brought many partners together and continues to grow. David and I
have forged many plans together for improving research and involvement of citizens in science in the Adirondacks.
I have also worked to develop research projects and/or publications with faculty in EFB, other departments,
institutions, and agencies which should continue to bear fruit into the future.
Self: Becoming sole advisor to graduate students might be the largest growth I experienced this year. I am now
overseeing a greater number of grad and undergrad students which required some shifts in allocation of energy and
learning to navigate college policies and timelines. I have assumed a supervisory role for the AEC TA which will help
develop my mentoring and administrative capacity. Over the next several months, I intend to work with other faculty
and staff to design a robust program for the TA. This will include clear expectations and outcomes and will be
beneficial to both the graduate student and to AEC programming.
IX. A. FUTURE PLANS, AMBITIONS, AND POTENTIAL CONTRIBUTIONS FOR YOUR OWN
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND THE ENHANCEMENT OF THE PROGRAM IN
ENVIRONMENTAL AND FOREST BIOLOGY (brief summary)
I look forward to serving on the Adirondack Research Consortium board and providing a venue for students
and researchers to share information with each other and municipal/environmental resource managers. I plan
to continue taking on more graduate student advising. I would love to expand the current UMEB program to
accommodate more students, both within a given year as well as for future years; I will work with Robin
Kimmerer to extend the NSF grant and desire to work with other faculty to find additional sources of funding.
I hope to renew the GIS support of land planning (UMP-GIS project with DEC and Adirondack Research
Consortium) to include a regional spatially-enabled database on the web. I will advance forest health and
ecological research opportunities and continue to produce scientific papers for technical and lay audiences. I
am still entertaining ideas for a PhD program to begin in the near future but have not yet settled on a project
that inspires me enough to take the plunge.
B. PROJECTED ACTIVITIES FOR NEXT YEAR
1. Summer 2009
a. Course(s) to be offered
same as current year
b. Proposed research activity
 Adirondack Biodiversity Project – secure funding
 Beech Bark Disease – secure funding
 Boreal bird detection and habitat association
 White-tailed deer movement/behavior and disease risk assessment
 ALTEMP projects (various, including: terrestrial salamanders, vernal pool amphibian
reproduction and survival, songbird survey, phenology, seed survey, beaver colony survey)
 Advise UMEB student research
 Conduct sampling and project management for Adirondack Biodiversity Project
 Summarize and report on several ongoing research projects, including Beech Bark
Disease/beechnut production and amphibian population trends/habitat use
c. University, professional society, and public service
potentially offer a co-taught course (with Beier and others)
Co-coordinate ATBI; contribute to Org. of Biological Field Stations, National Phenology
Network, Northeast Regional Mast Survey, Northeastern Vernal Pool Working Group,
Adirondack Research Consortium among others
2. Fall Semester 2009
a. Course(s) to be offered
same as current year
b. Proposed research activity
 Climate change/Phenological data summary, including Northeast Regional Mast Survey and
Northeastern Phenology Network (with Dovciak, Stella, Beier, others)
 Human and ecological community sustainability in the Adirondacks – assist new faculty in
starting program (Beier)
 Submit grant for NSF URM or REU to extend/expand undergraduate research opportunities
(with Kimmerer, others)
 ALTEMP projects (various, including phenology, terrestrial salamanders, beaver colony
activity, seed survey)
c. University, Professional society, and public service
continue from Summer
3. Spring Semester 2010
a. Course(s) to be offered
same as current year, with possibility of more involvement in Winter Mammalian Ecology
b. Proposed research activity
continue from Fall semester
c. University, professional society, and public service
continue from Fall semester