Smith College
Environmental Science and Policy News
The MacLeish Field Station: Old Land, New Ideas
SPRING 2009
I
n May 2008, Smith College
officially dedicated its
property in West Whately,
Inside this Issue Massachusetts as the Ada and
Archibald MacLeish Field
Station. The College acquired
2
Environmental
the approximately 200-acres
Research at the Field
in 1962 and built an on-site
Station
observatory for the astron3
Studying the
omy department in 1968 to
Landscape: The Ada
replace the one destroyed
and Archibald
during the construction of
MacLeish Field
Wright Hall. The Whately
Station
property was chosen as the
site for the observatory in
Reading the
4-5
order to “avoid interference
MacLeish Landscape:
from city light, which a closer
A Walking Tour with
location would involve, thus
Tom Wessels
hampering the viewing of the
skies.” The astronomy departThe Green
6-7
ment still values the dark skies
Coalition: Smith
visible from the property, and
professors take students there
Environmental Orgs
several times a semester to
Smith Outdoors and 8
experience the sky differently
the Field Station
than is possible from the
McConnell Roof Observatory. In the past few years,
burgeoning interest in environmental science and policy
questions from a number of
different disciplinary fields
The Environmental Science & has led to the recognition of
Policy Program Offices are the Whately property’s potential for further scientific
located in Bass Hall:
research, outdoor recreation,
Joanne Benkley, Coordinator and conservation initiatives.
ES&P Program
Room 107
x 3951
Jon Caris, Coordinator
Spatial Analysis Lab
Room 109
x 3042
The Spatial Analysis Lab
Room 103
T
he Ada and Archibald
MacLeish Field Station
is only a short twelve mile
drive from the Smith campus.
It is located amidst one of the
largest tracts of undeveloped
land in Massachusetts– a
patchwork of protected land
and farmland lying adjacent to
Rachel Neurath (‘09)
the primary drinking water
reservoir for the City of Northampton. On the Smith property
are streams, forests, fields, and
even an old lead mine. The
MacLeish Field Station also
houses one of six AIRMAP
stations located throughout
New England that monitor
climate and air quality.
ecology, effectively monitoring the water they drink on
campus. The AIRMAP
station allows for monitoring
of the atmosphere so that
students and faculty can study
local impacts of changes in air
quality and climate. The
forested land, much of which
was farmland in the 19th
Century, provides an opportunity for students to study
forest dynamics and forest
recovery over time.
O
Tower that measures meteorological
conditions and atmospheric pollutants.
P
rogramming at the
MacLeish Field Station is
supported by a gift from former
Smith College President Jill Ker
Conway (1975-1985). The
MacLeish Field Station is
named for Ada and Archibald
MacLeish, passionate environmentalists and friends of Conway. Ada MacLeish was a singer
and her husband, Archibald,
was a three-time Pulitzer Prizewinning poet.
T
he MacLeish Field Station
provides opportunities for
students and faculty to conduct
research in a broad range of
disciplines at a site near the
College on issues of local relevance. The proximity to the
Northampton reservoir allows
students to study the area’s
hydrology, geochemistry, and
pportunities at the
MacLeish Field Station
are not limited to scientific
disciplines. The successful
conservation of the land
makes it a good model for
students interested in
environmental policy and
conservation. The site also
provides a space for landscape studies and outdoor
recreation. Last semester, the
landscape studies design
seminar conducted projects at
the MacLeish Field Station,
and Smith Outdoors and the
exercise and sports studies
Wilderness Skills class began
using the land for orienteering. In fall 2009, the Outdoor
Adventure orientation group
will use the MacLeish Field
Station as its base camp. In
the future, the MacLeish Field
Station could be used for
poetry readings, or for studying local land-use history.
The focus of this ES &P Newsletter
is the Ada and Archibald MacLeish
Field Station. For more information
about the Field Station, contact
Amy Rhodes at arhodes@smith.edu.
Page 2
Reading the MacLeish Landscape: A Walking Tour with Tom Wessels
By Rachel Neurath (‘09)
om Wessels, an ecologist at
Antioch University, New England, led a group of interested
Smith College students, faculty and
staff on a walking tour of the 200acre MacLeish Field Station in September. Wessels, an expert on New
England forests, looks at the physical landscape to interpret land-use
history. Before beginning the walk,
Wessels introduced himself saying,
“I’m trained as a research ecologist,
but my avocation is to teach.” He
has taught for the past thirty years
and written several books, including
Reading the Forested Landscape (1997),
The Granite Landscape (2002), Untamed Vermont (2003), and The Myth
of Progress: Toward a Sustainable Future
(2006). He is currently working on
a field guide to the forested landscape.
T
he walking tour bisected a portion of the MacLeish land,
with Wessels highlighting both natural features of the landscape and
evidence of past land-use along the
way. His observations focused on
the stone walls, the topography of
Wessels, there are 125,000 miles of
woodland stone walls in central
New England. If you lined them
up, you could circle the equator five
times, or go half-way to the moon!
www.hikenewengland.com
T
T
he abundance of stones in
New England is a result of the
area’s glacial history. When the last
glacier retreated about 12,000 years
ago, it left behind glacial till, unsorted sediment with stones ranging
in size from pea-sized to as large as
boulders. Each time fields were
plowed, new stones pushed up by
the freezing and thawing cycle of
winter were turned up in the soil.
When wood was abundant, these
stones were thrown into piles, but
with the clearing of land for crops
and agriculture, wood was in short
supply, and farmers started using
the stones to build their fences.
I
n the 1850s, rail came into the
region, bringing with it an easy
source of grain. Consequently, the
extensive fields previously used for
growing grain was turned into pasture and farmers shifted to dairy
farming as a way to make a living.
the land, the paper birch, and the
American chestnut; details of some
of his observations are below:
Stone Walls
S
tone walls at MacLeish were
likely constructed during the
“Sheep Fever” period from 18001840, when land was cleared to raise
large herds of sheep. According to
Topography
W
hen walking through a forest, the first thing to look at
is not the trees or the underbrush.
First one should look at the ground.
A typical forest has a pillow and
cradle, or pit and mound, topography. Trees fall over, and the roots
pull up, leaving a cradle or pit. The
roots and tree then decompose,
leaving a pillow or mound next to
the cradle. If the topography of the
forest floor is flat, it was plowed at
some point in history. Pillow and
cradle topography in forests indicates that the land was never
plowed, though it may have been
cleared for pasture.
I
f the topography is flat, land
could have been plowed for a
hay field or a crop field. Hay fields
were only plowed a few times, while
crop fields were plowed every year.
Stone walls with small, fist-sized
rocks filling in gaps, or a nearby pile
of stones, indicate that the field was
a crop field, as each time the field
was plowed, more and more rocks
would have been removed. There is
evidence of past crop fields, hay
fields, and pasture, as well as a few
areas that were always forest at the
MacLeish field station.
Paper Birch
T
he paper birch is one of the
“truly cold-hardy trees in New
England.” It is able to survive temperatures down to -40° Fahrenheit,
giving it the ability to extend its
range further north and at higher
altitudes than most other broad leaf
(Continued from page 2)
(Continued on page 7)
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SPRING 2009
Page 3
Environmental Research at the Field Station
By Amy Larson Rhodes
(Manager of the Field Station and Associate Professor of Geoscience)
T
he MacLeish Field Station
represents a living laboratory
where students and faculty can develop
and carry out field experiments aimed
to better understand environmental
processes that take place in a New
England forest. One programmatic
goal is to establish monitoring equipment and experimental plots that will
help sustain long-term research projects
that track environmental effects of
climate and land-use change. Currently
on site is a 70-foot tower equipped
with sensors that measure EPA criteria
pollutants in the atmosphere (ozone,
carbon monoxide, and nitrous oxide)
and meteorological conditions (wind
speed and direction, air temperature,
pressure, and relative humidity). This
equipment makes the MacLeish Field
Station one of six AIRMAP sites across
New England that collects air quality
and climate data and that investigates
connections between the two. Professor Paul Voss of the Picker Engineering Program, who brought the instrumentation to Smith, explains,
“Episodes of elevated ozone can occur
during summer when southerly and
southwesterly winds, combined with
sunny conditions and high temperatures, bring air to the MacLeish Forest.
The air pollution in the Pioneer Valley
may come from as far away as New
York City and Washington, D.C.”
STRIDE and AEMES scholars Katy
Gerecht (’10), Mary Gowins (’11), and
Sara Sirios (’11), advised by professor
Robert Newton (Geosciences), added
instrumentation to measure precipitation and snowfall, and Sara will present
her calculations of the winter season
hydrologic water input to the forest at
“Collaborations” in April.
T
hanks to the hard work by electrical engineer Tom Hartley, the air
pollution and metrological data
measured at MacLeish may be viewed
in real time on the internet
(www.airmap.uhn.edu). Further assistance by professor Drew Guswa and
Smith Science Center support staff
(Eric Jensen, Dale Renfrow, and Sue
Froehlich) is strengthening the infrastructure at MacLeish so that additional
environmental sensors can be added to
the network and downloaded over the
internet.
T
his summer, four Smith students
from the Picker Engineering
Program, Geosciences, and Biological
Sciences will conduct a 10-week field
campaign at MacLeish that investigates
how forest structure, topography, air
pollution, and meteorological conditions relate to the hydrologic and geochemical inputs to the forest (advised
by professors Drew Guswa, Amy
Rhodes, and Bob Newton). The
students will measure the quantity and
chemistry of throughfall to assess the
amount of water and concentration of
nutrients added to the forest floor.
Findings may provide insight on how
climatic and historical land-use changes
affect the hydrology and biogeochemical cycling in forests. Preliminary
stream water data collected this spring
by AEMES and STRIDE scholars
Mary Gowins (’11) and Jenna Zechmann (’12), will inform the summer
research experiments. The team will
also build off historical tree stand inventories, which were compiled by Ada
Comstock Scholar Laura Paul (’09) and
digitized into a Geographic Information System (GIS) by SRIDE scholar
Meredith Gallogly (’12). The forest
inventories will help document changes
in tree species following logging of the
property in the 1980’s and 1990’s.
Reid Bertone-Johnson, professional
landscape architect and lecturer in landscape studies, is overseeing construction of the GIS database for MacLeish
that will provide important base layers
for environmental research.
E
nvironmental research at
MacLeish will benefit greatly
from Smith’s recent hire of professor
Jesse Belemare, the new plant ecologist
in the Department of Biological
Sciences. Having grown up in West
Whately and as a neighbor to Smith’s
property, professor Belemare already is
very familiar with the MacLeish forest.
His research interests include understanding the role insects may play on
plant community composition in the
fields and hemlock tree stands. This
summer, he will assist with identification of ecologically sensitive areas on
the property. He also will help the
hydrology team characterize the trees in
the experimental throughfall forest
plots.
What students have already
learned from the Ada and
Archibald MacLeish Field Station:
“Being from California, I felt profoundly disconnected from the physical place of Smith—
I spent my first three years knowing nothing
about the ecology, history, or industry of the
Pioneer Valley. Studying these woods, talking
to the neighbors of the property, buying
vegetables from the farm stand down the
road, gave me the sense of place that I had
lacked, contextualized what I was learning
every day, and profoundly deepened my
appreciation of New England.”
~ Alex Webster, (‘08)
Alex Webster was a biology major at Smith.
She did an honors thesis at the Ada and Archibald
MacLeish Field Station on ecohydrology.
Webster graduated from Smith last May.
Page 4
Green Smith: Join the Coalition!
Four orgs invite you to help reduce Smith’s impact on the environment.
Green Team by Alexandra Page (‘12)
The Green Team is a coalition of faculty, staff, and students which works to
educate and support the campus community and the college sustainability
committee in the efficient use of finite natural resources.
This semester, the Green Team is busy on several fronts:
Team members are polling fellow students in order to research the sentiments of Smith students toward their individual refrigerators. We hope students will be open to the idea of either not using a personal fridge, or at least turning the temperature down,
so less energy is wasted.
A number of Smith students on the Green Team attended Power Shift, an environmental conference held the last weekend of
February in Washington DC. Now the Green Team is putting together a follow-up event where attendees will speak about their
experience and share the ideas they learned at the conference. The goal is to help make the Smith campus and the world a more
environmentally conscious place.
On Earth Hour, which was on Saturday, March 28th and the Green Team sponsored a Switch Hunt where houses competed to
turn off as many appliances and lights as possible between 8:30 and 9:30 pm.
The Green Team is already looking ahead and planning events for Earth Day, April 22nd. Some of these events include a Environmental Science Fair on Chapin Lawn where many Smith organizations will have booths providing information pertinent to
the environment and their area of expertise, a free box extravaganza on Chapin Lawn, and a movie showing in the Carroll Room
in the Campus Center.
Join the team! Contact Dano Weisbord, environmental sustainability director at dwesibord@smith.edu.
The Smith Community Garden by Elisabeth Wolfe (‘10)
Just a year old this April, the Smith College Community Garden serves as a tool for
students to gain experience in all aspects of organic vegetable gardening. We believe
that it is imperative for today’s students to gain concrete knowledge of ways to solve
every-day environmental sustainability problems, especially those concerned with
food production. To this end, the garden teaches, engages, and puts into practice
these notions of sustainability in ways that are both applicable to the individual and
the greater Smith community. We have a small pilot garden located near the Fort
Hill School on Lyman Road in Northampton and our first seedlings of the season
are just coming up! Over the past few semesters, we have built cold frames to help
extend our growing season into the early spring
and late fall, created a crop plan, worked on officially chartering our organization, and actively
engaged with student projects, classes, and the Fort Hill nursery school. We
look forward to having fun and getting dirty again this spring with hands on
projects, including building compost bins and a rainwater collection system,
seeding, transplanting, field trips to local farms, setting up a farm stand on
campus and more! To join our general email list or for more information, email
smithgarden@gmail.com, and check out www.smithgarden.blogspot.com for
updates and more pictures!
SPRING 2009
Page 5
The Bike Kitchen by Elisabeth Wolfe (‘10)
The Bicycle Kitchen is a completely student-run bike shop, providing help to students with basic
bike repairs, bike maintenance education, and offering semester by semester bike rentals, as well as
all around bike love. We see ourselves as an integral part of Smith’s efforts towards environmental
sustainability by providing Smith students with an alternative eco-friendly form of transportation.
This past semester we have been in the process of completely renovating our new space in Ainsworth gym (which now looks absolutely beautiful!), as well as almost tripling the size our bike
rental fleet.
We are located in the basement of Ainsworth Gym and are available to fix bikes, teach and have fun every Friday
from 4-6pm. So, if you have any interest in learning how to fix bikes, going for amazing bike rides, organizing workshops, renting bicycles and more, please contact us! Alumnae visiting campus are welcome to take advantage of bike
rentals, too! For detailed directions to our shop and contact information please go to www.smith.edu/bikekitchen
MassPIRG by MacKenzie Clark (‘11)
MASSPIRG is a statewide student-directed and studentfunded group working to solve real social problems. At Smith’s MassPIRG chapter, we are currently running
5 campaigns. Hunger and Homelessness, Global Warming Solutions, Water Watch, Zero Waste, and textbooks. The goals for the Global Warming Solutions campaign for the spring semester are to pass priority environmental
legislation during the first 100 days of the new administration. Specifically, we are pushing for legislation to require utilities to produce 100% clean energy, make all new buildings zero-energy by 2030, require production of the most fuelefficient cars in the world, increase public transit capacity by 10% annually, and invest $142 billion in clean, renewable
energy, energy efficiency and public transportation. These policies will not only make significant strides towards combating global warming, but they also create jobs, help the economy recover, and reduce our dependence on foreign oil. As
part of our efforts this semester we have already sent a group of 22 Smith students to Powershift- a national student conference on climate change in Washington, D.C. At the conference, 12,000 students from across the country converged
to learn about global warming and make their voices heard. MassPIRG held a date-auction on campus which raised $460
to help fund the trip to Powershift. The conference was a great experience, and we all returned to Smith full of ideas for
the rest of the semester. Next we are planning to hold a forum on climate change and plan to invite Congressman Neal
to campus to discuss these issues with local experts and students. The goal is to start a conversation about solving
global warming from a broad national level down to the personal level.
This semester, MassPIRG's Water Watch group is working on several issues at the local and state level, and also hoping
to incorporate more international water issues into our work. Here at Smith, we're working to get students to sign on to
our Zero Waste petition. One of our goals is to expand the Bottle Bill here in Massachusetts to include the recycling of
non-carbonated beverage bottles. The Zero Waste petition will go to Commissioner Laurie Burt of the Massachusetts
Department of Environmental Protection, and ask her how she plans to update the state's Master Plan to deal with
waste, including increasing recycling and composting efforts, and other waste reduction methods, so that we may one day
achieve zero waste. Water Watch has also designed lesson plans about water conservation and hopes to work with local
elementary schools this semester to teach children about ways to save water at home (e.g. while brushing teeth, cleaning,
cooking, etc.). Additionally, the group hopes to organize a fundraiser later in the semester for well
building or rainwater harvesting efforts in various parts of the developing world.
All of the MassPIRG groups are working together to plan an Earth Day Festival similar to the one we
sponsored last year. We hope organizations will also be out and actively helping celebrate an afternoon
of environmentally themed fun activities, such as a free box frenzy, and bike powered smoothies.
Page 4
Studying the Landscape: The Ada and Archibald MacLeish Field Station
By Matthea Daughtry (‘09)
L
ast semester, I took Professor Reid
Bertone-Johnson’s Landscape and
Narrative class. Our main project was to
study the landscape of the Ada and
Archibald MacLeish Field Station in
Whatley, Massachusetts, and then design
potential landscaping proposals. We
worked to redesign the site for more
general and accessible use, taking into
consideration the needs of as many
departments, offices, and programs as
possible. Final projects included plans
for an interpretive trail system and an
outdoor classroom.
B
efore designing our own projects,
we had conversations with a number of individuals and groups we thought
might be interested in using the site.
Suggestions for the site were wideranging, including everything from abandoning it except for tent camping to
installing cabins with hot showers. While
we could not accommodate all requests,
our design process allowed us to consider
a wide range of design options. We also
visited the site with ecologist Tom
Wessels of Antioch College of New
England, who gave us perspective on the
land-use history of the property.
the MacLeish Field station.
T
his semester, I am working to
synthesize the work our class
conducted, making a more finished
proposal that can then be presented to
the College. As part of my work, I
will examine the Ada and Archibald
MacLeish Field Station in greater defter on campus conversations
tail. One aspect of the property I plan
and site analysis, we created
to focus on is the potential use of the
preliminary individual and group prosite in different seasons. I will be
posals for the site. A unifying aspect of
looking for ways to make the site
our design was the trail system. Each
accessible in a variety of situations and
of us designed our own trails that we
weather conditions. By incorporating
then synthesized to create one comprethe ideas of the class and my own
hensive trail system. For our final preswork this semester into a single design
entation, each student displayed and
plan, I hope to create a proposal that
discussed their individual master plans
will benefit the entire Smith College
and ideas, as well as a few group pieces,
community.
including a scale model of the site.
Many proposals centered on use of the
existing observatory. One suggestion
was to create an arbor around the entire observatory to create an additional
gathering and learning space. Another
student suggested that we create an
observation deck off of the observatory
in order to create a multi-function outdoor space. While some designs
focused on the arrival experience generating ideas for parking, trail literaAll photos on this page taken by
ture and other identifying features for
Matthea Daughtry (‘09)
the entrance - others considered how
poetry and art might be incorporated
Want to learn more about the history of
into the site. Those suggestions
the Ada and Archibald MacLeish
included the installation of cairns, enviField Station?
ronmental sculpture, wildlife blinds,
Visit the Sophia Smith Archives
and labyrinths. By the end of the sein the Alumnae Gymnasium.
mester we had generated a lot of work
and excitement for the possible uses of
A
SPRING 2009
Page 7
www.allposters.com
trees. Paper birch resistance to cold
What Makes Birch Bark Unique?
temperatures is due to its highly
evolved bark. There are four features of birch bark that make it
3
Lenticels
unique. The first is its white bark,
which reflects winter sunlight.
Trees with dark bark absorb
White color
sunlight, heating up during the day
and then cooling in the night, which
1
can lead to frostcracking during cold
weather and kill the tree. By reflect- Peeling bark
2
ing sunlight, the paper birch does
not experience such extreme temperature fluctuations in the winter
4
months. The second feature of the
paper birch is that its bark peels off,
Oily bark
allowing it to shed epiphytes and
maintain its white color. The third
feature is the lenticels, horizontal
The American Chestnut
marks on paper birch bark. These
allow the birch to conduct bark
The demise of the American
photosynthesis at temperatures as
chestnut was probably the single
low as 21º Fahrenheit. The fourth
most devastating event to the temunique feature of birch bark is its
perate deciduous forest biome of
oiliness, which prevents the loss of
eastern North America.” Before a
moisture during the night.
massive fungal blight, accidentally
introduced in 1904 in New York by
a Chinese chestnut, the American
chestnut was the most common tree
east of the Mississippi. Saplings of
the American chestnut still grow,
but they are killed by the fungus
before they are able to grow into
mature, fruiting trees. Trunks of old
American chestnuts still can be
found on the MacLeish land, demonstrating the durability of the
wood. Wessels remains optimistic
that someday the American chestnut
will make a come back.
aper birch trees are mainly
found around the edges of
open areas on the MacLeish land, as
they are a pioneering species that
require large quantities of light and
nutrients. The presence of birch
trees back from the edges of open
areas generally indicates that the
forest is reclaiming the open space,
and, if the trees are not cut back,
will eventually re-forest the open
land.
http://soot.sr.unh.edu/airmap/wh.jpg
“
P
Upcoming ES& P Spring Events…
Monday, April 6: Green Marketing 101:
Lessons from the Green Graveyard
An interactive talk and tea with ecoinnovation expert Jacquelyn Ottman, ’77
4:15 p.m., Neilson Browsing Room. Learn
Jacquelyn’s “Rules of Green Marketing," profile
of the green consumer, and strategies essential to
good green marketing. Illustrated with examples
of runaway successes contrasted with products
from Ottman's memorable "Green Graveyard."
Interact with her "Petting zoo" of green products,
and bring your own to find out just how green
they really are! Jacquelyn is considered the
nation's foremost expert on green marketing and
ecoinnovation. Learn more about her at her
company's website, www.greenmarketing.com
Wednesday, April 8: Early Spring: An Ecologist and Her Children Wake to a Warming
World - A lunchtime talk by ecologist and
author Amy Seidl 12:15 p.m., McConnell
B05. In Early Spring Seidl reflects, as an ecologist
and mother of young children, on the marked and
yet everyday changes global warming is producing
- in her home, garden, village, and region making real the global catastrophe of a warming
world and locating it in an iconic New England
landscape. Lunch served.
Sunday, April 19: Climate Leadership
Workshop. McConnell 103, 1-4 p.m.
How do we effectively communicate the climate
challenge, mobilize stronger action by more people, and help our communities make the transition to safe, clean, renewable energy?
Join us to learn how to:
- Describe the latest climate science and what it
means for our lives and the world.
- Summarize criteria for solutions that can sustain
human civilization and earth’s ecosystems.
- Engage more people in education and action.
Tuesday, April 21- EVS 300 final research
project presentations
12:15 p.m., Campus Center Room 205.
Lunch served.
Tuesday, April 28- EVS 300 final research
project presentations
12:15 p.m., Campus Center 205.
Lunch served.
For regular info about environmentally related events
on campus please visit: www.smith/edu/green
and click on events.
Environmental Science and Policy Program
Smith College
Bass Hall 107
Tel: 413.585.3951
enviro@email.smith.edu
TO:
Smith Outdoors and the Field Station
By Rachel Neurath (‘09)
he Smith Outdoors Program, inspired
by the vision of current Outdoor
Adventure Coordinator, Scott Johnson, has
joined with the Environmental Science and
Policy, Geology, Biology, Engineering, and
Landscape Studies departments to find ways
to use and develop the MacLeish Field Station in Whately, Massachusetts. Mr. Johnson
hopes to use the 200 acres of land for recreation, leadership development, and retreats,
all while raising awareness of the natural
environment and the need to preserve it. He
emphasizes the need for low-impact land
use, and is one of several members of college
faculty and staff who support a Conservation
Restriction Easement on the Land.
T
his year, Johnson took students to the
field station to camp overnight through
the Smith Outdoors Program. At the field
station, they did mapping and orienteering
activities. In the fall, Johnson brought his
Introduction to Wilderness Skills class to the
field station. Johnson believes that student
outdoor leadership is a critical aspect of the
Smith Outdoors program. He hopes to expand outdoor leadership training to include
outdoor skills courses and Wilderness First
Aid training. The Smith Outing Club, which
is closely linked to the Smith Outdoors
Program, was once the largest club on campus and owned two cabins for outdoor
The Environmental Science and
excursions. There is still a strong interest in
Policy Program
outdoor activities on campus, and the field
is an interdisciplinary program that ties
together the natural sciences, humanities,
station has great potential as a base camp
and social sciences with a faculty steering
for outdoor recreation and leadership
committee from across these disciplines.
development.
Who’s Involved in the Program?
Photo by Scott Johnson
T
Director: L. David Smith (Biology)
Program Coordinator: Joanne Benkley
Spatial Analysis Lab Coordinator: Jon
Caris
Steering Committee/ Faculty Advisers:
P
lans to use the new Field Station are
already underway. Next year, the
Outdoor Adventure orientation program
for entering first year students will be based
there. Students will camp at the field station and spend the day boating and rock
climbing at the many sites just minutes
away. Some day, Johnson hopes the site
will include a primitive pavilion and a composting toilet which will make the field
station more accessible to groups, while
keeping the site “green”.
ES&P Student Editor: Rachel Neurath, ‘09
We’d love to hear from you! Please send comments and contributions to enviro@email.smith.edu
Donald Baumer (Government)
Maureen Fagan (Chemistry)
Nathanael Fortune (Physics)
Elliot Fratkin (Anthropology)
Andrew Guswa (Engineering)
Virginia Hayssen (Biology)
Shizuka Hsieh (Chemistry)
Michelle Joffroy (Spanish
and Portuguese)
Leslie King (Sociology)
David Newbury (History)
Robert Newton (Geology)
Paulette Peckol (Biology)
Jeffry Ramsey (Philosophy)
Amy Rhodes (Geology)
Paul Voss (Engineering)
Greg White (Government)