Officials at SUNY Cortland have announced a new director for the school’s Center for Environmental and Outdoor Education which oversees outdoor and environmental education facilities including the operations at three historic camps on Raquette Lake.

Robert L. Rubendall, who has spent 30 years overseeing environmental and experiential education at institutions in New England and Wisconsin, was named the director of outdoor education at SUNY Cortland on June 1 replacing Jack Sheltmire, who will retire on June 30.

Created in 1991, the Center for Environmental and Outdoor Education includes: the Outdoor Education Center, encompassing Camp Huntington (formerly Camp Pine Knot), Antlers (a former resort), and Kirby Camp (a part of Camp Pine Knot believed to have been built for William West Durant’s mistress). All three are located on Raquette Lake about 155 miles northeast of the Cortland campus. The Center also operates the Brauer Education Center near Albany and the Hoxie Gorge Nature Preserve south of the campus in Cortland County.

Residing at Camp Huntington, Rubendall will make periodic visits to the other facilities. He is responsible for scheduling facilities usage, overseeing lodging operations, managing five budgets, supervising five staff members, marketing and promoting the facilities, engaging in fundraising activities and arranging for some maintenance tasks. He will work with the New York State Parks and Recreation and Historical Preservation Office and the National Parks Service to ensure that the upkeep, maintenance and renovation of the Camp Huntington facility are consistent with its historical landmark designation, according to Cortland officials.

Rubendall of Rindge, N.H., most recently served as director of the Boston University Sargent Center in Peterborough, N.H., from 1995 until 2009.

Photo: Guide boat in front of Antlers, approximately 1902. Library of Congress photo.