Posts Tagged ‘Boreal Forest’

Friday, June 19, 2009

Fly Fishing For Dad, Bird Walks at the Wild Center

A couple of nice events this weekend at the Wild Center. It starts on Saturday with a new “Walking With Wild Birds” series. Designed for beginners and experts alike, these morning walks will explore mountain and boreal bird habitat as well as introduce people to bird watching. Then on Father’s Day, Sunday, the center is pulling together a fly-fishing program with local experts and hands-on opportunities to learn to tie flies and improve your casting skills.

Here are the details from the Wild Center:

On Saturday June 20th , enjoy a morning walk – “Adirondack Birding Basics” at The Wild Center with Summer Naturalist and Northern New York Audubon Intern April Costa. Learn the basics of birding – identification, using a field guide as well as how to attract birds to your own back yard. A spotting scope will be used to view birds on the Raquette River from Oxbow Overlooks. Please be prepared with sturdy walking shoes, binoculars/field guides (we have some for use), appropriate outdoor clothing, bug spray, and water. Meet at 8:30 a.m. at The Wild Center public parking Lot. The walk will last approximately 2 hours.

Sunday, June 21st from 12 p.m. – 4 p.m. for a day of everything Fly Fishing. We have many activities to choose from for anyone in the family. Learn how to tie your own fly from Chuck Blankenship, Tri-Lakes Trout Unlimited associate and learn how to cast it on our fully stocked trout pond. Or you could watch a short film on what inspires Rachel Finn, a professional guide, to fly fish in Flammer Theater. And along the way, if you have any questions you can ask the trout fishing experts from Jones Outfitters. They will be available to show you everything you might need to get out on the water. And, for the young ones, we will have an fish printing art project from 1p.m.- 3 p.m. Children will get an opportunity to pick a fish from our collection of models, paint it then press it on to a sheet of paper so they can remember their day. All this will be happening amongst our collections of wild animals on exhibit throughout the day. Free for members or with paid admission.

On Thursday, June 25th, join April for a morning “Boreal Birds and Bogs” walk at Bloomingdale Bog. This is great habitat for boreal species such as boreal chickadee, gray jay, and black-backed woodpecker. The area encompasses a large bog wetland area and cedar woods with sedge marsh and coniferous woods. Easy walking along an old rail-road bed. Please be prepared with sturdy walking shoes, binoculars/field guides, appropriate outdoor clothing, bug spray and water. Directions: Meet at 8:30 a.m. at trailhead/railroad bed on County Road 55 in Bloomingdale NY. The walk will last approximately 2 hrs.

On Saturday, June 27th in cooperation with ORDA, the morning hike will focus on mountain habitats and birds on Whiteface Mountain. We will stop along the way to look at the forest types and transition as we go up the mountain. At the summit, be prepared for a short hike ~ ¾ mile. This is a great opportunity to check out the alpine ecosystem as well as maybe see or hear the rare Bicknell’s Thrush. Directions: Meet in Wilmington at 8:30 a.m. at The Candy Man and from there, carpool to the summit via the toll road.

The birding programs are free and open to the public but registration is required. For more information, directions and to register, please call Sally Gross at 359-7800 x116 or email sgross@wildcenter.org

To see a full list of our summer “Walking with Wild Birds” series visit www.wildcenter.org


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Monday, May 25, 2009

Must-do Nature Events for Summer 2009

Summer. The word conjures up images of the outdoors: sunshine, trees, beaches, birds, flowers. It is THE time to go beyond your door and explore the natural world. There are so many options that, as Calvin noted in the Calvin and Hobbes comic strip, “The days are just packed.” Here are three summer activities on my “to-do” list this year.

1. Orchid Hunting. Orchids are wonderfully strange wildflowers that hide out in many Adirondack wetlands. Some are in bogs (Ferd’s Bog, near Inlet, is famous for its white-fringed orchids), some are in roadside ditches (like the smaller purple fringed orchids I found last year near home and the green wood orchid I tracked down along the road to Tahawus). But I’ve also found ladies tresses on a dry roadside bank! The best time to go orchid hunting (and this is visual “hunting” – orchids are all protected by law, so do not collect or pick them) is mid-July through early August. Visit a wetland or roadside ditch near you, or go for a drive to a public wetland, like the Boreal Life Trail at the Paul Smiths VIC (white fringed orchids, rose pogonia, and grass pinks await you there, although the latter two are at their best late June into early July). I recommend taking along Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide to help you identify your discoveries. » Continue Reading.


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Wednesday, May 13, 2009

7th Annual Great Adirondack Birding Celebration

Seven years ago Brian McAllister, then volunteer coordinator at the Paul Smiths Visitor Interpretive Center, had an idea: why not host a birding festival in the Adirondacks? After all, birders are committed hobbyists who will travel great distances to add new birds to their life lists, and this would be a great way to promote the Adirondacks and the boreal birdlife that makes the Park special. Fast forward to 2009: the Great Adirondack Birding Celebration (GABC) is still going strong and has a line-up of speakers and field trips that will appeal to bird (and outdoor) enthusiasts of all abilities.

This year the GABC, which will be held June 5-7, is hosted by the Adirondack Park Institute (API), the Friends Group of the Visitor Interpretive Centers. One of the changes for 2009 is a registration fee ($35 for individuals, $50 for families), which not only includes entry to all the programs and field trips, but also to the Dessert Reception and Owl Prowl at White Pine Camp (June 5), the BBQ lunch at the Paul Smiths VIC (June 6), and a one-year membership to the API.

While the field trips are always one of the highlights of this annual event, the special draw this year is the keynote speaker: Bridget Stutchbury, author of Silence of the Songbirds. I haven’t read the book yet myself, but I am keen to do so. It seems this book picks up where Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring left off. I finally read Silent Spring a few years ago, and I thought “Whew! We dodged a bullet there.” I was happy to see that many of the dire events of Carson’s days are a thing of the past. But, it seems that while some problems have been addressed, new (and possibly worse) ones have sprung up.

In Silence of the Songbirds, Stutchbury addresses the looming disaster of songbird loss, and how each of us can help slow it down. For example, did you know that your morning cup of Joe is a leading contributor to habitat destruction in the wintering grounds of our northern songbirds? I’m off the hook here, since I’m not a coffee drinker, but when I have bought coffee for others, I make it a point to get shade-grown coffee, coffee from plantations that preserve the structural diversity of the tropical rain forests. And if you don’t think this is important, just step out your door tomorrow morning and listen for the dawn chorus. Then think back to what it sounded like when you were a kid. Dollars to donuts, that the din from your youth is a mere memory today. This is my ninth spring in Newcomb, my 35th in New York State, and I’m stunned by how quiet the dawn chorus has become.

The modern day birder doesn’t just mosey along peering into the trees. For those who enjoy paddling, there’s the Osgood Pond birding-by-boat trip (boats are provided). Maybe you’d like more of a workout? Then sign up for the Whiteface Mountain hike and the search for the Bicknell’s thrush. Perhaps you are interested in learning more about bird banding. You can do so with Dr. Jorie Favreau of Paul Smiths College.

Do you have to be a birder to enjoy this weekend? Of course not! Even non-birders can find something of interest, like the Wetland Walk led by Dan Spada, who supervises the Adirondack Park Agency’s Research Analysis and Scientific Services Division, or the Damsels and Dragons presentation with dragonfly aficionados Vici and Steve Diehl.

So mark your calendars and polish up your binocs. Zip over to the VIC website (www.adkvic.org/birdcelebration.html) and fill out the GABC registration form; and if you need more information, contact Martha at the API: 518-327-3376.

Photo credit: Milt Adams, Env. Ed. 2, Paul Smiths VIC


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Monday, April 27, 2009

Adirondack Park Agency Releases 2009 Land Use Plan Map

The Adirondack Park Agency has announced the release of its 2009 Adirondack Park Official Map. The Map shows the state and private land use plans for the Adirondack Park. This update, the first since 2003, includes recent State land acquisitions and the overall framework for protection of the Adirondack Park’s public and private land resources.

The 2009 edition of the Adirondack Park Land Use and Development Plan Map is available online in a new flash viewer at the APA website at http://www.apa.state.ny.us/gis/index.html. For more information about the Land Use Plan Map contact the APA at 518-891-4050.

Under the State Land Master Plan all state land is classified as one of the following categories: Wilderness, Primitive, Canoe, Wild Forest, Intensive Use, Historic and State Administrative. This plan was developed in cooperation with the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and approved by the Governor. The actual management of the Forest Preserve is carried out by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

According to the press release, the 2009 Map includes new state lands the APA describes as:

* Round Lake Wilderness Area – new wilderness area with classification of Round Lake provides important wildland linkage between the William C. Whitney Wilderness and the Lows Lake and Hitchins Pond Primitive Areas preserving ecological connections while increasing recreational opportunities for canoeists and kayakers.

* Madawaska Flow-Quebec Brook Primitive Area – new primitive area that protects a unique large wetlands complex which is habitat for rare boreal birds and plant species. This area also increases recreational opportunities for hunting, fishing, canoeing and kayaking.

* Raquette-Jordon Boreal Primitive area –one of the largest lowland boreal forests under protection in the Adirondack Park, includes old-growth forest and rare animal species such as the Spruce Grouse.

* Northern Flow Primitive Canoe Corridors – includes the Raquette River Primitive Area north of Piercefield, Dead Creek Primitive Area and the Deer River Primitive – combined these areas create over 5,600 acres of river corridor for canoeing and kayaking.

* Northern Flow Wild Forest and Corridor – includes the main and east branches of the St. Regis River, west branch of the Oswegatchie, Raquette River north of Carry Falls and the south branch of the Grasse River. Creates a series of corridors for use by canoes, kayaks and small motor boats totaling over 19,600 acres in new public recreation opportunities.

* Tahawus Tract – southern gateway to the legendary High Peaks Wilderness Area. This tract is pending classification but is open to the public and includes the head waters of the Hudson River, Henderson Lake and Preston Ponds.

* Sable Highland/Lyon Mountain tract – high-quality spruce-fir forests that provides habitat for Bicknell’s thrush, protects undeveloped shoreline along Chazy Lake and sensitive wetland complexes. It also creates new public hiking opportunities.

The APA’s press release also includes the following “official” description of the Adirondack Park:

The Adirondack Park Land Use and Development Plan applies to the private land in the Park. It defines Agency jurisdiction and establishes development considerations for private land use and development. The Plan is designed to conserve the Park’s natural resources and open-space character by directing and clustering development to minimize ecological impacts.

Under the Plan, all private lands are mapped into six land use classifications: Hamlet, Moderate Intensity Use, Low Intensity Use, Rural Use, Resource Management, and Industrial Use. The Agency has limited jurisdiction in Hamlet areas, extensive jurisdiction in Resource Management areas and various degrees of jurisdiction within the other land use classifications.

The Adirondack Park is the largest publicly protected area in the contiguous United States, greater in size than Yellowstone, Everglades, Glacier, and Grand Canyon National Parks combined. The Adirondack Park has over 10,000 lakes, 30,000 miles of rivers and streams, and a wide variety of habitats, including globally unique wetland types and old growth forests – all within a day’s drive of nearly 84 million people.

The private lands of the Adirondack Park include over 100 communities with neighborhoods, main streets, farms, small businesses, working forests and open space. The Park affords an unparalleled small town quality of life, unique outdoor recreational opportunities and room for businesses of all kinds to grow.

The Adirondack Park Agency, created in 1971 by the New York State Legislature, was charged with developing long-range land use plans for both public and private lands within the boundary of the Adirondack Park. The Adirondack Park Agency balances preservation of the Adirondack Park’s resources and open space character with the need for sustainable economic growth.

As part of New York’s commemoration of the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day, Governor Paterson continues to demonstrate a clear commitment to clean air, clean water, healthy communities, fighting climate change, and promoting renewable energy policies. He is a vocal advocate for clean water investments and “greening” state government. The Governor’s specific achievements include New York’s historic participation and leadership role in addressing global warming with the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, and accomplishing what previous Governors could not by getting the Legislature to finally pass the Bigger, Better, Bottle Bill. By adopting an ambitious but achievable 45 by 15 clean energy goal (45 percent of New York’s electricity from renewables and efficiency by 2015), Governor Paterson has set New York on a path to become the global leader in the clean energy economy, creating green jobs, boosting the economy and protecting the environment


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Tuesday, March 10, 2009

DIY Natural History at The Wild Center

Maybe you’ve started walking to the store instead of driving, or line-drying the laundry, or insulating drafty gaps in your walls. Whatever you do, little steps like these can give other people ideas on how to reduce their own greenhouse gas emissions.

Visitors to the The Wild Center in Tupper Lake are writing footnotes about their efforts to cut fossil-fuel use and posting them by their hometown on a map of the Adirondack Park. Guests from farther away tape their stories outside the Blue Line. The little feet-shaped pieces of paper represent carbon footprints, which must shrink if the Adirondacks is to have a chance of keeping boreal birds, spruce trees and maples.

Here are a few notes from the map:

— Clifton-Fine and Indian Lake schools are studying the feasibility of heating with wood

— Students at Lake Placid High School conducted an energy audit of their building

— SUNY ESF Ranger School in Wanakena is installing a wood-chip boiler

— The Central Adirondack Association and Adirondack Economic Development Corporation are funding a program to help businesses from Old Forge to Long Lake improve efficiency and reduce energy costs

— The Town of Minerva is weatherizing households applying for HEAP funds

— Saranac Lake citizens are raising capital to open a community store for local shopping

The map hangs unobtrusively on a wall near the natural history museum’s auditorium, and it can’t compete with the otters, brook trout, wildflowers and more vivid exhibits. But it quietly acknowledges that if the park’s natural history is to remain more than just a museum piece, it’s up to us.


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Monday, March 9, 2009

Adk Council Slams Paterson’s Adirondack Record

Here is a statement from the Adirondack Council’s Executive Director Brian L. Houseal on what he calls Gov. David Paterson’s “proposed give-away to polluters” under the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). My favorite part is when Houseal calls Paterson out on his Adirondack record (which makes George Pataki look like a saint) – “the Paterson Administration has displayed unexpected hostility toward environmental initiatives and Adirondack issues.” Stand back.

The Adirondack Council strongly objects to Governor David Paterson’s decision to give away pollution rights to polluters participating in compliance with the 10-state Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. Not only is the decision bad for the environment, it is also bad for the economy.

The decision is especially disappointing in light of President Barack Obama’s pledge to create a national cap-and-trade program similar to RGGI to control carbon dioxide emissions nationwide. It would be irresponsible to do anything to weaken the prototype program at this crucial moment. » Continue Reading.


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Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Study on Climate Impacts on Adirondacks Released

Here is a press release from the Wild Center on the report on Adirondack climate change impacts which was first posted here at the Almanack earlier today. I’ve been live blogging the Wild Center’s climate conference today and will continue tomorrow – you can read all the posts here (start from the bottom).

From the Wild Center:

An advance edition of a sixty-two page report detailing potentially radical shifts in the ecology and economy of the Adirondack region was released today as part of a climate change conference held at The Wild Center in Tupper Lake. The document was produced by the Wildlife Conservation Society, and authored by Jerry Jenkins, with support from The Wild Center and The Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies.

The report analyzed data from the Adirondacks and looked at projected changes based on a range of peer-reviewed climate change models. The report states that even if fossil fuel use were immediately reduced, the upstate New York region would still experience a warming of about six degrees Fahrenheit over the next century. The report details a recent rise in temperatures in the Adirondacks.

Highlights of the report include:

* Significant change is already happening. Compared to thirty years ago, the Adirondacks are warmer and wetter, with longer springs and falls and shorter winters. Over the last century northern New York spring and summer temperatures have increased by about 2 degrees, and winter temperatures by about 5 degrees. Total precipitation has increased, and is about 13% greater than it was in 1960.

* The Adirondack seasons as they are currently known are undergoing major changes. In the last forty years, average winter temperatures have increased at a rate of 8.8 degrees per century. As a part of the general warming, the last frosts are coming about a week earlier in the spring and the first frosts about a week later in the fall than they did fifty years ago. The report predicts a possible radical drop in snow cover in the Adirondacks, with less than 45 days with snow on the ground in winter.

* Loss of ice cover on Adirondack lakes. The report tracks ice cover on Lake Champlain that shows a dramatic increase in the number of times the lakes failed to freeze over the past forty years. The lake remained open just three times between 1816 and 1916. The lake now remains open two winters out of every five.

* Potential loss of plant species. The report outlines a major and rapid shift in plant life, and a decrease in many signature tree species including maple, spruce and fir from the projected five degree rise in average temperatures.

* Bird species have shifted their ranges north. The report states that in New York State 25 new breeding birds have arrived in the past century; 13 in northern New York, and 9 in the Adirondack interior. The Adirondacks provide habitat for highly specialized species including Lincoln’s sparrow, gray jay, Bicknell’s thrush, spruce grouse, and the iconic common loon. Thirty-four Adirondack boreal birds are likely to disappear in the coming 30 years.

* Economic impacts. Winter recreation depends on cold weather and snow: the former is steadily decreasing and the latter is likely to do the same. Winter recreation is a major industry impacting many communities. Old Forge is the snowmobiling center of the Adirondacks, operating its own trail system and selling 10,000 trail passes each year. Seventy-eight of its 94 restaurants and inns stay open year round to support snowmobilers; 6 businesses sell, repair, or rent snowmobiles.

* The report also describes the science behind the role carbon pollution is playing in the current climate disruptions, and steps that can be taken to reduce levels of carbon pollution, including steps by individuals.

The climate conference where the report was issued is looking at ways Adirondack leaders can respond to climate change. Officially titled The American Response to Climate Change – The Adirondack Model: Using Climate Change Solutions to Restore a Rural American Economy, the conference will continue tomorrow. More than 190 national and regional leaders are gathered at The Wild Center to draft a plan to reduce the role of carbon on the Adirondack economy, and improve the region’s job and economic outlook through a new approach to energy. The effort, seeking to address a region the size of Massachusetts, is one of the largest such efforts in the United States.

A full report, the Adirondack Climate Action Plan, or ADK CAP will be issued after the conference. The final draft of the report on climate impacts in the Adirondacks is scheduled for publication in the summer of 2009.

Here is a link to the pdf of the 62-page report. I’m looking forward to seeing the action plan. More tomorrow.


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Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Live Blogging the Wild Center Climate Conference

A first for the Almanack. Today and tomorrow I’ll be attending the Wild Center’s climate change conference here in Tupper Lake and blogging what I hear, see, and learn.

Just pulling into the Wild Center from my drive over I was heartened to see a line of hybrids – mostly Toyotas, but a few Hondas as well – it’s clear that the crowd that has gathered here is already in the choir.

The sense so far from the speakers has been that the challenge of checking human-made global warming is daunting, depressing, lacking inertia, distracted by economics and politics, but doable.

The highlight of this morning’s talks was Jerry Jenkins (Forest Issues Coordinator of the Wildlife Conservation Society Adirondack Communities and Conservation Program and author of The Adirondack Atlas: A Geographic Portrait of the Adirondack Park).

Here are some notes from Jenkins’ talk, much of which is based on a new report [pdf] that will soon be issued by the Wild Center and the Wildlife Conservation Society. he showed a lot of charts, which will be invaluable to Adirondackers interested in the local impacts of global warming.

In general, there have been more noticeable mean temperature changes (increases) in the winter and summer, although the whole region is warming (Lake Champlain is warming, the growing season is getting longer, and birds are arriving sooner). The high limit of projections from 30 years ago (5 degrees f over 100 years mean) is already nearly being reached. Meanwhile, our energy consumption is “wildly out of scale” with what we can produce using renewable resources.

The impact on snowfall is still not clear. Jenkins called the local winter sports industry as a historical, cultural, and economic system “more complicated than an Adirondack bog.” “We don’t know what snowfall is doing,” Jenkins added, pointing to the incomplete data over the last fifty years. General models point to a “loss of most snow cover” by 2100. He also said that he is working more serious on this issue now.

If the trends continue, and we reach ten degrees of warming by 2040, our temperature environment will be more like that of West Virginia. This will put us out of the boreal (broadly defined) spruce-fir forest limit and those forest communities are most at risk. Jenkins was quick to point out that “it will never be West Virginia” but the comparison is a “good analog for thinking.”

Spruce-fir forest communities already near the southern limit of their territory that are most at risk of being seriously altered include large boreal bogs, open alluvial wetlands and open river shores (like those in Warrensburg on the Hudson that require ice for their maintenance). Of course there would also be an attendant large loss of species like loons, moose, spruce grouse, pine martin, Bicknell’s thrush, grasses, sedges, trees, birds, ferns, clubmosses, shrubs, and herbs.

“By the end of the century most all of our Adirondack trees will be outside their zone of preference,” Jenkins said, adding that they could be replaced by more southern species like Red Oak, Chestnut Oak, Magnolia, Tulip Poplar, etc., but trees only seem to move about 20 miles per century and most of those species are farther away. As a result, it’s just not clear what will happen. Some species have a better shot because they grow like weeds in disturbed soils – Aspen and Balsam Fir are notable – but Jenkins had a dire warning for Maple, saying in a Q and A session afterward that he would “bet against Maple.”

More after lunch.


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Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Green Path, Green Builder Event at The Wild Center

The Wild Center is the only LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified museum in New York State. LEED is a green building rating system, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council to provide standards for environmentally sustainable construction. The certification is considered the international benchmark for green building design. The Wild Center is going farther then just the certification, however, and will host a special day in October for builders and regional leaders to learn about the newest techniques and technologies of green building.

New Outdoor Green Exhibit

The museum just opened a new outdoor exhibit, all about building green in the Adirondacks. It’s called The New Path and it takes visitors on a guided tour of the museum’s green design elements. You can watch the power output of the Center’s huge solar array, test-drive its flooring made of used tires, learn about the solar and green roofs and the sun-facing windows, plus the exhibit includes tips on trying the techniques at home. The exhibit has fourteen stations, all of them along its outdoor trail system, and all are adjacent to the item they describe, right down to the label on the bio toilets that according to the exhibit have ‘zero gallons per flush’.

Green Builder Program

The ‘Building A Greener Adirondacks’ event will take place Friday, October 3rd, starting at 7:30 a.m. at The Wild Center in Tupper Lake. It will be cohosted by The Energy $mart Park Initiative. The all-day event will feature presentations and chances for regional builders, contractors, community and institutional leaders and interested individuals to hear from experts and suppliers of green building products and technologies, including leading green-building architectural and construction firms, award-winning green product manufacturers and suppliers, and from leading research institutions such as Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Clarkson
University. There will also be green technology and product exhibits and demonstrations. Seminars will include presentations on current best practices and opportunities in solar power, wind power, geo-thermal, bio-mass and bio-fuel, insulation, windows, control systems, lighting and other green building topics. Conference participants will be able to take a walking lunch to
experience the New Path, a self guided walking tour which highlights the Wild Center’s contributions to sustainable design and operation as recognized by the LEED certification program. Registration is available online at www.wildcenter.org/greenbuilding. The
cost for the all-day event is $65, which includes participation in more than 10 green building educational sessions to be held in the Wild Center’s Flammer and Boreal theaters, continental breakfast, a walking lunch and admission to the museum and green building exhibits.

The Wild Center is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. through October 31, and remains open all winter from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.


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Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Newcomb VIC to Host Climate Change Lecture

According to a media release we received last week, the SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry’s (ESF) Adirondack Ecological Center (AEC) and the Adirondack Park Agency Visitor Interpretive Center (VIC) in Newcomb will feature a presentation on climate change during the Huntington Lecture Series at 7 p.m. this Thursday, July 10th at the Newcomb VIC.

Colin Beier (that’s him at left) is a research associate at the AEC. He will present a program titled “Changing Climate, Changing Forests: from Alaska to the Adirondacks.”

Beier will demonstrate that the impacts of climate change in the far north are much more than disappearing sea ice; the boreal forests are changing dramatically, due to increased fire, insect outbreaks and tree diebacks. These are all are linked to climatic changes in the last century.

“As the magnitude and rate of change increases, we can expect that future forests, especially in unique places like the Adirondacks, may be quite different,” Beier said. “But in what ways? What will these changes mean for the Adirondack wilderness and the people who live and visit here?”

Beier is a forest ecologist who studies the connections between economies, cultures and the natural landscapes upon which society depends. He completed his master’s research at Virginia Tech in forest ecology, and his doctoral research at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks, where he was a National Science Foundation Fellow. He has recently published several articles from his Alaska studies, including one of the first studies of the impacts of climate change in the coastal temperate rainforests of southeastern Alaska. Beier’s research interests in his new home – the Adirondack Park – follow along many of these themes: climate change, conservation, forest management, community resilience, and sustainability.

The Huntington Lecture Series is sponsored by the Adirondack Ecological Center, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, based in Newcomb. The programs are free and open to the public.


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