2008-09 Membership Renewal

Please consider renewing your membership or joining the Adirondack Research Consortium (ARC) today. As we face several challenges on the future sustainability of the Adirondack Park, the ARC’s work of promoting sound science and research by facilitating partnership and collaboration has never been more important.

With your membership, you will receive a one-year subscription to the Adirondack Journal of Environmental Studies (AJES), (two issues). The summer edition of AJES is in production and will be published shortly. Don’t miss out! As a member, you will also receive notice of upcoming ARC events and activities.

Please support the work of the ARC by joining today. The July 1, 2008 through June 30, 2009 membership year has already begun. Please print and complete the renewal coupon below, and send it to us with a check for only $35.

Thank you!
______________________________________________________

□ Yes, I would like to renew my membership or join the Adirondack Research Consortium and receive two issues of AJES, starting with the 2008 summer edition.

I have enclosed a check for $35 made out to the ARC. Please list me as:

Name: ________________________________________

Affiliation ______________________________________

Address: _______________________________________

City/State/Zip ___________________________________

E-mail: __________________ Phone: _________________

Adirondack Research Consortium
P.O. Box 96
Paul Smiths, NY 12970

Call for Papers

The 16th Annual Conference on the Adirondacks
“A Sustainable Adirondack Park – Ecological, Economic, and Business Perspectives”
May 20-21, 2009, Lake Placid, NY

The Adirondack Research Consortium (ARC) invites researchers of national, regional, and local expertise to present their latest scientific research at the 16th Annual Conference on the Adirondacks in Lake Placid, NY, on May 20-21, 2009. This is an invitation to submit an abstract of a paper to be presented in a panel discussion at the conference. Individuals may also choose to submit an abstract for a poster to be displayed throughout the proceedings which will include an opportunity to meet other conference attendees to discuss it. The Annual Conference on the Adirondacks is a forum for researchers to present current information on natural, social, economic, cultural, and recreational resources, as well as, an opportunity to bring people with diverse backgrounds together in collaborative efforts.

For more information please contact the Adirondack Research Consortium at 518-564-2020 or by e-mail at info@adkresearch.org. Details will also be posted on the ARC's webpage at adkresearch.org. The submission deadline is April 1, 2009. Please be sure to submit early and include your e-mail contact information!

Please share this announcement with colleagues and friends and encourage them to participate in this opportunity to promote science and research in the Adirondack Park!

International climate change conference held in the Adirondacks

On June 24 and 25 over 175 people from the Adirondacks and around the world participated in an international conference on climate change at the Wild Center in Tupper Lake. Former ARC president Ross Whaley organized the meeting with co-chair Carter Bales. Topics ranged from carbon abatement strategies to itemizing likely consequences of climate change for the Adirondacks and beyond.

To learn more about the conference and opportunities for follow-up activities, visit the U.S. Climate Action web site at http://www.usclimateaction.org/.

For local coverage of the event, see the following article from the Plattsburgh Press Republican:
http://www.pressrepublican.com/evening/local_story_177180231.html

The ARC Recognizes Dr. Elizabeth Thorndike

At the Adirondack Research Consortium’s 15th Annual Conference on the Adirondacks held this May 21-22, 2008 in Lake Placid, newly elected ARC President Bill Porter presented outgoing President Liz Thorndike with a plaque recognizing her hard work and dedication to furthering the mission of the organization.

While stepping down as President, Liz will continue to serve the ARC Board of Directors in an expanded role on the Partnership and Fund Development Committee.

Liz has served as ARC Vice President from 2003 to 2006 and as President from 2006-2008. She served for fifteen and a half years as a commissioner of the Adirondack Park Agency and seven years as a trustee of the Association for the Protection of the Adirondacks. She is currently a board member of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). She has a PhD in the field of Natural Resource Policy and Planning from Cornell University where she is a Visiting Lecturer in the Department of City and Regional Planning.

The award presented to Liz reads as follows:

In Appreciation
Elizabeth Thorndike, Ph.D.

For your hard work and leadership as President of the Adirondack Research Consortium Board of Directors in guiding the organization to become a 501(c)3 not-for-profit, developing an ambitious strategic plan calling for long term organizational sustainability, encouraging growth and improvement in existing and new programs, raising substantial funds, and growing the partnership network in support all of these goals. Your personal commitment and leadership is an inspiration to all of us at The ARC, thank you Liz!

Adirondack Research Consortium
May 22, 2008

Dr. Gary Chilson Recognized

At the 15th Annual Conference on the Adirondacks, Adirondack Research Consortium (ARC) Board Member Gary Chilson was honored by the organization for his fourteen years of hard work and dedication in founding and serving as editor of the Adirondack Journal of Environmental Studies (AJES). Under Gary’s leadership, AJES has become a widely respected publication which has remained true to its search for common ground and spirit of open dialogue. The views and articles it contains, have remained inclusive with a broad perspective about important issues concerning the Adirondacks and Northern Forest.

In the photograph above, ARC President Liz Thorndike (seated farthest to the right) thanks Gary and presents him with a plaque memorializing his achievements and significant contributions to the ARC during the Annual Membership Meeting held at the Crowne Plaza Resort and Golf Club in Lake Placid on May 22, 2008. ARC Executive Director Dan Fitts, newly elected President Bill Porter, and Secretary/Treasurer Eileen Allen (left to right) join Liz in the presentation.

Reseach Notes: Two studies show plants shift to higher elevations when climate warms

Researchers from the University of Vermont and Yale University studied tree species distributions in the Green Mountains from 1962 to 2005 and found that the upper range of lower elevation hardwoods had moved 91 to 119 meters higher during the study period, corresponding to a rise in average temperature and precipitation. Abstract: Beckage et al. PNAS. March 18, 2008. 105(11): 4197-4202.

A more long-range study in the mountains of western Europe shows a similar result. BBC news reports that scientists studied distributions of 171 plant species between 1905 and 2005 and found that, on average, populations have relocated their optimum ranges 29 meters higher in elevation each decade in response to climate change. Abstract: Lenoir et al. Science. 27 June 2008. 320(5884): 1768-1771.

Research Notes: Emerald Ash Borer found in Quebec

The Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program sends word from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (similar to our USDA APHIS) that the emerald ash borer (EAB) insect has been found in the Montérégie region of Quebec bordering northern New York State. Humans are the number one vector for spreading EAB through transport of infested nursery stock, lumber, firewood and mulch. After infestation, the canopies of infested ash trees are dead within two years. USDA APHIS gives an excellent background on EAB in North America.

Research Notes: Content analysis and environmental dispute resolution

The use of content analysis - a popular tool among social scientists - is now being used in applied ecology to help in environmental dispute resolution. A June 18th article in Science Daily outlines "... how content analysis allows differences in focus between stakeholder groups to be highlighted in a quantitatively rigorous way, and that this can encourage a dialogue to develop in which all stakeholders are at least addressing the same issues." Researchers from the University of Sheffield and the University of York applied the technique to the analysis of controversial plans to manage introduced species in Scotland. Might this work have extensions in the Adirondacks?

The full article in Science Daily is available at:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080617204447.htm

Research Notes: New web-based forest threats tool

Earlier this year the USDA Forest Service launched a web-based tool for viewing forest threats and connecting to current forest health research throughout the eastern United States. Environmental threats to forests include insects, diseases, invasive plants, climate change, wildland fire, and loss of open space. The tool is accessible through the Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment Center. Also see a short article from the January 2 issue of Science Daily. The center also publishes the quarterly Forest ThreatNet newsletter.