A message from Dean Joseph O`Leary

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A message from Dean Joseph O’Leary
This is a very busy
time of the year for all of
us here in the Warner College
of Natural Resources. Many of
you will have heard that we are
in the midst of a change in the
senior leadership at CSU. In the
last week with Dr. Penley’s resignation, Dr. Tony Frank has now
September 2008
WCNR Spotlight:
Environmental
Learning
Center(ELC)
stepped up to assume the role of
Interim President at Colorado State University. Dr. Frank is a strong supporter
of the College and is aware of the many initiatives we have under way since
we have met at least monthly in his role as Provost to discuss College activities. I believe with his WCNR knowledge and experience, we will continue to
receive strong support into the future for a global leadership position in natural
resources, environment, stewardship and sustainability.
Perhaps one of the most dramatic physical changes in the College recently has
been the major renovation and remodel of the Natural Resource Building
atrium. All of the plants in the atrium planters have been replaced with native
plant species through the vision and generosity of Randy Mandel (Rocky Mountain Native Plants) and Allen Goodness (Little Valley Wholesale Nursery). It
has been an exciting project that required lots of sweat labor from students,
faculty and staff to make it a reality. The changes have also made the atrium
the largest art display area on campus. Several of our alumni have donated
art and we have built a wonderful new working relationship with the Art Department on campus to showcase environmentally related art as well. It is a
good change and one I hope you can experience when you are on campus.
Also, I have spent much time on the road this semester visiting with alumni and
friends in Colorado and throughout the nation. I look forward to continuing this
effort to let more of you know about the exciting things going on with the College. We will continue to focus increasing resources to address student success
and leadership, faculty support and improving College infrastructure.
You will see throughout the newsletter, yet again, updates on faculty, students
and staff winning awards and recognition for their excellent work. Great programs require thoughtful, talented people working together to achieve outstanding results. The Warner College is fortunate have these high achievers
who impact our learning, discovery and engagement programs every day.
Enjoy reading and have a very Happy Holiday season.
Joe
Every newsletter we will spotlight,
through pictures, a department, organization or student club for our
readers and invite your recommendations. The ELC’s mission is to connect people with nature by facilitating educational, inclusive and safe
experiences in the natural environment and to advance the field of
environmental education through
sound research and practice.
WCNR HAPPENINGS
2-6
FISHERIES, WILDLIFE AND
CONSERVATION BIOLOGIES
7
GEOSCIENCES
7
FORESTRY, RANGELAND
TERSHED SCIENCES
WA- 8
NREL
9-10
CSFS
11-12
Upcoming Warner CNR Events
November 11 –WCNR
tailgating at Ram Football
home games from10-12,
east of Ramtown. Look for
the WCNR banner.
December 19 –WCNR Fall
Commencement
January 14 –Faculty convocation
2009 Agricultural Sciences
and Natural Resources Career Fair
Wednesday, February 18,
209
Main Ballroom, Lory Student Center
10 am – 3 pm
Student at work at the ELC
Warner CNR Happenings
“IT
ACCOMPLISHES
THIS BY
PURCHASING
CONSERVATION
EASEMENTS
WITHOUT
REMOVING THE
PROPERTY
FROM PRIVATE
OWNERSHIP”
Forest Legacy Conservation Easement Permanently Conserves
Catspaw Ranch
Development of forested areas increasingly threatens Colorado’s valuable forest
lands. On Sept. 23, Colorado State University and the Colorado State Forest Service
along with the U.S. Forest Service, Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO), The Conservation Fund and the owners of Catspaw Ranch in Archuleta County took steps to conserve
8,690 acres through a Forest Legacy Program conservation easement. Such agreements
permanently restrict the type and amount of development that can occur on the landowner’s property.
The Forest Legacy Program is a federally funded voluntary program that partners with
individual states to support and protect environmentally sensitive forest lands. To maximize public benefits, the program focuses on the acquisition of portions of privately
owned forest lands. It accomplishes this by purchasing conservation easements without
removing the property from private ownership. Most of the easements restrict development, require sustainable forestry
practices and protect other values at risk.
Colorado began participating in
the Forest Legacy Program in
2000 when then Gov. Bill Owens
petitioned the U.S. Forest Service
to be included in the Forest Legacy Program, while designating
the Colorado State Forest Service as the lead agency.
Page 2
Shell Oil Co. grants $950,000 for plant research
Shell Oil Company
granted $950,000 to
the Warner College of
Natural Resources to continue a decades-long research project that aims to
restore plant growth in
northwestern Colorado's
Piceance Basin, which was
devastated by extensive oil
harvesting in the area until
the 1970s.
Previous methods of oil extraction were extensively
damaging to revegetation
processes such as the upturning of topsoil and plant
populations to retrieve oil
shale.
The goal of the project is to
re-grow plant communities
that were significantly
damaged or, in some cases,
eradicated by the extensive oil harvests.
Mark Paschke, an associate
professor of reclamation
ecology working on the
project, said the research
efforts, which were "well
underway" when they
started this early this summer, will provide vital information to affect the process
of future oil extraction by
major oil companies in the
basin area.
"These studies will help us
to tell what we need to be
concerned about and
where we should be spending our money," Paschke
said. "The information that
we gather from (the research) will be very important in letting (the oil companies) know how to deal
with those disturbances
caused by extraction."
While oil companies have
developed advanced, lessinvasive ways of extracting
oil from the shale, project
officials said the new environmental threat is the construction of roads and pipelines that will require the
removal of soil and vegetation in the area.
In the 1970s, oil companies
were interested in drilling in
the basin, which is one of
the largest, untapped oil
reserves in the world that
boasts an abundance of oil
shale.
CSU scientists at the time
believed that the extraction
methods used to retrieve
the oil shale - a sedimentary rock that contains materials that, when heated at
extreme temperatures, are
released as liquid oil were too invasive and
damaging to the plant-life
established in the area.
The scientists recommended
that the companies postpone physical extraction
until the effects of the invasive methods on the natural
environment could be researched and analyzed.
Now, several decades
later, a team of CSU professors, undergraduates,
graduates and researchers
picked up the tools and
went back to the basin to
evaluate the long-term results of the previous research project and continue
to develop new and more
successful revegetation
methods in an effort to reclaim the land.
The research started in
1976 when scientists simulated severe extractions,
upturned topsoil and removed whole sagebrush
steppe communities - the
most common native plant
found in the basin area.
After the extractions, scientists experimented with
twelve plant re-growth
methods, which officials
referred to as revegetation, including the variance
of soil compositions, seed
placements and fertilization.
Where the 1976 project
focused on 12 studies, university researchers focused
the current project on three
distinct studies that will look
at a multitude of revegetation methods, including topsoil treatment, fertilization
mixtures and seed-mix
combinations.
Students working on the
project said they were concerned by the effects of
extensive industry development of natural lands and
worked on the project to
help reverse those effects
and restore the land.
"I grew up on the western
slope, and I've watched
(the basin area) be developed pad after pad after
pad," said Lilly Hines, a
senior rangeland ecology
and restoration major. "It's
very sad to know that these
places - the natural areas
that we've just learned so
much from - are going to
be wiped out and developed."
Paschke said that ultimately, the team is interested in restoring the
Piceance Basin wildlife
habitat, which would mean
returning the area - the
plants and animal communities - to its previous healthy
state.
"I GREW UP ON
THE WESTERN
SLOPE, AND
I'VE WATCHED
(THE BASIN
AREA) BE
DEVELOPED
PAD AFTER
PAD AFTER
PAD,"
In Memory
Laurence Riordan, an
alum of Natural Resources
(BS, Forest & Range Management, 1941; MS,
Range Science, 1956)
passed away in November
in Mesa, Arizona. He was
a former Lecturer for the
Warner College of Natural Resources from 1952
until 1969. He retired
from the Colorado Department of Wildlife where he
served as the Assistant
Director from 1952 until
1973.
Page 3
ELC hosts a Picnic on the Poudre
The Environmental Learning Center hosted a Picnic on the
Poudre family event on Saturday, October 25, in partnership with
the City of Fort Collins Natural Areas Program, El Centro Student
Services, and the CORE Center. Pobre Panchos Restaurant provided
lunch, and families spent the day outside exploring the trails of
Magpie Meander Natural Area, fishing, hiking, making insect nets
and plaster tracks, and learning about local wildlife.
The event was very successful, with over 75 children and adults attending from all over Fort Collins. Hikes and activities were led in
both Spanish and English, and volunteers and staff from all over the
community had a great time interacting with kids and demonstrating easy ways to enjoy nature as a family.
Montfort Professor Nomination
Dr. Kevin Crooks, Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology and Dr. David Theobald, Department of
Human Dimensions of Natural Resources were nominated by the College as candidates for the AY 2008-09 Montfort
Professors program. Each College was allocated two nominations for the program. Dr. Crooks and Dr. Theobald were
nominated from amongst a very competitive faculty applicant pool. The Monfort Professors program helps Colorado
State recruit and retain top-quality faculty. The creation of the two-year-term positions allows the University to establish a special funding program to support innovative research and teaching. Selected through a competitive process, the professor positions receive $75,000 a year to support teaching and research activities in addition to the salary and support they already receive from the university. Two University-wide selections will be made by the Montfort Excellence Fund committee in early January.
The WCNR Teaching, Research and Outreach Grants Program
Funds associated with the Warner gift are available to support a mini-grant program within WCNR. The grant program enhances the overall quality of the WCNR teaching, research and outreach portfolios by providing funding for
innovative ideas to enhance the student learning experience, to create additional opportunities to explore natural
resource research ideas, and to expand our capabilities to communicate new knowledge to outside constituencies.
For AY 2007-08 a total of 13 grants out of 33 submissions were funded across all Departments/units, ranging from
$5,374 to $10,000, for a total grant allocation of $106,067. For application instructions please contact Dr. Bill Doe,
Associate Dean for Research & Engagement ([email protected]), 491-5082.
Page 4
WCNR Open House and Atrium Rededication
Well over a hundred WCNR faculty, students and alumni enjoyed visiting with departments and student clubs and
exploring the “new” atrium recently at the college’s open house.
Three of the WCNR student organizations joined forces to create eight wooden benches for the WCNR Atrium. The Society of American Foresters, Forest Products Society and the Student Fire Fighters cut, sanded, sealed, drilled, bolted, inscribed and installed the benches prior to the October 10th open house. The benches are now being enjoyed by students
and visitors to the atrium.
The Alpha Chapter - Society of American Foresters had excellent representation at the National SAF meeting in Reno Nevada. Eleven students attended the five day event accompanied
by a couple recent graduates. The students received financial support from the Dean's office,
the FRWS Department, the Colorado-Wyoming
State Society and from Alumni Jim Labau. They
students also sold firewood to cover expenses. Vehicles to make
the 16 hour trek were provide by the Colorado State Forest Service.
The students
kept a busy
schedule
during the
conference
including
participating
in the Quiz
Bowl, Student Reception, National Student Congress, Diversity Reception, Job Fair, Lunch with the Leaders, and numerous general and
technical sessions. The group also helped sponsor the CSU Alumni
gathering.
Page 5
Dr. Gary Machlis, Professor of Conservation, Uni-
versity of Idaho visited WCNR on 6-7 November
to present a campus-wide lecture “On the Ecology
of War” and to discuss his plans for developing
the Consortium on Warfare Ecology Studies,
which WCNR will be a founding member of. Over
fifty faculty, staff, students and community members attended his lecture. The lecture was videotaped by the Division of Continuing Education and
can be viewed in its entirety at:
http://mediasite.colostate.edu/Mediasite/
Viewer?peid=f3266e22-c08a-44db-96f032a4631aa4f0
Dr. Machlis also visited the NR592 Seminar in
Natural Resources, taught by Dr. Sonya LeFebre
(FRWS) and discussed interdisciplinary research
with the students (see picture). Dr. Machlis will be
working with Dr. Bill Doe, Associate Dean for Research, over the next several months to develop
proposals for developing the Consortium and to
identify opportunities for related research and
education. Any staff or faculty interested in the
Consortium should contact Dr. Doe.
CSFS Helps Survey and Lead Tree Planting Efforts in Aftermath of Windsor
Tornado
Nearly 1,000 trees
were either lost completely or needed re-
the highest priority trees in
Windsor’s streetscapes and
parks hit hardest by the
tornado.
moval or significant restorative pruning following
the May 22 tornado that
hit Windsor.
The town and its forester
were overwhelmed by the
tree losses, but support
poured in during the following days and weeks,
including initial tree work
conducted by several private companies and the
cities of Longmont, Fort
Volunteers plant trees to help the Town of Windsor with reforestation
Collins and Evans. Following efforts following the May 22 tornado that damaged nearly 1,000 trees.
the emergency tree work,
Keith Wood, assistant staff
forester, Colorado State
Forest Service joined others
to conduct tree inspections and assist Ken Kawamura, Town of Windsor
forester, create a tree
damage management plan.
In June and July, skilled
arborist crews, bucket
trucks and chippers from
Cheyenne, Aurora, Arvada,
Broomfield and the Highlands Ranch Metro District
helped remove and prune
Chris(WCNR IT) and Lynna
Dicamillo welcomed Baby Brennen. She was born on 11/3 @
4:45am and is 7lbs and 21.25"
long
A group of students braves the infamous ELC
bridge across the Cache La Poudre River.
Page 6
Several communities, individuals and programs also
offered to help with efforts
to reforest Windsor’s community forest. On Oct. 18,
Wood lead one of the
planting crews during the
“Grow Tall” event during
which more than 457 volunteers planted 208 trees in
about 2.5 hours; 122 trees
were planted at Lakeview
Cemetery and 86 trees at
Main Park. The trees may
be small, but as time goes
on and the town rebuilds,
the trees will grow tall for
future generations to enjoy. President John F. Kennedy once said: “The great
French Marshall Lyautey
once asked his gardener to
plant a tree. The gardener
objected that the tree was
slow growing and would
not reach maturity for 100
years. The Marshall replied, 'In that case, there is
no time to lose; plant it this
afternoon!'”
Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biologies
Dr. Kurt Fausch of FWCB and four colleagues from the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Geological Survey, and U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service were recently honored by the U.S. Forest Service with their National “Rise to the Future” Research Achievement Award for 2008, for two publications that develop analytical tools to help manage native
salmonids threatened with nonnative salmonid invasions in the West.
Dr. Kurt Fausch presented an invited talk “Multiple stressors in
north temperate streams: lessons from linked forest-stream ecosystems in northern Japan” at the Inaugural Freshwater Biology
Summit, hosted by the Freshwater Biological Association in
Windemere, U.K., September 1-4, 2008.
Dr. Kurt Fausch of the Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology was recently named the first recipient of the
International Fisheries Science Prize, which will be awarded
every four years at the World Fisheries Congress. This prize is
awarded by the World Council of Fisheries Societies, which
includes the American Fisheries Society, for outstanding contributions to global fisheries science and conservation. Dr. Fausch
received the award at the 5th World Fisheries Congress in
Yokohama, Japan where he was also invited to present a keynote talk in a session on Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Fisheries Management of Salmonids. The nomination for the award cited the international influence of his research on stream fish ecology and conservation, and
his 15-year collaboration with colleagues in Japan on the intricate linkages between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. This work in Japan is chronicled in the recent documentary film RiverWebs, which Dr. Fausch helped produce, and which was also shown at the World Fisheries Congress.
Department of Geosciences
William S. Houston, Department of Geosciences alumni (M.S. 1994) and former chairman of the Geosciences Alumni
Advisory Committee will be honored by the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists (RMAG)at their annual dinner
in Denver later this month with the Distinguished Service to RMAG Award.
Ellen Wohl received a 2008 Friend of the Poudre award from the Friends of the Poudre in recognition of my work
to understand the contemporary and historical geomorphology of the Poudre River. The award was presented at the
Friends of the Poudre annual ball on Nov 1.
The Center for Collaborative Conservation
The Center for Collaborative Conservation opened its doors on 1 January 2008. The CCC is a place where all stakeholders come together to define, discuss, study and act on critical issues affecting the earth’s ecosystems and the people
who depend upon them. In fall 2008, the center is holding a seminar and discussion series on collaborative conservation
on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month from 12-1 pm in the Lory Student Center. The CCC is also now planning a
major conference on collaborative conservation for fall 2009.
During the first week of November, 2008, the Center announced a call for applicants for a new Collaborative Conservation Fellows Program for graduate students, faculty and conservation practitioners connected to Colorado State University. The deadline for application is 5pm MST, Monday, 8 December 2008. Completed applications should be sent
to [email protected] on or before that date. Decisions on successful applicants will be announced in January
2009 and will be formally recognized at CSU through the CCC. A program for undergraduate students will be
launched in Spring 2009. Details on the program appear below and at the CCC fellows webpage at http://
welcome.warnercnr.colostate.edu/ccc-fellows-program/index.php.
Page 7
Department of Forest, Rangeland and Watershed Stewardship
Lee MacDonald was invited to talk at the Society of American Foresters conference “Effects of Forest Managing Forested Watersheds for Water Quantity and Qualtity”, Rapid City, South Dakota, 15-16 October 2008; “Sediment
Production from Forest Thinning, Roads, and Fires”
Lee MacDonald was invited to present and attend a panel discussion to the California State Board of Forestry in Sacramento, CA, 23 October 2008; my talk was entitled “Defining Forested Buffers in California: General Comments
and Assessment of the Literature Review”.
The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science awarded a grant to Stephanie Kampf to study the impacts of climate change on hydropower generation in Pacific Northwest River Basins. In collaboration with Natural Resources
Consulting Engineers in Fort Collins, CSU researchers will develop models to examine how river flow responds to climate in basins with contrasting mechanisms of runoff generation.
Watershed Practicum course, August 28 - September 2,
2008: During the 6-day Watershed Practicum course, students
and faculty from the Watershed Science program traveled
around the state to meet with water resources professionals and
see water projects in action. Students learned about watershed
restoration efforts in the Pike San Isabel National Forest,
groundwater-surface water interactions in the San Luis Valley,
water quality at the Summitville Superfund site, water tranfers in
the Arkansas Valley, and hydrologic effects of urbanization in
the Fountain Creek watershed.
Students using a laser level to survey water level elevations at Big
Spring Creek outside Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve.
From left to right Professor Peter Högberg, who conferred the
degree on behalf of the University; Dr. Jane A. Higgins (a physician
with the Hartshorn Health Service at CSU), and Dan Binkley.
In October, Dan Binkley became a “Hedersdoktor” with the
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, where forestry research and education are housed in Sweden. He received the
honorary degree (“doctor honoris causa”) for his work in forest
ecology, especially on forest biogeochemistry and growth
(http://www.slu.se/?id=1464). Dan has collaborated with
Swedish colleagues on a variety of projects and issues, including
the effects of acid rain on forests, and long-term experiments
on forest nutrition and productivity. The honorary degree was
awarded as part of the graduation ceremony for 80 PhD students in forestry, natural resources, agriculture, and veterinary
science. The Swedish tradition includes formal evening attire
of white tie and tails rather than graduation robes, and the
awarding of the degree includes a special doctoral top
hat. The graduation ceremony was followed by an elegant
dinner at the Uppsala Castle, where moose was served as the
main course.
Dan has been a professor at CSU for 22 years, along with being a past director of GDPE and of the Colorado Forest Restoration Institute.
Page 8
Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory (NREL)
Jill Baron gave an invited talk on Interdisciplinarity in Mountain
Research at a meeting on European research in alpine regions in
Brig, Switzerland in September.
Jill Baron co-authors Nature Geoscience article on high levels
of nitrogen deposition in Europe and North America
A long history of human-influenced nitrogen deposition associated
with industry and agriculture has left soils in the Western Tatra
Mountains of Slovakia highly acidic. Results of a new study, coauthored by Jill Baron, NREL and USGS scientist, have been published online in Nature Geoscience. The research reveals that as
levels of nitrogen deposition increase, soils will be pushed to toxic
levels of acidification in which iron becomes more soluble and
plant growth is reduced.
Baron, who participated in the data analysis and interpretation,
has investigated the impacts of nitrogen deposition in Rocky
Mountain National Park for 26 years. Her research supported
establishment of nitrogen thresholds for the park in 2006, the nation's first critical load of a pollutant to protect a national park
environment.
Randall Boone, a Research Scientist at the Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory,
is teaching a new course on ecological and social agent-based
modeling,
ANTH 580 / NR 580 in Spring 2009. Agent-based modeling is
an exciting approach to simulation where individual people,
animals, or objects are represented, with emergent properties arising from bottom-up interactions between agents and
their environments. See the course catalog for details.
NREL was an exhibitor at STEMapalooza held
October 24 & 25th at the Colorado Convention
Center. The goals of STEMapalooza were to:
Create urgency and enthusiasm about the
need for continuous and rigorous STEM
education focused on the needs of the
economy
Develop awareness of opportunities in STEM
education in Colorado
Engage policy makers and the media in the
STEM conversation
Develop networks and partnerships among
STEM providers
Connect employers and job seekers with the
thousands of available jobs/internships/
externships that utilize STEM education
and skills
Highlight successes and generate a forum for
sharing STEM practices across stakeholder
groups
Take responsibility for improving competitiveness in the international arena of STEM
education
Special thanks to those who helped staff the booth,
Jessica Ernakovich, Andrew Tredennick, Sunil
Kumar and Kim Melville-Smith.
Matthew Wallenstein delivered an invited lecture at the University of Vienna, Austria on October 23 titled "Soil microbial
physiology: microbial responses to stress and environmental
change affect soil functioning." A news story was also published on several science news sites and Today@Colorado
State describing his recent co-authored work showing that soil
microbes adapt to long-term experimental climate warming
by reducing the temperature sensitivity of respiration. These
findings suggest that we cannot simply extrapolate from the
short-term responses of soil microbes to climate change, since
they may adapt over the longer-term.
John Moore (NREL Director) and wife, Jaime, announce a
new daughter!
Emma Christine Moore
Sept 26, 2008 3:37am
7 lbs 10 oz
21 inches
Jaime is doing fine and will be taking some time off from
her job as a pre-school teacher at Eyestone
Elementary.
Page 9
Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory (NREL) contd.
Dr. Kathy Galvin, NREL & Anthropology Department) and Joana Roque de Pinho presented a poster at the Joint
German-US Conference - Tough Choices: Land Use under a Changing Climate, held in Berlin, Germany, 2-3 October,
which was sponsored by NSF and DFG (the German Research Foundation).
We presented a "talked poster" entitled "God (rain) is not coming: climate change and challenges to pastoralist
weather forecast knowledge in Kenya Maasailand.
Authors: Joana Roque de Pinho, Kathy A. Galvin, Randall B. Boone, Sammy Zahran and Gabriela Bucini.
Keith Paustian, Rich Conant, and Steve Ogle traveled to Nanjing, China as plenary speakers at an international
workshop on Soil carbon sequestration and climate change mitigation in agriculture, hosted by Dr. Pan Genxing of
Nanjing Agricultural University. After the meeting they led a short course on "Soil carbon and greenhouse gas inventory and accounting" for students and researchers from across China.
Tom Stohlgren and his research team are hosting the NREL Fall 2008 Seminar Series: “Scaling up, across, and over
time in ecology,” with most talks held on Fridays at 11 a.m.
Tom Stohlgren was invited as a “centennial speaker” for an upcoming Distinguished Ecologist Seminar Series that will
be held at the University of California Davis.
Tom Stohlgren (US Geological Survey and NREL) presented a keynote address at the 5th Conference of The European Group on Biological Invasions, “NEOBIOTA: Towards a Synthesis,” held in Prague, Czech Republic, September
23-26, 2008. http://www.ibot.cas.cz/neobiota/
Mohammed A. Kalkhan attended a workshop on “Climate Change in Western Rangelands,” that was organized by
USDA-ARS and held in Cheyenne, WY in September 2008.
Sunil Kumar participated in an American Museum of Natural History workshop on: Species Distribution Modeling,
held October 13-17, 2008.
Jim Graham is working with the Inter American Biodiversity Information Network (IABIN) Invasive Information Network
(I3N) to help colleagues in Central and South American countries to electronically manage and share data on invasive
species through the Global Invasive Species Information Network (GISIN).
Alycia Crall was awarded for her “Outstanding Achievements in Citizen-based Monitoring” at the Wisconsin Citizen
Based Monitoring (CBM) conference that was held October http://cbm.wiatri.net/Conference/2008/awards.cfm
Sara Simonson presented results from her graduate research on snow avalanche ecology at the International Snow
Science Workshop (ISSW), that was held September 21-27, 2008 in Whistler, BC.
Geneva Chong is working with USGS and University colleagues on a newly funded proposal (Kauffman et al.):
“Quantifying the influence of climate change on Rocky Mountain ungulate populations, migration and feedground use,
and herbivory impacts on vegetation.” Geneva is a leader in Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative research that also forms part of a new cooperative agreement with
Heidi Steltzer: “Vegetation and biological soil sampling and data analysis for the Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative (WLCI) and other vegetation research partners.”
We welcome Arren M. Allegretti, a new graduate student with our research team. Arren
is working on soils and vegetation analysis with Heidi Steltzer and Geneva Chong.
Don and Tanya Carpenter welcomed their new baby Madilyn Sage on July 15, 2008.
Congratulations to all!!!
One of many scout programs conducted by the ELC every year.
Page 10
Colorado State Forest Service (CSFS)
Colorado State Forest Service Employees Receive Awards
On Oct. 15, the Colorado State Forest Service (CSFS) presented awards to the following employees in recognition of their
achievements and contributions to CSFS and the citizens of Colorado:
Outstanding Performer – Ann Randall, assistant staff forester, Personnel Development and Training
Supervisor of the Year – John Grieve, Canon City District forester
Outstanding Team – Dave Farmer, North Area forester; and Mike Harvey, South Area forester
Career Achievement – Stephanie Scott, administrative assistant, Woodland Park District
Unique Awards – Karen Carlin, administrative assistant, State Office; Denise Dulac, administrative assistant,
Granby District; Valerie Heady, accounting technician, State Office; Dave Latelle, assistant staff forester,
Forest Management Division; Boyd Lebeda, Fort Collins District forester; and Keith Wood, assistant staff forester, Community Forestry – North Area
Congratulations on your accomplishments!
Lisa Mason Receives Certificate of Appreciation from SAF
One of our newest employees was recently recognized for her work as a student
leader at Colorado State University. Lisa Mason received a Certificate of Appreciation
from the Colorado-Wyoming Society of American Foresters for her excellent leadership
as Chair of the Alpha Student Chapter during the 2007-2008 school year. Lisa coordinated numerous chapter activities, which included taking a record 14 members to the
national conference in Portland, Oregon.
After spending the summer working in Alaska, Lisa was hired as an Outreach Forester
by the Colorado State Forest Service. Her office is located at the CSU Foothills Campus
in Fort Collins.
Lisa Mason received a Certificate
of Appreciation from SAF
Two New Foresters at the Colorado State Forest
The Colorado State Forest Service recently hired two new foresters who will work at the Colorado State Forest. Hunter
Townsend graduated from Colorado State University with a degree in Forestry and Wildfire Sciences and a minor in Geology. He has worked as a seasonal employee at the State Forest and most recently has been working with Fort Collins
Tree Care. Bryan Baer graduated from the College of DuPage in Illinois with a degree in Earth and Environmental Sciences. He has worked for the US Forest Service and a private landscaping company.
Smokey Bear Makes an Appearance at CSU Homecoming Parade
The Colorado State Forest Service (CSFS) participated in a variety of homecoming events this year. Smokey Bear made
an appearance in the homecoming parade, while the Student Firefighters Association handed out Smokey gear. CSFS employees and their families enjoyed a ride on the three fire engines. The chilly homecoming football game didn’t keep the
fans or foresters away from pre-game activities. While drinking hot cocoa, many CSU fans of all ages planted tree seeds
to take home and learned something new about Colorado’s forests. Make plans to tailgate with CSFS and WCNR at the
Nov. 15 football game!
The Colorado State Forest Service and Colorado’s New Energy Economy
Joe Duda, Forest Management Division supervisor, Colorado State Forest Service, and representatives of the Colorado
Wood Utilization and Marketing program (COWOOD) hosted an educational display at Colorado’s New Energy Economy
Conference on Oct. 14 at the Convention Center in Denver. More than 800 people attended the one-day conference.
CSFS and COWOOD focused on the role of renewable energy applications using woody biomass. Gov. Bill Ritter was the
keynote speaker for the event, which provided CSFS and COWOOD a significant opportunity for visibility and to debut
the new COWOOD display designed by Amanda Bucknam, research associate in the Department of Forest, Rangeland
and Watershed Stewardship. Michele McKinney, Denver director of public relations for CSU, supplied materials on CSU’s
School of Global Environmental Sustainability, which were made available at the CSFS / COWOOD display.
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Colorado State Forest Service (CSFS)
CSFS Presents Cooperator Award to WCNR and FRWS Graduate Student
During the October meeting of the CSU Student Chapter of the Forest Products Society, COWOOD presented FRWS
graduate student Mike Eckhoff with the 2008 CSFS Cooperator Award for his outstanding contributions to COWOOD
program delivery. Some of his efforts include the COWOOD website, work with the Student Chapter of the Forest
Products Society and his successful Biomass Energy Conference in February 2008. Congratulations, Mike, and thanks
again for all you do!
Colorado Forest Products™
The Colorado Forest Products™ (CFP) Program recently distributed a Logo Use Guide to all of its members. The CFP
Program is working hard this fall to expand its membership, connect with its members and evaluate the program. If you
are interested in learning more about the program, please visit www.coloradoforestproducts.org or contact Amanda
Bucknam at [email protected] or 970.491.0801. The COWOOD Program would like to thank FRWS
student and CSFS hourly employee Amanda Morrison for her efforts toward preparing and submitting the CFP Program’s 2009 Woody Biomass Grant proposal. This has become a very competitive grant program and Amanda did
an excellent job with the proposal.
Support Our Student Forestry and Forest Products Groups
The Alpha Student Chapter of the Society of American Foresters and the Student Chapter of the Forest Products Society are selling SAF and FPS t-shirts as a fundraiser and to raise support for students who attended the SAF National
Convention in Reno, NV. If you are interested in purchasing a t-shirt, please contact Amanda Morrison at
[email protected] or 970-491-0801.
Forest Products Society t-shirt
Society of American Foresters t-shirt
CFRI News and Notes
The report, "Historical forest structure on the Uncompahgre Plateau: informing restoration prescriptions for mountainside stewardship" led by Dr. Dan Binkley is available on the CFRI website. The report is a product of a collaborative
effort between CFRI and the Uncompahgre Plateau Project to apply "evidence-based conservation" principles to forest
restoration. Dr. Binkley led a group of scientists and practitioners on a collaborative analysis of historical forest restructure in the project area as a first step toward restoring the forest to a condition where it is more resilient to wildfire
and other disturbances.
Tony Cheng, CFRI director, made presentations at the Western Stewardship Summit and the Colorado Conservation
Summit on pro-active, collaborative approaches to addressing forest health issues to achieve ecological, economic and
community goals.
Jessica Clement, CFRI program associate, has been participating on the Joint Ecology Working Group of the Front
Range Roundtable and Colorado Bark Beetle Cooperative. The intent of the Joint Ecology Working Group is to compile, interpret and deliver current ecological science to land managers, landowners and communities.
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Publications
Bowman, W.D., C. C. Cleveland, L. Halada, J. Hreško, J. S. Baron. 2008. Negative impact of nitrogen deposition on
soil buffering capacity. Nature Geoscience 10.1038/ngeo339
Sinsabaugh, Robert, Christian, L. Lauber, Michael N. Weintraub, Bony Ahmed, Steven D. Allison,
Chelsea Crenshaw, Alexandra R. Contosta, Daniela Cusack, Serita Frey, Marcy E. Gallo, Tracy B.
Gartner, Sarah E. Hobbie, Keri Holland, Bonnie L. Keeler, Jennifer S. Powers, Martina Stursova,
Cristina Takacs-Vesbach, Mark P. Waldrop, Matthew D. Wallenstein, Donald R. Zak and Lydia H.
Zeglin. Stochiometry of soil enzyme activity at the global scale. Ecology Letters. doi:
10.1111/j.1461-0248.2008.01245.x
Hanson, C., S. Allison, M. Bradford, M. Wallenstein, K. Treseder. Taxa target different carbon sources in
field soil. Ecosystems. DOI: 10.1007/s10021-008-9186-4
Bradford, M. A., Davies, C. A., Frey, S. D., Maddox, T. R., Melillo, J. M., Mohan, J. E., Reynolds, J. F., Treseder, K. K.,
Wallenstein, M. D., 2008. Thermal adaptation of soil microbial respiration to elevated temperature. Ecology Letters
11, 1316-1327.
Steinweg JM, Fisk MC, McAlexander B, Groffman PM, and Hardy JP. (2008) Experimental snowpack reduction alters organic matter and net N mineralization potential of soil macroaggregates in a northern hardwood forest. Biology and Fertility of Soils 45: 1-10.
Steinweg JM, Plante AF, Conant RT, Paul EA, and Tanaka DL. (2008) Patterns of substrate utilization during longterm incubations at different temperatures. Soil Biology & Biochemistry 40: 2722-2728.
Sunil Kumar is lead author on an upcoming research communication on “Potential habitat distribution for the freshwater diatom Didymosphenia geminata in the continental US,” Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 2009; 7, doi:
10.1890/080054.
Paul Evangelista and colleagues published a manuscript on “Predicting
habitat suitability for the endemic mountain nyala (Tragelaphus buxtoni)
in Ethiopia,” Wildlife Research (CSIRO), 2008, 35, 409-416.
Paul Evangelista is lead author on a new publication on species distribution modeling: Evangelista PH, Kumar S, and Stohlgren TJ, 2008.
“Modeling invasion for a habitat generalist and a specialist plant species. Diversity and Distributions 14 (5) 808-817.
Catherine Jarnevich and Tom Stohlgren co-authored a manuscript on
“Near term climate projections for invasive species distributions,” made
available through “on line first” by the journal Biological Invasions in
September 2008. http://www.springerlink.com/content/
n5707lx685430766/fulltext.html
Young geologists at the ELC
Warner CNR E-Resource Archives
For back issues of Warner CNR e-Resource, visit: http://welcome.warnercnr.colostate.edu/e-resource.html
Questions or comments? Contact [email protected]
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