Spring 2000 Newsletter Articles
 

Table of Contents

Dr. Odum to Return to Preserve in July 2000
Help kick off Summer 2000 Volunteer Campaign 
Project Feeder Watch Isn't Just for the Birds
Summer Camps Promise Big Learning Opportunities
Spring's Arrival

Dr. Odum to Return to Preserve in July 2000

Exciting news!  Dr. Eugene P. Odum has agreed to attend this year’s Science Symposium at the E. N. Huyck Preserve on July 15.Known to many as the father of ecosystems ecology, Dr. Odum has had an extremely long and distinguished career as a researcher, educator, and environmentalist. He will address those gathered for the symposium and will be present at a dinner or afternoon BBQ held to honor his career and contributions to ecology and to reflect on his early years conducting research on the Preserve during the 1930’s and 1940’s. Currently, Dr.Odum is the Callaway Professor Emeritus of Ecology, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Zoology, and Director Emeritus of the Institute of Ecology at the University of Georgia, Athens which he established. He is known for his broad-based view of humanity and the environment and as the pioneer of ecosystems ecology as an integrative science. During his career, he explored the theme that the “goods and services” provided by human activity and natural systems must be considered in balance and that healthy, life-supporting natural systems are necessary to buffer the ecological impact of human industrial, urban, and agricultural practices. Among the many research topics he has pursued, Dr. Odum studied and catalogued the fish, reptiles, and amphibians of the Preserve and has analyzed the eleven natural forested stands and eight conifer plantations on the Preserve. One of his greatest contributions to the field came in 1953 with the publication of his landmark textbook, Fundamentals of Ecology, which took a new and holistic approach to the field. 

"My approach to the field was radically different from the traditional ‘reductionist’ mode that has characterized academic disciplines during the latter half of this century,” writes Odum in an autobiographical summary. “Instead of starting with the details of components, I start with the large-scale whole or ‘ecosystem’ and then proceed with consideration of the components.”

Dr. Odum published several other ecology text books and later in his career wrote several books that apply ecological principles to the larger questions of global sustainability and human environmental challenges. Ecology and Our Endangered Life-Support System, published in 1989, is viewed both as a student textbook and as a citizen’s users guide to ecology. Ecological Vignettes: Ecological Approaches to Dealing with Human Predicaments, published in 1998, is a completely non-technical overview of ecological and environmental issues. Dr. Odum’s many honors and awards include the 1977 Tyler Ecology Award, the 1987 Crafoord Prize (equivalent to the Nobel Prize), and election to the National Academy of Sciences in 1970.Dr.Odum has also received distinguished alumni awards from his alma maters and various honorary degrees. We hope that you will join us in honoring Dr. Odum as well at our annual Science Symposium this July.

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Help us Kick off our Summer 2000 Volunteer Campaign

We at the Preserve are always trying to meet the needs of our members through environmental education and outdoor recreational opportunities. We have also been developing new ways in which you can help us achieve our mission through enjoyable and rewarding volunteer opportunities.

Volunteer recruitment has been an area of recent growth for the Preserve. We are expanding our pool of volunteers with the assistance of the Albany Retired Senior Volunteer Program, the Volunteer Center of the Capital Region, and through participation in regional volunteer fairs. In addition, we have been fortunate to have volunteer work groups from the Student Conservation Association and the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers come stay on the Preserve for week-long visits to accomplish major facilities maintenance and renovation projects.

Now we are turning to you, our supporters and members, to join our volunteer efforts through one of the many opportunities listed below:

Visitor Center Education/Membership Volunteer Join a Preserve staff or board member on a sunny weekend morning or afternoon surveying Preserve trail users and explaining about our educational opportunities. Weekday afternoon slots also available.

Ecology Lab Volunteer Work with Preserve research staff or visiting scientists to carry out field and lab-based scientific research projects. You will enjoy yourself, learn something, and help promote human understanding of the natural world. Half-day or full-day slots available both weekdays and weekends. Buildings and Grounds Maintenance Volunteer Our Buildings and Grounds supervisor John McGuiness lists “knowledge of basic hand tools” as a requirement for this one, but if you know the difference between a hammer and an axe, he’ll teach you the rest! Work with John and other volunteers on a variety of indoor and outdoor trails and building maintenance   activities. Half and full day weekday slots are available and we can accommodate groups of five or more on the weekend 

Trails Day Work Crew Accompany Preserve staff for a morning of trails repair and maintenance at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 3. Lots of great things to do this day, join us earlier for a 7:00 a.m. bird walk or stay later for our afternoon Take Flight Bird Festival.  Also, join Rensselaerville residents for their annual garage sale and Founder’s day activities.  Is there anywhere else to be on June 3 other than Rensselaerville?

If you or a group of family and friends are interested in any of these volunteer opportunities, contact Joe Dever at (518) 797-3829 (3440) for more information and to schedule a time slot.

Volunteer Orientation Meetings

What are they? To kick off our summer volunteer program, we are hosting three volunteer orientation sessions at the Preserve Mill House. Orientation sessions are not mandatory for Preserve volunteers, but will educate you on the range of options available. Please see our article on volunteer opportunities for more information. 

Where are they? From Albany, take Highway 85 into the Hamlet of Rensselaerville.  At the T in the road, take a right turn and drive 100 ft to the bridge across 10-Mile Creek.  The Mill House is directly before the bridge on the right Orientations will be held on:

• Thursday evening, May 4, at 7:00 p.m. 

• Saturday morning, May 6, at 11:00 p.m. 

• Saturday morning June 3, from 11:00-noon

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Project Feeder Watch Isn't Just for the Birds

by Marilyn Wyman  

One of the regular monitoring practices that occur on the Preserve involves a census of bird species and numbers throughout the winter months. This requires a well-stocked bird feeder and the interest to regularly observe its visitors. 

Project FeederWatch is coordinated through the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. In the fall we receive a packet of material to help conduct our study. It includes a poster of bird species we might expect to see at our feeders in this region, a FeederWatcher’s Handbook, data sheets with explanations on how to use them, and a newsletter summarizing the information collected last year. This year we will collect data from November through March.  Feeders are observed for a two-day time period every two weeks. Weather data is also recorded during the observation period.

The Preserve is one of thousands of volunteer participants contributing to a public science monitoring effort that spans immense distances.  This has allowed scientists to have access to huge quantities of information and helps them to determine the fluctuations in bird populations and species distribution on a national level. For example, FeederWatch data indicates the decline of the House Sparrow in our region, through the analysis of over a decade worth of data.  This has been attributed to competition for nest sites with European Starlings. Both are species that were introduced into this country during the last century.

Beside the value the data provides, it is an excellent way to connect with the natural world. It is something I can do while working on an education program at my desk.  Gazing out at the feeder, watching the birds come and go, helps to remind me of the wonder of it all. Or as another Feeder Watch participant put it “Watching my feeder birds gives me a strong connection to the natural world and helps remind me that we are part of the natural world, too.

If you are interested in participating in this program you may contact the Cornell Lab of Ornithology at (800) 843-BIRD or visit the web site.

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Summer Camps Promise Big Learning Opportunities

This August, the Huyck Preserve will offer Middle School students the opportunity to participate in two separate day camps.  The Environmental Education Day Camp returns this year, after its successful initiation last year.  This year the camp will focus on the environment and its inhabitants, offering a diverse program in biological study.  During the weeklong camp, coordinated by Deb Monteith, students will participate in daily workshops such as photography, creative writing, scientific study, and animal rehabilitation, conducted by specialists in each field.

The camp will run from Monday, August 14, through Friday, August 18 each day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.  On Thursday evening, August 17 there will be an optional sleep over for all participants and dependent upon participants, a BBQ lunch on Saturday, August 19.  Daily events will include swimming, nature study, cooperative challenge activities and orienteering skills.

The second opportunity for students will be a Science Camp, coordinated by Ted Watt, to be held Monday, August 21 through Friday, August 25.  During this week, students will participate daily in workshops learning the methods and skills of scientific enquiry.  Students will learn to formulate hypotheses, plan and conduct an experiment, and evaluate their findings.  Hands-on experience in the environment provides the perfect setting for these learning experiences, bringing science to life for all students.

The camps will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily and attendance will cost $115 for members of the Preserve and $140 for non-members.  Registration and membership information can be obtained by calling the Preserve office at 797-3440.  Registration for both camps closes August 1^st, 2000.

Catskill Summer 2000

Catskill Summer 2000, a program sponsored by the Catskill Institute for the Environment (CIE), is a college credit summer course for high school seniors interested in a career in science.  This year’s topic, The Biology of Nature in the Catskills, will investigate regional ecology in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.  The Huyck Preserve, a founding member of CIE, will be offering the program along with Ashoken Field Campus of SUNY-New Paltz, Pine Lake Environmental Campus of Hartwick College, and the Biological Field Station at SUNY-Oneonta.  The Preserve’s portion of the program will run July 19-23.  Students will return home with a broader understanding of the regional environment and the critical reasons to preserve the Catskills for future generations.

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Spring's Arrival
Richard L. Wyman

 I was standing on the lawn in front of the Millhouse near a kingfisher sitting in a tree, watching bats catch emerging stoneflies from the stream, when a bald eagle flew in front of me. It was some 12 feet from my head when it looked at me, then continued down the Ten Mile Creek valley looking for fish to catch. He glided up and over the road bridge and silently disappeared down the valley. 

My daughter Allyson and I were waiting in our driveway at the Ordway House (my rented home on Pond Hill Road) for the students from my Biodiversity class to arrive for a Sunday field trip, their first visit to the Huyck Preserve.I had told them to bring lunch so we could picnic on the top of the world. Daffodils, periwinkle, and colts feet were in bloom. A few black flies hovered around my face. The eight students arrived in three cars – not bad, it could have been eight cars.

We hiked up the trail behind my house, stopping at the two small ponds near the trail. True to form, both yellow spotted and blue spotted salamanders had bred and left dozens of egg masses clearly visible, adhering to branches of sagging bushes around the pond’s edge. Newts were swimming about, as were young water striders. We had to be careful to step over a thatched roof ant mound some four feet round. 

Back on the trail we entered the red pine plantation. Many of these plantations were planted on the Preserve in the late 20’s and early 30’s by the Work Production Association to help stabilize the soils and the water cycle. You can age the trees by counting the limbs and it is evident that something happened to many of them when they were eight or nine years old. Many trees show crooks in them at the ninth limb whirl, signifying that the terminal bud was removed causing side buds to grow into the main trunk. Terminal buds produced an enzyme that inhibits lateral shoot growth. When the terminal bud is removed lateral shoots grow. It may have been a hard winter in 1936 or so, and deer may have eaten the terminal buds for the lack of anything else to eat. In any case the trees are now weak at that point and often in strong winds will break there. 

We continued on around what is called the “Race Track,” so named because Dr. Ordway, the original owner of the land, and his children rode horses on the circular track in the woods. Of course it was not woods then. We left the track and entered what we call Beech Forest One because it was the first beech forest where I began my salamander research.  There are now also Beech Forests 2 and 3. Here the forest is as it once was, except the trees are much smaller now. Ten, twelve, fifteen inch diameter trees are really baby trees in a world were adults and oldsters measured 18 feet around. The original forest cover here was dominated by beech, sugar maple, hemlock, and chestnut with patches of oak and birch. Chestnut succumbed to blight over 50 years ago, and now the beech bark disease is killing the beech. You can tell that this part of the forest was never farmed because there are pits and mounds created by trees falling. Pits and mounds take hundreds of years to form and their presence makes it unlikely that these woods had been farmed. I turned over some rocks and found earthworms, spiders, beetles, millipedes, and centipedes.

We saw the small white spots covering the scale insect that helps spread the beech bark disease. These insects inject their feeding mouthparts into a tree’s growth layer and suck up the nutritious. This alone would not kill the tree, but they deaden the tissue around their mouthparts to prevent the tree from walling them off. The scale lives only a year or so and eventually falls off.  However the deadened hole provides an entryway into the tree for a fungus. Apparently both the scale and fungus were introduced from Europe on imported European beech trees back in the1890’s. A fungal colony grows out from the deadened opening.  Trees may have several thousand scale insects and hence they may be invaded by several thousand fungal colonies. Once the colonies circle the tree, the tree dies. In essence, it has been girdled. 

We then move north on the ridge east of the Ten Mile Creek through relatively old forests and some wetlands. I show my students a large dead tree that now lies on the ground and is covered in moss. Ten years ago the tree was standing dead and one day I looked into the base of the tree where ants had removed most of the wood and in the process covered the bottom of the hole in sawdust. There were a number of coyote pups lying in the sawdust. I backed away from the entrance with the hair on my neck standing up, knowing mom was watching me. I left them alone. The tree is on the ground now and has become home to many salamanders that live in and under it. 

At around noon we made it to the top of the world. This is a small clearing on the ridge top where the bedrock is close to the surface and the vegetation is dwarfed. There are rings of lycopods (small primitive plants that once were tree size when the dinosaurs roamed) moss and dwarfed pine trees. You can look down across the Ten-Mile Creek valley and up over the ridge west of the Ten-Mile. The Preserve is located in a hanging valley with ridges running north to south (more or less) both east and west of the creek. We sat and ate our lunch looking out over about 1000 acres of forests – not a house in sight or the noise of a car. Part of my lunch was an orange that quickly attracted a bunch of springtails, which I am now certain I have eaten. After lunch we sat on the mats of lycopods and moss and silently listened to nothing. A warbler almost landed on my head. We saw several garter snakes and a deer skull.

We then climbed down off the ridge over cliffs of Devonian shale (400 million years old) and walked south on Grevatt Road. We came upon a beaver pond with a recently repaired dam. Hurricane Floyd had washed it out when the bridge on Pond Hill Road washed away. We flushed a great blue heron and watched it fly north over the creek bed, then walked along the creek south toward the Eldridge Lab. We continued along the Ten-Mile Creek south of the lab and found that white suckers had migrated up out of the lake and were spawning in the stream. There were several hundred of these foot long fish. While we were watching fish and playing around at trying to catch one, a bald eagle made an appearance, flying around the north end of the lake.  It circled once and began to fly toward us, then flew up the creek at treetop level directly over us. I heard, “I’ve never seen an eagle in the wild before,” and “Wow, my mother is going to be so jealous, she loves eagles and has them all over her kitchen.” 

The floods have changed this area a lot. A single stream used to run into Lake Myosotis here but now that stream is filled in and two other streams flow into the lake. This has caused an island to form in between the two streams that requires quite a bit of figuring out getting across. Allyson and most of the students took off theirs shoes and waded. We made it back to my driveway five miles and four and a half hours later, a little tired, wet and muddy – but fairly certain we had had a good day.

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