What birds utilize the Rockwell Sanctuary as summer breeding ground? How is the eastern brook trout habitat restoration effort progressing? How have recent cuts affected the wildlife habitat on the Bear Paw land? All these questions and more will be answered in the summer summary of seasonal Tin Mountain research. Join us for lunch to meet out interns and gain a deeper understanding of Tin Mountain’s current research initiatives. The Summer Research Recap will be held on Thursday, August 9, noon-1pm at the Nature Learning Center in Albany.
Tin Mountain has four summer research interns in the area of forest and avian ecology, forest policy, and eastern brook trout habitat restoration. All four interns are current or recent college graduates and are studying in related fields. The Avian Ecology Intern is Jamie Sydoriak. She has a BA in biology from Eastern Connecticut State University and will be pursuing her Master’s at Plymouth State this fall. Cara Applestein is the Forest Ecology Intern. She holds a BS in environmental science from Dickenson College and is currently working on her MS in Conservation Biology & Sustainable Development at the University of Maryland. Justin DiRado is a current graduate of Pennsylvania State University and is the Brook Trout Habitat Restoration Intern. He spent last summer presenting environmental education programs at Millbrook Marsh Nature Center. Brett Guerringue is working on a forest policy project addressing potential improvements in forest management practices in the northern forest region. He will be returning to American University in the fall to complete his senior year.
Tin Mountain formalized its summer internship program in the summer of 2010, allowing for the establishment of several long term research projects. Jamie, Cara, Justin, and Brett will present on their respective areas of research. They will provide background and general trends found over the past two years as well as preliminary data collected this field season. The August EcoForum is a great way to catch up on all of Tin Mountain’s interesting research projects. Over the past three years, work performed through the internship program has been made possible in part by funding from a variety of sources including an anonymous foundation, Trout Unlimited, and the Natural Resource Conservation Service.
Tin Mountain’s monthly EcoForum Series is held the second Thursday of the month and is FREE and open to the public. Enjoy free pizza from series sponsor The Flatbread Company, cookies from Rockhouse Mountain Baker, and coffee from Frontside Grind.