Expanding Collaborative Research and Education Opportunities to Protect Biological Diversity on Public Lands in Upstate New York

哈特威克学院获得了一笔赠款，用于为位于松湖环境校园(PLEC)的罗伯特·R·史密斯环境野外站(Smith EFS)制定五年战略计划。这笔资金与负责最近创建的里德尔州立公园(RSP)的州机构合作，扩大了研究和教育的机会。里德尔州立公园毗邻松湖。史密斯EFS将制定一项五年战略计划，以实现两个具体目标，1)在Smith EFS和纽约州公园、娱乐和历史场所办公室(OPRHP)之间建立独特的合作伙伴关系，涉及研究和教育，重点是娱乐对公共土地生物和生态多样性的影响，以及2)加强Smith EFS的能力，以支持这一伙伴关系，并扩大其作为研究、教育和培训中心的作用。了解非消耗性户外娱乐活动对不同栖息地野生动物的影响将变得越来越重要，因为此类活动的受欢迎程度不断提高。为此，里德尔州立公园是建立娱乐对生态系统影响的研究的理想地点，因为开发其公共设施的计划尚未开始。RSP的合作伙伴关系为哈特威克理科学生和教职员工提供了与州机构生物学家和外部研究人员合作的机会，以设计深思熟虑的研究，调查娱乐用途对公共土地的潜在长期影响，包括开发前和开发后的人口数量和分布比较。战略管理计划将极大地提高史密斯教育服务在全州的形象，并使外地站能够满足为战略规划编制的合作研究和教育举措。该项目将在物种、群落和生态系统层面上促进对公共土地使用的生态影响的发现和理解。大学生和大学预科学生、K-12教师、代表性不足的人群和当地公众参与Smith EFS教育活动，将提高普通人群的生态素养，并通过与更大社区的联系和对更大社区的影响，加强这些利益相关者对公共土地可持续管理的参与。

Hartwick College is awarded a grant to develop a five-year strategic plan for the Robert R. Smith Environmental Field Station (Smith EFS), located on the Pine Lake Environmental Campus (PLEC). The funding expands opportunities for research and education in collaboration with state agencies responsible for the recently created Riddell State Park (RSP), which borders Pine Lake. The Smith EFS will produce a five-year strategic plan that will enable two specific goals, 1) create a unique partnership between the Smith EFS and New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Places (OPRHP) involving research and education focusing on the impact of recreation on the biological and ecological diversity of public lands, and 2) enhance the capacity of the Smith EFS to support the partnership and expand its role as a center for research, education, and training. Understanding the effects of non-consumptive outdoor recreation on wildlife in different habitats will become increasingly important as the popularity of such activities continue to increase. To this end, Riddell State Park is an ideal location for establishing research on the impacts of recreation on ecosystems because plans to develop its public facilities have not yet begun. The collaborative partnership at RSP provides an opportunity for Hartwick science students and faculty to work with state agency biologists and external researchers to design thoughtful studies that investigate the potential long-term impacts of recreational use on public lands, including pre- and post-development comparisons of population abundances and distributions. The strategic management plan will greatly enhance the statewide profile of Smith EFS and enable the field station to meet the collaborative research and education initiatives planned for RSP. This project will advance discovery and understanding of ecological impacts of public lands use at the species, community, and ecosystem levels. The involvement of college and pre-college students, K-12 teachers, underrepresented populations, and the local public in Smith EFS educational initiatives will increase ecological literacy among the general population and enhance the participation of these stakeholders in the sustainable management of public lands via their connections to and influences on the greater community.