Second Catskill Environmental Monitoring & Research Conference — Oct 25-26 — Olivebridge, NY
Second Catskill Environmental Monitoring & Research Conference
Effects of Climate Change & Invasive Species on Ecosystem Integrity & Water Quality
October 25th and 26th, 2012
Ashokan Center, Olivebridge, N.Y.
Registration fee: $35
Save the Date and Call for Presentations!
The second Catskill Environmental Research & Monitoring Conference (CERM) will be held on October 25-26, 2012 at the Ashokan Center in Olivebridge, NY.
The CERM conference will include a series of comprehensive reviews by senior researchers on selected topics which will provide a baseline of knowledge for understanding the effects of climate change and other environmental stressors on the region. Review topics will include forest health, extreme weather events & flooding, geology & soils, mercury pollution, invasive species and biological controls, biodiversity, community structure, migration corridors and landscape connectivity.
The purpose of this forum is to:
(1) Build on the success and continue with themes of the first CERM held in November of 2010 at Belleayre Mt Ski Center in Highmount, NY;
(2) Exchange information and share research within the Catskill Mountains relating to major conference themes which include biodiversity, water quality, climate change, invasive species, forest health and stream stability;
(3) Identify research and monitoring gaps and develop a research agenda to address them; and
(4) Stimulate discussion and promote collaborative efforts that address environmental issues within the region.
This year’s conference will consist of a series of “invited” sessions led by senior researchers who will review the state of knowledge, data gaps, current research and research needs in key subject areas relating to the major themes of the conference. In addition to the invited content, presentations relating to the conference themes and to the Catskills in general are being solicited.
Poster presentations are strongly encouraged as space for additional platform presentations will be limited.
| Planned Reveiw Sessions | Session Leader |
|---|---|
| Beneath it all: A review of bedrock geology, glacial geology and soils of the Catskill Region | Charles VerStraeten, NYS Museum/Geological Survey |
| Climate change, extreme weather events and flooding: Impacts on stream and riparian ecosystems in the Catskill Region | Mark Vian, NYC Environmental Protection |
| Catskill Forest Health: Status and Prospects | Gary Lovett, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies |
| Biodiversity and Climate Change in the Catskills | Morton S. Adams, Catskill Institute for the Environment |
| Invasive Species in the Catskills: Status and Biological Control Review | Meredith Taylor, Catskill Center for Conservation & Development |
| Mercury contamination in the Catskills | Gregory Lampman, NYSERDA |
If you want to present:
Please forward presentation titles and abstracts (300 word maximum) for a poster or platform presentation (15 to 20 minutes in length) to Gretchen Rae of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster County at[email protected] on or before September 14, 2012 using the form posted on this webpage.
There will be an opportunity for selected papers to be included in the conference proceedings which will be published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal. Presenters who would like to submit a paper for publication should notify us at the time that the abstract is submitted.
Research Collaboration Breakfast: discussion on possibilities for collaborative research.
On the morning of the 26th there will be a meeting of researchers interested in identifying collaborators for projects in the Catskills, facilitated by Don Pierson of NYC DEP.
The Catskill region offers a diverse environment where many interesting environmental research projects can be undertaken. While largely forested, including protected forest preserve, the area also contains agricultural and urbanized land uses, is affected by urban development, and contains the majority of the New York City Water supply system. The area is unusually data rich having high density and long records of stream discharge monitoring, meteorological monitoring, and water quality monitoring. Spatial data on landuse, topography, geology, and soils are of excellent quality and high resolution. Being located within close proximity of New York and Boston metropolitan areas and the surrounding areas of the Northeastern United States, makes the Catskills easily accessible to a large number of research universities and research institutes. Given the rich background data, the environmental and economic significance of the region, and the diversity of nearby scientific expertise, could more be done to foster collaborative research projects in the Catskill region?
The purpose of this discussion is to gauge interest in developing a grassroots organization focusing on various aspects of environmental research in the Catskill region, and to identify future steps that can be taken to develop collaborative research projects that can make use of the unique attributes of the Catskill region.
Accomodations
The Ashokan Center has reserved a small block of rooms at a reasonable rate for the conference. Call Kristen McGlyn at the Ashokan Center ( 
845-657-8333 ext.11). Payment for lodging will need to be done directly through the Ashokan Center. Other hotel accomodations are available in Kingston, about 20 minutes away.
