The removal of the Imperial Dam in Plattsburgh, New York is a subject being currently discussed by parties including city officials, Trout Unlimited and the New York Department of Environmental Conservation. One concern is the impact on water quality and stream benthos below the impoundment which may impact the fishery. This project investigated the hypothesis that the composition and abundance of aquatic stream invertebrates do not differ as a result of the change in water quality above and below the Imperial Dam on the Saranac River. Using a Hess sampler, stream invertebrates were collected, as well as associated physical characteristics (water depth, velocity, substrate size) from two different sites located up and down stream of the Imperial Dam. Aquatic stream invertebrates were identified to Genus or Family and the data were analyzed using various community diversity indices. Results show distinct community differences between the two sites with increased filter feeder abundance at the impounded reach and higher mayfly diversity and abundance at the open river reach. While impoundment has impacted aquatic biota in the Saranac River at Imperial Dam, recovery of the benthos to open river conditions is likely to occur rapidly from upstream colonization sources upon restoration of open river conditions at Imperial Dam.

Leaf litter quality has an important nutritional role in headwater streams. Since upland streams are relatively small (1st order and 2nd order streams) with a dense forest canopy, primary productivity from stream macrophytes and microphytes is hindered (Fisher and Likens 1973). This creates a dependence on the adjacent riparian zone as a primary productivity input, making upland stream ecosystems detrital based and dependent on allochthonous organic matter (Fisher and Likens 1973, Cummins and Klug 1979). Differing riparian vegetation allocate varying nutritional value which in turn reflects the stream macro and microscopic fauna. Riparian vegetation composition can be influenced by disturbances such as logging or natural disasters. This study focused on the effects of logging on leaf litter composition. To determine if logging had an effect on riparian leaf litter food quality indicators, four managed (logged) sites were compared to three Forest Preserve sites within the Adirondack Park. Food quality indicators, protein, ash free dry mass and hydrolysis resistant organic matter, were compared across sites. Managed sites had a slightly higher contribution by volume of all food quality indicators. Differences for individual indicators largely reflected changes in litter species composition.

Riparian zones are transitional plant communities that are important for the protection of stream water quality and biota and they often have high biological diversity within small geographical areas. This study characterized the vegetation and several physical site features within four riparian zones in the Little Chazy River watershed located in Clinton County, NY. A total of 110 plant species were sampled in the overstory, understory, and groundcover at these study sites. Average species richness in the 1m2 groundcover plots ranged between 7.0 at the agricultural riparian zone to 17.8 at one of the forested riparian zones. Species diversity values ranged between 1.23 at the agricultural riparian zone to 2.32 at one of the forested riparian zones. In this study, the riparian zone with active agricultural activity had no overstory or understory and the least diverse groundcover. Ordination of groundcover data showed both between-site and within-site separations, indicating large differences in species composition can occur on a small spatial scale. No relationship was found between nutrient availability and disturbance intensity of the riparian zones. The abundance of non-indigenous plant species was directly related to disturbance history of the riparian zones. Best management practices (BMP's) for agriculture and forestry in the Lake Champlain Valley should include guidelines for the preservation of natural riparian ecosystems without producing severe economic consequences for landowners. BMP's should be specific to each type of riparian ecosystem found in northeastern New York.

The Lake Alice Wildlife Management Area (LAWMA) in northern Clinton County, New York is a popular location for birding enthusiasts. However, this study is the first comprehensive survey of bird species within major habitat types at LAWMA in more than 20 years. Birds were identified by sight and sound in four habitats at LAWMA between June 2 and July 22, 2003. Relative abundance and diversity were calculated for bird species in the forest habitat, and the forest-field, forestwetland and wetland-field ecotones. Thirty-one residential species were observed during the summer, with between 14 and 21 species per habitat type. The highest diversity indices were in the forest ecotones. Recommendations were made for habitat management projects to enhance bird species richness at LAWMA and increase the populations of bird species that are either threatened or of special concern status in New York.

Decomposition rates in wetlands vary with the composition of the biotic community and the physical and chemical environment. Variations in the process of decomposition in turn affect the overall rate of nutrient cycling within the wetland, affecting both primary productivity and general wetland health. This short-term study took place in northern New York within the Little Chazy River watershed. The effects of wetland factors including nutrient status, dissolved oxygen, and pH value on decay rate were measured over a freshwater stream-marsh-peatland gradient. Litterbags were utilized and collected weekly from three separate sites within or near the Altona Flat Rock ecosystem. Soil and water parameters, as well as colonization by macroinvertebrates, were studied in order to link decay rates with specific wetland characteristics. Decomposition rates for Typha spp. were evaluated using the change in dry biomass, and percent nitrogen content of the plant litter. Dry biomass reduction took place most rapidly in the stream site and least rapidly in the peatland site, while fluctuations of percent nitrogen content did not show a distinct trend. A high level of dissolved oxygen corresponded to a higher decay rate, while a low pH value corresponded to a lower decay rate.

The sandstone pavement barren and adjacent cobblestone formations in Clinton County, New York were created by the sudden release of water from glacial Lake Iroquois approximately 12000 ybp. Today, the barren is a rare ecological community type in New York State, dominated by jack pine, a species that can tolerate a water- and moisture-deficient soil. The soil in the cobblestone deposits supports hardwood trees such as northern red oak, sugar maple, red maple, and American beech. In January 1998, several days of freezing rain in the Northeast blanketed 10 million ha with 2 to 10 cm of ice. Two million ha of forests were severely affected, including the pine barren and adjacent forests in Clinton County, New York. This study investigated the effects of the ice storm and subsequent "restoration cuttings" on plant community succession in the pine barren and adjacent hardwoods. The William H. Miner Agricultural Research Institute, Chazy, New York owns the eight stands sampled in this study. Both disturbance types had dramatic effects on plant community structure. Nearly half of the hardwood trees were severely affected by the ice storm, but most survived through epicormic branching. Understory trees and regeneration proliferated beneath the temporary canopy gaps in the main canopy. Overstory species are represented in the regeneration size classes, with shade-tolerant species being most important. In the hardwoods, neither the ice storm or restoration cuttings caused plant community succession in the strict definition; the disturbances caused shifts in importance of species present at the time the disturbances occurred rather than a replacement of one plant community by another. In the pine barren, ice storm damage was especially intense, causing severe crown breakage in more than half of the pine trees. The majority of pine trees were killed by the ice storm and no pine seedlings were observed in the ice storm-damaged stands. Moderate amounts of jack pine regeneration (between 18000 and 24000 stems per hectare) were found in the areas treated with a restoration cutting. This amount of jack pine regeneration was considered sufficient to replace the original stand. The future of ice storm-damaged, uncut stands in the barren is not promising. Here, the majority of pine trees are standing dead stems and the regeneration, while sparse, is primarily red maple. Without silvicultural intervention, ice storm damaged areas of the barren will have a shift from dominance by jack pine to heath shrubs, especially black huckleberry. The restoration cutting showed that mechanical treatment, while not as effective as fire in regenerating jack pine, can bring about adequate amounts of jack pine regeneration, along with red maple, white birch and gray birch.

Should we be finding ways to detach ourselves from our students, when they so clearly need guidance and direction? Should we be placing ourselves at a distance when students are so desperately trying to find someone to lead them to the right path? “Caring and Control: The Importance of Detachment” uses psychological definitions of the term detachment to help prove that the action is absolutely necessary for a healthy professional relationship to take place, both inside and outside of the classroom; and, that we (as teachers/instructors/professors) should have complete control over our “internal working models,” which the students have hardly any control over.

Often reworking existing digital materials, twenty-first century writers are increasingly collaborative and multimodal composers. This article explores how teachers of Freshman Year Composition can use the image based social media site Pinterest to harness students' digital curation and collaboration skills and promote critical thinking in the writing classroom. Castro-Lewandowski examines Pinterest's unique affordances and offers a case study of how two of her writing students built their critical thinking skills in a Pinterest-based assignment.

At the heart of democracy lies a paradox. Democracy is dependent upon citizen participation, but if citizens, exercising the freedom that democracy permits, choose not to participate in the political life of the society, democracy by definition ceases to exist. That paradox confronts higher education today. The question for faculty is how to explore the foundations of civic responsibility in ways that productively acknowledge the paradoxes and the requirements of democratic life in ways that compellingly prepare our students for the civic commitments that they will need to exhibit.

In the fight for the future of the humanities, can teaching grant writing help? This article explores the relationship between civic engagement, the humanities, and the nonprofit world. I demonstrate how my grant writing class gave students not only professional grant writing experience, but also engaged them deeply in the Plattsburgh community and the wider world. I conclude that a classroom emphasizing collaborative learning and community connections makes students into better professionals and better citizens.