Two Siena environmental studies and sciences students and their professor have received funding from the Catskill Science Collaborative to study primeval forests in the region, with variety of scientific goals.
Karley Mathews ’24 and Jessie Rosenthal ’24, together with Dan Bogan, Ph.D. associate professor of environmental studies and sciences, have been selected as 2024 CSC fellows to pursue their proposed project “Seeking First Growth and Old Growth Forests of the Catskill Region Through a Process of Elimination and Evaluation.”
They will receive $15,000 in funding to work with the CSC through the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. They are developing a methodology to identify areas of the Catskills that are not only old growth (developed over a long period of time without disturbance), but first growth, which means forest that has never been logged or disturbed.
Bogan said there are very few examples of these types of forest growth in the Northeast, and examining them can yield data that is helpful in learning about forest ecology nutrients, the carbon cycle and carbon sequestration – and combating climate change. He added that they should also be protected simply for their aesthetic and even spiritual meaning.
“The Catskills are also underrepresented in ecological research, unlike the Adirondacks and other mountain ranges,” he said. “This study could help raise interest in the Catskills from a scientific and ecological perspective.”
The purpose of the CSC’s fellowship program is to provide college students with educational and career experience that meets the research needs of environmental resource managers in the region. The Catskills are spread out over 5,892 square miles in the counties between Albany and New York City.
Mathews, who has also done environmental research in urban land use, will complete the spectrum of land study from urban to untouched wildland forests.
“I’ll be using geographical information systems (GIS), historic photos, and site evaluations to identify old growth and first growth forests,” she said. “These forests play a vital role in ecological functions, species diversity, and wildlife habitat, and I hope this study leads to them being further researched and protected.”
Rosenthal will provide an assist with GIS.
“I'm excited to get this opportunity to work on this project,” she said. “I’m hoping to hone my GIS skills and get more field experience, which has been my favorite part of this major.”The team will begin work at the end of May and continue throughout the summer. A final report will be filed by the end of December, and possibly presented at an academic conference in the spring.
The Catskills are one of the major sources of drinking water for New York City, so the team’s research could provide a greater understanding of the natural ecosystem used to protect the water’s purity.
“It’s so much more cost-effective to protect the natural water supply before it flows into a reservoir or aqueduct,” said Bogan.