Latest news with #SUNYCobleskill
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Local SUNY campuses receive grants for trees
Gov. Kathy Hochul celebrated Arbor Day on Friday by announcing $15 million in grants through New York state's new Community Reforestation (CoRe) program. 'Resilient urban forests support community health, well-being and sustainability,' Hochul said. 'I'm celebrating Arbor Day 2025 by awarding $15 million in new grants to support projects across the State that will bring the countless ecological and economic benefits of trees to urban areas.' Two of the grants were awarded locally. The Research Foundation for the State of New York received $484,910 for SUNY Oneonta Forest Restoration. SUNY Oneonta will plant more than 9,600 native trees and remove invasive species to enhance carbon sequestration and recreation opportunities on campus, as well as host student internships and service-learning opportunities, the release stated. The Research Foundation for the State of New York also received $423,092 for SUNY Cobleskill Forest Restoration. SUNY Cobleskill will create natural areas on campus by planting more than 5,300 trees across five acres of abandoned agricultural land, providing hands-on educational experiences for students, according to the release. All CoRe-funded projects will record tree planting input into DEC's Tree Tracker, a GIS tool available for the public to upload every tree planted in New York state. Every New Yorker who uploads a tree planting to the Tree Tracker in April and May will be automatically entered in a sweepstakes for a chance to win a year-long subscription to The Conservationist magazine and 25 Million Trees merchandise, according to the release. DEC is awarding more than $7.4 million to municipalities, particularly to restore woodlands in public parks. "Invasive species removal and expansion of native forests in these open spaces intends to enhance the ecosystem services provided to local residents, particularly enhanced canopy that provides shade and recreational opportunities," the release stated. A total of $5.3 million is awarded to not-for-profit organizations for a variety of volunteer-driven projects focused on promoting forest health at the ecosystem-level, from riparian zone enhancement along the Upper Susquehanna watershed to protecting Bronx River ecological health, the release stated.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
SUNY schools partner on lake management studies pathway
The presidents of SUNY Oneonta and SUNY Cobleskill joined staff, students and alumni from both schools Tuesday, April 22 — auspiciously also Earth Day — to celebrate a new partnership for students studying fisheries science and lake management. Gathering at the SUNY Oneonta Biological Field Station on Otsego Lake, SUNY Oneonta President Alberto Cardelle and SUNY Cobleskill President Marion Terenzio signed an articulation agreement, providing qualified SUNY Cobleskill students the opportunity to earn a bachelor's degree in fisheries science while simultaneously taking classes during their senior year at the Biological Field Station to complete a master's degree in lake management. The accelerated dual degree would take students five years, rather than six, to complete. The lake management master's degree is the first, and so far only, program of its type in the country, said SUNY Oneonta School of Sciences Dean Tracy Allen. "This partnership between SUNY Cobleskill and SUNY Oneonta represents the convergence of student aspiration and societal need," Terenzio said. "Our students will move between campuses with purpose, carrying forward our shared commitment to environmental science and management at a time when our natural resources face growing challenges. This Earth Day, we celebrate what higher education can accomplish when we combine our strengths in service of both student mobility and ecological sustainability." Cardelle said the Biological Field Station "is a unique point of pride for our campus." "The station and its scientists are an amazing resource for our students and the broader community," he said. "The lessons we learn from Otsego Lake impact the health of lakes across New York and beyond ... These students will follow a current that begins here, but their work will ripple outward, addressing water quality, climate resilience and the health of watersheds across our region and beyond." The Biological Field Station is a facility of SUNY Oneonta consisting of 2,600 acres with 12 major buildings that house laboratories, classrooms, conference spaces, offices and equipment for research support. The station supports a variety of programs, including the biology department's lake management graduate program, which trains students to become effective water resource management professionals. Students who graduate from the program have gone on to work in government environmental agencies, private fisheries and consulting firms. "This partnership exemplifies what makes our two schools exceptional," said Mark Cornwell, associate professor of fisheries and aquaculture at SUNY Cobleskill, "that's our ability to collaborate in ways that benefit students while addressing critical environmental challenges. Our hands-on, experiential approach to education aligns perfectly with SUNY Oneonta's field-based training model, creating pathways for students to seamlessly transition from undergraduate studies to master's programs and then to the job field." After the signing ceremony, the group headed inside the station where about a dozen SUNY Cobleskill displayed research projects on aquatic life and waterway health. The two school presidents got into two boats and shook hands as the boats met. The lake management studies pathway is the second such agreement between SUNY Oneonta and SUNY Cobleskill. In February of last year, the school launched a similar pipeline that allows graduates of Cobleskill's associate in applied science in early childhood studies program to enter Oneonta's bachelor of science degree program in childhood education/liberal arts as matriculated students with junior status.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Mohawk leader to speak at SUNY Cobleskill commencement
SUNY Cobleskill has announced that Mohawk Elder Thomas Porter will be awarded an honorary doctorate of humane letters and will deliver the keynote address at its 107th Commencement on Saturday, May 10. Also known by his Mohawk name, Sakokwenionkwas, meaning 'The One Who Wins,' Porter is the founder of and the spiritual leader of the Mohawk community of Kanatsiohareke, in New York's Mohawk Valley. A member of the Bear Clan of the Mohawk Nation at Akwesasne, "he has dedicated his life to revitalizing Mohawk language, culture, and traditions," according to a news release from the college. "Thomas Porter's lifetime work has ensured the time-honored ways of the past are remembered, celebrated, and woven into our future. His teachings inspire us to seek new knowledge and reflect on how new ways intersect and find harmony with heritage and tradition," said SUNY Cobleskill President Marion Terenzio. "Now, his wisdom will inspire our graduates as they embark on their own journeys to create a meaningful and sustainable future. We are honored to welcome Mr. Porter as this year's commencement speaker." Porter has been a nationally recognized figure since the 1960s when he co-founded the White Roots of Peace, a group of Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) representatives that traveled across North America, sharing native teachings and encouraging Indigenous communities to reconnect with their traditions, the release stated. Recognizing that the Mohawk language was at risk of becoming extinct as a spoken language, he co-established the Akwesasne Freedom School, which offers a Mohawk language curriculum. His contributions to education include teaching Mohawk language, philosophy and history at the Akwesasne Freedom School and the Kahnawake Survival School, with a focus on blending modern education with a traditional worldview, according to the release. Porter held the position of sub-chief for the Tehanakarine Chieftainship title, one of the nine chief titles of the Mohawk Nation, from 1971 to 1992, speaking at traditional ceremonies and guiding his community spiritually and politically, the release stated. In 1993, he founded the Kanatsiohareke community to create a haven for living according to traditional Mohawk values, emphasizing language revitalization as central to cultural preservation. For ten years, Porter also served as a Native American consultant for the state Penal System, providing spiritual support and traditional teachings to Native inmates. "He has remained engaged with the SUNY Cobleskill campus community since his memorable address at President Terenzio's inauguration in April 2016," the release stated. SUNY Cobleskill's 107th Commencement is on Saturday, May 10 in a ceremony scheduled to begin at 11 a.m., outdoors, adjacent to the Neal Robbins Field House.
