The following is a schedule of Environmental Studies talks presented
over the next few months at Union College. All talks are free and open to the public. See
each listing for location and other information.
February 4, 1999
5:00 P.M., 115 Olin Center
The Evolution and Sedimentary Record of Lake Champlain/Vermont. Dr.
Patricia Manley, Middlebury College, Middlebury, Vt. During the “Battle of Valcour
Island” on Lake Champlain on October 11, 1776, British and American forces fought for
the strategic edge of control of Lake Champlain. During a nighttime retreat, one of
Benedict Arnold's gunboats sank. Some 220 years later, geologists Pat and Tom Manley
used side scan sonar on Middlebury College's RV Baldwin to map the lake bottom in a
survey of artifacts. They imaged the sunken gunboat in what could be “…the most
significant maritime discovery in American history in the last half century.” Dr.
Manley will discuss the finding of the boat as well as the general evolution of the lake
basin. Info.: (518) 388-6770.
February 9, 1999
7:30 PM, Nott Memorial
Can there be environmental justice for all? A review of the eight-year court case
concerning contaminated groundwater in Woburn, Mass. Jan Schlichtmann, Thomas M.
Kiley P. C. and Associates. In 1986, Jan Schlichtmann represented eight families from
Woburn, Mass., against W.R. Grace and Beatrice Foods. The case involved establishing the
source of trichloroethylene contamination, the transport path of the contaminates and the
effects of the contaminated water on some of the residents. The story is told in the
recent bestseller “A Civil Action” and the film starring John Travolta as
Schlichtmann. Info.: (518) 388-6770.
February 18, 1999
5:00 PM, 115 Olin Center
Records of Climatic Change from Lakes in the Caribbean Region and Implications
for Human Culture. Dr. Jason Curtis University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla. In
1995, Jason Curtis and colleagues released research which showed how various attributes of
sediments from a lake in Mexico chronicled the climatic conditions that may have had an
effect on the collapse of the Maya civilization. He will discuss how this discovery was
made and the implications of human development in the Caribbean. Info.: (518) 388-6770.
February 24, 1999
7:30 PM, Nott Memorial
Navigability of waterways in the Adirondacks: The Adirondack League Club v.
Kligerman et al.: Litigation behind the Moose River case William S. Helmer, Former
Bureau Chief, Environmental Protection Bureau, State of New York Office of the Attorney
General (now principal attorney, N.Y.S. Power Authority)In 1998, Helmer argued the
Adirondack League Club, Inc. v. Kligerman et al., case in the NY state Court of Appeals.
In 1991, five boaters were charged for crossing private land along a 12-mile stretch of
the Moose River. In 1994 the case was thrown out of court because the river was deemed
“navigable,” a word on which the subsequent appeal focused. The case has
important implications for recreational use of rivers in New York State, especially the
Adirondacks. Info.:(518) 388-6770.
February 25, 1999
5:00 PM, 115 Olin Center
Paleoclimatology of the Tropical Andes: The Record from Lake Titicaca
(Peru/Bolivia), Dr. Geoffrey O. Seltzer, Syracuse University, Syracuse, N.Y.
Observations made in the area of Lake Titicaca, due to it's unique situation near the
equator and at high elevations, are crucial for establishing the natural variability of
climate as a larger scale framework for understanding modern global warming. Dr, Seltzer
will discuss his research including some of the logistical hurdles he confronts during
fieldwork. Info.: (518) 388-6770.
March 4, 1999
5:00 P.M., 115 Olin Center
Mercury Cycling in Lakes, Dr. Elizabeth A. Henry, Exponent, Schenectady,
N.Y. Many states, including New York, have issued fishing advisories for lakes with high
concentrations of mercury in fish. Recent advances in our understanding of mercury cycling
highlight the susceptibility of lakes to mercury contamination and the need to reduce
mercury emissions to the environment. Dr. Henry will provide a perspective focusing on the
mercury contamination of fish in the lakes of New York State. Info.: (518) 388-6770.
March 9, 1999
7:30 PM, Nott Memorial
A river, a dam, and a lake: Great Sacandaga Lake revisited. Willard D.
Roth, Ph.D., President, Great Sacandaga Lake Association, Union Professor Emeritus of
Biology. At the turn of the century, the Sacandaga River was dammed to alleviate flooding
on the Hudson River. Through time, use of the lake and river has produced a number of
competing interests. One of the secondary uses was power generation, the re-licensing of
which has resulted in public hearings that have spawned a complicated battle between
local, state, and federal interests over property rights, recreational use, power
generation and natural. Info.: (518) 388-6770.
April 29, 1999
5:00 PM, 115 Olin Center
Sediment Record of Ballston Lake as an Archive of Water Quality. Paul T.
Gremillion, Union College, Schenectady New York. Ballston Lake, situated within a few
miles from Union College is unique in that it is Meromictic, which means that the water in
the southern end is isolated from the upper waters. This is of foremost importance because
the sediment layer at the bottom provides a nearly continuous record of climate change.
Dr. Gremillion will outline the “Ballston Lake Initiative” and will review the
major findings to date. Info.: (518) 388-6770.
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