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CONTACT INFO STANDARD MAIL Karen Kellogg Skidmore College kkellogg@skidmore.edu 815 North Broadway 518-580-5198 Saratoga Springs NY 12866

Senior Capstone Projects 2012 (continued)

Paige Reeves ’12 and Sarah Hunter ‘12

The Toxicology of Saratoga’s Drinking Water: Herbicides Impact Aquatic Animals

Our drinking water reservoir, Loughberry Lake, is treated with a chemical algicide, copper sulfate. We investigated the effects of copper sulfate on non-target aquatic invertebrates by exposing aquatic snails, insects, and leeches to one of three copper concentrations, all below the limit set by the EPA. All three types of organisms experienced altered metabolic responses, and ultimately increased mortality rates, in the presence of copper sulfate relative to controls with no copper sulfate added.

Sara Velardi ’12 and Adam Cohen ‘12

No Child Left Indoors: An Analysis of Local Place-based Elementary Environmental Education

As children spend less time outdoors, they may lose connections to the natural world - an important aspect to the development of environmental stewardship. In analyzing thirteen local elementary schools, we found that found that land use (composition of areas adjacent to schools), school resources, and teachers’ initiative are the primary factors influencing outdoor experience in science lessons. Teachers’ motivation to include experiential outdoor lessons proved the most effective method to remedy this predicament.

Rachel Chalat ’12 and Leandra Cooper ‘12

S.O.S (Solar on Skidmore)

We examined the technological and financial feasibility of a solar installation for the Williamson Sports Center and the Van Lennep Riding Center at Skidmore College. The technological portion of this study evaluates practical installation considerations for each site, and the financial portion provides monetary incentives and options. Ultimately, our study provides possible opportunities to help Skidmore continue to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.

Kelly McDonnell ’12 and William Moseley ‘12

Promoting Environmental Sustainability Initiatives: The Role of a Chamber of Commerce

A significant, positive association has been found between environmental stewardship and economic growth. Taking this into consideration, our study focuses on the role of chambers of commerce in forwarding environmental sustainability initiatives. We interviewed both twenty chambers of commerce and several Saratoga County Chamber members. Our research culminated in a series of recommendations for the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce to promote environmental sustainability in Saratoga.

Adam Schmelkin ’12 and Charlie Glassberg ‘12

Understanding the Competing Uses of Skidmore’s Commons: A Stakeholder Analysis of the North Woods

The North Woods is a 165-acre forest on Skidmore’s campus used by different groups with distinct concerns, values and perceptions of the resource. Interviews were conducted with students, faculty/ staff, and community members to understand these diverse interests. These interviews informed the creation of recommendations to

promote the long-term preservation of the forest and balance individual use, scholarly use, and potential development plans.

Pia Ruisi-Besares ’12 and Peter McInerney ‘12

A Cultured Revolution: Growing Native Algae in Wastewater to Produce Ethanol

Production of bioethanol from algae presents a sustainable alternative to first generation biofuels and fossil fuels. We grew two native algal species in different treatments of wastewater and measured total biomass and ethanol production. Penium margaritaceum and

Scenedesmus quadricuada were most productive in 50% wastewater treatments; S. quadricuada produced greater amounts of biomass per treatment and ethanol per gram. Wastewater composition determined total biomass while cell physiology determined ethanol production.

Olivia Berry ’12 and Tessa Leverone ‘12

Keeping up with the Karners: Habitat, Population and Persistence of a Local Federally Endangered Species One of the largest populations of the Karner Blue Butterfly, a federally endangered species, is located in the Saratoga Watershed. We synthesized five years of demographic and habitat data collected by The Nature Conservancy and NY-DEC. Our results demonstrate that habitat characteristics and existing population size can predict much of the variation in how sub-populations grow or shrink in size over time, and reinforce the importance of targeted and consistent management practices in the future.

Gordon MacPherson ’12 and Alex Ethier ‘12

Sights and Sounds: Building a Broader Audience for Environmental Issues

Current messaging techniques make it easy to consider issues of sustainability and environmentalism the sole dominion of ‘the environmentalists’. To combat this mentality and give environmental issues the societal and political attention they deserve, we developed two projects. We worked with student artists to create a campus-wide photo installation that raises awareness of College sustainability initiatives, and we produced two short radio stories to determine the effect of narrative in engaging and educating listeners.

The 2012 ES Capstone class