1980 – 1989
CLASS OF 1980
Laura Snook writes: "I attach photos [below] and news of Class of 1980 graduates in Italy. Susan Braatz and I went in pursuit of the last few individuals of the critically endangered endemic Sicilian fir, Abies nebrodensis, over Easter, at the top of the rugged Madonie mountains of northern Sicily. We pursued it through cold wind & swirling mist, across scree and over snow, and found five trees, hanging on to the steep slopes. A challenging forestry adventure, followed by a delicious Sicilian meal in front of a fire!
"Another classmate, Jim Thorne, and his wife Rosemary, will be coming to Rome at the end of May [2008] to spend a week with Suey and me. Our agenda will include a visit to Pompeii as well."
"Another classmate, Jim Thorne, and his wife Rosemary, will be coming to Rome at the end of May [2008] to spend a week with Suey and me. Our agenda will include a visit to Pompeii as well."
Scenes from Great Mountain Camp retreat (May, 2005) [below]
CLASS OF 1981
Mark Plotkin, co-founder of the Amazon Conservation Team, in the field. ACT was a 2008 recipient of the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship.
Mark Plotkin '81, an ethnobotanist, and Liliana Madrigal, a conservationist and crusader for indigenous rights, created the Amazon Conservation Team (ACT) in 1996 to help preserve the Amazon rainforest and its indigenous people. ACT currently partners with 25 local tribes in Brazil, Colombia and Suriname to protect the rainforest by using sophisticated mapping technology and by establishing legal claims. To preserve native culture, ACT establishes ethno-education centers that teach traditional arts, forestry and farming techniques. By 2011, ACT’s goal is to double the number of rainforest acres mapped and managed from 40 million to 80 million. ACT plans for its indigenous partners to eventually maintain field offices and training centers independently.
CLASS OF 1982
Ada Ndeso-Atanga and her youngest daughter, Sirri, at Keystone College, La Plume, Pa. – 2007
CLASS OF 1983
Class Notes, Fall 2007
Carol Kennedy Hearle writes: “I am at the University of Maryland and working on conservation and sustainability
issues.”
Ann Pesiri Swanson was honored by the University of Vermont Alumni Association in June. President Daniel Mark Fogel presented this citation to Ann: “For more than two decades, Ann Swanson has dedicated her life to the conservation of the Chesapeake Bay, most recently as the executive director of the Chesapeake Bay Commission, a tri-state legislative authority composed of legislators, cabinet secretaries and citizens from Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania. … In the Bay region, there is hardly a piece of conservation legislation in the tri-state region that does not have Ann Swanson’s mark on it. She is known for her ability to lead and to be the catalyst of new ideas. She also
has a gift for translating science into policy. Currently, Swanson heads up the region’s efforts on the reauthorization
of the Federal Farm Bill. …”
Carol Kennedy Hearle writes: “I am at the University of Maryland and working on conservation and sustainability
issues.”
Ann Pesiri Swanson was honored by the University of Vermont Alumni Association in June. President Daniel Mark Fogel presented this citation to Ann: “For more than two decades, Ann Swanson has dedicated her life to the conservation of the Chesapeake Bay, most recently as the executive director of the Chesapeake Bay Commission, a tri-state legislative authority composed of legislators, cabinet secretaries and citizens from Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania. … In the Bay region, there is hardly a piece of conservation legislation in the tri-state region that does not have Ann Swanson’s mark on it. She is known for her ability to lead and to be the catalyst of new ideas. She also
has a gift for translating science into policy. Currently, Swanson heads up the region’s efforts on the reauthorization
of the Federal Farm Bill. …”
CLASS OF 1985
CLASS OF 1986
CLASS OF 1987
Dan Nepstad of the Woods Hole Research Center in Massachusetts overseeing a controlled burn in the Amazon
A member of Nepstad’s team helps set a fire in a control patch of forest in the middle of a giant soybean farm.
Jennifer Balch stands in the Amazon forest.
CLASS OF 1988
Reunion Weekend 2008
The Class of 1988 reunites in Bowers Auditorium for a lively "History Dinner," that includes great food and a plateful of reminiscences.
The Class of 1988 reunites in Bowers Auditorium for a lively "History Dinner," that includes great food and a plateful of reminiscences.
Class Notes, Fall 2007
Eric Dolin writes: “I am living in Marblehead, Mass., with my wife, Jennifer, and two children: Lily, 10, and Harry, 7. We love New England and especially being so close to the ocean. Jennifer works on energy efficiency and environmental issues at Osram Sylvania, where she is the environmental marketing manager for General Lighting. In July, my most recent book was published – Leviathan: The History of Whaling in America (See "Bookshelf" in Environment:Yale, page 17), and I quit my job as a fishery policy analyst at the National Marine Fisheries Service in Gloucester, Mass. I am now a full-time writer, having signed a two-book contract with W.W. Norton. In July, I began my book tour, which focuses mainly on New England, and that has been a lot of fun. To see where I have been and will be, check out my website.” www.ericjaydolin.com
Anthony Irving writes: “I partner with Star Childs ’80 on EECOS. Our kicks come from being in the woods and comparing the differences and similarities of various sites. So we’re earth detectives, and I like to think we’re getting pretty good at it. I’m also working on getting the Eightmile River in southeastern Connecticut designated as a federal Wild and Scenic River. After six years and passage in the House, we’re just waiting on the Senate and the president’s signature sometime this fall.”
Manuel Ramirez writes: “I am director for Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama for Conservation International, working both on terrestrial and marine ecosystems. It has been a challenging experience for 19 years. I do lots of
traveling in the entire region of Central America, South America and other places.”
Carlos Rodriguez-Franco, D.F., is director of the Forest Management Sciences staff for the Forest Service. Before joining the Forest Service, Carlos worked in the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service, where he was based in the Office of International Research Programs. He moved to the United States from Mexico and became an American citizen in 2003. He acquired many years of high-level government management experience before joining the U.S. civil service in 2003, including as director general of forestry research at Mexico’s National Institute of Forestry, Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Research.
Eric Dolin writes: “I am living in Marblehead, Mass., with my wife, Jennifer, and two children: Lily, 10, and Harry, 7. We love New England and especially being so close to the ocean. Jennifer works on energy efficiency and environmental issues at Osram Sylvania, where she is the environmental marketing manager for General Lighting. In July, my most recent book was published – Leviathan: The History of Whaling in America (See "Bookshelf" in Environment:Yale, page 17), and I quit my job as a fishery policy analyst at the National Marine Fisheries Service in Gloucester, Mass. I am now a full-time writer, having signed a two-book contract with W.W. Norton. In July, I began my book tour, which focuses mainly on New England, and that has been a lot of fun. To see where I have been and will be, check out my website.” www.ericjaydolin.com
Anthony Irving writes: “I partner with Star Childs ’80 on EECOS. Our kicks come from being in the woods and comparing the differences and similarities of various sites. So we’re earth detectives, and I like to think we’re getting pretty good at it. I’m also working on getting the Eightmile River in southeastern Connecticut designated as a federal Wild and Scenic River. After six years and passage in the House, we’re just waiting on the Senate and the president’s signature sometime this fall.”
Manuel Ramirez writes: “I am director for Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama for Conservation International, working both on terrestrial and marine ecosystems. It has been a challenging experience for 19 years. I do lots of
traveling in the entire region of Central America, South America and other places.”
Carlos Rodriguez-Franco, D.F., is director of the Forest Management Sciences staff for the Forest Service. Before joining the Forest Service, Carlos worked in the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service, where he was based in the Office of International Research Programs. He moved to the United States from Mexico and became an American citizen in 2003. He acquired many years of high-level government management experience before joining the U.S. civil service in 2003, including as director general of forestry research at Mexico’s National Institute of Forestry, Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Research.
