FREE
October 2016
SUNY-ESF Literary Magazine
ESF’s New Soccer Field
One Key Piece Page 10 Stumpies Around the World
HANOI Page 7
An Experience In
Organic Agriculture Page 8
TABLE O’ CONTENTS
Geddes Brook, Syracuse, Scott Przybyla Jr.
Budding Minds Personal Essays Fall, Carly Benson Mother, Hailey Smalley The Match, Rand Michaels
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Branching Out Reoccuring Articles Simplicity Over Toxicity: Hair Mask, Miranda Cordiale Professor Spotlight: Dr. Bob Malmsheimer, Justin Coleman A Second Glance: Don’t Walk On The Quad!, Isabella Kaplan Weird Creature Spotlight, Stephen Scaduto Stumpies Around the World: Fable Booker|Hanoi, Isabella Kaplan
4 5 6 6 7
Getting To The Roots Environmental & Campus News An Experience in Organic Agriculture, Katie Oran How to Solve the Problem of the Disappearing Honey Bee, Rand Michaels One Key Piece, Meagan Herbst & Heather Carl
Small Twigs Personal Essays In the Valley of Dry Bones, Shourjya Majumder A World of Judgment, Kings Court Whose on Our Side, Teagan Alderman Freshman Experiences, Wren Wilson
Silly Saps Satire & Laughs
Ask A NUT Bad Joke Corner, Stephen Scaduto
8 9-10 10 12 13 14 14 15 15
Meet The Staff Editor: Grace Belisle Co-Managing Editor: Miranda Cordiale Layout Editor: Scott Przybyla Chief Financial Officer: Mark Tepper Editing Team: Carly Benson, Hailey S malley, Katie Oran, and LJ Layout Team: Scott Przybyla, Joseph Gleason, Lauren Perry, Wren Wilson, Lucy Enders & Mark Tepper Cover Photo: Lucy Enders Cover Design: Joseph Gleason Contact Information:
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Comments or Questions about The Knothole? The Knothole meets (just about every) Thursdays at 6:30pm in Baker 141 - new Knot People are always welcome! Or email us at esfknothole@gmail.com SUNY ESF THE KNOTHOLE FACEBOOK INSTAGRAM
Budding Minds
Mother
Fall
But…
Poetry
Carly Benson
I stepped outside to find That Summer grew sick of waiting for me During all the days I sat at my desk and Only said hello in passing When she breezed through my window Trying to remind me of her presence With each drop she placed on my forehead. But today I met my lover on the amphitheater stage With an audience of grass That blanketed each cobblestone step Where he kissed my skin And drew thousands of goose bumps on my forearm He grew so close that I had to Wrap myself tight inside of my Pashmina scarf Secretly happy that the cloth had small holes So that he could still reach me. You hint of things much colder And carry traces of what was before you You are an all knowing state Of a Mediator’s content
That is so obviously temporary But alluring enough That your fleeting manner is forgotten My back leans on the cobbles you have turned cold I sit only with my backpack Watching as lovers set up picnic Outside the amphitheater gate With fingers laced delicately Holding on like the leaves try to hold onto the branches you touch Knowing that they don’t compare to the way your breath can Touch all of my skinAt once. For now-
Hailey Smalley
I was born to my Mother long ago Before oceans could be sailed Before wind could be caught Before trails could be forged Before trees could be planted Before water could be piped She birthed me into a wild world
I opened my newborn eyes to a swath of sky Broken by ash And I stretched my untouched skin Thick with the memory of a warm womb To touch a window lit up with Her gentle embrace
Grasped tightly the roots of Her spring-flung hair Clung to the scent of Her warm brown flesh Hung onto the memory of Her sun speckled face But I departed willingly from my Mother I crushed Her beneath sole Under foot Until Her last wind-blown calls Ceased to breathe And I forgot my true name The one my Mother gave me So long ago When She birthed me into a wild world
I remember The warmth of my Mother’s breath Sinking through glass Gracing my smooth infant hand with summery light Dripping unspoken life into my innocent lungs Yet utterly apart from my paper thin skin From my blue blood My thin baby bones I learned to talk with tongue and type I learned to walk on concrete And I played in the ruins of my Mother Jump Rope Hopscotch Hide and Seek. I danced on Her grave Over plowed under fields Through thick stands of skyscrapers To the sound of the highway, The artificial cadence of asphalt my broken up drumbeat Maybe it would have been better had I only Screamed Swore
BUDDING MINDS OCTOBER 2016
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The Match Rand Michaels
There were talks Two hundred years Of words about “Change of Policy” And “Waste Reduction” But some things Have never changed: Fueling the fires Of our industries Is simply remains And what remains Of it all Shall be burnt To the Last-
Silence fell fast Over the room And giving none Chance to speak: With a quick, And practiced flick I struck it
Simplicity over Toxicity: Hair Mask Miranda Cordiale
The last talk I’ll ever see For molecules flow From pipes forever Collecting in air Which was clean.
Ever since I started my no-shampoo routine, I have never been able to return to coconut oil masks to hydrate my hair. Without the shampoo, the coconut oil is almost impossible to remove from my hair. Instead, I have looked into different methods to hydrate my hair every few weeks. One method I have learned that makes my hair hydrated and healthy is a method that involves eggs!
So I stand Adjourning for now To the restroom, A small suitcase In my hand In the stall I remove them: Yellow plastic containers (The man there Had asked me If I’d forgotten The charcoal bagI told him I needed none) And poured each Over my body My linen suit Lapping up greedily The foul liquid My skin glistening In every color Last I took From the case A small box, All I needed, Left the rest In the puddle
Now some of you may be saying, “Eggs? That sounds gross!” Well, eggs are chock full of protein, which is amazing for your hair. Eggs hydrate your hair, making it soft and smooth with a shine! For those of you who are hesitant to go for a full egg treatment, try this mask with a couple of eggs and other ingredients that are great for dry hair! What you’ll need: 2 egg yolks 2 tablespoons of honey ¼ cup of apple cider vinegar 1-3 drops of an essential oil of your choice Add all of the ingredients together and apply to your hair, scalp to tips. Keep In your hair for 15-20 minutes. When rinsing, rinse with cold water. DO NOT RINSE WITH HOT WATER. YOU WILL COOK THE EGGS IN YOUR HAIR IF YOU DO SO. Trust me, I was pulling pieces of half cooked eggs out of my hair for a week. Another thing to keep in mind is that eggs are a powerful treatment. Do not use this mask daily. There is such a thing as too much protein for your hair. Use this mask once every two weeks for optimal hydration. Enjoy your lovely locks!
As I returned 4
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BRANCH Out Reoccurring Articles
Professor Spotlight: Dr. Bob Malmsheimer Justin Coleman
show up to work. I have spent 17 years teaching ESF students. I have a lot of faith in them and their abilities. Do you like dogs or cats better? I do not like either.
What are the courses that you currently teach or have taught in the past? I have taught Natural Resource Policy, Natural Resource Law, Environmental Law, and Business Law. What is your favorite class to teach? Business law; it’s the most practical course I teach. What is your proudest achievement as a resources professional? I have testified before Congress twice about suing the forest service, and about natural resources budgetary concerns. I was invited to present to the House of Lords. If you could meet a historical figure, who would you like to meet? I would like to meet Churchill and have a brandy with him. I think that English leaders are less guarded in what they say and are much more open to you about what they feel and plan to work towards, and alcohol is commonplace in English politics as a social gathering. It is very different from the USA.
You are an alumni of this fine institution. How does it feel to stand on the other side of the fence? I think that it helps. If you have graduated from here you are more likely to understand the student experience here. Knowing the amount of group work and labs that go on makes you a better professor. What is your fondest memory of being a student at ESF? The people I met, the students and the interaction with the faculty members; especially with landscape architecture, I got to interact with the teachers quite often.
What’s your favorite band/music group? The Grateful Dead are an all-time favorite band of mine. Dave Matthews is another favorite of mine because my whole family listens to him, and we enjoy the music together. Do you have any pets? I feed the birds, so we have wild black capped chickadees, American Goldfinches, nuthatches, and woodpeckers. What’s your favorite ice cream flavor? Mint chocolate chip!
What is your favorite food dish? I like to cook clams flat on the grill instead of boiling them, and I like to eat fresh corn on the cob.
If you could travel back in time, what time period would you go to? I would travel back to pre-human inhabited North America when there were still all of the large mammals and a great abundance of fish.
What keeps you positive in regards to all of the environmental and social problems that we currently face? What’s the alternative? You can’t give up no matter what. It’s not an option because then I wouldn’t
What is your favorite aspect of your job? The fact that I spend my day with people in their low to mid 20s who are incredibly enthusiastic and idealistic helps to keep me young and positive.
BRANCH OUT OCTOBER 2016
What is the most boring part of your job? Administrative things like filling out forms for travel expenses are pretty boring. Do you have any role models or people that you have always looked up to? Everything is modeled by somebody. My teaching style is based on different teachers. Role models always influence my life. I find people who do things well and emulate them. What is your favorite species of wildlife? What about plant? Small Mouth Bass and Black Walnut. What is your favorite place you have travelled to? Charlestown on Lake Ontario; the fishing is amazing! What do you suggest to the new generation of environmentalists and the students of ESF? You guys are the future. We’re passing the baton to your generation. I hope you all can do better.
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A Second Glance: Weird Creature No Walking On The Quad! Spotlight Isabella Kaplan
Hello fellow Stumpies, and welcome back to wonderful ESF! Enjoy the sunshine while it is still here! For the freshman class, or those who have never read my column before, A Second Glance is where I go deep into the archives, dig up the “ancient” Knothole, and reveal fun facts about the history of our amazing school! In the last issue, I took us back to 1972, on the first Earth day. I wrote about how ESF celebrated this historic day by educating the children of the Syracuse community and raising money for conservation! Let’s see what our school was doing only a few months later. In 1973, still adjusting to the recently changed name, things seemed to be very similar to how they are now. Professors were holding seminars, students were making fun of themselves, (see comic, from the November 15, 1973 issue) as well as complaining about dendrology. As one student wrote for the December 13, 1973 issue, “I hope that I shall never see/ Another Quiz about a tree/ a tree whose leaves may be serrate/ or then again may be dentate/… Test is flunked by fools like me/ to whom a bush looks like a tree”. At the same time, however, some pretty big events happened here on campus.
Stephan Scaduto
According to Brochu, an ESF student, faculty were not respecting each other, viewing the other departments “as if the latter [other departments] were less important, less of a science…” (November 15, 1973). He called out the need for respect and the importance of cooperation among departments, illustrating the strong Stumpie spirit that drives students to make ESF a better place. Lastly, in 1972 a Stumpie named Tom angrily complained that, “lazy students, eager to take short-cuts where ever possible” (December 13, 1973) were destroying the quad. Was this the start of our sacred ritual? Is this where No walking on the Quad began? Let us know what you think!
To kick off a new year of the Weird Creature Spotlight, we’re introducing a truly bizarre creature: the Hawksbill Sea Turtle. Now, you may be thinking to yourself; “What? A TURTLE?? How could a turtle possibly be weird?” Well, what if I told you that scientists recently discovered a population of Hawksbill Sea Turtles…that glow?! The discovery was made in the Solomon Islands of the South Pacific during July 2015 by Dr. David Gruber of the City University of New York. His team was filming sharks on a coral reef at night when a turtle swam with a glowing green and red shell. Later, the team observed some captive specimens whose shells glowed red in the dark, indicating that many Hawksbills have
According to one student, “The College of Environmental Science and Forestry is an institution which has a great concern for teaching the principles and concepts of the natural world” (November 15, 1973). This statement was proven true as ESF was one of the original schools in the first ever College for Inmates. Furthermore, in 1973, students were also trying to educate their own campus community. 6
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this ability. These turtles illuminate their shells through biofluorescence rather than bioluminescence. This means that, rather than creating their own light, the turtles of the Solomon Islands absorb light from above and radiate it back in a different color. Scientists speculate that the turtles adopted their biofluorescence for camouflage purposes, but no one is quite sure yet. Perhaps they just saw many other animals glowing in the dark and wanted to be part of the latest fashion craze! Unfortunately, the Hawksbill Sea Turtle is critically endangered due to habitat loss and illegal harvest for their shells. If nothing changes, the colorful Hawksbills of the Solomon Islands may eventually glow away for good…sorry, just trying to lighten the mood. But, seriously, turtles are great, and losing any of them (even the non-glowing ones) would really suck.
Stumpies Around the World: Fable Booker, Hanoi Isabella Kaplan
I was fortunate enough to interview Fable Booker. Fable is a senior in Environmental Studies. If you didn’t know her as an awesome OL, you might have seen her working with Baobab Society or Green Campus Initiative. She is currently taking a non-traditional study abroad, focusing on how cities vary in their productivity against and vulnerability to climate change. She is currently in Vietnam, but started her travels in San Francisco and will soon be visiting Morocco and Bolivia. Interviewer (I): now?
Where are you
Fable (F): I am currently in Vietnam. The capital, Hanoi, is my new favorite city. I want to move here because it so cute. It is a world heritage site. It is called the “Lantern City” because at night they light up all the lanterns right by the water. Absolutely
gorgeous. Right now I am staying with a host family. I absolutely love my host family- cutest people in the whole world. Although there is a language barrier, it is such a rewarding experience. I feel much more attune with the culture. I: What is your favorite thing about the country so far? F: Food. Definitely the food. The food here is so phenomenal. It is so fresh and so cheap. I also love how beautiful this country is, I had no idea it was going to be this beautiful. When I was flying over the city I was so surprised at how green it is! Also this is just a culturally rich place, probably the most culturally rich place I’ve ever been to. Vietnam culture is family and relaxation focused. There are a lot of cheap spas here! They don’t believe that being stress free is a luxury.
I: What is the most surprising thing you have encountered? F: The Driving. Everyone here drives motorcycles. It is absolutely insane. Craziest experience I’ve ever had. Crossing the road is terrifying. But it’s kind of fun because it is like a game. There are no street laws but everyone knows what to do. They have it down to a science. The amount of things they can carry on their motorcycle is insane. I’ve seen massive mattress things on motorcycles. A lot of kids on the back to. It weird but it just kind of works. Surprising in the whole country there are only 44 accidents a day. I: How are the people? F: The people here are absolutely amazing. I am just constantly blown away on how sweet, happy and smart these people are. I accidently paid 100 dong for street food instead of 10. The women could have taken all of it, but instead paid me right back. I have so many incidents like that. The people here are not trying to cheat us, but they just think it’s funny that we don’t know what we are doing. Another
example is when we couldn’t understand a menu at a restaurant, we decided to pick a random item. The waiter looked at us and, well, he didn’t say “No” but he gave us a look that said, “You definitely don’t want that.” We asked what it was and he said “Beak! Beak! Chicken beak!” He brought out this big plate of rice and vegetables to eat instead. I: How has studying abroad affected you? F: I feel like I already have a different outlook on everything. We are studying Climate Change research through the lens of environmental justice. Everything we learned and the framework we established has just shaped my view on so many things. Also, I am also much less hesitant to reach out to people that I want to know or know about. Once you get over feeling like a fool because of the language barrier, it is very freeing. I am also much more flexible and prepared for change. It has already affected me so much and I’m only a month in. My advice to anyone is just to go to a completely different place! Culture shock is frustrating at first, but it so rewarding.
Fable Booker, 2016 BRANCH OUT OCTOBER 2016
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Campus & Environmental News
GETTING TO
An Experience in Organic Agriculture Katie Oran It’s hot. Beads of sweat are dripping down Carlin Wakefield’s forehead as she works in the garlic fields on the Six Circles Farm in Ithaca, NY. Its grueling work, but this is what she signed up for. Carlin, like hundreds of others interested in organic farming, was WWOOFing. World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) links volunteers who are interested in organic agriculture, with farms that offer housing, food, and education in lieu of monetary payment. There are participating farms in dozens of countries around the world adhering to organic and sustainable farming practices that host volunteers for a few weeks to a few months at a time. They worked six-hour days at the Six Circle Farm, mulching around a hundred long rows of garlic plants. The farm, Carlin explained, “Harvested the garlic scapes and made a pesto out of them called scapea-moli.” At local and regional markets, the farm would sell the pesto along with the vegetables that they were growing. Melissa McLellan, who was also working with Carlin at the Six Circles Farm, shared a story about Carlin’s attitude while farming. They were making dinner, and a torrential downpour began. “It was more like a flash flood. We had been living in a tent, and we walked to where our tent was to check on 8
it. There was foot of water inside. I was so upset, but Carlin didn’t let it get her down.” Carlin’s view is that farming is not easy work, especially organic farming, which is often glorified. There is mud, and bugs and manure, but the most rewarding work was “with hands in the soil.” After a week in Ithaca, Carlin moved to a farm in Sanford, Maine that grew medicinal marijuana, called Hope Springs Farm. There, she learned about growing the plants and the process of turning them into medicine for children with epilepsy and cancer. She explained that the plants were, “… high in the healing cannabinoid CBD, and low in the psychoactive cannabinoid. The THC is what causes the euphoric high, so the kids aren’t being psychoactively effected; they only get the medicinal benefits.” The farm had to follow strict security regulations required to operate a medicinal cannabis farm in the state of Maine. They had gating around all plants and cameras throughout the property. The farm had a total of 20 cannabis plants; 10 growing outside and 10 growing in hydroponic systems inside.
“I witnessed firsthand parents calling Andrew [the farm’s owner] very concerned that they wouldn’t be able to get the medicinal oil for their child in time. This medicine isn’t a gimmick to them ¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬− it’s the difference between their child suffering from multiple daily seizures, and a child who gets to live a normal life. It’s an extremely powerful medicine.” After her time at Hope Springs Farm, Carlin moved to the Spirit Wind Farm, also in Sanford Maine. This farm specialized in goat products. They had 21 Nubian and Nigerian goats that were bred and milked. “The Nigerian and Nubian goats had different shaped utters, so it was difficult to milk them at first,” Carlin explained. The main source of income for the farm was from selling goat cheese and goat’s milk soaps. Carlin said that she fell in love with the goats, and had the opportunity to feed two babies that were born on her last day at the farm. Jody Wakefield, Carlin’s mom, found that Carlin’s “interest in agriculture grew during her experience WWOOFing. It gave her
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ideas of what she can do after she graduates from college.” Her time working on the farms also “made her think about if her food is locally sourced, and what chemicals are used to grow it.” Carlin hopes that her experience WWOOFing will better prepare her to get job in the organic agriculture industry. She said that she has a better understanding of what organic agriculture really means, and she pays attention more to where her food comes from. She hopes to help educate people about our food production systems, and to advocate for an end to industrialized agriculture in the United Sates. To Carlin, “[the] best way to grow, is to stick your feet in some soil and water your soul.”
THE
order (CCD). So far, researchers in the U.S. have had little success in quelling the spread of this disorder, resulting in the U.S. losing over 50% of its managed honey bee colonies since 2006, with wild populations sharing a similar fate. Many factors contribute to CCD, including the vampire mite (Varroa destructor) and the tracheal mite (Acarapis woodi). Such pathogens complicate the management of honey bee populations, since “oneway honey bees regulate pathogen loads within a colony is for infected individuals to emigrate from their hive,” a behavior explaining the rapid loss of adult populations in infected colonies and is a potential vector for parasites from colony to colony. A traditional treatment for the vampire mite is an organophosphate pesticide called coumaphos, which decreases worker bee longevity when exposed to the pesticide during their larval and pupal stages (Johnson, 2010). Another commonly used group of pesticides, neonicotinoids, controls pests on oilseed rape and other crops. The neonicotinoids are also partly at fault for CCD since exposed bees exhibit an epileptic type of activity. These effects, which were preceded by neuronal inactivation, when the brain goes quiet and cannot communicate any more, result in decreased foraging activity.
ROOTS thesleuthjournal.com
How To Solve the Problem of the Disappearing Honey Bee Rand Michaels
Imagine a world without apples, chocolate, coffee, potatoes, pumpkins, vanilla or almonds. These staple foods and flavors share one thing beyond being absolutely delicious; they all depend on animals for pollination. These ‘pollinators’ include bees, butterflies and other insects, as well as birds and mammals such as bats and mice. While searching for flowers’ nectar, these creatures move pollen from the male section of a flower to the female section of another flower, allowing the creation of a seed and the reproduction of the plant. Aside from plants being used for human food, fibers, and medicines, pollinated plants are critical to the lives of thousands of other species of wildlife that depend on their nutrients and habitat. Given the
great importance of pollinators, the clamor to understand the causes of their death is no surprise. The loss of pollinator diversity is pronounced greatly throughout several insect species, with honey bees (Apis mellifera) serving as a prime example of the struggle to protect pollinator populations. Their battle began about ten years ago, “in the last three months of 2006, [when] a seemingly new phenomenon began to occur based on reports of an ‘alarming’ number of bee colony losses and die-off along the East Coast [of North America]” (Richards, 2009, pg. 5). After extensive research concerning the roots of these losses, no single factor was found to cause the die-off and the condition was named Colony Collapse Dis-
Although the solution to such a complex problem as disappearing honey bees does not have a single answer, there are things that can be done, not only by governments and organizations doling out additional funds to continue the research, but also by individuals making choices that benefit our pollinator friends. One way to do this is by planting flowers in your garden or in window boxes around your home that attract bees, provided that you don’t use harmful pesticides on your lawn. Planting flowers that are native to your area is important, since pollinators have coevolved with these species. Bees tend to
like flowers that are bright, such as white foxglove (Penstemon digitalis), plants that contain yellows and blues, and those that have pleasant aromas. Homeowners can also help bees survive by mowing one section of lawn at a time rather than all at once, giving insects an ample chance to move to adjacent unmown patches. The addition of bee habitats to your landscape also helps pollinators that may otherwise have a hard time finding a home. This could include buying mason bee nests, or simply avoiding the use of Raid or other insecticides in less frequently used buildings. However, the most important and effective choice that we can make as consumers to protect honey bees is to buy organic products whenever possible. While these products often cost a little more than their counterparts, choosing organic items greatly affects our agricultural system, our pollinator diversity, and our bodies. The higher cost paid for these items is partly because their production is more labor intensive, since synthetic pesticides or pesticides biologically engineered into plants can’t be used. Beyond eliminating the harmful results of such chemicals, other beneficial approaches include looking at farming as a holistic, biological system. Many organic farmers keep their own hives of honey bees, harvesting and selling the organic honey produced. Others, who rely on wild pollinator populations for the health of their crops, are usually in tune with the needs of these species. These farmers are likely to plant in polycultures, that invite insects into their landscapes to perform their critical functions. Continues on P age 10
thinglink.com GETTING TO THE ROOTS OCTOBER 2016
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How to Solve the Problem of the Disapearing Honey Bee Continued From Page 9 With over one third of human food depending on a pollinator somewhere along its journey to our plates, the very existence of our modern food system is at stake. Each one of us has an equal responsibility to protect pollinators, but there is no need for discouragement. Whether it is adding a window box full of flowers to your apartment, or choosing organic apples next time you’re at the supermarket, simple choices can undoubtedly work against the rapid decline of our friends and allies, the honey bees. Richards, T. H., & Blaylock, I. T. (2009). Honey Bees : Colony Collapse Disorder and Pollinator Role in Ecosystems. New York: Nova Science Publishers, Inc. Johnson, Reed M.; Ellis, Marion D.; Mullin, Christopher A.; Frazier, Maryann (2010). “Pesticides and honey bee toxicity – USA”. Apidologie. 41 (3): 312.
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ON KEY PIECE TO THE GAME Megan Herbst and Heather Carl
ESF has had a soccer team for 9 years, but is missing one key piece of the game: A FIELD! However, that is about to change. Coach Dan Ramin has been saving a portion of the athletics fund for the past five years to get the ball rolling on constructing a new soccer field. The Tully Willow Research Station is the proposed location for the field. In the past, the men and women’s soccer teams have had to rent other soccer facilities that are costly and difficult to schedule. Right now, the soccer teams have “home” games at three separate locations which makes it confusing for fans to know where to go to show their support. Having our own field would give the ESF community a chance to support the athletics teams in a united way.
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The proposal for the new field includes one full sized game field as well as a small warm up field. The facility would cater to both soccer teams, and hopefully the woodsmen and cross county teams in the future. Although it is not in the budget now, Coach Ramin is planning on adding an “off-the-grid” locker room building, complete with photovoltaic cells, next to the field. To make this place fit with ESF’s theme, an earthen amphitheater would be built instead of traditional bleachers. Senior captain Heather Carl says, “Even though this field won’t be completed before I graduate, it will provide an important gathering place for our fans and athletic teams.” The proposal has not yet been approved, but with enough student support it will quickly move through college administration, and construction will begin.
ESF Home Soccer Field Tully Field Station 550 Route 281, Tully, NY
future locker rooms
warm up area
game field
hedgerow
GETTING TO THE ROOTS OCTOBER 2016
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The Valley of the Dry Bones Shourjya Majumder It is midday. The entire air is weighted down with the feeling of anticipation and lethargy, as 13 of us walk in formation down a rocky, irregular slope, our motion slowed by 35-40 pounds on our backs. I wish we could take some time to enjoy the majestic mountains and the free-flowing rivers, but we must make every effort to keep moving. We must reach our goal of 4 miles before we set up camp in the backcountry of Yellowstone National Park. This 6 day, 22 mile, extended excursion began on the morning of June 29, just when I was beginning to fall into routine with living in the front country, and sharing my tent, and brushing my teeth without a sink. I woke up that morning filled with apprehension as well as dread. But sure enough, the clock slowly reached 8:30, which meant it was time for us to leave our familiar campsite, and begin our trek into the backcountry, where every step is unfamiliar. We started off, meeting rocky trails under our feet, and rounding a turn every few seconds. We encoun-
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tered a whole assortment of vegetation, from purple and yellow flowers to dead trees and bare conifers. Along the way we were often faced with the challenge of crossing a river. That is especially exciting when the rocks are either so slippery you can’t step on them, or submerged under the cold water. After a few accidental falls in the stream, the entire group of exhausted campers staggered into a grassy field with rolling hills dotted with boulders. However, upon close inspection, I noticed that some boulders were white with ridges in them. I became very excited as my teaching assistant, Veronica, leaned over and picked up what appeared to be a section of a vertebrae. The bone was very sturdy and thick, which implied that it had to be anchored to strong back muscles to hold the animal upright. We had arrived at a wolf kill site, a natural graveyard, where pieces of bone and meat are at the mercy of
SMALL PERSONAL
the elements. As we progressed in our archeological scavenger hunt, we came across the skull of a bovine, looking up at the sky to say its final words. Several severed ribs lay strewn across the path, and it was quite amusing to watch the class reassemble the skeleton. Occasionally we would see fluffs of dark brown hair lying in clumps along the calcified structures. Our biggest breakthrough came towards the end of the afternoon, when we nearly stepped on what seemed to be owl pellets. Veronica, who had been leading the bone hunt, finally explained that those pellets were "rumen", undigested plant material of cows, sheep, and other ruminants. The final piece of the puzzle was complete. A bovine skull, the brown clumps of fur, and the rumen, meant that this corpse once belonged to the largest animal in the Great Plains: the American Bison! I stood in the afternoon sun, admiring our discovery, but was soon distracted by more bones further down the trail.........
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TWIGS ESSAYS
A WORLD OF JUDGMENT Kings Court
ESF students gather here because of a love for the natural world and the science behind it. As a result, it is safe to assume that not only are we aware of the scientific method and follow it religiously, but that our devotion to it also extends to how we live our everyday lives and our perception of the world. We are all here to be scientists; we are being trained to take the observations that we make and apply them to better understand the facets of life we regularly encounter: social interactions, challenges and tasks, and new experiences, to name a few. Therefore, it is easy to understand how certain ideas, beliefs, or theories come about in our society as everyone follows this practice of
observing and concluding. However, not everyone is trained to hold the higher standards that science demands, to ensure that there are no outside factors to consider and there is no bias in research and observances. Within this discrepancy lies the problem that has only recently become noticed by the general public. Through the efforts of all people, working to overcome the obstacle that hinders our society’s progression, it is slowly degrading. There still needs more pressure applied for any immediate and substantial change to occur. The problem can be explained like this: what do you think of when you hear the word scientist? How do you feel or subconsciously think or react when you see a minority walking by? Does the sight of an African American, regardless of age, wearing a hood automatically make you suspicious or feel threatened? Please do not turn to the next page or stop reading, we are not blaming you or any single person or race! The problem of discrimination as a result of the biases within society has been present in many different centuries and has harmed more than just the underrepresented races including the LGBTQ community, women, animals, the Jewish, and Vietnam
SMALL TWIGS OCTOBER 2016
veterans. Society simply needs to understand to not grip so tightly to its past beliefs, but instead be open minded to the new possibilities. While everyone has their reasons for their own beliefs, their own evidence to support their theories, they need to understand that there are few things that can be known with absolute certainty. The pursuit for the truth of the world should never be cut short at the first potential answer, especially in a world that is far from simply black and white. For the victims of society’s bias, it is an awful position to maintain; the bearer of the negativity of an entire country. As scientists and people dedicated to changing the world, our reason for coming to ESF, it is our responsibility to make sure we guide others to not only not close their minds too soon, but also take in all the unbiased data they can knowing the results are ever-changing. Most importantly, lead by example.
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WHOSE ON OUR SIDE?
Freshman Experiences
Teagan Alderman
We Stumpies are between a rock and a hard place. No general election since 2000 has seen a candidate that genuinely cared about the environment and understood what needed to be done to fix it. Soon, politics won’t matter. People everywhere will be starving, coastal cities will be flooding, forests will be burning, species will be going extinct, and everything will be going to hell. Activists can only do so much without the support of the government, yet the government does not comply. With the environmental crisis hurdling towards us at an ever-increasing speed it is more important than ever to elect a candidate that puts the environment at the top of their list. Yet we have done the opposite. Donald Trump is a man that does not even believe climate change is human induced, let alone does he believe that humans should fix the earth that we have so easily destroyed. He wants to put an end to the EPA, yet also make the United States “energy independent”. Unregulated, domestic energy production is his plan. Donald Trump supports the Keystone XL Pipeline, and will push for an increase in domestic oil, natural gas, and coal energy production. This man does not support wind energy because the turbines kill birds and ruin coastal views. He does not support solar because of the time it takes to return its investment. Donald Trump simply wants America to return to its environmental ways of the early twentieth century and ignore the changing natural world around us.
Wren Wilson
While she does acknowledge that climate change is real, she has not outspokenly blamed the issue on humans. She is a supporter of the growing renewable energy field in the U.S., but that may simply be due to the economical growth the field has shown. Her foundations take in massive amounts of money from oil companies, and she is a supporter of offshore drilling. Last November she released a plan to slowly bring an end to the coal industry, but has since scrapped that plan. As the election nears, Hillary moves more and more away from being someone environmentalists can back. With these two candidates being the only two options for President, the United States and the rest of the world will face challenges regarding environmental progress over the next 4 years, but nevertheless we must continue to fight for our earth.
If you find yourself on the fourth floor of Centennial Hall, in the very first alcove to your left, you might see a door covered in enough Pokémon to make a solid-- if Charmander-heavy-- team. That door is the door to my room, which I share with my two actual roommates and about 4 to 7 other people on any given day, and sometimes night. If you’re lucky enough to spend a night on the floor, you gain the right to stick your name on the door with the others. But, more importantly, you gain the knowledge of a magnificent secret: the floor of my dorm is a magical, friendship-creating ground. “Now, Wren,” you might say, giving me a look that is nothing if not concerned for my mental well-being, “the carpeting in your room is the same as that of literally every other person living in Centen, and no one else is claiming their floors are magic.” To this I respond, “Yes, of course, but somehow in the installation of my floor, they put in some friendship magic, too.” To which, you would probably walk away, rolling your eyes and mumbling something probably rather rude under your breath. But, that’s fine! Not everyone understands magical floors.
What is worse, Trump’s direct lack of respect for the environment, or Hillary Clinton walking between the lines of ignorance and activism? 14
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The people who sleep on them, though? They understand. In fact, the people who have slept on my floor are the same people I hang out with just about every day, a fact that assuages much of the common oh-my-god-I’m-going-tohave-no-friends-in-college-whatdo-I-do fear that I definitely came into this school feeling. As someone who has been holding onto the same group of friends since first grade, making new friends has never been much of a concern of mine. Thanks to my magical friendship floor, though, it still doesn’t have to be! Instead of a freshman year of college spent alone (which, admittedly, would be rather difficult for someone living in a triple, but I digress), I already have an amazing group of friends who willingly watch old episodes of Big Time Rush and Total Drama Island with me, and also share their food. Of course, I haven’t even been a first-year college student for a month yet, which could mean one of two things: my current fabulous friend group is going to dissolve or grow exponentially in the next two semesters. If you’d like to help achieve the latter, you know where to go.
Silly SAPS
Ask A NUT
Dear Nut, My problem is a bit embarrassing. I’m 18 years old and I’ve never had a girlfriend. Scratch that: I’ve never even kissed a girl. Actually, scratch that again: I’ve barely ever even TALKED to a girl. I feel like everyone is so far ahead of me with this stuff, and that they can definitely tell how “inexperienced” I am. How do I start having success with women and catching up to everyone else? Sincerely, Socially Hopeless Youngster
Dear SHY, I wouldn’t be too worried about getting girls right now…I would be TERRIFIED. I personally had my first kiss at 5, and my first girlfriend by the time that I was 8, and I thought that I took longer than usual. If you’re already this far behind, I’m sure that its’ obvious to everyone you know, and that their entire opinion of you is based only on your romantic success. We’ve got our work cut out for us. Other people might tell you that girls are just regular people, and that you should just focus about making friends with them before worrying about dating. But I think
Satire and Laughs that in your case, we need to skip all of that and go straight to getting you a girlfriend. Whenever you’re on campus or out in public, approach as many girls as you can and ask them out. Or better yet, just ask if they want to “hang out sometime”, because going on an actual date is kind of lame. On the off chance that any of them actually say yes to you, don’t stop asking other girls. Women are impressed when a guy is seeing multiple people than once because it will show just how desirable you are. Keep
in mind that this is just one piece in the puzzle. Other steps towards success with the ladies include using copious amounts of cologne, working out constantly, and mocking other guys who you feel threatened by. You’ve got a long road ahead of you, but I think with enough hard work you can do it. Ultimately, you may have fallen behind everyone else in the romantic arena, but you’re slow start isn’t insurmountable. Just remember that what’s important isn’t maturing at your own pace, but trying to complete romantic milestones as quickly as possible so that you don’t have to worry about possibly being made fun of. -Nut
Bad Joke Corner Stephan Scaduto
Did you hear about the guy who invented the knock-knock joke? He won the “no-bell” prize What’s the difference between a piano and a fish? You can tune a piano but you can’t tuna fish! What do you call Batman when he skips church? Christian Bale
SILLY SAPS OCTOBER 2016
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Welcome back ESFers, The Knothole has been hard at work these past couple of months. We’ve updated our publishing to a better paper quality, along with updating our design and layout. To top it off, a bunch of new writers, editors, and designers have joined our hardworking and passionate staff. A thanks to the Knots, and a big thanks to you, our readers! We hope you enjoy our first issue of the 2016-17 school year, it will be a great one! -The Knothole Fahnestock State Park, Scott Przybyla Jr ‘15