FACULTY DIRECTOR IT IS WITH NO SMALL PLEASURE THAT WE WELCOME SPRING, MAKING KAC AND THE ADJOINING REIST PRESERVE TRAILS MORE INVITING AND ACCESSIBLE. Having said that, I am pleased (but not surprised) that our loyal KAC followers continuously braved bad weather to make our winter term events successful. Documentary films on Verplank Colvin and the Sacandaga Dam, and the celebration of the 150th anniversary of William H. H Murray’s Adventures in the Wilderness; or Camp-Life in the Adirondacks, all drew overflow crowds. Fifty people also joined in “Breakfast and Birding” as part of the Audubon Society’s Great Backyard Bird Count. Thank you all for your support and interest. More great events are happening soon—please come back and bring your friends. In other news, we congratulate the 2019 Kelly Adirondack Center Student Summer Research Fellows, who will begin their work in June. Claire Hadelman (environmental policy) is working with Prof. Andrew Morris (History) on “Exploration of Rural Economic Decline and the Adirondack Timber Industry.” Carlos Piedad (environmental policy and anthropology) is also working with Prof. Morris. His topic is “Examining the Longstanding Debate on Land Allocation and Purpose in the Adirondacks.”
Paul Bacci (environmental science and political science) and Kira Wilson (environmental science) are working with Prof. Jeff Corbin (Biology) on analyzing the regeneration of Jack Pines (Pinus banksiana) at Flat Rock State Park in Altona, N.Y. Imogene Welles (biology) is working with Prof. Kathleen LoGiudice (Biology) on “Stable Isotope Analysis of I. scapularis” (deer tick). The fellows will present their research results later this year. Planning continues for Union’s first Adirondack mini-term (Aug. 18 - Sept. 8). Five faculty members and 12 students will split their time between KAC (one week) and the Adirondacks (two weeks). “A Peopled Wilderness” will explore the past, present and future condition of people in the region. I look forward to providing a full report in the fall newsletter. Finally, we have been working with Union’s Strategic Planning committees, hoping to make KAC a connector between the community and campus. If you’re planning an event that could utilize the facilities or expertise of the KAC, please get in touch with us at kac@union.edu.
Doug Klein FACULTY DIRECTOR, KELLY ADIRONDACK CENTER
UNION.EDU/ADIRONDACK
APRIL 2019
FROM THE
Spring 2019
WILDERNESS WATERWAYS&U
Volume 13
WILDERNESS WATERWAYS&U
STUDENT RESEARCH
EXAMINES GENDER GAP IN ADIRONDACK ORGANIZATIONS
NAME: EMMA SPROTBERY ‘19 HOMETOWN: BURNT HILLS, N.Y. MAJOR: DOUBLE MAJOR IN ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND ENGLISH, WITH A MINOR IN POLITICAL SCIENCE
“ In the absence of research examining the relationship between gender composition of membership rates and leadership, the status quo marches on unimpeded.”
UNION.EDU/ADIRONDACK
Volume 13
GROWING UP IN THE SHADOW OF THE ADIRONDACKS, EMMA SPROTBERY ’19 DEVELOPED A SPECIAL AFFINITY FOR ITS SPRAWLING LANDSCAPE. AN OUTDOOR ENTHUSIAST, SHE HAS HIKED AND CAMPED IN THE MOUNTAINS. ON THE ACADEMIC SIDE, SPROTBERY DEVELOPED A STRONG INTEREST IN GENDER STUDIES AND EQUALITY.
So it was only natural that the environmental policy and English double major (with a minor in political science) combined her two passions for her senior thesis. Using the extensive resources at the Kelly Adirondack Center, Sprotbery undertook a deep dive this winter into Adirondack-based conservation organizations. Specifically, she wanted to examine the role of women in leadership positions in these groups. For three months, Sprotbery pored over membership rosters and archival databases of the organizations, with a particular focus on the Association for the Protection of the Adirondacks. She also connected with people in the field for their input. What she discovered was disheartening. Although women have been well-represented in membership rosters and volunteer bases, they are not proportionally represented in the leadership structures of these groups. “Gender equality seems to only occur when it is the explicit goal of an organization. It does not seem to arise organically,” Sprotbery said. “I was unpleasantly surprised at how long women were underrepresented in nearly every organization I examined.” Sprotbery’s research revealed that while significant strides towards gender equality were made during the 1980s, very few, if any, organizations achieved parity in the gender composition of executive boards and boards of trustees. That pattern continues today. She also compared the progress of organizations within the Adirondack region to national and international organizations and found that Adirondack groups have lagged behind those groups, as well. Sprotbery said her topic has received scant attention from scholars. She believes that has only exacerbated the issue. “In the absence of research examining the relationship between gender composition of membership
rates and leadership, the status quo marches on unimpeded,” she said. Sprotbery was impressed by the wealth of material she could access at the KAC’s Adirondack Research Library. The library boasts a unique collection of material on the Adirondack Park and the New York State Forest Preserve, including rare books, maps, photographs, documents and the personal papers of some of the region’s foremost conservationists. “Emma’s research is another illustration of how there are Adirondack-related topics to be explored in all areas of study,” said Margie Amodeo, coordinator of the KAC. “Much of the existing research on the barriers and bias that lead to the gender gap in organizations has focused on women in leadership roles in large corporations. Her work examined how those stereotypes and patterns apply to non-governmental advocacy organizations within the context of the environmental movement. By speaking with women in conservation groups, she went beyond identifying the obstacles to achieving leadership positions in these advocacy groups and developed a deeper understanding of the issues confronted by women and the tools they’ve needed to be successful.” Among her many accomplishments and activities, Sprotbery was named to the Liberty League All-Academic team as a member of the volleyball team for the last three years. She also performs with the Garnet Minstrelles, Union’s all-female a cappella group. After Union, Sprotbery is headed to Cornell Law School, whose admissions committee was impressed by her thesis research. “Without the help of the Kelly Adirondack Center, my research and discoveries would have been impossible, she said.”
Spring 2019
PROGRESS WITH COLLECTIONS AT THE
ADIRONDACK RESEARCH LIBRARY The Mellon Foundation grant, which is funding archival operations at the ARL, aims to advance Adirondack Studies, an emerging academic initiative at Union College. This will better leverage the college’s unique proximity to wilderness areas and its information resources. In particular, ARL collections can provide unique materials for students and scholars investigating humanistic questions and influences that range from the formation of environmental law and policy to grassroots advocacy and how a democratic process can effect great change. Studying the Adirondacks provides broad educational implications across disciplines. My job is to help researchers access and use the unique collections held in the ARL.
“WE INVITE YOU TO STOP BY THE LIBRARY SOMETIME AND COME TAKE A LOOK AT ALL THE PROGRESS WE ARE MAKING.”
To make collections accessible to the public, materials are organized according to function and format. Original enclosures, which are often damaging to the materials, are replaced with archival quality folders, envelopes and sleeves. The new collection is then entered in the ARL’s archival management software, ArchivesSpace. This enables the ARL to share the collection with the outside world. Next, a finding aid is developed. These descriptive guides help researchers navigate collections and are available via Union College’s Institutional Repository, Digital Works and through the ArchivesSpace public interface. Work on many collections continues to ensure all ARL holdings are available to faculty, students and the general public. A brochure providing an abridged list of collections available for research has also been published and is accessible at the ARL and Schaffer Library. More information can be found on a monthly blog and on the KAC’s Instagram page. To see one of ARL’s most recently processed collections, check out the Jeanne Robert Foster papers. This looks great actually. For the website we could direct people to the Union College ArchivesSpace site at https://archives.union.edu/ Foster, who was born Julie Oliver in 1879 in the Adirondacks, had a colorful life as a fashion model, literary editor, poet and social worker. The papers contain lengthy correspondences, unpublished poetry, photographs, scrapbooks and more. We invite you to stop by the library sometime and come take a look at all the progress we are making.
Matthew Golebiewski
THE KELLY ADIRONDACK CENTER 897 Saint David’s Lane, Niskayuna, NY 12309 (518) 388-7000 UNION.EDU/ADIRONDACK
WILDERNESS WATERWAYS&U
ADIRONDACK RESEARCH LIBRARY PROJECT ARCHIVIST
Faculty Director of the Kelly Adirondack Center
Kelly Adirondack Center Coordinator
Executive Editor of the Adirondack Journal of Environmental Studies
Doug Klein
Margie Amodeo
Caleb Northrop
kleind@union.edu
amodeom@union.edu
northroc@union.edu
Go paperless! If you’d prefer to receive this newsletter electronically, send an email to Margie Amodeo at amodeom@union.edu.