Geoff Bennett
"I think they were a little ticked off that some college kid poked holes in their analysis," said Geoff Bennett '98, the author of the letter, who subsequently had a similar letter accepted for publication by The New York Times. The controversy over whether the Edwards Dam on the Kennebec River should be closed was the subject of a thesis written by Bennett, who concluded that reclaiming the fishery destroyed by the dam's presence more than offset the cost of removing it.
The thesis was the culmination of an exhaustive research project that involved a pile of documents "literally as high as my head," Bennett said. It also was a capstone to an extraordinary college career.
Bennett could be a poster boy for the liberal arts. A double major in classics and economics, he also was a captain of the men's squash team for two years and founded a fly fishing club on campus. Bennett says he sees his interests, in and out of the classroom, as complementary. "Each has been a good foil for the other," he said. "When I get tired of the numbers in economics, the classics study provides a good balance. The classics requires that you break down a piece into its component parts, then put it back together to try to understand it. The same process works in economics. The analysis brings a more full-bodied perspective."
Ultimately, Bennett says, all of his college activities have been studies of human nature. In that respect, he says, squash has been as educational as any of his classes. A co-captain his junior and senior seasons, Bennett was "a tremendous asset off the court" as well as a fine player, says men's squash coach Fred Brussel. Bennett received a special commendation as a scholar-athlete at the national championships, where Colby finished in the top 12 in the country. "The athletics have been very important to me developmentally," Bennett said. "The experience of working with a group of people--resolving conflicts, moving everybody toward a common goal--is something that I can apply in my professional life."
Bennett is a passionate fly fisherman and that, too, influenced his college path. During the summer after his freshman year Bennett and a couple of high school buddies decided to explore the western United States. They settled in a remote section of southwestern Montana near the Madison River, 45 miles from the nearest town. Bennett lived there in a small cabin for about two months, fishing during the day and working as a night cook at the local Grizzly Bar & Grill to pay expenses. The experience solidified his love of fishing and the confidence that he could overcome age and logistical barriers to achieve a goal, he says.
He organized a fly fishing club the next fall at Colby. The club attracted about 40 members "and, to my amazement, we ended the first year with about three hundred dollars," Bennett said. He solicited a corporate sponsor, the fishing equipment manufacturer Orvis, secured college recognition and ensured that the club would prosper beyond his graduation. "The club is solid. It will go on without me," he said.
The idea for his thesis came while he was fishing on the Kennebec River below the Edwards Dam, Bennett says. The dam, built in 1837, is no longer useful as a power source but significantly reduces the habitat for seven species of fish, he says. "I didn't want to write a thesis like `GNP: Friend or Foe,'" Bennett joked. "Professor [Michael] Donihue encouraged me to do it on a subject that interested me. It would never have occurred to me that I could write a thesis that involved fly fishing."
His research included dozens of hours of interviews with local fishermen, hydrogeologists, state officials, environmental experts and industrial representatives. Using a sophisticated cost/benefit analysis that includes the valuation of the fishery affected by the dam, Bennett concluded that removing the dam made sense economically and environmentally. "High natural valuations result from the fact that Edwards Dam blocks the passage of anadromous fish species. . . . The removal of the dam would allow this habitat to be repossessed and would greatly increase their numbers," Bennett wrote in his thesis. "The potential use of natural resource economics, which could set many precedents in this case, makes this dilemma one of national import. Indeed, the valuation of natural resources is what makes removal of Edwards Dam the most compelling option."
In addition to producing the letter in the Times, Bennett and his thesis drew the praise of the Portland Press Herald. In an op-ed article, the paper's editorial page editor, George Neavoll, said Bennett's findings were thoroughly persuasive. "I'm not sure how theses are graded," Neavoll wrote, "but in my judgment this one deserves an `A.'"
Text by Kevin Cool