ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES PROGRAM COLBY COLLEGE YEAR 3 REPORT TO THE ANDREW W. MELLON FOUNDATION

We are pleased to report on the third year of progress in the Environmental Studies (ES) project funded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. We can't emphasize enough how important the ES Coordinator position has been to our program. This year the coordinator's efforts have been in career activities, internships, the ES speaker series, and campus greening. Another first this year occurred when Ms. Treat taught a Jan Plan course in Environmental Law. Since, according to course evaluations, it was an overwhelming success, we plan to offer it on a regular basis.

Career Services Activities
ES Coordinator Sharon Treat worked closely with Career Services to provide information about career options and opportunities for internships and jobs in the environmental field. Activities included:

• developing a coding system for the E Recruiting web based job information service that better reflects the interests and career options available in the field, and coordinating with Career Services and Internship Coordinator Jorge Acero to post information in a combined online database
  
• hosting an open house at Career Services specifically designed for students interested in environmental jobs;
  
• creating an "ES Corner" of the Career Services Library where information on opportunities for internships and jobs related to the environment is posted and filed;
  
• organizing an event, "Green Jobs: An Environmental Careers Panel" on Monday November 5, 2001. Presentations were made by a diverse panel of Colby graduates and other Maine environmentalists on career options in environmental policy and science. Panelists had experience with environmental law, geographic software, consulting, environmental journalism, legislative and executive agencies, and nonprofit advocacy groups. The panelists were Maureen Drouin, Regional Outreach Coordinator, Northern Forest Alliance; Jeffrey Cole, President, Blue Marble Geographics; Naomi Schalit, Producer, Maine Public Broadcasting; Pam Parker '88. Manager of Overboard Discharge, Boatyards and Marinas projects, Maine DEP. The panel was moderated by ES Coordinator, environmental lawyer and Maine State Senator Sharon Treat;
  
• sending weekly newsletters detailing job opportunities and events of interest to ES students and faculty;
  
• meeting with individual students to explore career options and internship opportunities;
  
• expanding and maintaining the internship page of the ES website to include detailed information on the Mellon Internships and internship opportunities; and
  
• outreach, in cooperation with the Alumni Relations office, to alumni to develop additional internship opportunities.

Campus Greening
The Colby Environmental Studies program has helped get the newly formed Environmental Advisory Group off the ground this year and has helped staff it. Program members on the Committee include Sharon Treat, Professor Tietenberg, Oak Professor of Biology Russell Cole, and Clare Boothe Luce Assistant Professor of Geology Jennifer Shosa.

In addition, the students in the ES Senior Seminar, under the guidance of Professor of Government Nancy Quirk, did campus greening projects that were presented to the Environmental Advisory Group. Several changes in campus practices have already been instituted as a result of the findings of these students.

Web Site Development
Under the leadership of Ms. Treat, Professors Cole and Firmage, and Colby Web Manager Karen Oh, ES has established two web sites that will be helpful both in recruiting new students as well as informing current students about our programs. These sites stress our project based curriculum:

Environmental Studies Program web site. The address is: http://www.colby.edu/environ/
Environmental Studies Mellon Grant web site. The address is:
http://wwwcolby.edu/rants/esmellon/

Internships
Colby is fortunate to have Ms. Treat available to assist students in finding appropriate internships as well as funds to provide some financial support so they can take jobs they would otherwise be unable to take. Mellon internship grantees this year included:

Jan Plan, 2002

• Sarah Bandow '03: Conservation internship with Nature Conservancy of Louisiana
  
• Denell Washington '02: Internship with EPA in Washington, D.C. working on project XL, which negotiates flexible compliance agreements with various industries
  
• Kelly Stoos '03: Fieldwork intern with Sky Island Alliance in Tuscon, Arizona
  Summer, 2002
  
• Lauren Henderson '04: Internship with Prof. Earnest Williams at Hamilton College to research butterflies
  
• Anna Sommo '04: Internship at the Biodiversity Research Institute to conduct research on their loon project
  
• Nina Martin '04: Internship with the Toxic Action Center for pesticide research
  
• Bethany Craig '04: Internship with the High Country Citizens' Alliance to participate in the roadless inventory project
  
• Emily Arell '04: Internship with the High Country Citizens Alliance roadless inventory project.
  
• Devon Douglas '03: Internship with the environmental health project of Environmental Defense
  
• Lauren Bliss '03: Internship with the Mote Marine Laboratory's fisheries enhancement department.

We at Colby are grateful to The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation for the support that made both Sharon Treat's position and these internships possible. Because of the momentum gained from the support of the Mellon Foundation, the Environmental Studies Program is poised to become one of the focal points in Colby's future.