Center to change face of education in valley

Possible competition for funds concerns some local scientists

By Dan Shapley
Poughkeepsie Journal

 

Spencer Ainsley/Poughkeepsie Journal Tom Lake, editor of the Hudson River Almanac, uses a specially designed net to catch American eels (known as elvers) in Wappinger Creek. Lake's study of eels is funded by the New York state Department of Environmental Conservation.

Skepticism is central to science, and scientists with an interest in the Hudson River don't make exceptions for the Rivers and Estuaries Center on the Hudson.

Gov. George Pataki's brainchild for Beacon is widely considered a great idea -- a one-of-a-kind research institute that can enhance scientific understanding of the Hudson River, educate the public and inform policy makers.

''Certainly, there is a tremendous wealth of knowledge that currently exists,'' said Bruce Carpenter, executive director of New York Rivers United, an environmental advocacy group, ''and being able to bring all of this knowledged into a central location and then educate the people that are in fact dealing with river resources is a tremendous goal and it is something we would certainly advocate for.''

But creating a ''world class'' scientific institute from scratch isn't something local scientists take lightly, and some worry over the competition it might breed for limited grant money.

Building institute not easy

''It takes a long time to build an institution,'' said Erik Kiviat, executive director of Hudsonia, a scientific research group based in Annandale. ''It means a lot of coordination outside of the institution as well as inside the institution to create something that really works well, and it's very challenging. Any institution is challenging and a scientific institution may be particularly so because of the way funds need to be raised.''

Dave Burns, watershed coordinator for the Dutchess County Environmental Management Council, said the choice of Dennings Point could be great for Dutchess County, particularly the Fishkill Creek watershed that empties into the Hudson at Dennings Point.

''I think like a lot of these research centers they would have real-time monitoring at the site, so there would be a lot more information on the Fishkill,'' Burns said.

However, he and Kiviat both shared the concern the state's Hudson River Estuary Program would be rolled into the center's budget.

The program has spent about $6 million annually on research, including programs run by the Environmental Management Council and Hudsonia. Pataki has proposed cutting the budget to $5 million next year.

Monday, Pataki said the estuary program would remain separate, restating his goal to have the center run with a mix of state, federal and private money.

There is also concern a state-driven project would ''use'' science to back state ideas, rather than practice science to reach understandings of river issues.

''It certainly can demonstrate a commitment of the state government to developing a scientific basis for policy and management decision making,'' Kiviat said. ''On the other hand, I would want to see an institution that has intellectual independence from the state government.''

Pataki agreed Monday.

''It's critical,'' he said of independence from government. ''You have to have true research.''

AT A GLANCE
FIRST PROJECT STARTED
In November, the Rivers and Estuaries Center on the Hudson began its first research project -- a collaborative scientific monitoring pilot program undertaken by the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy and Columbia University's Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory in Palisades, Rockland County.

Those two university sites on Monday were named satellite campuses of the Rivers and Estuaries Center on the Hudson.

Known as the Hudson Riverscope, the project will develop a continuous, real-time observation and monitoring system for the Hudson River and its tributaries. In its initial stages, it will include monitoring sites on the Hudson River in Waterford, Saratoga County, and Piermont Pier, Rockland County.

The monitoring sites will log real-time data such as the flow of materials in the river, the spread of zebra mussel larvae and tracking of suspended contaminants such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).

This data will be used to help analyze -- and one day predict -- the spread and impact of contaminants and will provide a better understanding of river behavior.

It could allow students, scientists and policy makers to make decisions quickly, based on the conditions witnessed in the river.

The $1 million project is being paid for from a variety of sources, just as Gov. George Pataki envisions running the Rivers and Estuaries Center itself once it is up and running. Money for the project includes $500,000 from the federal government, $230,000 in-kind resources from Pace University, Lamont-Doherty and RPI, $100,000 from New York and $200,000 from other research institutions.

-- Dan Shapley

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