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PINE LAKE: YESTERDAY, TODAY, AND TOMORROW
By Ron Thomson and Shelley Burtner Wallace
March 1, 1996 marked the 25th anniversary of the purchase of Pine Lake by Hartwick College. Over this past quarter of a century, numerous and various activities have reflected the changes in philosophy regarding the purpose, policies and management of this unique piece of property. Debate over which programs should be given priority have frequently arisen. This important process of reevaluation continues today as our values and attitudes evolve along with the ecological changes of Pine Lake.
Shortly after the purchase in 1971, the Pine Lake Commision was established to oversee the lake’s gradual development through a policy of responsible conservation. The Commision encouraged the use of Pine Lake by the College community “in such a way as to provide an environment for education and opportunities for reciprocal exchanges between man and nature.” The Pine Lake Field Assistantship Program, introduced in 1971, allowed students to assist with the maintenance, research and operation of the property. Students and faculty worked together on research projects at the outdoor laboratory, on archaeological digs and in experimental group dynamics courses. Recreational and community activities included swimming lessons, a Learning Center for preschoolers, a summer dance program, dinner theater productions, a ropes course, ice skating, sauna building, snowshoeing, and maple syrup and cider making.
In 1975, along with improved living facilities, the Dean’s Task Force for long-term planning proposed the expansion of winter educational and research programs through residential living-learning clusters. Despite limited funding, several of these student/faculty environmental studies groups were initiated, an extensive inventory of the flora and fauna was compiled and the social sciences offered courses that focused on the pioneering experience. In the late 1970s further renovations of the lodge, vaudevillian and field station were made possible by funding from Comprehensive Education and Training Act grants.
Responding to a “need for direction and vision for tying Pine Lake in more directly with Hartwick,” the Long Range Planning Committee initiated, in 1982, five task forces focusing on administration, programs, services, facilities, and professional development. Still lacking reliable financial backing for the lake, Hartwick began studying the possibility of cutting and selling timber from the upper tract. The controversy over this forest management proposal was averted due to a tornado that scoured the region in May 1983, altering 53 acres of Pine Lake property. The Pine Lake Committee developed a plan for the removal of some of the downed timber, at the same time providing an opportunity for the study of reforestation.
The next year, the goal became to “diversify and expand both the educational and environmental opportunities,” with an emphasis on “experimental education.” Students could test their leadership skills and trust on a new ropes course, study earth science issues in the ecology and environmental perspectives courses, or express themselves artistically in the creation of new trails.
A “1991 Plan” divided Pine Lake activities into three major areas of interest: a biological field station, a challenge education program and an environmental studies center. The emphasis was “to strenghten the academic value of the lake and…make it a ‘true’ environmental center.” The Forest Stewardship Plan of 1992, using forest health and college educational and recreational goals as a starting point, assessed the forested areas and made recommendations for timber management, wildlife and fishery habitat, and recreational use.
Over the past two years and continuing through the 25th anniversary, the College has embarked on a process that will not only assess the philosophical goals of Pine Lake, but will also attempt to address the practical considerations of stable funding and effective advocacy. After considering a variety of alternatives for the lake, the College reaffirmed the value of Pine Lake as an environmental campus. According to the current mission statement, the Pine Lake of the future will be a multi-use facility that employs new strategies of cooperation to build on past successes. It will continue to provide opportunities for hands-on research, self-discovery and academic study, recreation and reflection, and for students to live in a natural setting. In the process, Pine Lake programming also will demonstrate responsible, sustainable, financially viable environmental stewardship. Criteria for use will focus on lake activities, reduce user conflicts, and stress the need for planning that considers cost and revenue generation. The newly constructed Robert R. Smith Environmental Field Station will provide a welcome on-site facility for research and for a re-invigorated program of environmental education. To help meet the practical demands of facility operation, partnerships will be encouraged both on and off campus. Formation of a Pine Lake advocacy group in which alumni would play an important role is under serious consideration. Support from corporations and foundations is being actively sought.
In restating his support for Pine Lake, President Detweiler said that he was optimistic about the lake’s future and called it “an increasingly important College resource.” The administration hopes that alumni who discovered their reservoir of inner strength on the ropes course, who got their first taste of scientific field research at Mud Lake or who found the first blossom of spring as they walked along a lake trail will become our partners as we design a program that preserves and expands these experiences for students not only of this decade but also for those of the 21st century.
[This article was published in Hartwick’s alumni magazine The Wick in the Spring of 1996.]
Paul F. Cooper, Jr. Archives
Hartwick College
Oneonta, NY 13820