In 2012, eighteen acres of densely planted stands of pine and spruce in the Ashokan Reservoir were felled by Hurricane Sandy, opening up many new areas to early successional ecosystems. Coleen Curley ’17 and Sam Battaglia ’17 worked with the New York State Department of Environmental Protection to develop a plan that addresses the potential risk of future storm damage and manages the early successional landscapes for pollinator habitat, which is threatened regionally by changes in land use.
