The Watershed Stewardship Program
The Watershed Stewardship Program (WSP) at Paul Smith's College, in service since 2000, is a community-based education, research and service program designed to educate the public about conservation, stewardship and environmental issues facing local Adirondack watersheds. The goal is for local organizations to work together with state land governing agencies to monitor conditions, educate visitors about environmental issues and implement solutions to these problems by employing local college students to promote the integrity of ecosystems and the quality of human recreational pursuits. The main objective of the program is to combat the spread of invasive plant and animal species through educational messages, research and service projects specific to local watersheds.

The program places college students at boat launches and on St. Regis Mountain to fulfill the functions mentioned. Program partners include Paul Smith's College, St. Regis Foundation, Rainbow Lake Association, Lake Placid Shore Owners’ Association, The Adirondack Nature Conservancy, the Adirondack Cooperative Loon Program, the Wildlife Conservation Society, the Adirondack Park Forest Preserve Education Program, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program and the Adirondack Park Agency.

The principal objectives of the Watershed Stewardship Program include the following:

• to provide stewardship of aquatic resources by collecting demographic information on lake users, educating boaters about exotic invasive aquatic plant and animal species such as Eurasian watermilfoil, purple loosestrife, and zebra mussels, and water quality issues such as algae blooms and acid rain.
• to map and control aquatic and terrestrial invasive species
• to monitor nesting loon pairs and other wildlife
• to provide stewardship of land-based resources by conducting trail maintenance, providing information to visitors and interpretive services at the summit of St. Regis Mountain, and gathering baseline information about the number and behavior of hikers ascending St. Regis mountain, to help understand recreational use pressure on trails and vegetation.

	Brandon Moser. Assistant Director & Volunteer Lake Steward Coordinator.   Brandon is a Fish and Wildlife major at Paul Smith's College hailing from Buffalo, New York.
	Kim Caro Invasive Species Monitoring Specialist. Kim is a Field Biology and Ecology/Conservation Biology Major at Paul Smith's College. Kim is from Florida and has strong interests in lake chemistry and GIS.
	Peter Griffiths  Peter is a Recreation, Adventure Travel and Ecotourism major at Paul Smith's College, hailing from North Tonowanda, New York.
	David Canon David Canon is an Environmental Science major from Charlemont, Massachusetts. In 2006, he spent a summer working for a salmon restoration project in Massachusetts where he counted American Shad, sea lamprey and Atlantic Salmon returning to the Connecticut River to spawn.
	Tiffany O'Brien Tiffany is a Fish and Wildlife student from Massena, New York with an interest in ornithology. Tiffany will be our loon monitor for 2007, watching the fledging activity of banded loons on the St. Regis Lakes.
	Eric Holmlund Director of the Watershed Stewardship Program, Eric is an Associate Professor of Recreation in the Forestry, Natural Resources and Recreation Division at Paul Smith's College. In addition to his work as Director of the Stewardship Program, Eric teaches in Paul Smith's College's baccalaureate program in Recreation, Adventure Travel and Ecotourism. Eric is co-author of a book, The Camper’s Guide to Outdoor Pursuits. Eric and his wife Kim have an nine-year-old daughter, Dana, and twin seven-year-old boys, Will and John. He enjoys most outdoor activities, especially lake kayaking and camping. Eric is pursuing a Ph.D. in Environmental Studies.