THE INSTITUTE OF ECOSYSTEM STUDIES
2004 HONOREE
Environmentalism
"More than anything else," observed Russel Wright, "I love Nature." From the biomorphic forms of his designs to the 34 years he worked to create his woodland gardens on the steep, boulder-strewn hillside of Manitoga, Wright's sensibilities reflected a concern for the natural environment presaging the environmental movement of today.
Past winners of the Russel Wright Award for Environmentalism, William T. Golden, Frances Reese and Professor Harvey Flad, have played critical activist roles in leading environmental preservation in the Hudson Valley. Our 2004 award recognizes an institution in the heart of our valley that has provided critical intellectual leadership in ecological studies, the science of environmentalism. Dr. Gene Likens, the Institute of Ecosystem Studies' founding and only Director, has built an environmental study resource not only for our valley but for the world.
Mary Flagler Cary, granddaughter of Standard Oil magnate Henry Morrison Flagler, assembled a 2,000 acre estate from 14 farms in Millbrook's beautiful Canoo Hills district in the 1930s. Upon her death in 1967, her will created a charitable trust to preserve the property in Millbrook and assure its use for the public benefit. In 1971, the Cary Trustees chose the New York Botanical Garden as the custodian of the property and the Mary Flagler Cary Arboretum was established. With some 16 core staff scientists, international adjunct scientists, post-doctoral resident scientists, PhD and MS graduate students and a long list of scholarly publications each year, IES is best understood as a free-standing ecological science department of a major research university without the rest of the university.
In the early 1980s, the NYBG began an international search for an eminent scientist who would realize the potential for the Arboretum's site and resources by developing an institute of ecological sciences. Dr. Gene Likens was appointed director of both the Arboretum and the new ecology center in 1983. Following from his own research, Dr. Likens has focused IES on long-term ecological studies including the Hudson River. In 1985, IES established the Cary Conference, held every two years, which has gained international recognition for its proceedings. In 1993, recognizing both its distinct mission and substantial success, IES was separated from the NYBG and since then has operated as an independent not-for-profit corporation.
The IES Mission: The Institute of Ecosystem Studies is dedicated to the creation, dissemination and application of knowledge about ecological systems. This knowledge is created through scientific research, disseminated through teaching, writing and exhibits and applied through participation in decision-making regarding the ecological management of natural resources and the promotion of a broader awareness about the importance of ecological relationships to human welfare.
Andrew W. Capitman