The data Professor Bill Snyder and his environmental science students gather from in-field fish collections gets reported to the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) for the state database of fish distributions. Their rare bird sightings and the presence of invasive species are uploaded to global databases such as iNaturalist and iMapInvasives.
Field research like this has become an integral part of Snyder’s teaching — and an exciting and motivating component to his students’ learning.
“We are fortunate that we often have the capability to integrate our teaching experiences with greater research projects,” Snyder said of himself and his colleagues. “Most colleges say they provide hands-on learning, but like so many programs here at Morrisville, the Environmental Sciences Department takes that further by making it an in-field education as well.”
From their first semester, Snyder immerses students in hands-on learning, taking them into the field where they collect data and perform the operations they will actually be doing in their careers.
“Employers have always valued SUNY Morrisville graduates because they know how to work in the field and they are ready to work in the field,” Snyder said.
His impassioned work in the industry is an added element to his labs, which introduces students to research projects that enrich their experiences and improve the environment.
Students in his fish ecology class have assisted with numerous projects, including collecting data that contributes to his research on the swallowtail shiner, a North American species of freshwater fish.
“I am collaborating with biologists in the DEC to make the determination if it should be elevated from a ‘species of environmental concern’ to a threatened or endangered status,” he said.
Later this month, his wildlife students will be trained on the acoustic bat monitoring equipment, which he uses to monitor bat populations in collaboration with the DEC’s Division of Wildlife Diversity.
“Not only do we provide data to the DEC, but for almost 20 years have also been controlling the Canada goose numbers at Rogers Environmental Education Center, which were making the grounds unusable,” Snyder said.
Additionally, students have the opportunity to make connections with potential employers through the many government agencies and organizations with which they interact.
Upcoming projects
Snyder’s wildlife ecology class will be collecting data on vegetation regeneration in burned and unburned forested areas on Camp Kingsley Boy Scout Camp.
They are also conducting a vegetative inventory on the college’s Owens-West Wildlife Management Area so they can analyze the condition of wildlife habitat and make management recommendations.
His North American waterfowl class will be visiting Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge to observe sandhill cranes and attempt to find nesting cranes in Chenango County.
His waterfowl and wildlife students will continue to assist with his resident Canada goose egg addling project at Rogers Environmental Education Center.
The fish ecology class will be using the Madison County Planning Department's electroshocking boat to sample the largemouth bass population in Cazenovia Lake as part of an ongoing project.
Snyder began his career at SUNY Morrisville three decades ago. During his tenure, he has received numerous teaching accolades, including the Distinguished Faculty Award, the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching and the Student Government Organization (SGO) Outstanding Academic Advisor Award, which he received multiple times.
The founder of the SUNY Morrisville Conservation Tri-Society, and currently its advisor, he is also curator of the college’s wildlife museum.
