2013 Annual Report - Schoodic Institute

2013 Annual Report - Schoodic Institute

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2013 ANNUAL REPORT
Dear Friends,
2013 was a momentous year for Schoodic Institute at Acadia National Park, and we’re very pleased to share our first-ever Annual Report with you. Schoodic
Institute is poised to accomplish great things thanks to your help!
We’re honored to work in a close partnership with Acadia National Park from our home on Schoodic Point. To better signify our distinct connection with the park
and our location, in 2013 we changed our name to Schoodic Institute at Acadia National Park and adopted the new logo you see adorning this report.
Schoodic Education and Research Center remains the name of our campus on Schoodic Point, which we manage in partnership with Acadia as a Research Learning Center.
As you’ll read throughout this report, programs at Schoodic Institute focus on connecting people of all ages to nature through both art and research that informs
natural resource managers in a time of rapid environmental change.
If you’re not familiar with our beautiful, modern campus, or its spectacular setting, we encourage you to visit. In 2013 we were excited to dedicate the newly
renovated, historic Rockefeller Hall in an event that attracted an estimated 400 guests. The ceremony included remarks by U.S. Senator Susan Collins; U.S.
Representative Mike Michaud; Mr. David Rockefeller, Jr., and Dr. Gary E. Machlis, Science Advisor to the National Park Service Director. We are also pleased
to host conferences and events on our spectacular campus. Contact us if you’d like to bring a group here!
We thank you for your generous support. In 2013, we saw a significant increase in financial support, tremendous impact from the contributions of volunteers,
and two notable unique gifts: a home in Winter Harbor that will be used to house staff or visiting researchers, and our first boat. The RV Schoodic is an awardwinning Presto 30, a round-bilge sharpie cat ketch sailboat with large cockpit, shallow draft, easy handling, option to navigate under power, trailerability, and the
opportunity that a sailboat affords for quiet enjoyment and learning about the marine environment.
It was also a big year for the Schoodic Peninsula more broadly, as 1,400 acres extending north to Route 186 from Acadia National Park were permanently conserved with a conservation easement held by the Park, and plans were announced for construction of a new campground along with bicycling and hiking trails that
will enrich the experience of visiting Schoodic Point. We are grateful for the efforts of generous donors, Acadia National Park, and Maine Coast Heritage Trust
that made this possible.
We strive to put all donations to the best possible use, and we hope you find this report informative. More information is available on our website or by contacting
us at any time.
Sincerely,
Alan Goldstein, Chairman
Mark Berry, President & CEO
MISSION:
The Schoodic Institute is committed to guiding present and future generations to greater understanding and respect for nature by providing research
and learning opportunities through its outstanding Acadia National Park setting, unique coastal Maine facilities, and innovative partnership programs.
Schoodic Institute is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that exists in a close public-private partnership with Acadia National Park. The Institute supports
science and education throughout the Park and the region and manages the Schoodic Education and Research Center campus. Schoodic Institute is
a regional catalyst for ecosystem research and education, linked to Acadia’s powerful opportunity to reach millions of visitors.
BACKGROUND:
• Schoodic Institute at Acadia National Park was founded in 2004 after the former Navy Base within the Schoodic District of Acadia National
Park was returned to the National Park Service in 2003.
• After federal and philanthropic investment, the Schoodic Education and Research Center campus now offers housing and meals for individual
researchers, groups, and conferences, as well as classrooms, laboratories, and a modern 124-seat auditorium, all in one of the most
inspirational natural settings of any such center in the country.
The Institute is increasingly an intellectual and economic magnet with great potential to
contribute to the Acadia region. Much benefit is already being brought to the Park and the
local economy by Schoodic Institute, with greater impact anticipated in the future.
In 2013, Schoodic Institute:
• Reached over 1,400 students, 140 teachers, and 570 participants in community
programs;
• Provided nearly 8,000 nights of lodging;
• Scanned over 6,000 documents from the Acadia National Park research archives;
• Facilitated research by 70 primary investigators in Acadia National Park.
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PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS:
BLENDING SCIENCE EDUCATION AND RESEARCH
Education and research at Schoodic Institute are deliberately intertwined, with
experts, students, and participants of all ages contributing and learning through
innovative Citizen Science projects.
Programs at Schoodic Institute focus on improving knowledge of and interest
in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) while connecting
people of all ages to nature through both art and research that informs natural
resource managers in a time of rapid environmental change.
SCHOOL PROGRAMS AND PARTNERSHIPS
• Maine teachers and students connect to nature on the Schoodic Peninsula:
Students from rural Maine public middle schools attend the acclaimed three-day Schoodic Education Adventure (SEA) programs
led on campus by Acadia National Park educators. In 2013, 475 students and their teachers participated in SEA; representing 17
different school districts in Maine, and New York. The SEA program also advanced professional science education training in the
form of seven teaching internships. Five schools also brought 190 students for curriculum-based field trips. A gift from L.L. Bean
and other donations helped rurally isolated and economically disadvantaged schools overcome transportation and tuition cost barriers
to attend.
“For many it will be their first time visiting the coast of Maine. The experience of living cooperatively, meeting new people, and learning
from professionals is something they will be talking about for years. My students keep asking why we cannot go again.”
• Acadia Learning brings the Institute’s expertise in citizen science into classrooms and students into the outdoors.
The Acadia Learning program brings teachers, students, and working scientists together to investigate questions that are relevant to
the health of National Parks. Research projects have focused on authentic, relevant, and useful science. For example, mercury research
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initiated by Acadia Learning contributed to formation of what is now a nation-wide initiative with students collecting dragonfly
nymphs to sample for mercury in over 40 National Park units. Since Acadia Learning’s beginnings in 2007 we have worked with more
than 110 teachers and have engaged more than 3,000 students in collecting data, analyzing and making sense of it, and presenting
their findings. Students are currently investigating effects of climate change on snowpack, hydrology, and aquatic habitats.
“One of the biggest things that I felt happy about, that the students got out of the project was just a sense of ‘I can do this.’ That sense
of accomplishment, that pride really was a huge thing for them and it came from realizing they could do science.”
• The Institute offers middle and high school teacher professional development through the Advanced Placement Summer Institute and by
collaborating in the Maine Physical Sciences Partnership.
Advanced Placement Summer Institutes are week-long intensive programs in specific course areas. They are open to all middle and
high school teachers who teach advanced placement or pre-advanced placement courses. All of the institutes are sanctioned by The
College Board and carry continuing education credits through the University of Maine and carry graduate credits through Endicott
College. Nine courses were offered in 2013, serving 75 teachers: Art, Biology, Calculus AB, Chemistry for New AP Teachers, Chemistry
for Experienced AP Teachers, Computer Science, English, Environmental Science, and World History.
The most intense and valuable learning experience I ever enjoyed as teacher […]. Here’s why:
• Outstanding and professional instruction.
• Setting in one of America’s greatest national parks.
• Meals were sumptuous and accommodation congenial and comfortable.
• Warm and generous hospitality at the Institute itself was overwhelming.
• Price was the most reasonable of all AP options (that I am aware of…)
For the past four years Schoodic Institute has partnered with the University of Maine on the Maine Physical Science Partnership,
a program funded by the National Science Foundation that now brings improved STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and
Math) education to twenty school districts across Maine. Schoodic Institute leads research that will add to understanding of how this
program is creating a community of teachers that can continue improving science education, a key concern that emerged in 2006 in
conversations with Senators Susan Collins and Barbara Mikulski.
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“In my 20 years of teaching I have been involved in lots of great programs that just
disappear when the money’s gone. I decided that I need to step up and learn how to
do things that might keep that from happening to this program.”
• Schoodic Institute also helps advance international conservation education by
hosting students and conservation leaders from other countries to learn and
gain inspiration from the successful history of conservation in to Maine and
the United States.
The Acadian Program brings participants from around the world to learn about community-based, landscape-scale conservation using the Downeast Maine and Atlantic Canada region as a living classroom and laboratory. In 2013,
teams from Belize, Chile, Guatemala, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania participated. The program enables students to design innovative conservation
strategies using public, private, non-profit and academic resources. The program provides students with a better understanding of large landscape conservation and experience with key aspects of conservation first hand. Participants take a formative step toward becoming 21st century conservation
leaders, and can receive college credits through the University of Maine.
CITIZEN SCIENCE AND COMMUNITY PROGRAMS
• Schoodic Institute is focusing its community outreach and science programs on opportunities for the public to be involved in science that
is relevant to Acadia National Park and the region.
Citizen Science projects hosted by Schoodic Institute’s Bird Ecology Lab in 2013 included the Christmas Bird Count, Great Backyard
Bird Count, and International Migratory Bird Day, along with “SeaWatch” public citizen science monitoring of fall waterfowl migration
at Schoodic Point from August through November.
• BioBlitz at Acadia National Park
During one summer weekend in each of the last 13 years, the National Park Service (NPS), Maine Forest Service, University of Maine,
the Entomological Society, and the Schoodic Institute have sponsored insect or spider focused biodiversity discovery (bioblitz) events.
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Based at the Schoodic Education and Research Center, professional entomologists and citizen scientists of all ages collectively combed
the Schoodic and Mount Desert Island sections of Acadia National Park to document terrestrial and freshwater arthropod biodiversity.
The 2004-2012 bioblitzes identified 1,605 species in 248 families, of which 525 and 109 were new species records for the Park
and State of Maine, respectively. These research efforts inform park managers, and contribute to improving the public’s awareness and
understanding about the biodiversity and ecological role of insects and spiders. These citizen science events also gave kids and their
parents opportunities to spend a great weekend in the Acadia outdoors and become enthused about nature and biodiversity. In 2013,
the bioblitz focused on beetles; 371 species were recorded of which 109 were new records for the park.
• Communicating the relevance of, and providing access to, knowledge gained through scientific research
Schoodic Institute offers regular community programs to communicate science to local audiences. These programs included rangerled programs, insect migration workshops, three public festivals focusing on natural resource issues, and hosting the Down East
Research and Education Network Conference with keynote speaker Jim Levitt. Monthly seminars included presentations by notable
authors and experts in their field, such as natural history author Scott Weidensaul who presented Living on the Wind: Across the
Hemisphere With Migratory Birds, based on his Pulitzer Prize nominated book.
• Schoodic Institute and Acadia National Park are helping to lead the development of the new, international Citizen Science Association
(citizenscienceassociation.org).
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ART, SCIENCE, AND CONNECTING PEOPLE TO NATURE
• Schoodic Institute partners with Acadia National Park to host Artists-in-Residence with the opportunity to pursue their art while housed
on the Schoodic Peninsula for 2 to 4 week periods. The Artist-In-Residence Program welcomed 13 artists to our campus in the 2013
season. The artists held hands-on public workshops and gave presentations focusing on their process and work.
• Schoodic Institute hosted lectures and exhibits presenting art & science perspectives. A variety of Acadia Night Sky Festival events were
held on the SERC campus in September.
FACILITATING RESEARCH AT ACADIA NATIONAL PARK
• Acadia National Park is a uniquely valuable natural laboratory, in part because of its long history of ecological research and monitoring.
The Institute helped document and digitize thousands of Park research records and museum collections to make them available to researchers
and the public.
• Schoodic Institute attracts and houses researchers, creates citizen science
projects, and develops the research and education community in the region.
The Schoodic Institute Bird Ecology program hosted and assisted migratory
bird research teams from the University of Maine and University of
Massachusetts conducting bird banding, stop-over ecology habitat studies,
and nano-tag digital radio telemetry.
• Schoodic Institute and Acadia National Park continued to collaborate on
monitoring phenology, or the seasonal timing of natural phenomena such
as migrations or flowering and fruit production. Phenology is important
to ecosystem function and to people, and changes in phenology are one of
the most sensitive biological responses to climate change. Our phenology
observation methods mix professional and citizen science observations and
effectively integrate science and education.
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2013 FINANCIAL SUMMARY:
STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION: DECEMBER 31, 2013
ASSETS
Current Assets:
Cash and cash equivalents
Grants and accounts receivable
Other assets
Total Current Assets
Property and equipment, net
$334,024
96,936
2,552
433,512
633,888
TOTAL ASSETS
$1,067,400
LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETS
Current Liabilities
Accounts payable
Deferred revenue
Accrued payroll and related expenses
Security deposits
Total Liabilities
Net Assets:
Unrestricted
Temporarily restricted
Total Net Assets
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETS
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$23,180
22,168
4,812
650
50,810
705,408
311,182
1,016,590
$1,067,400
Page 8
STATEMENT OF ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2013
Unrestricted
Revenue:
Federal and state grants $
391,079
Contributions
361,087
Program revenue
420,386
Other income
100
Interest income
882
Assets released from restrictions 819,586
Total Revenue
Temporarily
Restricted
Total
$
$
1,993,120
Expenses:
Program
General and administrative
Fundraising
Total Expenses
447,722
340
(819,586)
(371,524)
391,079
808,809
420,386
100
1,222
1,621,596
995,666
334,812
64,250
-
995,666
334,812
64,250
1,394,728
-
1,394,728
Change in net assets
598,392
(371,524)
226,868
Net Assets, Beginning of Year
107,016
682,706
789,722
Net Assets, End of Year
$
705,408
$
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311,182
$
1,016,590
2013 CONTRIBUTORS:
$50,000+
Edith Dixon
Dianna and Ben Emory
Ellin Dixon Miller and Bruce Miller
$25,000 - $49,999
Quimby Family Foundation
Donna and David Reis
$10,000 - $24,999
Charles C. Butt
Ruth and Tristram C. Colket, Jr.
Victoria and Alan Goldstein
Gail and Sam Heffner
$5,000 - $9,999
Anonymous
Elaine and Colin Baker
Degenstein Foundation
Nathalie and James Andrews Foundation
Stanley W. Root, Jr., Esq.
Webber Group
$1,000 - $4,999
Jan and Jim Bruner
Connie and Dan Burkhardt
Gail and P. Hamilton Clark, III
Cleveland Dodge Foundation
Joyce and Lester Coleman
Eleanor and Bill Folley
Carol and Richard Habermann
Katherine and Neil Heidinger
Cookie and Bill Horner
Heather and Steven Irons
Chantal and Michael V. Jennings
Elizabeth and Edward Johnson, 3d
Charrisse Kaplan and David Johnson
Sandra and Mark Kryder
W. Deanna LaCasce
Patricia and Lance Mahaney
Stephanie and Peter McKenzie
Mitchell P. Rales Family Foundation
Martha and Wistar Morris
Kathleen and Alan Nauss
Linda and C.W. Eliot Paine
Roxanne Quimby
Vicki Rea
Michelle and Adrian Reed
Alita and Nathaniel Reed
Patricia and David Robb
Ann R. Roberts
Susan and David Rockefeller, Jr.
Julia and Stephen Rushmore
Martie and Ed Samek
Linda Silka and Laurence Smith
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Jeanette and Larry Smith
Patricia Tanski
Thomas W. Haas Foundation
Cody and Christiaan Van Heerden
Winter Harbor Agency
$500 - $999
Bar Harbor Bank & Trust
Sofia and Peter Blanchard
Susan Bruce and Rick Hauck
Camden National Bank
Susan and David Edson
Martha Hamblett
Lisa Heyward and Jock Crothers
Janet Stone Jones Foundation
Cynthia Livingston and Henry Schmelzer
Kristin and Peter Onuf
Nancy and Daniel Poteet
Robert P. and Arlene R. Kogod Family Foundation
Victoria and Jean Andre Rougeot
Linda and Michael Soukup
Sherry Streeter and Jon Wilson
Ellen and Charles Therrien
Peter Trueblood
Joanne and Charles Wiggins
2013 CONTRIBUTORS
(CONTINUED):
$250 - $499
Anonymous
Hannah and Timothy Clark
Kristin Emory and Jamie Schapiro
GE Foundation
Sharon and Henry Hosley
Gay Lynn and Mel Jackson
Gillian Newstead and Robert Schmidt
Margie Patlack and Frank Chudnow
Jeremy Strater
UP TO $249
Jean Adams and Patrick Hickey
Amica Companies Foundation
Ann W. Amstutz-Hayes and Andrew Hayes
Christine P. Andrews
Ken Bahm
Alan Baker
Mary Barnes and Peter Neill
Linda Barron
Michelle and Michael Bierman
Barbara and Roger Bowen
Jane and Nathaniel Bradley
Dallas and Timothy Briney
Pamela and David Brown
Katherine Brown and Bronislaw Grala
Diane Browning
Judith and Robert Bruce
Mary Ann and Harry Charlston
Sylvia and John Constable
Gregory Deweerd
Polly Earl
Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund
Diana and Phillip Fisher
Sydney Fisher
Kristine Geils and William Knuff
Gail and Dick Gilchrist
Susie and Ted Gribbell
Margot and Paul Haertel
Laura and G. Bernard Hamilton
Emily and David Hawkins
Nancy Hill and Alan Benson
Patricia and Herb Hodgkins
Jean R. Huntington
Paul B. Jennings
Anne Kozak
Joanne and Stanley Landis
Barbara and Jim Lilly
Alice MacDonald Long
Jane Louise
Bruce MacKay
Margaret Ann and Mac Marshall
Marcella and Earl McLoud
Creighton McShane
Suzanne and Ted Murphy
Anne Nimick
Page 11
Jessie Norris and Barry Chapman
Melodie and Joseph Novak
Roberta Parritt
Marcia and Albert Paschkis
Sarah Peskin
Marianne and Martin Potter
Carolyn Pryor and David MacDonald
June Rieber
Sydney Roberts Rockefeller
Betty and Chet Rubackin
Gary R. Rushing
Gail Ryan
Ruth Sargent
Kathe and Allen Simons
Sorrento Dental Associates
Barb and Sheridan Steele
Linda and Andrew Straz
Ann Waldron
Susan and Stephen Weber
William Weidner
Lynne M. Wheat
Jean and Allen Workman
Ann and Kent Young
We have attempted to accurately reflect all contributions
received in 2013, and we sincerely apologize for any
errors that may have occurred. Please contact us immediately
if we have made any errors or omissions. Thank you.
Colin Baker
Mary Barnes
The Hon. Robert O. Blake
Sylvia Blake
Michael Boland
Roger Bowen
David Brown
Pamela Brown
Dale Bruce
Doug Bruce
Jean Burden
Charles Butt
Joe Cistone
P. Hamilton Clark, III
Timothy B. Clark
Ken Cline
Joyce Coleman
Lester Coleman
John Collier
Dr. Darron Collins
Laura Cutler
Dennis Damon
Dr. Jane Disney
Keith Dolin
Francis Eberle
David Edson
Susan Edson
Ben Emory
Dr. Dianna Emory (Board Liaison)
Sarah Fawle
Alan J. Goldstein, Chairman
Samuel F. Heffner, Vice-Chairman
and Treasurer
Dr. Kathleen M. Nauss, Secretary
Dr. James H. Andrews
Edith R. Dixon
Dr. Dianna K. Emory
Katherine W. Heidinger
David E. Johnson
Dr. Mark H. Kryder
Cynthia Livingston
David MacDonald
Lance Mahaney
Ellin Dixon Miller
Dr. Daniel Poteet
David Reis
Patricia Tanski
Mark Berry, Ex-officio
Sheridan Steele, Ex-officio
(as of October 1, 2014)
(as of October 1, 2014)
ADVISORY COUNCIL MEMBERS
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Susan Ferrante-Collier
Tim Glidden
Victoria Goldstein
Carol Habermann
Richard Habermann
Margo Haertel
Paul Haertel
Emily Fuller Hawkins
Susannah Homer
Dr. William Horner
Mimi Houghton
Neil Houghton
Alan Hutchinson
Chantal Jennings
Michael Jennings
Edward C. Johnson, 3d
Elizabeth Johnson
Dr. Steven Katona
Allan Kleinman
Anne Kozak
Sandra Kryder
Nora Leary
James Levitt
Susan Lerner
David Manski
Dr. Jim McKenna
Peter Neill
W. Kent Olson
Anne Todd Osborn
Frederick Osborn, III
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Brian Reilly
Deborah Robinson
Dr. Perry Robinson
David Rockefeller, Jr.
Susan Rockefeller
Kathleen Rogers
Martie Samek
Lucas St. Clair
Dr. Kevin Strange
Sherry Streeter
Patricia Sullivan
Deirdre Swords
Joan Szkutak
Melissa Tracy
Paul Tracy
Cody Van Heerden
Emily VanVleck
Roy VanVleck
Ann Waldron
Steve White
Sandra Wilcox
Arts:
Annette Carvajal
Catherine Clinger
Mary Laury
Pamelia Markwood
Craig Neff
Sydney Roberts Rockefeller
Kathleen Rogers
Melita Westerlund
SCHOODIC INSTITUTE SCIENCE ADVISORY COUNCIL
Dr. Ian Billick, Director, Rocky Mountain Biological Lab
Dr. Rick Bonney, Director of Program Development and Evaluation, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Dr. Darron Collins, President, College of the Atlantic
Dr. Chuck Davis, Professor and Curator of Vascular Plants, Harvard University
Dr. Sue Haseltine, Retired U.S. Geological Survey
Dr. Steve Norton, Professor Emeritus, University of Maine
Dr. Peter Petraitis, Professor of Biology, University of Pennsylvania
Dr. Richard Primack, Professor of Biology, Boston University
Dr. Linda Silka, Director of Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center and Professor of Economics, University of Maine
SCHOODIC INSTITUTE STAFF
Emma Albee, Science Information and Communications Manager, ealbee@schoodicinstitute.org
Mark Berry, President and CEO, mberry@schoodicinstitute.org
Michelle Bierman, Director of Operations, mbierman@schoodicinstitute.org
Seth Benz, Schoodic Bird Ecology Program Director, sbenz@schoodicnstitute.org
Yvonne Davis, Education Program Coordinator, ydavis@schoodicinstitute.org
Evon Glick, Food Service Manager, eglick@schoodicinstitute.org
Megan Moshier, Events Coordinator, mmoshier@schoodicinstitute.org
Phyllis Morris, Office Manager, pmorris@schoodicinstitute.org
Alexa Pezzano, Office of Advancement & Donor Relations, apezzano@schoodicinstitute.org
Craig Pinkham, Maintenance, cpinkham@schoodicinstitute.org
Michelle Pinkham, Events Assistant, mpinkham@schoodicinstitute.org
Jana Prosser, Housekeeping Manager, jprosser@schoodicinstitute.org
Jim Randall, IT/AV Manager, jrandall@schoodicinstitute.org
Melissa Rice, Administrative Bookkeeper, mrice@schoodicinstitute.org
Cheri Sankey, Accountant, csankey@schoodicinstitute.org
Dr. Mike Soukup, Science Director, msoukup@schoodicinstitute.org
Hannah Webber, Education Research Manager, hwebber@schoodicinstitute.org
Bill Zoellick, Director of Education Research, bzoellick@schoodicinstitute.org
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P.O. BOX 277, WINTER HARBOR, MAINE 04693
www.SchoodicInstitute.org