SARANAC LAKE, NY (August 5, 2011) –Wildlife Conservation Society ecologist Jerry Jenkins was presented with the 2011 Harold K. Hochschild Award on Thursday, August 4th by the Adirondack Museum. Since 1990, the museum has presented the award to a wide range of intellectual and community leaders throughout the Adirondack Park, highlighting their contributions to the region’s culture and quality of life.

Jenkins has spent more than four decades studying the environment of the Adirondacks in the field and in the library, applying his ecological knowledge of the area to publications of regional importance.  Botanical and ecological inventories and surveys that he has conducted on more than half a million acres of land throughout the Northeast provide a vast record of the region’s natural communities and how changes to the environment caused by pollutants or climate change can affect ecosystem health.  

The HKH award, which is dedicated to the memory of the museum’s founder, was presented to Jenkins by  Chairwoman of the Hochschild Award Committee Nancy Keet during a ceremony at the Museum.  Interim Adirondack Museum Director Michael Lombardi said, "The Adirondack Museum is pleased to recognize Jerry Jenkins as one of the most important voices for the environment in the Adirondack region."

In his 2010 book, Climate Change in the Adirondacks: The Path to Sustainability, Jenkins paired his understanding of regional ecology with research into the cultural and economic aspects of the Adirondack Park to predict potential impacts of climate change to the region. In addition, Jenkins assessed the region’s energy use and flow, and offered a vision for a sustainable future for the area, including strategies for energy independence.

Jenkins’ list of authored materials includes hundreds of commissioned reports, several books and other major publications. Previous books by Jenkins include, The Adirondack Atlas: A Geologic Portrait of the Adirondack Park, coauthored with WCS colleague Andy Keal, and Acid Rain in the Adirondacks:  An Environmental History.

“WCS is extremely proud to have Jerry Jenkins on its staff and thankful to the Adirondack Museum for recognizing his contributions to the region,” said Zoe Smith, Director of WCS’s Adirondack program. Jerry’s inspiring combination of curiosity and dedication to understanding the ecology and natural history of the region makes him one of the Adirondacks’ greatest conservation resources.”

Jerry Jenkins was recently honored by the Adirondack Research Consortium, who presented him with the Adirondack Achievement Award for his dedication to ecological research and his efforts in providing both a natural history and path forward for the Adirondack Park.

For more information, or to interview Jerry Jenkins, please contact Scott Smith at 718-220-3698.

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The Wildlife Conservation Society saves wildlife and wild places worldwide. We do so through science, global conservation, education and the management of the world's largest system of urban wildlife parks, led by the flagship Bronx Zoo. Together these activities change attitudes toward nature and help people imagine wildlife and humans living in harmony. WCS is committed to this mission because it is essential to the integrity of life on Earth.

The Wildlife Conservation Society’s Adirondack Program promotes wildlife conservation and healthy human communities in the Adirondacks through applied research, community partnerships, and public outreach.   Information can be found at: www.wcsadirondacks.org
 

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