Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
WORK TITLE: Connecting the Drops
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE:
CITY: Red Hook
STATE: NY
COUNTRY:
NATIONALITY:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-schneller-mcdonald-16755ba * http://hickorycreekllc.com/?page_id=33
RESEARCHER NOTES:
LC control no.: n 92055329
LCCN Permalink: https://lccn.loc.gov/n92055329
HEADING: Schneller-McDonald, Karen
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PERSONAL
Female.
EDUCATION:North Carolina State University, B.S., 1974; attended graduate school at Colorado State University.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Environmental scientist, educator, and writer. Sharpe Environmental Education Center, Fishkill, NY, teacher/naturalist, 1975-76; City of Syracuse, NY, senior planner/environmental specialist, 1977-80; Institute on Man and Science, Rensselaerville, NY, research associate, 1980-81; Dynamac Corp., Fort Collins, CO, information specialist/technical writer, 1981-82; Laboratory for Information Science in Agriculture, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, and Washington, DC, researcher and operational analyst, 1982-84; National Ecology Research Center (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service), Fort Collins, wildlife biologist and technical writer/editor, 1986-90; ENTRIX, Inc., Fort Collins, natural resource specialist, 1990-91; Cottonwood Environmental Consulting, Hamilton, MT, and Fort Collins, ecologist/wetland specialist, 1991-98; Wildlife Conservation Society/Metropolitan Conservation Alliance, Rye, NY, biodiversity coordinator for Hudson Valley Programs, 2001-02; Hickory Creek Consulting LLC, Red Hook, NY, president, 2003–.
MEMBER:Land Use, Development and Conservation Working Group, Red Hook, NY (cochair, 2004), Sullivan Renaissance (community project judge, 2007–), Winnakee Land Trust (easement evaluation committee, 2009–), Town of Red Hook (conservation advisory council, 2009–).
WRITINGS
Contributor to journals and Web sites.
SIDELIGHTS
Karen Schneller-McDonald is an environmental consultant who has been in the environmental field since the mid-1970s. In 1990, she wrote Wetland Creation and Restoration: Description and Summary of the Literature, and in 2015, she published Connecting the Drops: A Citizens’ Guide to Protecting Water Resources.
In Connecting the Drops, Schneller-McDonald presents the argument that Americans are at a critical juncture when it comes to the country’s water resources and it is urgent that the problems are remedied. She explains that the water resources people use depend on networks of wetlands, streams, and watersheds. The way land is being used, however is affecting these water sources, resulting in ecological damage, flooding, water pollution, and reduced water supplies. While the author goes into the “whys” of our water crisis, she also provides a “how-to” for people interested in trying to change the direction in which it is headed.
In an interview with Joseph Erbentraut for the Huffington Post, Schneller-McDonald explained why she wrote Connecting the Drops and why it is difficult to get people to care about the environment: “It’s daunting because people feel disempowered in the face of larger corporations or monied interests. They need the information, the arguments rooted in science, the facts to be able to tackle those interests that say they just have to suck it up because it’s the economy vs. the environments. ‘Do you want jobs or clean water?’ But that’s not a choice. We don’t have a sustainable economy without a sustainable environment and vice versa. It all goes together.” She continued: “People also don’t know who to believe. Experts differ on the facts of the situation depending on who hires them. I found I needed to provide a different sort of information for people that went into critical thinking and asking questions and how to interpret facts. Those are the kinds of things I wasn’t finding much help with in existing resources that are available.”
In the same interview, Schneller-McDonald said: “I was there at the beginnings of the environmental activist movement in the 1970s and it seemed there was more interest then and I think it kind of disappeared for a while and went underground. Now I think it’s coming back and I think people are getting more informed. They are seeing that what’s happening to the air and water and land is affecting their health and affecting property values. I think that is all getting people to do more to be more of an activist.” She added: “I guess activist can have negative connotation, so I like to say it’s informed activism, activism rooted in the facts and in science so you have credibility. At the same time I think that it’s very, very important and I like to encourage people to become activists in what’s important to them and their health because no one else will do it for them. It won’t come from government, not from corporations. I think the local grassroots effort is the place where it really needs to get going.”
Reviews of Connecting the Drops were positive, with most reviewers feeling that the volume is an important one. Nathan S. McConnell, on H-Net: Humanities and Social Sciences Online, wrote: “The book’s final act is the payoff. Here is where Schneller-McDonald shines. All the pointers on what to look for and what technical jargon means spring into use, as Schneller-McDonald ties together citizen knowledge with citizen action. We understand how to weigh in on the government’s call for comment on a particular project. Schneller-McDonald guides us on how to take our comprehensive viewpoint and put it into regulatory comment or the crafting of a conservation plan.” McConnell concluded: “Recalling Robert Kennedy’s tiny ripple of hope, she reminds us that individual actions can lead to lasting change. In this climate of political uncertainty, there is much to be gained from action. Connecting the Drops is the starting point for alleviating our anxiety through positive action.”
On the Fresh Fiction Web site, Clare O’Beara commented: “Connecting the Drops is intended to help us recognise a water process, understand how and where water gets contaminated, why it matters to us and to wildlife, and to uncover the facts in local controversies or projects. When we can do all that we can choose to become an advocate for clean water. The style of the book is suitable for adults or older young adults who already have an interest in nature or urban planning, though newcomers could use Connecting the Drops to educate themselves.” Library Journal contributor Henry T. Armistead summed up his review by calling the book “highly recommended for environmentalists, resource managers, those concerned with pollution, and naturalists.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Library Journal, September 1, 2015, Henry T. Armistead, review of Connecting the Drops: A Citizens’ Guide to Protecting Water Resources, p. 134.
ONLINE
Fresh Fiction, http://freshfiction.com/ (October 2, 2015), Clare O’Beara, review of Connecting the Drops.
Hickory Creek Consulting LLC Web site, http://hickorycreekllc.com (April 21, 2017), author profile.
H-Net: Humanities and Social Sciences Online, https://networks.h-net.org/ (January 1, 2017), Nathan S. McConnell, review of Connecting the Drops.
Huffington Post, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ (November 6, 2015), Joseph Erbentraut, author interview.
Karen Schneller-McDonald
Education
North Carolina State University: B.S. Conservation of Natural Resources 1974; Colorado State University Graduate School: Plant Ecology and Plant Geography
Selected Additional Training
American Writers and Artists Institute. Copywriting, website content, newsletters, 2012.
Pace Land Use Law Center, Land Use Leadership Alliance Training Program. June, 2006.
State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Stormwater Management Program courses including: NYS DEC stormwater regulations, erosion and sediment control planning, design of stormwater ponds and wetlands, infiltration/filtering practices (January-June, 2005).
“Jurisdictional Delineation of Wetlands in the American West”; National Wetland Training Cooperative.
“Functional Assessment of Wetland and Riparian Ecosystems and Wetland Identification”; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Ecology Research Center.
Small Group Facilitation Processes (consensus decision making); Institute on Man and Science and Dynamac Corp.
Raptor Identification; Rocky Mountain Raptor Program.
Rare plant surveys, US Fish and Wildlife Service.
Selected Experience
Hickory Creek Consulting, Red Hook, New York. President. 2003 to present. Environmental impact evaluation and pubic outreach services to municipalities and organizations; projects include wetland assessment; environmental impact reviews; interpretation and practical use of habitat and wildlife information in the planning process; biodiversity, watershed assessment and site prioritization for open space plans; site plan review; habitat assessment guidelines; natural resources inventories; mitigation guidelines; stormwater Best Management Practices review; assessment of impacts of natural gas development on ecological systems. Green Assets project for biodiversity outreach in seven townships surrounding the Shawangunk Ridge. Development and implementation of wetland and watercourse protection laws. Watershed management plans. Outreach services include preparation of brochures, facilitation of meetings, workshops, and powerpoint presentations including “Habitat Assessment, Ecosystems, and a New Approach for Evaluating Development Impacts” (NENHC Conference);“Habitat Assessment Guidelines for Wetland Habitat Protection”(Association of State Wetland Managers), “Effective Watershed and Wetland Protection: Development of Local Laws”(ASWM and Town of Gardiner), “Integrating Natural Resources Protection into Land Use Decisions” (Pace Land Use Leadership Alliance Training), “Wetlands, Watersheds and Fisheries” (Trout Unlimited).
Town of Red Hook Conservation Advisory Council, 2009- present.
Winnakee Land Trust. Easement evaluation committee, 2009-present.
Sullivan Renaissance. Community project judge (volunteer), 2007-present. Seasonal evaluation of local projects emphasizing beautification, sustainability, and community-building. Projects located throughout Sullivan County. Presentation on incorporating habitat protection into beautification projects.
Land Use, Development and Conservation Working Group, Red Hook, New York. Co-chair. 2004.
Wildlife Conservation Society/Metropolitan Conservation Alliance, Rye, New York. Biodiversity Coordinator: Hudson Valley Programs. 2001-2002. The Metropolitan Conservation Alliance (MCA) works with local communities and decision makers to create a balance between economic development and conservation of natural resources in the Hudson Valley. This biodiversity project (in 15 townships/ 5 counties) was developed in partnership with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and Hudsonia at Bard College. Tasks included: site selection for field surveys; contacting landowners for access permission; supervision of field survey team, coordination of survey schedule; preparation of educational presentations and reports; meetings with town supervisors, planners, environmental groups, open space committees, land trusts and others to collect information on survey sites and provide assistance with local planning efforts that affect habitat including open space plans, wetland ordinances, master plans, and land acquisition plans.
Cottonwood Environmental Consulting, Hamilton, Montana and Fort Collins, Colorado. Ecologist/ Wetland Specialist. 1991-1998. Conducted wetland delineations and prepared environmental assessments, environmental impact assessments, wildlife studies, and mitigation plans for development projects in Colorado. Worked with developers, local government officials, and citizens’ groups on the mitigation of impacts for various development projects. Compiled information on threatened and endangered species. . Worked with the Larimer County Planning Department and local developers to compile guidelines for developers and an Environmental Assessment Form and Information Supplement containing mitigation guidelines and criteria for determining the significance of adverse impacts. This work included studies of appropriate buffer zones for riparian areas and wetlands.
Laporte Area Planning Advisory Committee, Laporte, Colorado. Member and Chair. 1994-1998.
ENTRIX, Inc., Fort Collins, Colorado. Natural Resource Specialist. 1990-1991. Served as discipline manager for terrestrial and aquatic biology studies. Prepared biological assessment for oil pipeline project in southern California, advising the project proponent on compliance with numerous federal and state permits and environmental impact assessment requirements. Field surveys of habitats including species composition were conducted from the Simi Valley to the coastal areas north of Santa Barbara. Compiled literature review and analysis of information pertaining to persistence of certain pesticides in the marine environment and in animal tissue samples (Houston, Texas). Conducted habitat and wildlife surveys for protected species including gopher tortoise (Arizona utilities pipeline project, Lake Havasu), and ocelot (southwest Texas).
National Ecology Research Center (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service), Fort Collins, Colorado. Wildlife Biologist and Technical Writer/Editor, 1986-1990. Developed wetland creation and restoration data base and wetland functions and values information for research and regulatory purposes. Developed presentations of examples of creation and restoration projects and wetland values and functions in different parts of the U.S. Compiled wetlands functions and values data base and presented findings at research conferences and in research reports. Served as project officer for research on the restoration of riparian ecosystems. Compiled research data on wetland restoration for wildlife habitat on gravel-mined areas, and on the design of restored and created wetlands. Assisted with vegetative plot monitoring for riparian studies on Boulder Creek.
Laboratory for Information Science in Agriculture, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, and Washington, D.C. Researcher and Operational Analyst, 1982-1984. Compiled state-of-the-art methods of assessing cumulative environmental impacts. Conducted extensive survey of the information needs for regulatory decision making processes in pesticide registration with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Pesticide Programs in Washington, D.C.
Dynamac Corp., Fort Collins, Colorado. Information Specialist/Technical Writer, 1981-1982. Researched and prepared document on the legal and regulatory status (including case studies) of cumulative impact assessment. Project also involved evaluating methods for assessing cumulative impacts of energy development (e.g. coal mining) on fish and wildlife resources. Activities included literature review, preparation of research reports, and planning and participation (as a facilitator) for a national workshop on the impacts of coal development on fish and wildlife, in St. Louis, Missouri.
Institute on Man and Science, Rensselaerville, New York. Research Associate, 1980-1981. Activities included research, report preparation, program coordination, workshop planning and small group facilitation. Projects related to the interface between science and human values, including the scientific basis for establishing effective compensation for victims of toxic substance-induced disease. Assisted with workshop planning and small group facilitation for Visual Impact Assessment and evaluation of the impacts of power transmission lines in Eugene, Oregon.
City of Syracuse, New York. Senior Planner/Environmental Specialist, 1977-1980. Community Development Block Grant program. Conducted and attended neighborhood meetings and planning advisory board meetings as part of the city’s Community Development Block Grant program. Prepared and reviewed Environmental Impact Statements and assessments, conducted environmental reviews, implemented historic preservation procedures pertaining to National Register properties. Prepared testimony for public hearings, provided technical assistance to City of Syracuse, conducted and compiled city-wide Urban Natural Resources Inventory and directed field work for open space and wetland inventories.
Sharpe Environmental Education Center, Fishkill, New York. Teacher/Naturalist, 1975-1976. Organized a new nature center including freshwater biology lab, library, wildlife observation center, and public exhibits. Developed and taught environmental education programs for students and adults. Organized teacher workshops and lesson plans, led nature hikes, and taught classes in freshwater biology and ecology. Supervised resident and non-resident school groups (up to 200 students).
Selected Publications and Reports
Schneller-McDonald, K. 2012. Habitat assessment, ecosystems, and a new approach for evaluating development impacts. Northeast Natural History Conference, Syracuse, New York.
Schneller-McDonald, K. 2012. Water resources protection: development of local laws. Powerpoint presentation for the Town of Gardiner Environmental Conservation Commission, Gardiner, New York.
Schneller-McDonald, K. 2012. Lower Esopus watershed management plan: phase 1. Lower Esopus Watershed Partnership, Kingston, New York.
Kiviat, E. and K. Schneller-McDonald. 2011. Fracking and biodiversity: unaddressed issues in the New York debate. News from Hudsonia 25:1&2.
Kiviat, E. and K. Schneller-McDonald. 2011. Framework for assessing biodiversity impacts of hydraulic fracturing in the Marcellus Shale. 2011 Northeast Natural History Conference, Albany, NY.
Schneller-McDonald, K. 2009. Natural Resources Inventory for the Towns of Montgomery and Wallkill, N.Y.
Schneller-McDonald, K. 2008. “Habitat Assessment Guidelines for Wetland Habitat Protection” presented at the National Symposium: Wetlands 2008: Wetlands and Global Climate Change, Portland, Oregon.
Schneller-McDonald, K. 2008. “Effective Watershed and Wetland Protection: Development of Local Laws” presented at the National Symposium: Wetlands 2008: Wetlands and Global Climate Change, Portland, Oregon.
Schneller-McDonald, K. 2005. Wallkill River Corridor Study: Town of Montgomery, Orange County. Hickory Creek Consulting LLC., Red Hook, N.Y.
Schneller-McDonald, K., S. Buff, F. Margiotta, L. Kingman. 2005. Habitat Assessment Guidelines: Town of Milan. Town of Milan Planning Board. Milan, New York.
Schneller-McDonald, K. 1992-1995. Cottonwood Consulting. Reports include: Spring Creek/Drake Road Crossing: Habitat Assessment and Stream Reconstruction Recommendations; Environmental Assessment Forms and Supplement for Larimer County, Colorado; Wildlife impact evaluation, mitigation recommendations, and management study: Breckenridge, Colorado.
Schneller-McDonald, K., L.S. Ischinger and G.T. Auble. 1990. Wetland creation and restoration: description and summary of the literature. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Biological Report. 198 pp.
Schneller-McDonald, K. 1987. Wetland creation/restoration data base. Pages 352-354 in: J. Zelazny and J.S. Feierabend, eds. Increasing our wetland resources conference. National Wildlife Federation, Washington, D.C.
Schneller-McDonald, K. and G.C. Horak. 1986. Cumulative impact assessment: legal and regulatory status. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Fort Collins, CO. 62 pp.
Connecting the Drops:
A citizen’s guide to protecting water resources
© 2015 | Cornell University Press
Order the book
“We face a water crisis. We don’t experience this crisis as one sudden catastrophe that dries up wells or poisons drinking water overnight. Instead, we experience insidious, incremental events—oil spills, floods, polluted runoff, hydrofracking operations—that threaten our water and our communities in one place at a time. Small regional disasters accumulate into an increasingly serious and widespread threat to all our streams, rivers, lakes, and groundwater.”
Endorsements
“Clean water is a basic need. Understanding the influence of land use activities on our water resources is critical to supporting the practices and policies that protect them. Connecting the Drops offers down-to-earth guidance that will help individuals and communities recognize stewardship opportunities and act.”
—Mark Ruffalo, founder, Water Defense
“Connecting the Drops offers both knowledge and hope; it is an essential guide to action and overcoming the global water crisis.”
—Richard Louv, author of The Nature Principle and Last Child in the Woods
Connecting the Drops helps the reader make connections between human activities and their effects on natural water systems. By outlining how we can do a better job of protecting water,
it will help you answer questions like:
How do ecosystems, watersheds, and natural cycles work and why do we need them?
How does residential, agricultural, and industrial (including energy) development affect watersheds and ecosystems?
How can I determine whether environmental protection actions are effective?
What causes water contamination, flooding, groundwater depletion, and biodiversity loss?
What do catchwords like significant impacts, cumulative effects, and mitigation mean ?
What are the major obstacles to effective water resource protection and how can I overcome them?
How can I develop a strategy for action to improve chances for environmental protection in my community?
bog edge
“We need to protect our water resources. But before we can do so, we need to understand how they’re threatened. To be effective, we need to make cause-and-effect connections between land use activities, natural water systems, and the water we need. This book is about making such connections.”
The book is divided into the following sections and chapters:
Part I Headwaters: Understanding Natural Water Systems
STREAM45
1. Natural Water Systems and Their Benefits Ecosystems, watersheds, and natural cycles, how they work, and the services and benefits these systems provide.
2. Picturing Environmental Features and Systems How to identify and describe natural systems on a particular site, focusing on soils, watersheds, and water-based ecosystems (wetlands, lakes, and streams).
Part II Wading Deeper: Identifying and Describing Impacts
3. How Land-Use Activities Affect Water How to describe impacts of residential development activities and agriculture on watersheds and ecosystems, before, during, and after construction.
4. Measuring the Impacts An in-depth look at four major water-protection issues (water contamination, flooding, groundwater depletion, and biodiversity loss) and the connections between these issues and land-use activities.
5. Energy Development and Water How to describe impacts of energy development activities on water resources and systems (hydrofracking for natural gas; mountaintop removal mining for coal; oil pipelines and spills; wind farms; hydropower) focusing on sorting out the complex activities associated with hydrofracking.
Part III Charting a Course: Working toward Protection
fall water
6. Weighing Significant Impacts, True Costs, and Mitigation Explaining what these catchwords mean for water resource protection, and how to develop criteria to determine when environmental damage is significant.
7.Overcoming Obstacles to Water Protection How to overcome obstacles to effective protection—including inadequate information, controversy and conflict, lack of political will, and property rights.
8. Strategies for Action How to develop a strategy for action for long term environmental protection.
Conclusion: Stars in the Water6-7-07 Eileen's 80th & Katy Kill 033
“Why would we be timid about insisting that our water ought to be protected? Admittedly, it’s a tough job. Water is constantly on the move—flowing everywhere, above and below the ground, too much in one place and not enough in another, distributing contaminants it picks up along the way. But this is the challenge, not an excuse to give up. Each of us has a fundamental human right to a clean, adequate supply of water. We will all foot the cleanup bill for poor land-use decisions. Worse, so will our children. Where the story of water goes is in part up to us, and how persistent we are in “connecting the drops.”
Order Connecting the Drops
Publications
ARTICLES
0216conscoveroutdoor1 036_2 “Why Did the Salamander Cross the Road?”
New York State Conservationist, February, 2016
P1010749 “Reflections Upon Closing”
Summer 2015 SAVINGland www.landtrustalliance.org
BY Karen Schneller-McDonald
My father, Alfred Schneller, bought several pieces of land on the Shawangunk Ridge in New York in the early ’70s. The son of Austrian immigrants who ran a boarding house and farm on Awosting Road, he grew up prowling the Shawangunks, sometimes staying out for days.
After serving in World War II he returned to Ulster County and a career as an environmental conservation officer with the Department of Environmental Conservation. Ready to buy more land, he was always looking for opportunities to protect a place he loved. I know he was concerned about development. When he died in his mid-50s he left the land to me and my sister.
While my father and grandparents would hardly recognize their “old farm” and its surroundings today, the wild features of the Ridge remain intact. We recently sold our largest parcel to become part of an extensive protected wild area for the public to enjoy.
Bordered by the Verkeederkill, this rugged land extends to the top of the mountain. We often bushwhacked through thickets of mountain laurel upslope to the tumble of boulders at the base of that last steep climb. Sidestepping the crevasses, challenged to find a way to the top, we were rewarded by an occasional showy pink azalea and on top, a profusion of blueberry bushes framing rock slabs and a stunning view of the valley.
Below, a rivulet cuts through a hay-scented fern meadow and spreads into a wetland on its way to the Verkeederkill. One July afternoon I tracked a small pickerel frog through the thick grass along that rivulet. Intent on catching it, I was oblivious to all else until something made me glance up—and I locked eyes with a big bear standing in the ferns at the edge of the brush not 30 feet away. Sunlight glossed its black coat. We both froze. “Well, hey, nice seeing you. I’m leaving; the place is all yours,” I babbled softly, as I backed off. This was clearly his turf. I was just passing through.
Some land should remain undeveloped. Humans are crafty, devising ways to build almost anywhere, changing the land. Few places are off limits. And when we have built on all the land that’s buildable, and a great deal of land that is not, we will have an even greater need for wild places. Where else could we go for unexpected encounters with wildlife in the ferns?
The woods are quiet, but for the cry of a blue jay and a woodpecker tapping in the distance. This land should remain as it is, to draw us in, invite our silence, remind us that we are only visitors here. It gives me great pleasure to just let it be. It has given me so much—peace, a sense of freedom, connection with the wild. I could justify its protection for any number of scientific reasons, from watershed protection to biodiversity preservation. But the land means even more than that. It gives us a personal connection to something bigger than ourselves, something that endures.
We hold land in trust. It’s left in our care until we pass it along to the next guardians. As my father recognized, one day we will no longer be around to protect the land we value—and have to trust that someone else will carry on.
My sister and I honor our family’s legacy. With gratitude we pass it on to the future.
ON SEPTEMBER 23, 2014, KAREN SCHNELLER-MCDONALD SOLD HER LAND TO THE ACCREDITED OPEN SPACE INSTITUTE. THE LAND IS EXPECTED TO BE ADDED TO MINNEWASKA STATE PARK.
INTERVIEWS AND REVIEWS
IMG_0190 “Many Droplets Make a Wave”
Hudson Valley Almanac Weekly
Posted by Ann Hutton on April 12, 2016
Ever since Rachel Carson spoke to the masses through the 1962 publication of her treatise Silent Spring, insightful observers of our “environment” – that thin layer of biosphere surrounding the planet that we call home – have tried to steer the course of human action on behalf of its survival. In the intervening decades, visionaries like James Lovelock (Gaia: A New Look at Life on Earth) and eco-activist Bill McKibben (The End of Nature and other books) have alerted us to the dire facts of ecosystems failure – specifically, the we’re-all-in-this-together nature of the environment. If one species goes extinct or one geosystem breaks down, the entire life-supporting environment is affected in ways that we are only beginning to understand.
For many people, this is grim news. Turning the tide of human activity worldwide to stop the extinction of bees or to repair the causes and effects of global warming, for example, seems like an overwhelming proposition. Others choose to face the facts and take action. Karen Schneller-McDonald is one of those others. This Hudson Valley-based environmentalist with Hickory Creek Consulting in Red Hook works to help us understand the challenges that we now face to our own survival. Connecting the Drops: A Citizen’s Guide to Protecting Water Resources is Schneller-McDonald’s book outlining those challenges in user-friendly language; you don’t need to be a scientist to comprehend her message. She presents the basics of water resource protection, which includes ecology and watershed science; techniques for evaluating environmental impacts; obstacles to protection and how to overcome them; and other tips for successful protection strategies.
Current reports emerging around the country about the contamination of community water supplies bring the issue front and center, underlining the importance of Schneller-McDonald’s work. Connecting the Drops explains connections among natural cycles, watersheds and ecosystems, and she describes how specific development activities (think oil pipelines) affect water quality and supply. More important, perhaps, is her “how-to” guidance: what grassroots strategies work, how to take action as individuals and small community groups, how to interpret scientific information and Environmental Impact Statements.
In a November 2015 Huffington Post interview, Schneller-McDonald talks about the impasse often faced by people working to protect natural resources against industrial development that harms the environment. She notes that regular citizens feel powerless when dealing with large corporations or moneyed interests. She emphasizes that we need information rooted in science to be able to address economy-versus-environment issues.
“Without a sustainable environment, we cannot have a sustainable economy,” she maintains. “It all goes together. People don’t know who to believe. Experts differ on the facts of the situation depending on who hires them. I found I needed to provide a different sort of information for people that went into critical thinking and asking questions and how to interpret facts.”
Working as an environmental impact assessment consultant for 25 years, Schneller-McDonald has helped local governments, planning boards and other groups to understand and protect their own natural resources while supporting development that does not destroy them. Understanding how the networks of wetlands, streams and watersheds function can give us the knowledge to choose and regulate land-use activities, to avoid resulting ecological damage, flooding, water pollution and reduced water supply.
“We need a healthy environment that sustains our personal and community health; we also need vibrant and sustainable economic development that does not destroy the benefits we derive from nature. Our ability to accomplish both depends on how well we can ‘connect the drops.’”
Karen Schneller-McDonald presents Connecting the Drops: A Citizen’s Guide to Protecting Water Resources, Friday, April 8, 7 p.m., Inquiring Mind Bookstore, 65 Partition Street, Saugerties, (845) 246-5775; Sunday, April 17, 4 p.m., Inquiring Minds, 6 Church Street, New Paltz, (845) 255-8300; http://thewetnet.net.
QUOTED: It’s daunting because people feel disempowered in the face of larger corporations or monied interests. They need the information, the arguments rooted in science, the facts to be able to tackle those interests that say they just have to suck it up because it’s the economy vs. the environments. “Do you want jobs or clean water?” But that’s not a choice. We don’t have a sustainable economy without a sustainable environment and vice versa. It all goes together. People also don’t know who to believe. Experts differ on the facts of the situation depending on who hires them. I found I needed to provide a different sort of information for people that went into critical thinking and asking questions and how to interpret facts. Those are the kinds of things I wasn’t finding much help with in existing resources that are available.
I was there at the beginnings of the environmental activist movement in the 1970s and it seemed there was more interest then and I think it kind of disappeared for a while and went underground. Now I think it’s coming back and I think people are getting more informed. They are seeing that what’s happening to the air and water and land is affecting their health and affecting property values. I think that is all getting people to do more to be more of an activist. I guess activist can have negative connotation, so I like to say it’s informed activism, activism rooted in the facts and in science so you have credibility. At the same time I think that it’s very, very important and I like to encourage people to become activists in what’s important to them and their health because no one else will do it for them. It won’t come from government, not from corporations. I think the local grassroots effort is the place where it really needs to get going.
IMG_1143 “Why You Should Be Optimistic About The Future Of Environmental Activism Though it may not always feel that way. ”
The Huffington Post
by Joseph Erbentraut Posted: 11/06/2015 08:56 AM EST
We haven’t always done a great job taking care of our water here in the U.S., and the devastating effects of recent flooding and drought conditions show it’s a problem that’s only getting worse.
But Karen Schneller-McDonald, a New York-based environmental impact assessment consultant, believes it doesn’t have to be that way. She has spent the last 25 years helping local governments, planning boards and other groups learn how to best protect the natural resources that make their neighborhoods special places to live and she’s observed how that message is resonating with more and more Americans today.
In a new book, Connecting the Drops: A Citizens’ Guide to Protecting Water Resources, Schneller-McDonald is sharing many of those strategies in an effort to inspire more people to care about preserving the natural resources they hold dear, ensuring they are still around for generations to come.
The Huffington Post recently spoke with Schneller-McDonald about her work.
HuffPost: How do we simply get more people to care about the environment? It can feel so daunting.
Schneller-McDonald: It’s daunting because people feel disempowered in the face of larger corporations or monied interests. They need the information, the arguments rooted in science, the facts to be able to tackle those interests that say they just have to suck it up because it’s the economy vs. the environments. “Do you want jobs or clean water?” But that’s not a choice. We don’t have a sustainable economy without a sustainable environment and vice versa. It all goes together. People also don’t know who to believe. Experts differ on the facts of the situation depending on who hires them. I found I needed to provide a different sort of information for people that went into critical thinking and asking questions and how to interpret facts. Those are the kinds of things I wasn’t finding much help with in existing resources that are available.
In your book, you touched on media coverage of these issues — that the media doesn’t often give enough context to understand the environmental factors of a major story like the Keystone pipeline. What is the media’s role is in this?
The whole approach of our culture and media has turned to trying to change environmental concerns into political concerns when they are not. I think it’s the role of the media to try and break down that political approach to protecting the environment. Cut through the partisan stuff. Who would stand up and say they’re against clean water? Nobody. But when you get to the nitty gritty of getting clean water, that’s where it falls apart. I think we have a problem with science and that’s something the media could do a better job on as well.
The information we need to make good decisions is pretty much in place, but a lot of times people never see it, they never hear about it. They hear about the controversy and people would rather believe things are safe and alright. The oil company or gas company says not to worry, it’s safe and that they wouldn’t do it otherwise. But that’s full of holes and somebody needs to be able to stand up and ask the pertinent questions publicly like, “Safe for who?” and “What do you mean by safe?” I think there is a real opening for a positive role the media can play to get at the things that concern everyday people about their environment and their water and air and the land they live on.
Do you think more people are caring about these issues today? Are more people “connecting the drops” as you put it?
I didn’t think they were until I went through a recent experience in New York around hydraulic fracking and that was an issue that motivated me to get this book out sooner rather than later. That issue was happening in my backyard and I was amazed and very heartened by the public uprising and the public search for information that went into that effort and turned out to actually be a very successful effort which I think should be encouragement to people all over the country. They told us it couldn’t be done and we did it.
I was there at the beginnings of the environmental activist movement in the 1970s and it seemed there was more interest then and I think it kind of disappeared for a while and went underground. Now I think it’s coming back and I think people are getting more informed. They are seeing that what’s happening to the air and water and land is affecting their health and affecting property values. I think that is all getting people to do more to be more of an activist. I guess activist can have negative connotation, so I like to say it’s informed activism, activism rooted in the facts and in science so you have credibility. At the same time I think that it’s very, very important and I like to encourage people to become activists in what’s important to them and their health because no one else will do it for them. It won’t come from government, not from corporations. I think the local grassroots effort is the place where it really needs to get going.
What specifically about the New York effort around fracking should be particularly encouraging to activists elsewhere?
First of all, they had good leadership and they had leaders who were very well-informed about the science. They divided a large land-use issue like fracking into smaller component parts and looked at the effects of all those component parts, everything from site preparation to chemical spills after the fact. They were willing to consider cumulative impacts and regional impacts. And then you know the biggest thing is people were willing to get out there and stand up for that issue. People who are willing to get on a bus and go to Albany, willing to write letters to the editor and put themselves forward to stand for something. I don’t know where you get that or where that comes from. It comes from deep down inside each individual.
Water is a resource that is all of ours. It’s connected, it doesn’t stay within property lines. Those are things that connect people really easily within a region because they share what’s at stake.
What if you’re not the sort of activist that would head to a protest? Can you still help? What is the one thing at a minimum you hope someone picking up this book will take away from reading it?
At a most basic level, to believe that maybe they can make a difference. That it is possible to make a difference in the face of what may seem like insurmountable opposition. It’s possible to make a difference but you have to be able to join with other people to do it. You need to form those larger groups and pool your collective energy into something that is a force to be reckoned with.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Joseph Erbentraut covers promising innovations and challenges in the areas of food and water. In addition, they explore the evolving ways Americans are identifying and defining themselves. Tips? Email joseph.erbentraut@huffingtonpost.com.
QUOTED: Highly recommended for environmentalists, resource managers, those concerned with pollution, and naturalists.-
3/10/17, 2:17 PM
Print Marked Items
Schneller-McDonald, Karen. Connecting the
Drops: A Citizens' Guide to Protecting Water
Resources
Henry T. Armistead
Library Journal.
140.14 (Sept. 1, 2015): p134. From Book Review Index Plus.
COPYRIGHT 2015 Library Journals, LLC. A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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Full Text:
Schneller-McDonald, Karen. Connecting the Drops: A Citizens' Guide to Protecting Water Resources. Cornell Univ. 2015. 288p. illus. maps. notes, bibliog. index. ISBN 9780801453106. $79.95; pap. ISBN 9781501700286. $24.95; ebk. ISBN 9781501701597. SCI
Schneller-McDonald (president, Hickory Creek environmental consulting firm, Red Hook, NY) offers an authoritative review of methods for water conservation and use, which is especially important as many regions of the world currently face shortages. Geared toward information on North America and freshwater, three main sections deal with understanding natural water systems, identifying and describing impacts, and working toward protection. Although there are 21 tables, four maps, and four text figures as well as inspiring chapter-heading quotations, the rather dry, general, and pedantic text would could have been enlivened by illustrations, especially photographs. The textbook-like presentation achieves some relief via the author's excellent, one-page response to Interior Secretary Salazar's unrestricted endorsement of controversial hydrofracking. She touches on many water-use flashpoint areas, including the Colorado River basin, Chesapeake Bay, the Florida Everglades, the Great Lakes, and the harmful effects of dams, acid rain, coal mining, sewage disposal, pesticides, and mercury. There are extensive chapter notes and a solid bibliography, including websites. A detailed appendix contains checklists for evaluating streams and wetlands: features, conditions, pertinent questions to raise, etc. VERDICT Highly recommended for environmentalists, resource managers, those concerned with pollution, and naturalists.--Henry T. Armistead, formerly with Free Lib. of Philadelphia
Armistead, Henry T.
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Armistead, Henry T. "Schneller-McDonald, Karen. Connecting the Drops: A Citizens' Guide to Protecting Water
Resources." Library Journal, 1 Sept. 2015, p. 134. PowerSearch, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do? p=GPS&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA426999202&it=r&asid=40e47822b7fc86cc59e1d1bc6a345fcd. Accessed 10 Mar. 2017.
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QUOTED: The book’s final act is the payoff. Here is where Schneller-McDonald shines. All the pointers on what to look for and what technical jargon means spring into use, as Schneller-McDonald ties together citizen knowledge with citizien action. We understand how to weigh in on the government’s call for comment on a particular project. Schneller-McDonald guides us on how to take our comprehensive viewpoint and put it into regulatory comment or the crafting of a conservation plan.
McConnell on Schneller-McDonald, 'Connecting the Drops: A Citizens' Guide to Protecting Water Resources'
Author:
Karen Schneller-McDonald
Reviewer:
Nathan S. McConnell
Karen Schneller-McDonald. Connecting the Drops: A Citizens' Guide to Protecting Water Resources. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2015. 288 pp. $24.95 (paper), ISBN 978-1-5017-0028-6.
Reviewed by Nathan S. McConnell (McConnell Law Office, PLLC)
Published on H-Water (January, 2017)
Commissioned by Jonathan Wlasiuk
Fittingly for this reviewer, Karen Schneller-McDonald begins her work with a quote from Norman Maclean’s A River Runs through It (1976). There is no better way into a Missoulian’s heart. As a citizen, fisherman, father, legislator, and consumer of water, I am particularly vulnerable to Schneller-McDonald’s call to action. This work is at once educational, instructive, and passionate--particularly useful for citizens who care about the one thing we cannot live without: water.
Schneller-McDonald organizes the book into three main sections, which this review addresses in turn. First, she begins by describing the subject in a way that sets up what follows. Headwaters, which is described as “the initial source of water for all river systems,” naturally comes first (p. 34). Schneller-McDonald tackles the basics of water’s role in natural resource systems. In order to have a meaningful impact on the actions they take, citizens must first have an understanding of what they are fighting for. Water is a key player in systems ranging from ecosystems to watersheds to weather cycles. Schneller-McDonald lays out the basics, describing water’s constant movement from falling onto the land, seeping into the ground, and flowing across the earth’s surface, finally landing in a lake or pond. Water also cycles through plants and animals, returning to the air and filtering into the soil. Nothing is left untouched by water. It turns out this is a good thing: Schneller-McDonald sets out all the benefits that water--and its movement--provides. Such movement regulates disease and pests, while protecting from natural calamities and even pollinating crops (which has enormous economic benefits). Schneller-McDonald next describes watersheds and their importance. The interconnectivity of water, whether on the surface or underground, is undeniably fascinating. Water interacts with soil, vegetation, storm drains, and much more, and each time water crosses a different composition, it changes. Knowledge of how these systems work is central to the book’s focus: minimizing the impact and restoring the damage that humans have done to water systems. Throughout part 1, Schneller-McDonald helpfully includes maps and figures that depict water systems in their various forms.
Part 2 gets into the specifics of human land use and its impact on water. To have a substantive, positive impact on water policy, it takes more than simply saying “development affects water.” What does it take? Here Schneller-McDonald builds on the momentum created in the previous section. Challenging the current paradigm that requires regulations, Schneller-McDonald asks us to go beyond the things covered by rules and procedures. She pulls the lens out so that we consider how even relatively small acts (a small clearcut, a subdivision development) have large impacts. The encouragement to participate and to voice concerns comes with cautionary tales and guidance. Schneller-McDonald discusses all sorts of scenarios in which human actions affect water, from the beginning of a development project to ongoing uses after the project is completed. Understanding situations that degrade water is important, but it is also necessary to comprehend what degradation actually means. Such a task is not easy for the non-scientific among us. Schneller-McDonald leads us by the hand through the chemical thicket, and when she is done, the reader has a solid understanding of water pollution’s basic science. Why is this important? There are a lot of vested interests that have impacts on water, and sometimes these entities try to confuse the public at large with either too much or not enough scientific data. Schneller-McDonald arms us with ample resources to address any such subversion. Schneller-McDonald points to a number of energy-extraction projects to underscore the importance of citizen knowledge. We all know about the Deepwater Horizon disaster. We also know about more localized calamities. But do we truly understand what impact those incidents will have on our watersheds in the next month? Next year? Next decade? Schneller urges us to take a comprehensive--dare I say holistic--perspective on humanity’s persistent land use.
The book’s final act is the payoff. Here is where Schneller-McDonald shines. All the pointers on what to look for and what technical jargon means spring into use, as Schneller-McDonald ties together citizen knowledge with citizien action. We understand how to weigh in on the government’s call for comment on a particular project. Schneller-McDonald guides us on how to take our comprehensive viewpoint and put it into regulatory comment or the crafting of a conservation plan. Voicing an opinion that is contrary to an entrenched interest or point of view is not easy, and being on constant guard for misinformation and red herrings can create burnout. The answer is not to throw up our collective hands and go back to our comfortable echo chambers. The answer is to persist: ask questions; get the facts; give voice to your perspective. And when the going gets rough and you need a break, get outside. Go for a hike. Get some fresh air. Schneller-McDonald ends her book on a high note. Recalling Robert Kennedy’s tiny ripple of hope, she reminds us that individual actions can lead to lasting change. In this climate of political uncertainty, there is much to be gained from action. Connecting the Drops is the starting point for alleviating our anxiety through positive action.
Printable Version: http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showpdf.php?id=47631
QUOTED TEXT: CONNECTING THE DROPS is intended to help us recognise a water process, understand how and where water gets contaminated, why it matters to us and to wildlife, and to uncover the facts in local controversies or projects. When we can do all that we can choose to become an advocate for clean water. The style of the book is suitable for adults or older young adults who already have an interest in nature or urban planning, though newcomers could use CONNECTING THE DROPS to educate themselves.
Connecting The Drops: A Citizens' Guide To Protecting Water Resources
Karen Schneller-McDonald
Reviewed by Clare O'Beara
Posted October 2, 2015
Non-Fiction | Non-Fiction Political
What I particularly like about CONNECTING THE DROPS: A CITIZENS' GUIDE TO PROTECTING WATER RESOURCES is that on the first page the author tells us that this book will help us protect and improve our community's water. In other words, Karen Schneller-McDonald thinks of us all as participants in the society which requires clean water and should ensure its provision.
Around the world, water falls as rain and its course is managed in different ways. We use a great deal of the world's freshwater and, sadly, we also pollute it before, during and after using it. CONNECTING THE DROPS is intended to help us recognise a water process, understand how and where water gets contaminated, why it matters to us and to wildlife, and to uncover the facts in local controversies or projects. When we can do all that we can choose to become an advocate for clean water. The style of the book is suitable for adults or older young adults who already have an interest in nature or urban planning, though newcomers could use CONNECTING THE DROPS to educate themselves.
Legislation has been enacted to forbid pollution of water courses. But Karen tells us that some area legislators reduce the strength of the Acts, or allow once-off exploitation permits without environmental impact assessments, while underfunding departments who are supposed to catch issues. Pollution is expensive. Someone has to fund a cleanup after an oil spill or illegal dumping, polluted water has to be treated before use in industries or farming, and degraded land loses good soil into rivers.
One easy way to protect water courses is to protect trees along the river banks. Tree roots hold the banks together and the trees help to soak up extra rain. Trees also provide a habitat for birds and shaded water for fish. Karen tells us that an invasive non-native aquatic plant has greatly reduced the value of lakeshore homes in Vermont and Wisconsin. Native plants keep the system in balance. With a strong native ecology, diseases are reduced - the West Nile virus is spread by mosquitoes, but a healthy wetland has many predators of mosquitoes, including amphibians and bats. When Essex County, Massachusetts restored a fifteen-hundred acre wetland, the mosquito population dropped significantly. Restoring wetlands also helps to prevent or reduce flooding. In general, the more different species that live in an area, the healthier the habitat.
To protect, you need to know what is there. Karen explains ground water or aquifers, watersheds, surface waters, wetlands. She points us to the United States Geological Survey (USGS) website for useful tools such as maps of your area's watershed and the local area or sub-basin in which your house is located. Another site she suggests is the FEMA site where you can see which areas are at risk of flooding. Karen gives an example of a residential developer who was agreeable to the concept of retaining a wetland, but wanted to move the marsh uphill so he could put a car park where it currently lay. He didn't understand that this would gain him a flooded car park. A later chapter looks at mountaintop removal in coal mining. Hydrofracking is also well covered with a case study of Parachute Creek near Denver.
Karen suggests that while a concerned citizen group can carry out many surveys and assessments, at times a paid expert will come in useful, such as a biological count by an ecologist or a report on the interconnected water system of the area by a hydrologist. CONNECTING THE DROPS is an excellent guide to someone with the appropriate training who wishes to provide expert witness reports. The average citizen can feel unimportant compared to experts, but she will know that the stream floods in winter now there are no trees, or that road salt has killed the fish. Documenting and organising files and evidence is stressed as water issues can take a long time to resolve.
Wastewater, pesticides and septic systems are considered, as well as garden and household wastes and hard surfacing which all impact on water with a new development. A study from Seattle showed that twenty percent of bacteria found in watersheds came from dog wastes. While Karen agrees that development is necessary, clearly some areas are more suitable than others.
Floods are now the number one disaster in the US. Climate change, weather patterns, land use, deforestation and spread of habitations all contribute. CONNECTING THE DROPS and the checklists it contains can help you stop the increase of floods as well as keeping water pure. I highly recommend CONNECTING THE DROPS to citizen groups, local government, local journalists and anyone interested in learning about the marvelous interconnected water cycle. And teach your kids these lessons.
Learn more about Connecting The Drops: A Citizens' Guide To Protecting Water Resources
SUMMARY
The need for improved water resource protection, beginning with grassroots action, is urgent. The water we use depends on networks of wetlands, streams, and watersheds. Land-use activities, however, are changing these natural systems. Often these changes result in ecological damage, flooding, water pollution, and reduced water supply. We need a healthy environment that sustains our personal and community health; we also need vibrant and sustainable economic development that does not destroy the benefits we derive from nature. Our ability to accomplish both depends on how well we can "connect the drops."
In this book, Karen Schneller-McDonald presents the basics of water resource protection: ecology and watershed science; techniques for evaluating environmental impacts; obstacles to protection and how to overcome them; and tips for protection strategies that maximize chances for success. Schneller- McDonald makes clear the important connections among natural cycles, watersheds, and ecosystems; the benefits they provide; and how specific development activities affect water quality and supply.
The methods described in CONNECTING THE DROPS have broad application in diverse geographic locations. The environmental details may differ, but the methods are the same. For water resource managers and concerned citizens alike, CONNECTING THE DROPS helps readers interpret scientific information and contextualize news media reports and industry ads—ultimately offering "how to" guidance for developing resource protection strategies.