Dr. Guy Baldassarre receives the Ducks Unlimited Wetlands Conservation Achievement Award in Research/Technology
Photo credit: George Andrejko, Arizona Game & Fish Department
Dr. Guy Baldassarre
Childhood walks through a wooded cemetery with his parents lead to a lifelong interest in water bird ecology for Dr. Guy Baldasarre.
“We still talk about those walks in the cemetery because that's where it all started,” Baldasarre said. “I had this attachment to nature but Mom and Dad watered it, they thought it was just neat as could be.”
“My parents always encouraged my love of the outdoors, and never said, 'You know. you ought to become a lawyer, you ought to become a doctor, you ought to become a teacher.' They never questioned it and they were glad that it's what I was doing and they watered it every step of the way.”
Since those beginnings, Baldasarre has received numerous honors for his research. He was named a distinguished teaching professor in ESF’s Department of Environmental and Forest Biology. Most recently, he received the Ducks Unlimited Wetlands Conservation Achievement Award in Research/Technology. The award was given in recognition of his long-term contributions to the conservation of wetlands and waterfowl in North America.
Ducks Unlimited is committed to the conservation, restoration and management of wetlands and the associated habitats for North America's waterfowl. These habitats also benefit other wildlife and people.
When he learned of the Ducks Unlimited award, Baldasarre said, “I was stunned and when I looked at the list of prior recipients — a who's who of Wetland Ecology in North America — I was just really humbled by the whole thing; it's a big award from a very prestigious organization.”
Baldasarre’s research interests have focused on aspects of waterbird ecology. His interests include waterfowl ecology and management, work with the Caribbean flamingo, shorebirds (piping plover), and wetland bird diversity in general.
With a Ph.D. from Texas Tech University in Lubbock, a master’s from University of Wisconsin Stevens Point and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maine, it was ESF that attracted him to Central New York.
Since coming to the College, the students have ranked high on Baldasarre’s list of priorities.
“We have fantastic students.” For Baldasarre, teaching and research is more than a job, it’s almost a calling. “This isn’t a job. If I was independently wealthy I would work here for nothing,” he said.
