Recent Headlines
SUNY ESF Professor Featured in Statewide Discussion on Groundwater-Dependent Ecosystems
SYRACUSE, NY — Nov. 12, 2025 — Dr. John Stella, professor in the Department of Sustainable Resources Management at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF), was featured in a blog post by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) titled “How to Protect Ecosystems That Need Groundwater. The interview highlights new science on the ecological importance of groundwater to rivers, wetlands, and forests in California’s increasingly water-stressed landscape.
In the PPIC feature, Stella discusses how groundwater supports entire ecosystems that remain hidden from view but are vital for biodiversity and climate resilience.
“Groundwater doesn’t just sustain people and farms—it sustains the trees and wildlife that define many of California’s river valleys,” Stella said. His NSF-funded research, in collaboration with scientists at UC Santa Barbara, The Nature Conservancy, and others, helps identify where vegetation and wildlife are most vulnerable to declining groundwater levels and prolonged drought.
The research featured in the blog post includes the work of numerous ESF graduates from Stella’s lab, including Dr. Melissa Rohde (Ph.D.), Dr. Jared Williams (Ph.D.), Lissa Pelletier (M.S.), and Rachael Pentico (M.S.), as well as current Ph.D. candidate Yun Zhao. These ESF scholars have contributed to a growing body of research that links groundwater dynamics, drought, and ecosystem health across California and beyond.
The Public Policy Institute of California is a leading nonpartisan research organization that informs state water and environmental policy. Their outreach helps translate complex science into actionable information for California legislators, state agencies, and private-sector stakeholders, including for groundwater managers responsible for implementing California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA).
While Stella’s recent work focuses on California, he emphasizes that understanding ecosystem dependence on groundwater is critical everywhere. “Even in places like Central New York, where water seems abundant, many wetlands, floodplains, and forests rely on shallow groundwater,” he said. “The lessons from California’s groundwater challenges can help us anticipate how ecosystems elsewhere may respond to climate extremes.”
Stella’s research at ESF bridges hydrology, ecology, and environmental policy, aiming to ensure that water management decisions sustain both human and natural communities.
About SUNY ESF
The SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) is dedicated to the study of the environment, developing renewable technologies, and building a sustainable and resilient future through design, policy, and management of the environment and natural resources. Members of the College community share a passion for protecting the health of the planet and a deep commitment to the rigorous application of science to improve the way humans interact with the world. The College offers academic programs ranging from the associate of applied science to the Doctor of Philosophy. ESF students live, study and do research on the main campus in Syracuse, N.Y., and on 25,000 acres of field stations in a variety of ecosystems across the state.