H. Bruce Rinker, PhD - CTEC - Center for Tropical Ecology and Conservation - Antioch University New England

H. Bruce Rinker, PhD

Division Administrator
Pinellas County Environmental Lands Division

Personal Statement:

I am an ecologist, educator, and explorer. I have always tried to make a difference by helping others and conserving the natural world. Working for nonprofit organizations, teaching young people, lecturing all over the world, exploring and researching, writing, studying, volunteering, campaigning, even preaching as a one-time Franciscan friar: all elements of my intrinsic drive to make a difference in a world that seems at once fragile and durable.

Though a forest canopy ecologist with a concentration on the ecological links between the treetops and soils, I also have an abiding interest in evolutionary biology, ethnobotany, resource management, botany, entomology, ornithology, and much more. My publications reflect this diverse appreciation: e.g., habitat selection by neotropical migrants, insect herbivory, allelopathy, petroleum pollution and waterfowl, canopy research and education, wildlife conservation, research methodologies, tropical studies, and resource stratification. In other words, my professional interests fall squarely under the umbrella heading of environmental studies: creative interdisciplinary scholarship and practice to solve ecological problems on multiple scales. My research typically deals with numerical data, but I have respect for both quantitative and qualitative sciences in settling environmental issues. Canopy ecology compels me toward a systems perspective of forest habitat, noting its three-dimensional architecture, microclimates, complex symbioses, and natural and anthropogenic changes through time.

I always bring my full person - including my determination and drive, a sense of wonder, perspicacity, compassion, and keen eagerness—to the tasks at hand. I resist being sequestered into a narrow academic discipline though I fully acknowledge a need at times for specialization so long as that domain of expertise remains permeable and collaborative. I take great pride in my work and offer the best of my abilities to make my part of a very large world at least a little better than I found it.

Field Experience:

(1=Investigator for Research; 2=Leader for Eco-tourism)

2004

Myakka River State Park (Spring/Summer)(1)(2)

2003

Myakka River State Park (Spring/Summer)(1)
Charles Darwin Research Station, Galápagos National Park, Ecuador (July)(2)
Cordillera des Los Andes, Quito, Ecuador (July/August)(2)

2002

Luquillo Experimental Forest, Luquillo, Puerto Rico (January, March, and April)(1)
Holguín, Baracoa, and Pinar del Rio, Cuba (April)(2)
Myakka River State Park, Sarasota, FL (Spring/Summer)(1)
Australian Canopy Crane Research Facility, Cairns, Australia (June/July)(1)
Wind River Canopy Crane, Carson, WA (September)(1)

2001

Myakka River State Park, Sarasota, FL (Winter/Spring)(1)
Amazon Conservatory for Tropical Studies, Iquitos, Peru (July)(2)
Cordillera de Los Andes, Cusco, Peru (July)(2)
Luquillo Experimental Forest, Luquillo, Puerto Rico (August and September)(1)

2000

Myakka River State Park, Sarasota, FL (Fall)(1)

1999

Amazon Conservatory for Tropical Studies, Iquitos, Peru (March, July)(2)
Cordillera de Los Andes, Cusco, Peru (March)(2)

1998

Amazon Conservatory for Tropical Studies, Iquitos, Peru (March, June)(2)
Cordillera de Los Andes, Cusco, Peru (March)(2)

1997

Amazon Conservatory for Tropical Studies, Iquitos, Peru (March, June/July, August)(2)
Cordillera de Los Andes, Cusco, Peru (July)(2)

1996

Rio Negro, Estado de Amazonas, Brazil (March)(2)
Reefs and Deserts of Israel, Jordan, and Egypt (July)(1)
Amazon Conservatory for Tropical Studies, Iquitos, Peru (August)(2)
Dispositit de Paracou, Silvolab, French Guyane (November)(1)

1995

Rio Negro, Estado de Amazonas, Brazil (March)(2)
Amazon Conservatory for Tropical Studies, Iquitos, Peru (August)(2)

1994

Rio Negro, Estado de Amazonas, Brazil (March)(2)

1993

Rio Negro, Estado de Amazonas, Brazil (March)(2)

1992

Labrador and Newfoundland (July/August)(2)

1991

Monteverde Reserve and La Selva, Costa Rica (March/April)(2)
Reserve de Campo, Cameroon (November)(1)

1990

South Aulatsivik Island, Labrador (August)(1)

1988

Charles Darwin Research Station, Galápagos National Park, Ecuador (June/July)(1,2)
El Oriente, Rio Napo, Ecuador (June/July)(2)
Cordillera de Los Andes, Quito, Ecuador (June/July)(2)

1987

Charles Darwin Research Station, Galápagos National Park, Ecuador (June/July)(1,2)
El Oriente, Rio Napo, Ecuador (June/July)(2)
Cordillera de Los Andes, Quito, Ecuador (June/July)(2)
Dolly Sods Wilderness Area, Monongohela National Forest, West Virginia (July)(1,2)

1986

Charles Darwin Research Station, Galápagos National Park, Ecuador (June)(1,2)
El Oriente, Rio Napo, Ecuador (June/July)(2)
Cordillera de Los Andes, Quito, Ecuador (June/July)(2)
Dolly Sods Wilderness Area, Monongohela National Forest, West Virginia (July)(1,2)

1985

Charles Darwin Research Station, Galápagos National Park, Ecuador (June/July)(1,2)
Dolly Sods Wilderness Area, Monongohela National Forest, West Virginia (July)(1,2)

1978

Dolly Sods Wilderness Area, Monongohela National Forest, West Virginia (July)(1,2)

1977

Hog Island, National Audubon Society, Damariscotta, Maine (June/July)(2)

Professional Experience:

8/04 to Present – Pinellas County Environmental Management
512 South Fort Harrison Avenue, Clearwater, FL 33756 (727-464-4761)
Environmental Lands Division Administrator for Pinellas County (supervision over a staff of professional, specialized, and supervisory personnel engaged in the development and implementation of long-term land management plans for county-owned environmentally sensitive properties.

9/00 to 8/04 – Marie Selby Botanical Gardens
811 South Palm Avenue, Sarasota, FL 34236 (941-955-7553 ext. 315)
Director of Research & Conservation, 2002-2004; Administrator, Center for Canopy Ecology, 2000 to 2004; Interim Director of Education, 2004; Member of Editorial Board for Selbyana; Member of Senior Management Team; Science Committee; Conservation Committee; Program Committee.

1/01 to 5/04 – Ringling School of Art and Design
2700 North Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL 34234-5895 (941-359-7528): Adjunct professor, “Biodiversity: Our Global Treasure,” an elective offering to upperclassmen through the college’s Department of Liberal Arts, Dr. Doug Chismar and Mr. Tim Rumage, Administrative Supervisors.

9/87 to 6/00 – Millbrook School
RR 1, Box 1000, School Road, Millbrook, NY 12545 (845-677-8261 ext. 113): Science Department Chairman, Forest Canopy Walkway Project Director, Director of Bird-Banding Research Program, Garnjost Chair in Mathematics and Science, Mentor for SCaR (Students Concerned about Rainforests), Biology Instructor.

1/86 to 1/90 – International Student Research, Inc.
710A Bulls Neck Road, McLean, VA 22102: Co-founder and Director, Treasurer.

9/79 to 7/87 – The Langley School
1411 Balls Hill Road, McLean, VA 22101 (703-356-1920): Science Instructor.

9/79 to 4/87 – Resident Associate Program
Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC (202-357-3246): Natural History Instructor.

9/75 to 3/76 and 1977 – Cooperative Education/Research Program
VA TECH and Patuxent Wildlife Research Center (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service), Laurel, MD: Research Assistant, Petroleum Pollution and Waterfowl Section, Dr. Nancy Coon, Supervisor.

Honors:

Associate, Center For Tropical Ecology and Conservation, Antioch New England

(NH)
2004

Environmental Education Award, Sarasota County Conservation Committee

(FL)
2004

Research Associate, TREE Foundation

(FL)
2004

“Best of the Suncoast 2003,” Weekly Planet Magazine

22-28 October issue 2003

Fellow of the New York Academy of Sciences

(NY)
2002-present

Who’s Who in America

2002

Switzer Environmental Fellow, Robert and Patricia Switzer Foundation (NH)
2000-present

Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers

2000

Burton C. Gray Family Foundation (VA)
1999-present

National Fellow of the Explorers Club

(NY)
1998-present

Outstanding Biology Teacher, National Association of Biology Teachers
1997

Garnjost Chair in Science and Mathematics, Millbrook School

(NY)
1196-2000

“Best of the Hudson Valley,” Hudson Valley Magazine

1996

Outstanding Science Teacher, Science Teachers Association of New York State
1991

Most Valuable Member, The Wildlife Society, VA TECH Chapter

1979

Research Grants:

2003/04

National Science Foundation, $59,932 (in review)

“Ecological Circuitry Collaboratory”
Co-Investigator

2003/04

National Science Foundation, $74,590 (in review)

“The Lollipop Factory: Sugar in the Treetops and Soil from the Sky”
Co-Investigator

2003/04 Triad Foundation, Inc., $10,000
“International Internship Program at the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens”
Principal Coordinator

2003/04

Triad Foundation, Inc., $30,000

“Canopy Ecology Research – Exploring a New Botanical Frontier”
Principal Investigator

2002

Southwest Florida Water Management District, $15,000

“Floridostratum: A Program to Monitor the Effects of Forest Canopies on Microclimate and Water Conservation”

Principal Investigator

Global Canopy Programme, Oxford, U.K., $26,178

“Development of a novel method for assessing stand-level herbivory in forests: using the International Canopy Crane Network”
Co-Investigator

2001

Sarasota Bay National Estuary Program, $1000

“Forest Canopy Access: Tools for Discovery and Conservation”
Principal Investigator

2000

National Science Foundation, $419,976

(written by co-investigators Margaret D. Lowman, Mark D. Hunter, and Timothy D. Schowalter)

“Canopy Herbivory and Soil Processes in a Temperate and Tropical Forest”

Doctoral Candidate and Data-Keeper for Grant

Additionally, awards received from numerous small, private grants for equipment, travel, conference participation, and other professional activities.

Present Position:

Division Administrator

> Pinellas County Environmental Lands Division
3620 Fletch Haven Drive
Tarpon Springs, FL 34688
www.pinellascounty.org

Office Telephone: 727-453-6912
Cellular Telephone: 727-580-4736
Facsimile: 727-217-6902
E-Mail: brinker@pinellascounty.org

Home Address:
1331 Duncan Loop North, #103
Dunedin, FL 34698
727.734.4064

Member: National Fellow of the Explorers Club (elected March 1998)
Switzer Environmental Fellow (elected May 2000)
Fellow of the New York Academy of Sciences (elected September 2002)

Education:

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Blacksburg, VA)

BS, Forestry and Wildlife Resources, June 1979; Cooperative Education Program with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Antioch University New England (Keene, NH)
Ph.D., Environmental Studies, defense March 2004, graduation May 2004, deposit June 2004

Dissertation Synopsis:

The Effects of Canopy Herbivory on Soil Microarthropods in a Tropical Rainforest
Funded by the National Science Foundation, the New Hampshire Charitable Foundations 2000 Switzer Environmental Fellowship, the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, and several private grants.

My dissertation research investigated the effects of canopy herbivory on soil microarthropods in the tropical rainforests of eastern Puerto Rico. Specifically, the project attempted to establish quantifiable links between arthropod activity above- and below-ground via manipulations of frassfall, greenfall, and throughfall. Litter samples were analyzed for springtails, mites, pseudoscorpions, and other mesofauna. My study had two hypotheses: herbivore-derived inputs from canopy to forest floor influence decomposition processes, and the timing of inputs and subsequent floor responses vary between temperate and tropical forests. Colleagues from the University of Georgia recently concluded a parallel project in the western mountains of North Carolina. I’d like to extend this research into Florida’s subtropics and other locations for comparative ecological purposes. I’m committed to understanding temporal/spatial connections between canopies and soils as an important step toward long-term conservation of temperate and tropical forest resources.

Memberships:

National Fellow of the Explorers Club; Switzer Environmental Fellow; Fellow of the New York Academy of Sciences; Ecological Society of America; Society for Conservation Biology; Member of the ACTS Research Board of Directors (Amazon Conservatory for Tropical Studies, Iquitos, Peru); Member of the editorial board, Selbyana; Member of the editorial board for BioScience Productions, Inc.; American Institute of Biological Sciences; Organization of Tropical Studies; Association for Tropical Biology; Jane Goodall Institute; ICAN (International Canopy Network); Science Advisor and Member of the Board of Directors, Children’s Environmental Trust Foundation, International (1996 to 2000); Friends of Myakka River State Park; Florida Association of Museums; Xi Sigma Chi Honorary Fraternity, Virginia Tech Chapter, Blacksburg, VA; The Wildlife Society, Virginia Tech Chapter, Blacksburg, VA, elected vice-president.

Articles and Books:

2004 - The effects of canopy herbivory on soil microarthropods in a tropical rainforest. Ph.D. dissertation. Antioch University New England, Keene, NH.

Lowman, M.D. and H.B. Rinker (eds.). 2004. Forest Canopies (2nd edition). Elsevier/Academic Press, San Diego, CA.

Nadkarni, N.M., G.G. Parker, H.B. Rinker, and D.M. Janzen. 2004. The nature of forest canopies. Pp. 3-23 in Forest Canopies (2nd edition; M.D. Lowman and H.B. Rinker, eds.). Elsevier/Academic Press, San Diego, CA.

Rinker, H.B. 2004. Verticality and habitat analysis: MacArthur and Wilson’s biogeography theory revisited. In Forest Canopies (2nd edition; M.D. Lowman and H.B. Rinker, eds.). Elsevier/Academic Press, San Diego, CA.

Rinker, H.B. 2004. Vertical stratification among neotropical migrants. In Forest Canopies (2nd edition; M.D. Lowman and H.B. Rinker, eds.). Elsevier/Academic Press, San Diego, CA.

Rinker, H.B. 2004. Soil microarthropods: Belowground fauna that sustain forest systems. Pp. 242-250. In Forest Canopies (2nd edition; M.D. Lowman and H.B. Rinker, eds.). Elsevier/Academic Press, San Diego, CA.

Rinker, H.B. and M.D. Lowman. 2004. Insect herbivory in tropical forests. Pp. 359-386 in Forest Canopies (2nd edition; M.D. Lowman and H.B. Rinker, eds.). Elsevier/Academic Press, San Diego, CA.

Rinker, H.B. and D.M. Jarzen. 2004. The reintegration of wonder into the emerging science of canopy ecology. Pp. 486-500 in Forest Canopies (2nd edition; M.D. Lowman and H.B. Rinker, eds.). Elsevier/Academic Press, San Diego, CA.

Rinker, H.B. 2004. An inordinate fondness for beetles. Tropical News 2 (2): 3.

Rinker, H.B. In press. Forest Canopy. Encyclopedia of Appalachia. East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN.

Rinker, H.B. In review. Links between canopy herbivory and soil decomposition in a Puerto Rican rainforest. Ecology

Rinker, H.B. In preparation. Alpha taxonomy: The world’s oldest profession.

Rinker, H.B. In preparation. The weight of a petal: The role of stewardship for botanical gardens in an age of crisis.

Rinker, H.B., M.D. Lowman, K.A. Ernest, and D.C. Shaw. In preparation. Development of a novel method for assessing stand-level herbivory in forests using the International Canopy Crane Network.

Rinker, H.B. In preparation. Extinction and a model for cultural/ecological transcendence.

Lowman, M.D., H. B. Rinker, M.W. Moffett, and Saul Lowitt. In preparation. Herbivory and leaf attributes in the canopy of tropical rain forests of Cameroon

Rinker, H.B. In preparation. Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) as a possible allelopath in field succession.

2003 - Rinker, H.B. 2003. A forest watered by tears: The plight of native peoples in Amazonia. Pelican Press 34(15): 10A-11A (6 November 2003).

2003 - Rinker, H.B. Walking in Darwin’s footsteps. Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 17 August 2003, Arts & Travel Section.

2002 - Lowman, M.D., M.D. Hunter, H.B. Rinker, T.D. Schowalter, and S.J. Fonte. 2002. Canopy walkways – Highways in the sky. The Global Canopy Handbook: Techniques of Access and Study in the Forest Roof. Global Canopy Programme, Oxford, UK.

2002 - Rinker, H.B. February 2002. The weight of a petal: the value of botanical gardens.www.actionbioscience.org

2002 - Rinker, H.B. Selby scientists explore adding Cuba to Gardens’ Caribbean Initiative. Tropical Dispatch 29(2): 8.

2002 - Rinker, H.B. What is biodiversity? On-line document for a series on the Selby website:www.selby.org.

2002 - Rinker, H.B. What is entomology? On-line document for a series on the Selby website: www.selby.org/index

2001 - Rinker, H.B. (ed.). 2001. Canopy forum. Selbyana 22(2): 232-238.

2001 - Rinker, H.B. The use of a forest canopy walkway for studying habitat selection by neotropical migrants. Selbyana 22(1): 89-96.

2001 - Rinker, H.B. May/June 2001. Halfway between heaven and earth: bird conservation in the treetops. Bird Watcher’s Digest 23(5): 60-64.

2001 - Lowman, M.D., H.B. Rinker, M.D. Hunter, T.D. Schowalter, and S.J. Fonte. Canopy herbivory and soil processes in temperate and tropical forests. P. 433 in Tropical Ecosystems (K.N. Gaenshaiah, R. Uma Shaanker, and K.S. Bawa, eds.). International Conference on Tropical Ecosystems: Structure, Diversity, and Human Welfare, Bangalore, India.

2001 - Rinker, H.B., M.D. Lowman, M.D. Hunter, T.D. Schowalter, and S.J. Fonte. Canopy herbivory and soil ecology: the top-down impact of forest processes. Selbyana 22(2): 225-231.

2000 - Rinker, H.B. November 2000. Conservation from the treetops: environmental action in the emerging science of canopy ecology. www.actionbioscience.org/environment/rinker.html.

2000 - Rinker, H.B. and Barry Walsh. What is conservation? On-line document for a series on the Selby website: www.selby.org/index

2000 - Rinker, H.B. What is photosynthesis … and why is it important to you? On-line document for a series on the Selby website: www.selby.org/index.

2000 - Rinker, H.B. What is a forest canopy … and what are epiphytes doing up there? On-line document for a series on the Selby website: www.selby.org/index

2000 - Rinker, H.B. What is an epiphyte? On-line document for a series on the Selby website: www.selby.org/index

1998 - Lowman, M.D., Robin Foster, Philip Wittman, and H.B. Rinker. 1998. “Herbivory and insect loads on epiphytes, vines, and host trees in the rainforest canopy of French Guiana” in Biologie d’une Canopée de Forêt Équatoriale III: Rapport de la Mission d’Exploration Scientifique de la Canopée de Guyane, Octobre-Décembre 1996. Pro-Natura International, Paris. Pp. 116-128.

1995 - Rinker, H.B., M.D. Lowman, and M.W. Moffett. 1995. Africa from the treetops. American Biology Teacher 57: 393-401.

1994 - Rinker, H.B. 1994. The rainforest canopy: a frontier of exploration for high school students. Selbyana 15: A25.

1993 - Lowman, M.D., M.W. Moffett, and H.B. Rinker. 1993. A technique for taxonomic and ecological sampling in rainforest canopies. Selbyana 14: 75-79.

1993 - Lowman, M.D. and H.B. Rinker. A degree of excellence in biology teaching. Bird Watcher’s Digest, May/June: 110-113.

1992 - Lowman, M.D., M.W. Moffett, and H.B. Rinker. 1992. “Insect sampling in forest canopies: a new method” in Biologie d’une Canopée de Forêt Équatoriale II (Francis Hallé and Olivier Pascal, eds.), Institut Botanique, Montpellier, France. Pp. 41-44.

1988 - Rinker, H.B. July 1988. “Report on collection of sea urchins in Academy Bay, Puerto Ayora, Galápagos after the 1988 oil spill.” Charles Darwin Research Station, Puerto Ayora, Galápagos, Ecuador.

1987 - Rinker, H.B. June 1987. “Report on various studies including ani census, avian pox, nest census of the dark-rumped petrel, and Cinchona eradication.” Charles Darwin Research Station, Puerto Ayora, Galápagos, Ecuador.

1986 - Rinker, H.B. June 1986. “Report on water chemistry throughout the Galápagos archipelago.” Charles Darwin Research Station, Puerto Ayora, Galápagos, Ecuador.

1979 - Rinker, H.B. May 1979. “Mammalian teeth: A way of adaptation.” Wildlife Extension Program, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Washington, DC.

1977 - Rinker, H.B. March 1977. “Deleterious effects of crude oil and the dispersant COREXIT 7664 on mallard ducklings (Anas platyrhynchos).” College of Forestry and Wildlife Resources, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA and Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD.

Collaborations:

Mark Baker (Ecotour Expeditions)
Jim Cronk (Children’s Environmental Trust Foundation)
Luly Duke (Fundacion Amistad)
Kristina Ernest (Central Washington University)
Steven J. Fonte (Oregon State University)
Robin Foster (Field Museum of Chicago)
Giraldo Alayón García (National Museum of Natural History, Havana)
Frances Gatz (Environmental Expeditions)
Jane Goodall (Jane Goodall Institute)
Francis Hallé (University of Montpellier, France)
Mark D. Hunter (University of Georgia)
David M. Jarzen (University of Florida)
Beth Kaplin (Antioch University New England)
Margaret D. Lowman (New College of Florida)
Thomas E. Lovejoy (Heinz Center for Science, Economics, and the Environment)
Saul Lowitt (Marie Selby Botanical Gardens)
Mark W. Moffett (University of California, Berkeley)
Bernard Nkongmeneck (University of Yaoundé, Cameroon)
David Shaw (University of Washington)
Timothy D. Schowalter (Louisiana State University)
Phillip Wittman (University of Florida)
Michelle Zjhra (Georgia Southern University)

Selected Lectures and Presentations:

"Ecology from the treetops":

Jane Goodall International Youth Summit, Millbrook, NY, September 1997
Amazon Conservatory for Tropical Studies (ACTS), Iquitos, Peru, Summers 1995-2001
Brüderhof Foundation, Elka Park, NY, Spring 2000
Antioch University New England, Keene, NH, February 2001
Eagle Audubon Society, Sun City, FL, March 2001
Manatee Orchid Society, Bradenton, FL, May 2001
Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany, NY, Summer 2001
Simons Rock College, Great Barrington, MA, November 2001
Barnes and Noble Bookstore, Sarasota, FL, February 2002
Sertoma Club, Sarasota, FL, April 2002
Friendship Force, Sarasota, FL, April 2002
Ivy League Club, Sarasota, FL, October 2002
Sequel, Sarasota, FL, October 2003
Pine View School, Sarasota, FL, January 2004

"Effects of canopy herbivory on soil microarthropods in a tropical rainforest":

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, Sarasota, FL, May 2001
Antioch University New England, Keene, NH, February 2002, March 2004
Luquillo Experimental Forest, Luquillo, Puerto Rico, February/March 2002
3rd International Forest Canopy Symposium, Cairns, Australia, June 2002
Ecological Society of America, Portland, OR, August 2004

“The High Frontier: Accessing the 8th Continent”

Mycological Society of America, University of North Carolina, Asheville, July 2004

“The reintegration of wonder into the emerging science of canopy ecology”:

3rd International Forest Canopy Symposium, Cairns, Australia, June 2002

“Ecology from the treetops: Secondary education and its global implications”

2nd International Forest Canopy Symposium, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, Sarasota, FL, November 1998

“Canopy mist-netting from an aerial laboratory”

2nd International Forest Canopy Symposium, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, Sarasota, FL, November 1998

“The rainforest canopy: A frontier of exploration for high school students”

1st International Forest Canopy Symposium, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, Sarasota, FL, November 1994

“Conservation in crisis? Global ecology and today’s youth”:

Yacumama Preservation Zone, Iquitos, Peru, Summers 1997-1999
Dutchess County Environmental Management Council, Millbrook, NY, April 1997
Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany, NY, August 1999

“Canopy ecology: A high-priority link between research and education”:

American Association of University Women, Winchester, VA, April 1999
Garfield Park Conservatory, Chicago, IL, July 1999
New York Academy of Sciences, New York, December 1999

“Africa from the treetops”:

Williams College, Williamstown, MA, December 1991
Shenandoah University, Winchester, VA, March 1992
Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, NY, Spring 1992

“Darwin in the treetops: Evolution in the emerging science of canopy ecology”:

Salem State College, Salem, MA, February 2001

“Who was Charles Darwin?”

New College Library Association, Colloquium XII, March 2004

“Canopies and conservation: What we’ve learned and where we go now”:

Orchid Society of Sarasota, March 2001

“Extinction and a model for cultural/ecological transcendence”:

Keynote Address: Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany, NY, August 2001

“Heroism in the sciences”:

Rotary Club, Sarasota, FL, October 2001

“Biomysteries from the Amazon”:

Selby Volunteers Luncheon, February 2002

“Ghoulies, ghosties, and long-leggety beasties: A perspective from the tropics”:

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, Sarasota, FL, October 2001

“The garden within: The kingdoms of life from a cellular perspective”:

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, Sarasota, FL, March 2002

“The land ethic: Aldo Leopold’s living legacy to ecology”

Classes at Selby, April 2002

“Sometimes you’re the bug, sometimes the windshield”:

Leadership Florida Alumni Annual Meeting, Sarasota, FL, June 2003

Additionally, workshops for the New York State Association of Independent Schools; the North American Environmental Educators Association; the National Science Teachers Association; the National Association of Biology Teachers; the Charles Darwin Research Station (Galápagos Islands, Ecuador); the first (1994), second (1998), and third (2002) International Conferences on Forest Canopies (Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, Sarasota, FL and Cairns, Australia); and numerous public and private community organizations.

Films:

2004 - Jules Unlimited, Holland (Spring)
2004 - WEDU Tampa, “Gulf Coast Journal” (Spring)
2001 - New York Times/National Geographic Television (Summer)
1999 - Jason X Project, “Rainforests: A Wet and Wild Adventure” (Spring)
1998 - PBS’s “Live from the Rainforest” (April)
1996 - National Geographic’s “Heroes of the High Frontier” (November)

Scientific Posters:

2004 - “Herbivory Levels in an Old-Growth Douglas-fir/Western Hemlock Forest, Estimated by 3-D Random Sampling from the Canopy Crane” (funded by the Global Canopy Programme, Oxford, UK), K.A. Ernest, D.C. Shaw, H.B. Rinker, and M.D. Lowman, Wind River Canopy Crane Research Facility Annual Scientific Conference, Carson, WA

2002 - “Decomposition of Herbivore-Derived Greenfall: The Potential Influence of Phytophagous Insects on Soil Processes” (funded by Oregon State University and the National Science Foundation), S.J. Fonte, M.D. Hunter, T.D. Schowalter, M.D. Lowman, and H.B. Rinker, Ecological Society of America, Tucson, AZ

1998 - “Canopy Mist-Netting from an Aerial Laboratory” (funded by Millbrook School Science Department, Millbrook, NY), 2nd International Forest Canopy Symposium, Sarasota, FL

Theses and Dissertations:

2000 - D. Krishna Reddy. “Studies on autecology of six butterfly species of Papilionidae.” Doctor of Philosophy, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam (Reader and Adjudicator)

1999 - M. Aruna Kumari. “Present status of biodiversity in eastern Ghats forests of Parvathipuram, Gummalakshmipuram and Kurupam Mandal areas of Vizianagaram District of northern Andhra Pradesh.” Doctor of Philosophy, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam (Reader and Adjudicator)

Other Notable Activities:

2002 to 2004: Parks, Recreation, and Environmental Protection Advisory Council, City of Sarasota (board member); Burns Square Association (board member); Life and Environmental Sciences Cluster Group, Economic Development Committee for the County of Sarasota (member); Friends of Myakka River State Park (member); Science and Environment Council of Sarasota County (member); Science Advisory Committee for G.WIZ, a hands-on science museum (co-chair); Tallahassee-appointed Advisory Committee for the “Myakka River State Park Unit Management Plan, May 2004” (member).

1991 to 1999: Member of Dutchess County (Hudson Valley, NYS) Environmental Management Council; executive committee, environmental education committee; wetlands committee

1976 and 1977: Conducted one year of undergraduate research at Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Laurel, MD on petroleum pollution and waterfowl

1973 to 1975: Taught natural history courses for several summers at the Burgundy Center for Wildlife Studies, Capon Bridge, WV (the nation’s first ecological camp for young people); assistant director, dean of students, and instructor

H. Bruce Rinker, PhD

Personal Statement:

Field Experience:

Professional Experience:

Honors:

Associate, Center For Tropical Ecology and Conservation, Antioch New England

Environmental Education Award, Sarasota County Conservation Committee

Research Associate, TREE Foundation

“Best of the Suncoast 2003,” Weekly Planet Magazine

Fellow of the New York Academy of Sciences

Who’s Who in America

Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers

National Fellow of the Explorers Club

Garnjost Chair in Science and Mathematics, Millbrook School

“Best of the Hudson Valley,” Hudson Valley Magazine

Most Valuable Member, The Wildlife Society, VA TECH Chapter

Research Grants:

National Science Foundation, $59,932 (in review)

National Science Foundation, $74,590 (in review)

Triad Foundation, Inc., $30,000

Southwest Florida Water Management District, $15,000

“Floridostratum: A Program to Monitor the Effects of Forest Canopies on Microclimate and Water Conservation”

Global Canopy Programme, Oxford, U.K., $26,178

Sarasota Bay National Estuary Program, $1000

National Science Foundation, $419,976

“Canopy Herbivory and Soil Processes in a Temperate and Tropical Forest”

Present Position:

Division Administrator

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