River may become wildlife refuge

Representatives from the National Fish and Wildlife Service visited Dartmouth earlier this month to present their proposal for a new comprehensive fish and wildlife refuge on the Connecticut River and to seek help from students in environmental studies classes. Larry Bandelin, a biologist; Norman Olson, a landscape architect; and Beth Goettel, a wildlife biologist, presented the Connecticut River Planning Project to students in Environmental Studies 50 and 73. Students taking Environmental Studies 50, "Environmental Policy Formation," may be able to help in the establishment of the proposed refuge by collecting data, said Environmental Studies Professor Doug Bolger, who teaches the class this term. The general topic for the course is defined by the professor, but the agenda is shaped by the interests of the enrolled students, Bolger said. The Fish and Wildlife Service has been conducting an extensive public outreach project to share its plan with inhabitants of the Connecticut River basin and involve them in the process.