LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION commemorating the 100th Anniversary of SUNY
College of Environmental Science and Forestry Ranger School

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to recognize and
commend those exemplary institutions of higher education within the
State of New York for their enduring commitment to the pursuit of
academic excellence; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern and fully in accord with its long-
standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to commem-
orate the 100th Anniversary of SUNY College of Environmental Science and
Forestry Ranger School, to be observed at the Centennial Celebration on
Saturday, August 4, 2012, at the Ranger School Campus in Wanakena, New
York; and
WHEREAS, In 1912, the Rich Lumber Company offered 1800 acres of cut-
over forest land near the hamlet of Wanakena, New York, to the recently
founded College of Forestry in Syracuse; and
WHEREAS, The College of Forestry, now the State University of New York
College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF), was to use
this land to establish a Ranger School, whose mission was to fill the
gap between the average woodsmen and the professionally trained fores-
ter; and
WHEREAS, In August of that year, the first Ranger School faculty and
students arrived at the site along the banks of the Oswegatchie River as
it flows into Cranberry Lake; and
WHEREAS, These pioneers built the school's first buildings and bore
unimaginable hardships as they created an educational institution in the
midst of a vast wilderness; the first class graduated in December 1913;
and
WHEREAS, Since it was established one hundred years ago, The Ranger
School has trained nearly 4,000 students and earned a national reputa-
tion for excellence; and
WHEREAS, The mission of the SUNY-ESF Ranger School is to develop lead-
ers in the application of forestry, natural resources, and land survey-
ing technology by providing highly respected educational programs and
opportunities in a unique environment; and
WHEREAS, The now 2,800 acre campus, located in the heart of the six
million acre Adirondack Park, supports the field-based education which
is a hallmark of the Ranger School experience; and
WHEREAS, The Ranger School offers A.A.S. degrees in Forest Technology,
Land Surveying Technology, and Environmental and Natural Resource
Conservation; and
WHEREAS, The program is administered by, and is an integral part of,
SUNY-ESF's Department of Forest and Natural Resources Management; and
WHEREAS, This unique model of a single professional faculty offering
all levels of study from technical through postdoctoral emphasizes the
teamwork approach to forest resource science and management espoused by
the faculty; and
WHEREAS, The Ranger School is nationally recognized for the quality of
its technical education programs; and
WHEREAS, Today, the Forest Technology program proudly stands as the
oldest existing such program in the nation; and
WHEREAS, As SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry Ranger
School celebrates its 100th Anniversary, it stands in fulfillment of the
proud legacy of its namesake and is poised for success for many years to
come; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 100th Anniversary of SUNY College of Environmental
Science and Forestry Ranger School; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry Ranger
School.