Mary Penney/Stewards Program

Lake Ontario dune steward John Koltz '09, left, talks with shoreline visitors. Koltz is one of 10 stewards working on Lake Ontario and the Salmon River through New York Sea Grant.

A lot of Cornell University students hit the beach this summer for fun and sport. John Koltz also spent his summer on the shore -- promoting a lakeside ecosystem. Koltz is wrapping up his job as a Lake Ontario dune steward, one of 10 stewardships managed by New York Sea Grant this summer. The stewards serve as goodwill ambassadors promoting environmentally sound recreational use of the river and lake areas.

Koltz, of Cortland, N.Y., who is a Cornell rising sophomore majoring in earth systems, is living and working at the Derby Hill Bird Observatory on Lake Ontario.

"The stewards are the first line of communication with the public and can talk about the importance of maintaining strong habitats not only for rare and endangered species, but for everyday backyard wildlife," says Mary Penney, stewards program coordinator. "The public is often surprised to learn that such areas as the Salmon River Falls Unique Area and Lakeview Wildlife Management Area are accessible to them."

New York Sea Grant is a cooperative program of the State University of New York and Cornell. The dune stewards program is also funded in cooperation with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the Nature Conservancy and New York State Parks.