Jane Conroe, Chair Jane Conroe is a retired middle and high school science teacher. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in chemistry from Kent State University and a Masters of Education in chemistry from SUNY Fredonia. She has served the Chautauqua County region through both volunteer and professional involvement which focused on the ecology of Chautauqua Lake and the needs of the county’s watersheds. She and her husband, Doug, have monitored the quality of Chautauqua Lake as volunteers for the New York State Citizens Statewide Lake Assessment Program since its beginnings in 1987. Jane has served on the Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy and the Audubon Community Nature Center Board of Directors and currently serves as Vice-Chair of the Conewango Creek Watershed Association. “Protecting the water, protects the future well-being of the people as well as the economy of the Conewango watershed. The Consortium is that voice for our region.”
Melanie Smith, Co-founding Member
Melanie was born and raised in Western New York, where ample time spent outdoors nurtured a strong appreciation for the natural world and cultivated her curiosity about ecological processes. Driven by her desire to better understand and to help protect our living planet, she pursued an education in the natural sciences, earning a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science from the State University of New York at Fredonia and a Master’s degree in Biological Oceanography from North Carolina State University. Melanie shares her knowledge and passion through the biology, earth, and environmental science courses as an adjunct instructor at SUNY Jamestown Community College. She is the Program Director at the Lakewood Memorial Library. Melanie is mother to a teen-age son, keeper of a menagerie of adopted animals and continues to explore the outdoors whenever possible.
Twan Leenders is a biologist from The Netherlands interested in animal ecology and conservation management. For more than twenty-five years his work with birds, mammals, plants and especially tropical amphibians and reptiles has taken him to various places on the planet. As the Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy’s Director of Conservation, Twan applies his experience to our region and develops new natural history research and education initiatives that aim to spark increased awareness of our area’s exceptional flora and fauna. He has authored five books for Cornell University Press, and has written numerous magazine and journal articles. Twan is also an avid nature photographer and is happiest exploring the woods, camera in hand, to document and celebrate the fascinating biological diversity that exists right under our noses.
Debbie Moore, Treasurer & Finance Chair
Deborah E. Moore (Debbie) is a CPA with an MBA from the University at Buffalo. She is currently the Executive Director at the Chautauqua Foundation. Previously she worked in manufacturing accounting at Truck-Lite Co. and public accounting at Buffamante Whipple Buttafaro, P.C. Debbie has been Treasurer of the Chautauqua Lake Association (CLA) for many years and is currently the CLA representative on the board of the Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy. She lives in Bemus Point with her husband and two sons. Debbie’s love for the lake is what drew her back to the region, where she and her family enjoy just about every lake activity there is, as well as fishing, hiking, and simply playing in the surrounding creeks.
Jill Singer, Science Review Chair
Jill is a geologist interested in the transport and deposition of sediments. She has a M.A. and Ph.D. from Rice University where she investigated glacial marine sediments in the bays and fjords of the northern Antarctic Peninsula. Jill is a SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor and for the past 34 years has taught in the Earth Sciences Department at SUNY Buffalo State. In collaboration with undergraduate students and colleagues, she has conducted investigations of the hydrodynamic processes occurring in the Buffalo River, designated as one of the Great Lakes Areas of Concern. Her experiences include projects funded by the National Science Foundation, USEPA, and the US Department of Justice Environment and Natural Resources Division. Jill has been actively involved in restoration efforts of the Buffalo River, including serving on technical committees for the Buffalo River Remedial Action Plan and the Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper.
Ruth Wahl, Editorial Chair
Ruth Wahl was born in Lakewood, New York, and, after many years, has returned to her home town. Retiring after more than 30 years as a high school science teacher, she has continued her career in education as a Special Studies Instructor at Chautauqua Institution and as a volunteer for the Literacy Volunteers of Chautauqua County. She has also been an adjunct instructor at JCC- Cattaraugus County Campus and serves on the board of the Jamestown Branch of the American Association of University Women. She has a bachelor’s degree in Geology from SUNY Geneseo and a master’s in Science Education from St. Bonaventure University. The knowledge that water is essential to all life, and thus must be protected and preserved, has led her to serve on the editorial board of the Chautauqua Conewango Consortium.
Janis Bowman lives in Ashville, NY with her husband, Dan. She is a retired Professor of Biology and taught at Jamestown Community College for over 30 years where she served as the Environmental Science Program Coordinator, Sustainability Committee Co-Chair, Tree Committee Chair, and Earth Awareness Club Co-Advisor. Jan received both her B.S. and M.S. degrees in Biology from SUNY Fredonia, and she has conducted research on Chautauqua Lake for several years, which resulted in a journal publication and facilitated years of educating JCC students on how to conduct research. Jan loves gardening, fishing, and sharing her passion for the natural world with her students, family, and friends.
Jonathan Townsend grew up near Olean, New York, where he developed a lifelong love and passion for the natural world. His fascination with ecological relationships led him to pursue a BS degree in environmental science and an MS degree in biology, both from SUNY Fredonia, before moving on to the University at Buffalo. Jonathan has worked on environmental projects with various state and local municipalities, private environmental consultants, and non-profits; he specializes in bat biology and conservation. He was recently awarded a doctorate from the Department of Geography at the University at Buffalo, where he studied bat biogeography, assessed the conservation status of bats in Chautauqua County, and investigated the potential for impacts on bats associated with plastic pollution. He also co-owns and operates Royal Fern Nursery, a native plant nursery, with his wife. Jonathan wishes to serve as a voice for water protection because of the ecological, scenic, and socioeconomic/cultural value that clean water brings to Earth
Vance Kaloz has been fishing Chautauqua Lake and Western Pennsylvania for 35 years. It is where he learned to fish and discovered his passion for muskies, which is exclusively what he fishes for.
Vance charters most of his days on Chautauqua, but during the months of April and May, he takes clients out on Pymatuning reservoir, Conneaut Lake, and other inland Pennsylvania lakes. Vance is on the water, He is active from April through December, chartering for 285 days out of the year, which amounts to 360 charter trips annually. Vance is known as the hardest worker in the industry. He remains focused on the job every day, is disciplined, and never gives up on getting his clients muskies. He studies the body of water and the fish behavior, knowing exactly where to go and what techniques to use to get action.
Vance’s accomplishments in his chartering career are unmatched. Due to Vance’s work ethic, he has accomplished record-setting numbers and sizes of muskies from Western PA and Chautauqua Lake, that have only been bested by himself and clients. He is well-known in the musky industry. Vance has been published in Musky Hunter Magazine and Muskies Inc. yearly. He and his client were even featured in the USA Today involving a fall musky hunt. He has been published in muskie books across the nation. He participates in seminars during the off-season to share his passion for musky education.
Most importantly, Vance takes pride in educating clients and helping them catch muskies. He has an unrivaled determination in the industry. His clients come first, always!
Bob Wooler has been an Executive Director and board member at nonprofit agencies throughout the mid-Atlantic and New England for the past 44 years and is principal of his own nonprofit writing consultancy. He has earned degrees from Colgate, Yale, and Brandeis Universities. A resident of Maple Springs, Bob brings a passion for the environment and for communications and marketing to the work of the Consortium in hopes of mobilizing forces to sustain a healthy future for our region.
Ron Keeney is a 3-year resident of Chautauqua County. He has been a long-time resident of Warren County and has always had an interest in environmental issues. He has a B.S. from Buffalo State College in Information Systems Management and has taken Environmental Science courses at Jamestown Community College. He also holds a MS Ed from Edinboro, specializing in Earth/Space Science, General Science, and Social Sciences. He has completed all his coursework for the MA in Social Sciences degree from Edinboro as well. Ron has taught various courses at SUNY Alfred State College and at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford since 2001. He has also taught for the Warren County, Bradford Area, and Corry Area School Districts. Ron has kayaked, canoed, hiked, and biked many of the trails and waterways within and around the watershed which gives him the drive to see local wilderness preservation efforts and encourage local sustainable practices which enhance the beauty and wonder of this area. Ron is also a member of the North Country Trail Association, Audubon Community Nature Center, Warren Players, Warren County Historical Society, Warren Library Association, and Allegheny Center for the Arts, where he also teaches photography. He has served for many years on the Allegheny River/Reservoir/Conewango Creek planning committees and the Women’s Outdoor Workshops planning committee, where he has taught several classes including photography and cast iron cooking. Ron became interested in the CCWA through his volunteer work as a teacher naturalist at the Warren County Conservation District.
Founding Advisors: John Dilley, Dustin Nelson, Sherri Mason, Michael Koscher, and Jeanne Wiebenga.