Paul Szmal: It's our Scholastically Speaking segment with our friends from Finger Lakes Community College, and today I'd like to welcome the Muller Field Station Program Manager for Environmental Education and Community Outreach, a very long title. Teresa Petrozynski, how are you this morning?
Guest: Hi Paul, I'm doing well, how are you?
Paul Szmal: Doing well, and great to have you on board this morning to talk about the Muller Field Station, and today happens to be a special day because there's a ribbon-cutting ceremony going on.
Guest: Yes there is, so today is Earth Day, happy Earth Day, but we are celebrating Earth Day by doing a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new bunkhouse that we had constructed this past year. It's a new 24-person bunkhouse, and we also have an expanded parking lot, a new bus loop to better serve students and the larger community.
Paul Szmal: So this project, a big project, how long did it take?
Guest: We started last summer, so it was in June of last year, and we are finishing up right now, so we are very eager to get going and start using it.
Paul Szmal: What's the program going to be for the ribbon-cutting today?
Guest: Yeah, so it's from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. We're going to have some brief speeches by the FLCC President, faculty and staff, and representatives from the Muller Foundations, and then we're going to have brief refreshments, tours of the new bunkhouse, and then tours of our property as well.
Paul Szmal: So for people that may not be familiar with the Muller Field Station, let's give them the information on what it is and what it's about.
Guest: Absolutely, so Muller Field Station is a really unique property. We sit on 48 acres on the south end of Honeyoy Lake, and we have a really diverse habitat. We have both wooded and wetland habitats, you know, supporting a lot of diverse amount of species, both plant and animal life, and we have a lot of learning opportunities for K-12 students, local K-12 students, also homeschool students, and then especially with our connection to Finger Lakes Community College, we serve a lot of college students and community members. So it's neat to be able to have both of those kind of habitats so that you can study in both of those fields while you're there.
Paul Szmal: Absolutely. And this summer, of course, FLCC will be hosting some camps for students as part of what they call their STEAM camp series.
Guest: Yes, so STEAM is really cool. It's science, technology, engineering, art, and math. So you get a whole, you know, intersection of different disciplines in academia, and it's focused for grades six through nine, and it will be on all the different FLCC campuses, Geneva, Newark, Victor, and then Mueller Field Station, which ours will be July 20th to the 24th, and it is STEAM in nature. So it'll be all things about the environment, wildlife identification, watershed building activities. We've got a really cool lineup, so we're excited for that.
Paul Szmal: Yeah, and the camps are for students entering grades six through nine in fall of 2026. I take it the registration information for this would be on the FLCC website, or?
Guest: Yes.
Paul Szmal: Okay, yeah, so we'll give you that website address at the end of the conversation here so you can check that out. Also for high school students, there's a program at the Mueller Field Station, too.
Guest: Yes, so we are piloting a new program this summer. It is called Project High Flow. What High Flow stands for is high schoolers investigating Finger Lakes and Ontario watersheds. This program is focused on introducing high school students interested in the conservation field to the different career pathways, academic pathways, and community partnerships we have in the Ontario County area. So what this is is that it's an eight-day program from August 3rd through August 14th. It includes one culminating overnight experience to kind of celebrate their accomplishments from August 13th to the 14th. It's open to students entering at grades 9th through 12th, and what's really fun about this project is that it's free to attend. There is no cost to the student itself. It is just they have to get to Mueller Field Station, they have to apply, and we do require a letter of recommendation for this. But it's a really exciting program. It's going to be hands-on learning throughout Ontario County watersheds, you know, through the forests and the wetlands, really introducing them to the immersive field that we all work and that we all enjoy. We're going to have a variety of community partnerships through this. It's going to be with Cumming Nature Center, Finger Lakes Land Trust, the Nature Conservancy, New York State Parks, and New York State DEC.
Paul Szmal: So you mentioned that this is a new program. You take it this is going to become a permanent part of the activities at the Mueller Field Station?
Guest: Yes, we hope to continue this each summer.
Paul Szmal: Now what makes all of these events and activities possible at the Mueller Field Station? Is it a grant-based situation?
Guest: Yeah, absolutely. So we are supported by the Mueller Foundations, the Florence and Emil Mueller Foundations, and we are very fortunate to have that relationship with them.
Paul Szmal: All right, so the website is flcc.edu if you want to check out the registration for the week-long camps, that is flcc.edu. And again, there's also information there on the program for high school students that does require the letter of recommendation, which I would guess that would come from a teacher or counselor?
Guest: Yes.
Paul Szmal: Okay, so that's something that parents, you can have your kids get that before they, you know, before too long here because I'm sure slots are going to fill up for this even though the event is in August. Registration will probably fill up quickly for that kind of a program. And I have to imagine that this is a pretty rewarding experience for the people that are there facilitating things to see kids getting not only interested but excited about things like environmental conservation and watershed management.
Guest: Absolutely. We've had a variety of meetings with our community partners and I am left feeling so excited and so passionate about this field. After each meeting we're all really excited to, you know, be able to facilitate these pathways for these children and students that are interested in the conservation field and just continue the work that we're doing.
Paul Szmal: Now is that staffing volunteer-based or is it a combination of volunteers and employees? How does that work?
Guest: Yeah, so it will be myself running it through Mueller and then with an intern with me this summer. I'm a student intern and then it will be the employees of our community partners as well.
Paul Szmal: Wonderful. So this is a real community effort. It's bringing in people from all different organizations, all different walks, if you will, to be a part of this.
Guest: Absolutely.
Paul Szmal: And again, the week-long STEAM Camp Series will be July 20th through the 24th for kids entering grades six through nine in fall of 2026. And the ribbon cutting is today at Mueller Field Station. That is from 11 until one. And again, you can find out more about some of these programs by going to flcc.edu. That's flcc.edu. Teresa, it's been a pleasure. Thank you so much for filling us in on this and let's hope for good weather today. I think you're going to be rain-free for the ribbon cutting.
Guest: Thank you. I think so, too. Fingers crossed.
