The Raymond Falconer Natural History Lectures

The Falconer Lectures are the University at Albany's longest running public science lecture series that were started by Ray when he worked as site manager of the ASRC Whiteface Mountain Field Station in the early 1960's. The original lectures were held in the summer at the Marble Mountain Lodge facility and in 1973, Falconer expanded the lectures to a spring series held on the campus of The University at Albany.

At the beginning of each lecture, Ray would provide a brief weather forecast and discussion, and quickly became known as "The Dean of Weather Forecasting". Sometime in the 1970's, Gertrude S. Thompson, an environmentalist with a keen interest in weather and also a regular attendee of the Falconer lectures, became a close friend of Ray's and made a bequest and established The Ray Falconer Endowed Chair at the University at Albany.

The Summer 2026 Lecture Series

Attend in-person at ASRC's Whiteface Mountain Field Station,
110 Marble Mountain Lane, Wilmington, NY 12997
Lectures start promptly at 7PM

July 7, 2026

Dr. Aubrey Hillman, Associate Professor, Department of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, University at Albany

"Using Lake Sediments to Reconstruct Past Climate Change and Human Activities"

Adirondack lakes have undergone substantial changes over the past century due to atmospheric, watershed, and climatic pressures. Sediment cores from the bottom of these lakes record these, and other changes, over several thousands of years, providing context beyond human lifespans and historical records. To understand how lakes have responded to past human activities and how they might respond to future climate change, we collected sediments from 4 lakes in the northeastern section of the park and analyzed their geochemical profiles. Deposition of metals like lead follow a consistent pattern across the Adirondack region, associated with industrial activity and atmospheric pollution. Many lakes also experienced early enrichment linked to local disturbances such as logging, mining, railroad construction, and large fires. However, all of the lakes we studied exhibited a complete recovery from these disturbances, and the positive impact of the Clean Air Act is clearly recorded in the cores. Despite this remarkable recovery, climate warming of the last 50 years has intensified and begun to impact the lakes, changing stratification patterns, nutrient recycling, and primary productivity.

July 21, 2026

Scott McKim, Science Manager at Whiteface Mountain Field Station, Atmospheric Sciences Research Center

"Watching the Mountain: Science and Environmental Change at Whiteface"

Whiteface Mountain is more than a landmark—it’s a living laboratory for understanding how our environment is changing. This talk will highlight ongoing science initiatives and monitoring efforts at the Whiteface Mountain Field Station, showing how researchers are using long-term observation to better understand weather patterns, seasonal change, and shifts in the surrounding landscape.

We’ll explore how simple, consistent measurements taken over time can reveal important trends, and how this information helps us better understand the world around us. The presentation will also touch on how the station connects to larger scientific efforts across the region, and why places like Whiteface play an important role in tracking environmental change.

August 4, 2026

Joelee Tooley, Research Support Specialist, NY Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Cornell University | Coordinator, Snapshot NY Project

"Snapshot NY, A Citizen Science Project"

Traditional methods of landscape-scale mammal monitoring can be costly, time-consuming, and labor-intensive. The use of non-invasive methods, such as trail cameras, has alleviated some of these barriers; however, the extent to which they can be maintained by state agencies remains a challenge. The need for a more efficient method of data collection, as well as a larger and more spatially representative dataset has led to the development of a hybrid approach for monitoring wildlife in New York State. The New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has systematically surveyed mammals primarily on state-owned lands; however, over 60% of New York State is privately owned. To survey the state more broadly and overcome sample size hurdles, a citizen science project, Snapshot NY, was developed to bridge this data gap and estimate trends in wildlife population metrics. To date, Snapshot NY has recruited over 800 participants across the state to host trail cameras and has collected more than 6 million images through its web-based platform!

August 18, 2026

Rebecca Duell and Tyler Danzig, Meteorologists, National Weather Service, Burlington VT

"Intro to the National Weather Service and Outlook for the Fall/Winter 2026 Season"

Learn about your local Weather Service Office in Burlington, Vermont, and the mission of the National Weather Service. Also, get a sneak peek at what is expected weather wise this Fall and Winter.

Full Color Brochure of this Summer's Lectures with abstract: 2026 BROCHURE

Full Color Brochure Past Falconer Lectures:
• 2025 BROCHURE
• 2024 BROCHURE
• 2023 BROCHURE