Spotlight

Alumna Shannon Bassista Wins BLM Outdoor Education

Shannon Bassista, an alumnus of the Division’s program in Recreation, Parks and Tourism Resources, has been honored with the Bureau of Land Management’s national Outdoor Ethics State Coordinator of the Year Award. Shannon works as a recreation technician for the Bureau of Land Management’s Upper Snake Field Office in Idaho Falls, ID. The award recognizes her outstanding efforts with leading the outdoor ethics program in Idaho and reaching out to the youth, specifically Girl Scouts, with outdoor ethics education.

“It’s an honor to be recognized as the Outdoor Ethics Coordinator of the year,” Shannon said. “I love to teach Leave No Trace and Tread Lightly principles to children because I believe it is important for kids to learn early how to have fun on our public lands while respecting the natural resources.”

“Shannon not only strives in her career to make a difference but also takes that dedication to a new level with her enthusiasm and commitment to promoting outdoor ethics,” said BLM Upper Snake Field Office Manager Wendy Reynolds. “She is an active lead for the program and continually meets and exceeds all the annual commitments required of her as the state coordinator. We are delighted with the opportunities Shannon has provided us to work with young people who will shape the future of public land management.”

Alumnus Designs “TreeID” iPhone Application

TreeID, a successful application for iPhone, was created by Division alumnus Jason Siniscalchi, PhD. Jason holds a doctorate in Forest Resources Management with emphasis in Recreation, Parks and Tourism Resources.

According to the product website, Dr. Siniscalchi “wanted a way to share his research and interest in tree identification with the world for all nature enthusiasts. This app will also be helpful for allergy sufferers who can now easily identify the plants they are allergic to. TreeID allows the user to identify almost any tree in Northern America based upon its name, scientific name, bark, leaf, fruit or location. Because many of us using the app may not know the proper name for identifying particular types of leaves or fruit, the app will walk the user through the various methods of tree identification. The app contains thousands of images, illustrations and notations.”

Dr. Siniscalchi currently resides in southeastern Connecticut, where he works at the Coast Guard Academy.

For more information or to purchase the app, visit
http://www.medlmobile.com/apps/iphone/treeid

Dr. Siniscalchi has also designed “Fish ID” and “Garden ID” Apps:
http://www.medlmobile.com/apps/iphone/fishid
http://www.medlmobile.com/apps/iphone/garden-id