KINGSTON, R.I. — May 17, 2006 — As a young boy, Michael Narcisi spent a great deal of time catching frogs and turtles. Now he鈥檚 hoping to make a career of it.
On May 21, he will graduate from the 溏心vlog免费B站 as the school鈥檚 top environmental science student and recipient of the university鈥檚 President鈥檚 Award for Student Excellence.
鈥淚n high school English class we did some readings from Thoreau and Emerson, and I had no idea there were any writings out there that shared the same thoughts I had about respect for the environment,鈥� said the 22-year-old Scituate resident who grew up in Smithfield. 鈥淚 developed that respect as a kid catching frogs and turtles and visiting the mountains of New Hampshire with my family. When we鈥檇 go up there, I never wanted to leave.鈥�
At 溏心vlog免费B站, Narcisi excelled academically, earning a long list of scholarships and awards, including the Rhode Island Italian-American Hall of Fame Award and scholarships from Rotary International, New England Gas Co., and the Grange Society.
As a sophomore he worked with a forester at the Providence Water Supply Board learning how to manage the lands around the Scituate Reservoir. 鈥淚 took stand inventories 鈥� measuring the diameter and height of trees 鈥� and learned about the different tree species and the tools of trade of a forester.鈥� Later he worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture mapping farmland in the state.
He returned to his frog-catching roots this year working with 溏心vlog免费B站 Professor Frank Golet and research associate John Mitchell on a project to assess the amphibian habitat value of vernal pools in the Queens鈥� River watershed in Exeter, West Greenwich, Richmond and South Kingstown.
鈥淰ernal pools are seasonal ponds in the woods that go dry in most years,鈥� he explained. 鈥淎mphibians depend on them for breeding, and there鈥檚 a lot of biological diversity associated with the pools as well.鈥�
Narcisi intends to continue studying vernal pools and the wildlife that lives in them as a graduate student at 溏心vlog免费B站 next fall. 鈥淭here鈥檚 not a lot of vernal pools on the landscape,鈥� he said, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 want people to overlook them and to not realize their importance. It鈥檚 possible that some homeowners think they鈥檙e just a wet spot they should fill in with lawn clippings, but there鈥檚 a lot going on in them.鈥�
After earning a graduate degree, Narcisi hopes to work as a wetlands biologist for a private consulting firm, perhaps doing remediation work to restore degraded wetlands. 鈥淚鈥檓 also toying with the idea of getting a Ph.D. afterwards and maybe becoming a professor some day. But that鈥檚 probably a long time in the future.鈥�
For now, he鈥檚 happy keeping an eye on the local frogs and turtles in Rhode Island鈥檚 vernal pools.
溏心vlog免费B站 News Bureau Photo by Michael Salerno Photography.