University for his doctorate in natural resources management. 



It was at Syracuse where he met Murray, a master's student who 

 joined him on a research project. "He was really my mentor on that 

 project," Murray says. 



To begin his career, Voiland responded to a Cornell University posting 

 for a Sea Grant extension specialist on the Great Lakes. He had seen 

 specialists in the field, and thought: "That looks like the 'funnest' job." 



He got the job and was stationed at SUNY Brockport on Lake 



LEFT TO RIGHT: VOILAND EMPHASIZES A PDINT AT THE CdSEE-SE MEETING. • THE CDSEE BOARD ALSO INCLUDES KAREN 



Dawkins of East Carolina University, far left, and MaryAnn Brittian, far right, of the N.C. Museum of Natural 

 Sciences. • Sizemdre explains lab facilities at UNCW. 



Ontano. "I loved that job," he says. "I was extending university research 

 information — and constantly learning about coastal communities." 



In one case, Voiland worked closely with researchers and stakeholders 

 to determine the movement of salmon and trout — new fisheries to the area 

 because of stocking programs. But what he read in textbooks regarding 

 freshwater lakes did not fit with what he and others saw on this Great Lake. 



'To help the shoreline economy, charter boat captains and 

 recreational anglers needed to figure out where those fish would be during 

 different seasons," he says. Combining research and extension, Voiland 

 concluded that Lake Ontario's spnng "thermal bar" and other temperature- 

 related water features were keys to tracking the whereabouts of salmonids. 



"The thermal bar sets up, and then moves offshore," he explains. Thus 

 anglers could look for temperature changes as clues to find fish. 



"Now with coastal observations, you can go to a Web site and apply 

 that information," he says, adding that he is eager to see how offshore 

 anglers in North Carolina use similar real-time Web resources. 



In 1 1 years as a specialist, he was most proud of efforts to improve 

 waterfront access, including organizing Rochester's first Harbor Forum. 



In 1977, the city's traditional commercial/industrial waterfront was 

 getting run down as the harbor's bulk products business declined. "The city 

 didn't know what opportunities to promote," Voiland recalls. 



He was eager to help city, county and local leaders explore options of 

 a revitalized harborfocused on sportfishing and recreation. The change was 

 not immediate, but a decade later, businesses and local governments had 

 taken major steps in that direction. 



For many years, Voiland was the captain of E/V Ontario, an 

 educational vessel donated by the marine trades industry. "It was a tool 



for his educational programming," explains Dale Baker, current extension 

 program leader for New York Sea Grant. 



"He gets a lot of credit forgetting the charter industry going," Baker 

 adds, citing Voiland efforts to "professionalize" the industry by offering 

 educational programs on safety, as well as emerging onboard technologies. 



In 1 988, Voiland would be offered a position at Cornell to become 

 New York Sea Grant's extension program leader— to guide the staff not only 

 along the Great Lakes, but also in the manne regions. 



But before 

 he left his Great 

 Lakes post, 

 lawmakers 

 recognized his 

 extension work 

 i n State of New 

 York Legislative 

 Resolution, Senate 

 No. 489, which, 

 in part, notes: 



... Dr. 

 Michael 

 P. Voiland 

 distinguishes 

 himself as a 

 gifted individual, 



generously and enthusiastically participating in the countless endeavors, and 

 ... whereas, Dr. Michael P. Voiland possesses that rare combination of 



temperament, intellect, dedication and energy that all who have worked with him 



have come to respect and admire; . . . 



... now therefore be it resolved that this Legislative Body pause in its 



deliberations to honor and congratulate Dr. Michael P. Voiland... 



Identifying Impacts 



From his new office at Cornell, it would be a six-hour drive southeast 

 to the tip of Long Island, a four-hour dnve west to Fredonia near Lake Erie, 

 and another five-hour dnve northeast to locations along the St. Lawrence 

 River. 



"It is a large program and very spread out," Voiland says, recalling 

 days before e-mail and video conferencing. "There was a challenge in 

 making the staff members feel like one staff." 



Under Voiland's leadership, extension staff members took new 

 perspectives on theirroles. "Ratherthan a two- or three-county focus, 

 he encouraged them to move to broader regional programming," Baker 

 explains. 



When Bob Malouf moved from director of New York Sea Grant to 

 director of Oregon Sea Grant, Voiland stepped in as interim director during 

 the search process, a job he held again a few years later. 



By 1 994, Voiland determined he especially enjoyed sharing the 

 program's "success stories" with officials on the state and federal level. He 

 requested a five-month leave from Sea Grant to work in Cornell's Office of 

 Governmental Affairs. 



Continued 



Coastwatch I Autumn 2006 I www.ncseagrant.org 15 



