CGHK Lecture Brings Environmentalist Ethan Tapper to SUNY Oneonta on April 29 

By NICOLLETTE HENRIQUEZ
SUNY Institute for Local News
ONEONTA

Environmental author and ecologist Ethan Tapper will bring his perspective on forest stewardship to SUNY Oneonta on Wednesday, April 29 as the featured speaker for this year’s Cornell-Gladstone-Hanlon-Kaufmann Lecture in Environmental Education and Communication. 

Tapper will speak at 7 p.m. in the Hunt Union Ballroom. The lecture is free and open to the public. 

An online educator and bestselling author based in Vermont, Tapper focuses on helping people reexamine their relationships with forests not as pristine landscapes meant to be left untouched, but as dynamic ecosystems shaped by human responsibility and care. 

Rachel Kornhauser, associate director of sustainability at SUNY Oneonta, said Tapper’s work stands out because of how clearly he communicates environmental ideas. 

“It’s not just about the science, it’s about the communication. It’s reaching people beyond what scientists can reach through data,” Kornhauser said. 

Lauren Sultaire, head of the CGHK committee and an assistant professor of geography and environmental sustainability, concurred that Tapper is an especially grounded and relatable public speaker.   

“He does a really phenomenal job of bringing together perspectives of a forester, every day average landowner, and someone who wants to see forests grow and thrive in a changing world.” 

The annual CGHK lectureship, which was established in 2000 with financial support from William and Virginia Kaufmann, brings nationally recognized environmental leaders to the university’s campus each year. The guest speakers engage the Oneonta community on climate action, environmental leadership and sustainability. Tapper’s lecture continues that mission, blending science, storytelling and lived experience. 

Sultaire explained that Tapper “has a strong voice that is current and relevant and motivational and hopeful. To champion those things for good—pragmatic stewardship of forests and our natural environments—is great. I’d like to see more of that.”  

Tapper challenges common assumptions about what healthy forests look like. Rather than promoting the idea that forests should be left alone, he emphasizes stewardship—the idea that thoughtful human involvement can strengthen forest ecosystems. 

His 2025 New England Book Award-winning nonfiction book, “How to Love a Forest: The Bittersweet Work of Tending a Changing World,” explores these themes and encourages readers to think of forests as complex, evolving systems rather than static landscapes. 

“Sometimes when people think of forests, they have almost a romantic image that comes to mind. Trees that are perfectly straight and spaced apart, beautifully manicured landscape,” explains Bryan Picciotto, an assistant professor of communication studies at SUNY Oneonta and a member of the CGHK committee.  

“However, from his perspective, he’s thinking about how forests are messy and complicated and nuanced. Thinking about not just trees but animals and fungi and decaying matters as part of forests as well. When we think about forests, we need to reimagine what’s encompassed in that particular term.”  

Picciotto anticipates that Tapper’s lecture will speak to more than just the environment; it will touch on existential issues.

“Not just the forests, but thinking about the various climate crisis that are unfolding across the globe. How do we care for one another and promote a more just and equitable earthly co-existence,” he said.  

Tapper’s background reflects a hands-on approach to environmental work. He studied forestry at the University of Vermont and served as the Chittenden County forester for the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation from 2016 to 2024. He has also worked as a wilderness guide and public educator, experiences that shape his ability to connect ecological science to everyday life. 

Throughout his work, Tapper encourages people to see themselves as part of the environment, not separate from it. 

“Even choosing to do nothing is still a form of action,” Picciotto said. “We’re always impacting the environment around us, and they’re impacting us.” 

In addition to the evening lecture, Tapper’s visit will include a full day of campus events. At 11 a.m., he will participate in an open discussion at the Morris Conference Center, giving SUNY Oneonta students an opportunity to ask questions and engage directly with his ideas. From 1-2:30 p.m., Tapper will lead a guided walk through the College Camp, offering a hands-on exploration of forest ecosystems.  

“This is the sort of topic and information that’s relevant to people when you live on earth,” Kornhauser emphasized. “He’s talking to all of us, and I think he’ll be approachable to anybody.” 

Together, the day’s events aim to move participants from conversation to action by encouraging deeper reflection on how individuals interact with the natural world and their responsibility within it.  

“This would be a great opportunity for folks to rally together as a community around environmental issues and hopefully make a difference,” Picciotto shared. “He’s encouraging us as people to have stronger relationships with the environment. And to think of ourselves as embedded in the ecosystems.”  

As April’s Earth Month celebrations bring renewed attention to environmental issues, Tapper’s visit offers a timely opportunity for the Oneonta community to reflect and engage. His visit is a centerpiece of the university’s Green Dragon Weeks, a series of events highlighting sustainability and environmental action that run from April 18 through May 2.  

Kornhauser encourages participants to “make decisions that reflect that understanding of wholeness.” 

“You’ll leave feeling empowered!” predicated Sultaire. 

This story was created by student reporters through the OnNY Community Media Lab, a program of SUNY Oneonta and the SUNY Institute for Local News.