For his keen detective work on the causes of death to New York’s wildlife, state wildlife pathologist Ward Stone has received a special award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs commended the seasoned scientist for the quality of his research, which has led to restrictions being placed on diazinon and other pesticides linked to bird and animal deaths.

ÒTo your credit, these data have been used and continue to be used in many of the agency’s (evaluations of risk) for individual pesticides,Ó said a letter from Elizabeth Leovey, acting director of the EPA’s Environmental Fate and Effects Division. ÒYour data has been of the highest quality.Ó

Recently, Stone has been at the forefront of the state’s West Nile virus response plan. His laboratory in Delmar is where birds suspected of carrying the virus are autopsied.

StoneÕs tracking of the West Nile virus recently led to another discovery Ñ that many birds statewide are dying of pesticides, including rat poisons. Other important findings in his 31-year career include research that showed that Amtrak trains were killing bald eagles.

ÒThis (award) will further motivate me to keep going and increase our efforts to identify and document the environmental hazards decimating bird populations and other wildlife,Ó said Stone.

Article appeared in the Times Union in the Capital Region Section, Page: B7 on Thursday, September 27, 2001 and was written by Dina Cappiello, Staff writer

Printed in the October/November, 2001 Newsletter