The Waterman Fund is pleased to announce that Kimberley S. K. Beal's piece "Climate Change at the Top" is the winner of the first annual Waterman Fund Alpine Essay Contest. A graduate student in the University of Vermont's botany department, Beal's essay centers around her summer of field research on the effect of climate change at treeline in New England. It will be published in the December issue of Appalachia, the Appalachian Mountain Club's biannual journal of mountaineering and conservation, and will appear in the Fund's October newsletter. In addition, Beal will be awarded a $2,000 prize to help her continue to pursue her writing---and to recognize the importance of a new voice addressing northeastern environmental issues.

Will Kemeza's essay "Dark Night on Whitewall" received honorable mention. While Beal's piece looks at the northeast's alpine areas through a scientific lens, Kemeza takes a personal and philosophical approach to seasons spent working in the White Mountains.

Beal's essay can be read online now.

Kemeza's will be made available in November. The number and quality of submissions, especially for the Fund's inaugural contest, impressed the judging panel, and seven other favorites from among the thirty-five pieces received can also be read on the Fund website. Two essays will be posted in August, two in September, and two in October.

Guy and Laura Waterman spent a lifetime reflecting and writing on the Northeast's mountains. The Waterman Fund seeks to further their legacy through selecting annually essays and stories that celebrate the spirit of these areas. The inaugural Waterman Fund Alpine Essay Contest sought pieces by new and emerging writers exploring the relationship between the human spirit and the environment of these northeastern mountains.

The Waterman Fund's objective is to strengthen the human stewardship of the open summits, exposed ridgelines, and alpine areas of the Northeast. In past years, the Fund has supported projects by the Adirondack Mountain Club, Appalachian Mountain Club, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, Dartmouth Outing Club, Green Mountain Club, Randolph Mountain Club, and Acadia National Park.

The Waterman Fund is a 501c(3) non-profit organization. Contributions are tax-deductible.

For more information on the Fund, including how to join the Fund's email list, see other recent news, read funded proposals, learn more about the essay contest guidelines, and find out upcoming events, visit the Fund's web site at watermanfund.org.