Dr. Steven Michael Bartell, Owner/President
The Golf Ecosystem™
7610 Morgantown Road
Greenback, Tennessee 37742
Tel: (865) 271-8107
E-mail: gcc@thegolfecosystem.com

Dr. Bartell provides more than 30 years of professional experience in the environmental sciences. Trained as a systems ecologist and ecological modeler, Bartell has worked in both the public and private sectors on diverse strategic environmental issues including global carbon dynamics, ecosystem sustainability, and adaptive environmental management. He has demonstrated experience in assessing ecological risks posed by habitat degradation, invasive species, and potentially toxic chemicals. He has authored more than 120 technical books and publications.

Dr. Bartell participated in the Golf & Environment Summit meetings and contributed to the development of Environmental Principles for Golf Courses in the United States. Steve's perspectives on golf ecosystems are perhaps best summarized in his contribution to Mike Klemme's, A View from the Rough. Golf courses and their associated facilities constitute highly managed ecological systems that can be operated in an organized and integrated manner to maximize their ecological benefits. Concepts and methods borrowed from ecosystem science and industrial ecology can be usefully merged and applied in managing these complex systems.

Early environmental efforts focused rightly on the golf course proper. Now it is vital to take the next step and include the club house, practice areas, maintenance facility, aquatic center, tennis center, equestrian center and other grounds within the property boundary in a holistic evaluation of the operational footprint of the golf ecosystem.

Education:

• 1978, Ph.D., Oceanography and Limnology, University of Wisconsin
• 1973, M.S., Botany (plant ecology), University of Wisconsin
• 1971, B.A., (Magna cum laude) Biology, Lawrence University

Professional Experience:

• 2004 – continuing, Principal Scientist and Manager, E2 Consulting Engineers, Inc.
• 1998 – 2004, Principal, The Cadmus Group, Inc., Maryville, TN
• 1992 – 1998, Vice President, SENES Oak Ridge, Center for Risk Analysis
• 1984 – continuing, Adjunct faculty, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN
• 1980 – 1992, Research Staff Scientist, Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN
• 1978 – 1980, Senior Scientist, Institute of Ecology, University of Georgia

Relevant Project Experience:

• U.S. Department of Agriculture.  Developed a conceptual framework and operational model to assess reduction of risk of exotic species invasions afforded by alternative wood treatment technologies.  The risk-reduction model is national in scope and simulates probabilities of exotic pest establishment via the solid wood packing material pathway at ports and airports. The model explicitly addresses uncertainty in model input values and performs a sensitivity analysis to identify key sources of imprecision in model results.
• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.  Developed a risk-based decision model to assist the Corps in evaluating the human safety, infrastructure, and environmental implications of alternative engineering designs for renovation of Lock and Dam 3 on the Upper Mississippi River.  The event-oriented model characterizes risks and benefits, including environmental impacts, in a probabilistic framework.  The interactive computer application also provides for sensitivity and uncertainty analysis of model results to identify critical input variables.     

Selected Publications:  (from 120)

• Dale, V., S. Bartell, R. Brothers, and J. Sorenson. 2004. A systems approach to environmental security. EcoHealth 1:119-123.
• Bartell, S.M. 2003. Effective use of ecological modeling in management: the toolkit concept, pp. 211-220. In, Dale, V.H. (Ed.), Ecological Modeling for Resource Management. Springer-Verlag, Berlin..
• Bartell, S.M., and S.K. Nair. 2003. Establishment risks for invasive species. Risk Analysis 24:833-845.
• Bartell, S.M., R.H. Gardner, and R.V. O’Neill.  1992.  Ecological Risk Estimation.  Lewis Publishers, Inc., Chelsea, Michigan.  233 p.