NYSEG’s Paul Paradine Receives Community Recognition Award from Cornell University
Paradine recognized for efforts in Cayuga Lake Basin Osprey Program to protect endangered wildlife
Ithaca benefits from program through economic opportunities
ITHACA, NY — February 5, 2025 — New York State Electric & Gas (NYSEG) employee Paul Paradine is the recipient of the Debra S. Newman ’02 Cornell Tradition Community Recognition Award from Cornell University. This award is given to an individual who demonstrates a strong commitment to service and leadership in a community service setting.
Paradine, NYSEG’s manager of Vegetation Management, spearheaded the Cayuga Lake Basin Osprey program, an initiative that provides safe nesting spaces for local fish-eating ospreys. When the initiative began in 2013, there was only one nesting pair of ospreys in Ithaca. Utilizing his expertise, Paradine created nesting alternatives for the birds that were safer than nesting directly on the arms of utility poles, which posed a fire hazard. Since launching the program, the population of ospreys at the southern end of Cayuga Lake has grown exponentially. Today, there are nearly 200 nests thanks to the program.
”Debra Newman, a graduate of The Cornell Tradition –a program that honors undergraduates committed to paid work, service, and academic excellence –was a Tradition Fellow who embodied these values,” said Jacinta Stark, assistant director of The Cornell Commitment. “She firmly believed that the most effective way to appreciate the importance—and necessity –of applying our best efforts in service to the community was a lesson best learned by interacting with community leaders. In 2002, Debra was killed in a tragic automobile accident while attending law school. Shortly thereafter, The Cornell Tradition Student Advisory Council, a group that plans and implements service opportunities, renamed the Community Recognition Award in her honor. The award committee selected Paul due to his significant contributions to the Ithaca and surrounding communities. They were particularly impressed by his work with the osprey nesting platforms, which they found to be a fascinating and impactful project.”
The Cayuga Lake Basin Osprey program has also expanded beyond its initial scope of benefitting the once-endangered birds. Today, the program serves as an economic driver in Ithaca, with experiences like the Osprey Eco-Cruise and Cayuga Lake Osprey Trail Driving Tour.
“We are proud of Paul and the good that he is doing for our local communities,” said Patricia Nilsen, president and CEO of NYSEG and RG&E. “His efforts to protect the beauty in our nature are in sync with our goals as an organization. Difference-makers like Paul directly benefit the communities and the customers we serve.”
Paul is also an avid volunteer and well-known throughout the local environmental community as a person who proactively looks for opportunities to serve. He is involved in several volunteer committees including, Tompkins County Beautification Brigade, Parks and Natural Resources Commission of Ithaca, City of Ithaca Shade Tree Advisory Committee, New York ReLeaf Committee, and the Town of Dryden Tree Board. He also volunteers with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation as a citizen scientist for the Ithaca bat monitoring project and for the Janet L. Swanson Wildlife Hospital’s wild turtle rehabilitation program.
Paradine will be commemorated on a permanent plaque that resides at the university.
Michael Baggerman