Jim said: "If the (Ithaca) Dept of Entomology wants to "own" the assets of value to beekeeping, such as the Dyce Lab, and the intellectual property created from it, but without having the obligation to use them in the manner for which they were bought and paid for, then what can they (legally) do with any of it? The State of NY owns these assets, not Cornell itself." ....and then he said: "When did Cornell decide that they could just take stuff that was paid-for, and use it as they please, rather than in the manner it was entrusted to them?"

Jim, Cornell and NYS are the same for this issue.  They operate jointly.

Who do you think has been financially responsible on an annual basis for Dyce after the initial outlay of funds, which is now decades past and gone?  Who pays for ongoing staffing, and who has paid for facilities maintenance through those decades since Dyce was established?  When Calderone retired, and the Entomology department had an opportunity to consider what the current major concerns in Entomology should be in hiring a replacement...why do you think they had any continuing obligation to NYS apiculture?  They have paid many times over in personnel costs alone for the Dyce facility .  The State facility at Cornell does not operate on historical precedent, they operate based on who is currently paying to keep things functioning.  There is no one currently writing apiculture grants, apparently, to bring in money that can drive how Dyce is (or if it is) operated.

I say that we are lucky to have any attention paid, at all, to NYS apiculture at this point.  The state association (ESHPA) has a duty to pursue funding for apiculture research at Cornell (or other NY university) through the NYS legislature and by other means, and if they don't, well...why should Cornell continue to fork over money to keep Dyce open?  Who will work there, and what is the expected outcome?  What is the plan?  What do you think Cornell should be doing, and how do you think it should be paid for?

Christina

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