To meet the challenges of climate change and make progress on lagging large-scale sustainability and watershed goals requires an integrated social-ecological approach to natural resource planning on the ground-level. This case study of a small equestrian farm in the Chesapeake Bay watershed incorporates theory with practice, by adding interviews focused...
Wastewater treatment plants around the world are becoming increasingly at risk of sea level rise impacts as these facilities are typically located in low-lying areas to utilize gravity flow for influent (incoming sewage) and effluent (discharged treated sewage). As these risks become realized, treatment plant managers and decision-makers must know...
Wetland habitats are disappearing at an alarming rate and research is finding that establishment and creation of wetland habitat is generally unsuccessful. Typical mitigation strategies in the past have created multiple small isolated wetlands with little functioning habitat. Within Washington State, guidance and research recommends utilizing mitigation banks to compensate...
The Endangered Species Act (ESA) is one of the strongest pieces of legislation enacted for the protection of imperiled species in the United States but has often spurred controversy among resource users for its emphasis on species protection and recovery above all other resource uses. In recent years, the Section...
River ecosystems throughout the arid southwestern U.S. are imperiled. Water management infrastructure, climate change, unsustainable water use, and political conflict harm the region's aquatic and riparian ecosystems. This case study surveys one such desert river, an endemic fish species, and conservation efforts in southwestern Utah. The analysis focuses on the...
Eelgrass (Zostera marina) provides critical ecosystem functions and services and is a vital biogenic habitat on Washington’s marine aquatic reserves but its placement at the land-sea interface leaves it vulnerable to multiple environmental and anthropogenic stressors. In this study, published scientific literature is examined to identify thresholds of environmental stressors...
I conducted a field study using gray wolf and mountain lion urine to investigate white-tailed deer and mesopredator behavioral responses to novel predator cues in a natural setting and to see if any changes in wildlife activity correspond to changes in the local biodiversity of a wetland environment. I created...
Purpose:
Natural resources education and extension is at the intersection of diverse disciplines, where effective practice and policy decisions rely on the impartial evaluation and synthesis of multiple sources of information. This investigation examines contemporary information sources describing attributes of Oregon family forest owners, with the objectives of identifying potential...
Ensuring sustainable development is a growing societal concern, providing rationale to examine the current role and efforts towards implementing sustainable building initiatives within the United States. Sustainable building initiatives refer to the design, operation, and maintenance of a building while considering its conservation efforts and pollution reduction performance. These initiatives...