Category: Western Resource Fellows

Natural (Green) Infrastructure in Oregon

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Lily was a Financial Analyst Intern with the Natural Infrastructure Initiative at the World Resources Institute (WRI). She researched the relationship between resilient water utilities and environmental health. In particular, Lily’s work centered on the need for more widespread financing and funding opportunities for natural (green) infrastructure projects in Oregon. She researched where utilities are Read more about Natural (Green) Infrastructure in Oregon[…]

An introduction to the wildlife crossing structures that help animals move over and under Highway 93 in the Flathead Reservation, Montana. —Luca Guadagno

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Driving north of Missoula through the Flathead Reservation, vehicles on US Highway 93 pass under a semi-circle arch of a vegetated overpass. Built to facilitate wildlife movement across the busy road, the overpass is a visible reminder that motorists are not the only individuals moving across the landscape. What motorists may not see as they Read more about An introduction to the wildlife crossing structures that help animals move over and under Highway 93 in the Flathead Reservation, Montana. —Luca Guadagno[…]

In Colorado’s San Luis Valley, what happened in Crowley County is something of a ghost story.—Cloe Dickson

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The two communities are not close, at least not geographically. From Alamosa County, the largest city in the San Luis Valley, Crowley County’s namesake town lies some 150 miles to the southeast. La Veta Pass, the route of the old Denver Rio Grande Railroad, offers east-west access through the magnificent Sangre de Cristo mountains, whose Read more about In Colorado’s San Luis Valley, what happened in Crowley County is something of a ghost story.—Cloe Dickson[…]

Seeing the Forest for the (Burnt) Trees: How Salvage Logging in Oregon is Perpetuating Outdated Extractive Approaches to Federal Forestland Management—Shannon Bell

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In late May of 2021, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) approved a plan to log over 900 acres of forestland burned in the Holiday Farm Fire, which swept through the landscape in September of 2020 [1]. As a result of a policy change issued by the Trump administration in late 2020, the BLM is Read more about Seeing the Forest for the (Burnt) Trees: How Salvage Logging in Oregon is Perpetuating Outdated Extractive Approaches to Federal Forestland Management—Shannon Bell[…]

Behind the scenes of LA’s most ambitious water resiliency effort: The Safe, Clean, Water Program—Ryanna Fossum

Posted on by Meghanlata Gupta

Over three years have passed since voters approved Measure W in 2018 to increase water supply, improve water quality, and provide overall community benefits to Los Angeles County.  Now approaching its third funding cycle, the Safe Clean Water Program (SCWP) is confronting more questions than ever about how to invest in the region’s water future.  Read more about Behind the scenes of LA’s most ambitious water resiliency effort: The Safe, Clean, Water Program—Ryanna Fossum[…]

Signing the Colorado Soil Health Bill!—Darya Watnick

Posted on by Meghanlata Gupta

Two days after I landed in Denver to spend a month working and exploring Colorado, Governor Jared Polis signed HB 21-1181, “Concerning the creation of a voluntary soil health program”. It was rewarding and moving to be a part of this culminating ceremony as I have supported this bill and the people working on it Read more about Signing the Colorado Soil Health Bill!—Darya Watnick[…]

Drought in the West: The Consequences of Variable Forage Production for Open-Range Livestock Operations—Scott Carpenter

Posted on by Meghanlata Gupta

During an especially hot and dry summer in Pinedale, Wyoming it’s hard not to reflect on the looming predictions of increasing temperatures and precipitation variability. The two combining to create high-temperature drought conditions, which are becoming more common across the planet. Growing up on the east coast in suburban Virginia, a drought did not mean Read more about Drought in the West: The Consequences of Variable Forage Production for Open-Range Livestock Operations—Scott Carpenter[…]

The importance of a few places and a few organisms: soil methane fluxes in the West—Uthara Vengrai

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Drylands cover about 40% of the world and the vast majority of the American West. They are expansive, diverse places all united by one thing: water limitation. These ecosystems are slow to build up carbon and slow to decompose it, which leaves rich pools of old carbon, the majority of which is stored in the Read more about The importance of a few places and a few organisms: soil methane fluxes in the West—Uthara Vengrai[…]

Impacts of global change and land use on biogeochemical dynamics in Southwestern Wyoming

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Uthara’s research focuses on the interactive effect of global change scenarios and land use practices on soil carbon and nitrogen dynamics in sagebrush ecosystems of the American West. Drylands contain about 20% of the world’s carbon stock, with the majority being held in slow-cycling belowground pools. Despite playing a critical role in the global carbon Read more about Impacts of global change and land use on biogeochemical dynamics in Southwestern Wyoming[…]

Long-term suitability of wildlife crossing structures for species movements across US highway 93 in Western Montana

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Structures that allow wildlife to safely cross highways, including overpasses, landbridges, and wildlife underpasses, are increasingly attracting the attention of organizations that want to minimize wildlife-vehicle collisions and improve road permeability to wildlife movements. Research demonstrates that crossing structures with wildlife exclusion fencing decrease wildlife-vehicle collisions, however questions persist about how to best design structures Read more about Long-term suitability of wildlife crossing structures for species movements across US highway 93 in Western Montana[…]

Perceptions of Water Export in Colorado’s San Luis Valley

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Cloe spendt the summer in Alamosa, Colorado, where she conducted independently-led research on the San Luis Valley’s response to past and ongoing attempts to export water out of the region. The San Luis Valley is a high alpine desert in southern Colorado known for its long and enduring agricultural tradition and as a top national Read more about Perceptions of Water Export in Colorado’s San Luis Valley[…]

Impact of Variable Grazing Pressure and Climate Change on Big Sagebrush Plant Communities

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Associated with rising temperatures, altered precipitation patterns are predicted to create novel climates contributing to changes in the distribution of potential vegetation. This is especially true in drylands across the American West, where the annual distribution of precipitation influences water availability, which is directly related to the competitive advantage of grasses or shrubs. Alongside shifting Read more about Impact of Variable Grazing Pressure and Climate Change on Big Sagebrush Plant Communities[…]

Enhancing working lands in Colorado

Posted on by Meghanlata Gupta

Darya’s main project was facilitating the Colorado Coalition to Enhance Working Lands (CO-CEWL). CO-CEWL works to improve the resilience and productivity of Colorado farming and ranching lands through the creation of viable agricultural businesses and rural communities, protecting open space, and increasing the ecosystem service benefits of working lands. Darya wrote a two-year strategic plan Read more about Enhancing working lands in Colorado[…]

Proposing County Payment Reforms that Incentivize Conservation of Public Forestland

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Shannon worked with Oregon Wild, a non-governmental organization in Oregon dedicated to the conservation of forests and wildlife across the state. She researched and developed an alternate model for the Secure Rural Schools (SRS) legislation, which has provided payments to historically timber-dependent counties in order to support them as timber harvests decline. The aim with Read more about Proposing County Payment Reforms that Incentivize Conservation of Public Forestland[…]

Community-led water resilience in the Los Angeles River Watershed

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Ryanna supported the Council for Watershed Health (CWH) in promoting integrated regional watershed management in the greater Los Angeles region. Her projects included supporting Watershed Coordinators with the Safe Clean Water Program, an initiative that captures and cleans stormwater while generating new opportunities for open space preservation. Ryanna also conducted water sampling and habitat monitoring Read more about Community-led water resilience in the Los Angeles River Watershed[…]