Assessing Climate Change Impacts to Waterways Near National Parks in the West
National Parks Conservation Association
Humna is working with the water conservation team at National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) to assess anthropogenic threats to western waterways that run through or close to national parks. Recent policy rollbacks in legacy environmental laws, including the Waters of the United States Rule under the Clean Water Act (CWA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), are threatening the quantity and quality of park waterways. Read more…
Narratives of the National Parks: Stories Told Through Data
Reid’s work aims to understand the history of the United States’ National Parks through the lens of historic visitation data. The National Parks Service manages over 300 park or park-like properties, spanning over 85 million acres. Beyond their vast spatial expanses, these national sites hold unique significance in the hearts and minds of many Americans. Read more…
Simulating the Recovery of Big Sagebrush Communities from Disturbances Due to Oil and Gas Extraction
Damaris’s research focuses on the recovery of big sagebrush communities to these disturbed areas. During this fellowship, she will collect data to describe the community composition and soil characteristics at well pads to use as inputs to a simulation model. Read more…
Soil Health and Soil Carbon Sequestration in Regenerative Agriculture
Mad Agriculture, Colorado Collective for Healthy Soils
Darya is working with Mad Agriculture, an organization focusing on regenerative agriculture out of Boulder, Colorado. She is assisting the organization with projects in two realms: policy and soil carbon sequestration. Her policy-related work includes projects in conjunction with the Colorado Collaborative for Healthy Soils and preparing a grant application aimed to increase farmer engagement with soil health management practices. Read more…
Eco-Sensible Crop Farming in the Northern Great Plains of Montana
Villicus Farms
Tim is working this summer at Vilicus Farms, a 10,000 acre, organic, dry land (not irrigated) specialty grain and pulse (edible legumes like beans and lentils) farm. A New Haven native and long-time NYC resident, he is departing from his city roots to farm in big sky country for the summer to learn first-hand how sustainable, eco-sensible farming can be done at scale. Read more…
Non-Consumptive Water Rights as a Landscape Conservation Tool
Rocky Mountain Biological Lab
Margot’s independent policy analysis investigates the governance structures in Colorado that allowed non-consumptive water rights to be claimed by private entities and how this has impacted the regional landscape. Non-consumptive, or in-stream water rights, ensure that at the location where the rights are claimed, the amount of water will not change in quality or quantity due to upstream uses. Read more…
Soil Texture and Plant Concentration on Oil Well Pad Reclamation Sites in Wyoming
Jon is investigating the relationship between soil texture and the concentration of woody plants and perennial bunch grasses on oil well pad reclamation sites in Wyoming’s sagebrush steppe. Soil texture is an important factor in soil water storage, because it affects water movement speed through soil. Read more…
Land Trusts and Water Conservation
Colorado Open Lands
Abbey is working with the nonprofit land trust Colorado Open Lands to learn about private land conservation in the West as a Summer Conservation Fellow. She is assisting with conservation and stewardship activities such as monitoring conservation easements from satellite imagery, landowner outreach, and researching innovative methods of water conservation. Read more…
Improving Aquatic Habitat Connectivity in the Snake River Headwaters
Trout Unlimited
Bryce is the Conservation Intern for Trout Unlimited’s Snake River Headwaters Initiative, a project in partnership with Wyoming Game and Fish Department, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, local governments, and various non-profit organizations. By measuring fish entrainment rates in agricultural diversions from the Snake River and its tributaries, surveying barriers to fish migration, and engaging in other types of field work in the Jackson area, Bryce is working to protect and restore fish habitat in the Snake and Salt River watersheds of Northwestern Wyoming. Read more…
Understanding Community Perceptions of Recreation and Wildlife in Jackson Wyoming
Northern Rockies Conservation Cooperative
As Jackson Hole’s visiting population increases exponentially and recreation use continues to climb, Bryce and Bea are working with the Northern Rockies Conservation Cooperative to investigate how to balance Jackson’s growing recreation habits while preserving its existing ecosystems and wildlife. By conducting interviews with Jackson recreators, the team hopes to gain a greater understanding of the motivators and interests of different recreation communities. Read more…