Profiles In Conservation

A sampling of conservation efforts at UW

Susan Bolton: College of Forest Resources

Focus: Hydrology and Stream Ecology

My research focuses on stream hydrology and the effect of landscape characteristics on hydrologic and ecological processes and repsonses in streams. My academic training includes ecology, biology, hydrology and civil engineering. I have done extensive research in forest and urban streams in the Pacific Northwest and also in rural Costa Rica. Recent publications have focused on stream restoration issues in Puget Sound and the role of hydrologic variability in stream restoration. I also teach a 10-week undergraduate course in Costa Rica for UW students that focuses on the interaction of community and environment in sustainable development

Peter Dunwiddie: Biology / The Nature Conservancy

Focus: Controlling invasive species and restoring native diversity

The Nature Conservancy seeks to apply sound principles of conservation biology and ecology to urgent biodiversity protection and conservation problems. As an ecologist with the Conservancy with an affiliate appointment at UW, I am continually working to link UW students with ecological research, conservation planning and policy activities that have direct application to conservation issues in Washington. A current focus of my work has been establishing a large experiment to examine methods for controlling invasive species and restoring native diversity in degraded lowland prairies. This project involves numerous cooperators at about a dozen sites in Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia.

Tim Essington: School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences

Focus: Fish, fisheries, and marine food webs

My research focuses on food web interactions involving fish in marine and estuarine ecosystems, with particular focus on the roles of humans as agents of ecological change. Marine fisheries are highly selective, preferentially targetting and depleting stocks of large-bodied apex predators. This selective harvest has the potential to radically alter marine food webs. My research program aims to better understand the response of marine food webs to these perturbations, to develop novel tools to detect them, and to evaluate the policy consequences of unintended, indirect effects of fishing.
http://fish.washington.edu/people/essington/

Vince Galluci: School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences

Focus: Shark conservation and management

Our group at UW has been working on the conservation and management of several species of sharks for about a half a decade, plus. Recent research questions include: estimating bycatch losses of sleeper sharks, salmon sharks, and dogfish sharks in halibut and pollock fisheries; characterizing long distance migrations of the salmon sharks from Alaska to California; understanding the dynamics of bycatch of sixgill sharks in Puget Sound; studying the genetics and demography of dogfish world wide to understand the movements of these sharks and their origins; standing stock migration routes of Atlantic Ocean blue sharks, and their interception in the swordfish longline fishery; Developing models of the dynamical relationship that occurs with sea lions, the pollock fishery, and salmon sharks in the North Pacific

Renee Ha: Psychology

Focus: Avian conservation in South Pacific Islands

The Mariana crow (Corvus kubaryi) and the Rota bridled white-eye (Zosterops rotensis) are currently listed as endangered. Presently, the Mariana crow occurs only on the islands of Guam and the adjacent island of Rota. While the Mariana crow's decline on Guam has been associated with the introduced brown tree snake (Boiga irregularis), this is not thought to be the reason for the decline of this forest crow on Rota. Indeed, the evidence suggests that all of the avifauna on Rota are declining except for the Micronesian starling. Because the crows on Rota now hold the key to the survival of the species, and other endangered species exist on Rota, it is vital to understand the factors influencing the decline of the avifauna on the island as a first attempt at recovering these species.

Bob Naiman: School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences

Focus: Stream Ecosystem Ecology

Bob's research interests focus on the structure and dynamics of stream ecosystems, riparian vegetation, and the role of large animals in influencing ecosystem dynamics. He has written and edited 10 books on aquatic ecology and watershed management, in addition to over 175 journal articles. His current interests revolve around riparian systems, interactions between salmon, brown bear and riparian vegetation, as well as the environmental consequences of artificially changing water regimes. He has chaired a number of national and international committees, has participated on advisory panels for the National Science Foundation, consulted for government research organizations in France and South Africa, and advised conservation organizations (Ecotrust and American Rivers) as well as private foundations. Bob's underlying philosophy is that effective decisions are founded on a balance of environmental and cultural principles, and that effective management solutions can be achieved through innovation..

Jan Newton: Applied Physics

Focus: Estuarine and Costal Ecosystems

Jan is involved in three regional projects that aim to better understand estuarine ecosystems and human impacts on them. Puget Sound Regional Synthesis Model (PRISM; http://www.prism.washington.edu/ ) is an attempt to make a "virtual Puget Sound", that one can use for teaching, research and regional Planning. The Northwest Association of Networked Ocean Observing Systems (NANOOS: http://www.nanoos.org) is a new effort to consolidate coastal ocean data access and data products. The Hood Canal Dissolved Oxygen Program (HCDOP: http://www.hoodcanal.washington.edu) is aimed at using science to understand the causes of hypoxia in Hood Canal so that we may recommend viable actions to policy makers. All of these programs span UW APL and Oceanography and include non-academic partners as well.

Iain Robertson: School of Architecture and Urban Planning

Focus: Planning and design

Iain Robertson is interested in different views of the world in which we live our daily lives: street-eye view of western red cedar (bottom), western red cedar's eye view of street (left)

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Randall Kyes: Department of Psychology / National Primate Research Center

Focus: International conservation training and primate conservation biology

One of the greatest challenges facing developing nations is the management and conservation of their threatened wildlife and ecosystems. Although many developing countries have made significant progress in promoting the conservation of biodiversity, there remains a need for basic education and training in the field of conservation biology. Over the past decade, I have helped establish a number of collaborative international programs in countries around the world to establish a growing body of well-trained, regional experts who are capable of implementing the programs needed to ensure the future of their country’s important natural resources and the conservation of biodiversity. Our collaborative training programs are conducted annually in national parks and protected areas in Indonesia, Nepal, and China with support for on-going conservation biology training in the Democratic Republic of Congo. I firmly believe that the long-term success of any conservation program depends in large part on the ability of the local people to take leading roles in the conduct of those programs.

Martha Groom: UW Bothell Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences / Department of Biology

Focus: Conservation across landscape scales

Conservation of many species must take place over large spatial scales, yet it is difficult to assess, let alone manage, the diversity of factors that will influence the success of populations throughout a landscape.
For more than a decade, I've worked to tease apart abiotic and biotic influences on population fate in an annual herb, Clarkia concinna, in California, and collaborated on studies of the influence of land use history and landscape context on bird communities in Puerto Rico.
Most recently, my interests focus on working with diverse human interests in developing strategies for conservation and sustainable development on landscape scales.

Don Gunderson: School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences

Focus: Marine fish conservation and management; Marine Protected Areas

My research in the San Juan Islands uses habitat maps, SCUBA, and remotely controlled camera sleds to identify critical habitat for rockfish and lingcod. We study both juvenile stages (which occupy nearshore habitats) and adults (which are found on deep rocky reefs) and the habitats they are found in. We have been able to delineate and map critical habitats and to develop techniques with which to census the fish within them. This information is critical in designing networks of Marine Protected Areas, and to determine how effective they are in rebuilding depleted fish stocks.

Berman Environmental Law Clinic: Environmental Law Program, School of Law

Focus: All aspects of Environmental Law

Students in the Berman Environmental Law Clinic work with and represent environmental groups, NGOs, and governments, among others, to solve environmental and natural resource challenges.   In collaboration with faculty advisors and other practicing environmental lawyers, clinic students conduct research, work with scientific experts, draft reports, develop and initiate cases, and represent clients before courts and administrative agencies. Their involvement in these matters serves to train future leaders, fosters the understanding of and appreciation for our region’s environment, and serves to protect the public interest.
http://www.law.washington.edu/Clinics/environmental

Sam Wasser: Biology and Center for Conservation Biology

Focus: Non-invasive assessment and application to conservation research, practice and policy

Dr. Wasser developed methods to acquire hormones and DNA from feces along with techniques to train detection dogs to find these samples over large remote areas. Collectively, these tools allow measurement of the abundance, distribution and physiological health of wildlife over large remote areas. The Center for Conservation Biology has applied these methods to a number of important national and international conservation programs, on species as diverse as African elephants, grizzly bears, Steller sea lions, Northern Spotted Owls, North Atlantic Right Whales, maned wolves, puma and jaguar. In 2001, Dr. Wasser was named the inaugural holder of the University of Washington’s Endowed Chair in Conservation Biology.
http://depts.washington.edu/conserv/Center.html

Focus: Marine Conservation, from Seabirds to Citizens

I am interested in the processes creating change in marine systems, from physical forcing, to biological feedbacks, to the consequences of human activities. Our lab uses seabirds as indicators of environmental change, and pursues a panoply of research and outreach projects including seabird-fishery interactions, the direct and indirect effects of predators, the need to control avian "pests," the effects of annual-to-decadal climate forcing on seabird populations, restoration of threatened and endangered species, seabirds as flagships for community involvement, and the use of beached birds as integrators of coastal environmental health. Check us out at:
fish.washington.edu/research/birdfish

James K. Agee: College of Forest Resources

Focus: Disturbance ecology, fire, and forest ecology

A major conservation biology issue is how to reintroduce natural disturbances like fire into ecosystems that may have been altered by fire exclusion, grazing, and logging. Current projects I am involved with, together with graduate students, research associates, and colleagues here and at other institutions include: Fire and bark beetle mortality in old pine forests at Crater Lake National Park; Effects of coarse woody debris on reintroduction of fire in young dry site forests; Effect of thinning and burning on alien understory species in pine forests; Optimizing landscape level-fuel treatments; Effects of thinning and burning on ecosystem processes (a national project called fire and Fire Surrogates, with 13 sites nationwide); Effects of fire reintroduction on Oregon white oak.

Pacific Northwest Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit

Focus: Partnerships for research, technical assistance and education

The Pacific Northwest Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit (PNW CESU) is a cooperative venture between 14 leading academic institutions in the Pacific Northwest region, one state agency and 8 Federal land management and natural resource related organizations. The University of Washington serves as host to the PNW CESU with offices in the College of Forest Resources. The United States had been divided into 17 bio-geographic regions, each served by a distinct CESU, with all regions connected in one National Network. The overriding goal of the CESU Network is to improve the scientific base for managing federal lands by providing resource managers and planners with high-quality scientific research, technical assistance, and education. Visit the PNW CESU website for more information.

Focus: preservation of indigenous languages

Extinction of human languages has always been part of human history, but recently the rate of extinction of languages has increased dramatically. Languages by spoken by small numbers of people are especially vulnerable. Loss of language often accompanies loss of knowledge of traditional land use and/or ecosystems. My research focuses on the documentation of four Native American languages---Tsek'ene (spoken in B.C.), Witsuwit'en (B.C.), Deg Xinag (Alaska), and Sahaptin (Washington). All four languages are spoken only by middle-aged or older speakers. Language documentation is traditionally a three-pronged effort, involving preparation of a lexicon (dictionary), a grammar, and a sets of texts. Digitial recording technologies provide better and quicker means of documenting languages than in the past. In addition, digital materials provide immediate enhancement of local language learning/revival efforts, which are underway for all four languages I do research on.
http://faculty.washington.edu/sharon