Accessibility and Equity of access to Public Lakeshore

Lakes in King and Snohomish Counties have a wide variety of management and access structures. Some are entirely privately owned. Others have mixed private shoreline and public access, which may range from a single small boat ramp point of entry to extensive waterfront parks. Little information is available on how current use patterns by the public (for swimming, fishing, boating, and other recreation) vary based on accessibility and even less information is known about the public demand or desire for lake access compared to current availability.

Description

This research position will study lake resource usage and demographics for sites in King and Snohomish Counties on a project titled, Assessing Access and Cultural Ecosystem Service Needs for Washington Lakes. This project is designed to collaborate with staff from both Counties and the Washington Lake Protection Association to address the following questions:

1. Who uses these lakes currently?
2. What do they use lakes for?
3. What would increase accessibility for prospective lake users who don’t currently use the lakes?
4. What methods work best to reach normally underrepresented demographics?

The hired student will be supervised by Dr. Avery Shinneman as well as faculty on the research team from UWT and UWS and contribute to the project as designed by the research team. This position is responsible for conducting field data collection, interviews, literature reviews, and data analysis. Hire will be trained in community engagement best practices by the three faculty investigators from all three UW campuses, all of whom have years of experience in the region. Hire will participate in all partner meetings and will be given responsibility for leading discussions and presenting interim results as they develop throughout the project. Hire will have ongoing professional development opportunities to discuss community engagement methods and ethics as part of regular project meetings. Hire will present results at a regional conference.

Responsibilities

• Participate in and contribute to research team meetings
• Interact with partner organization staff and the public, this may include outreach via email, survey marketing tools, and in person at waterfront locations depending on health guidance
• Review literature and summarize
• Collect field observational and survey data at sites in King and Snohomish Counties
• Drive a UW or personal vehicle
• Analyze data and perform statistical analyses
• Present results to team, partners, and scientific community
• Contribute to other tasks as assigned

Terms of Employment

• Student is expected to be available to work 4-8 hours per week
• Maintain a valid driver’s license
• Current enrollment on the UW Tacoma campus

Qualifications

• Applicant should have an interest in environmental science, environmental sustainability, environmental justice, public policy, or related topics
• Applicant should have demonstrated the ability to organize and summarize readings into succinct and relevant summaries
• An ideal student will have experience in statistical analysis of data and data visualization
• Valid driver’s license and ability to drive either personal or UW vehicle to regional lake sites

To Apply

Send a resume that includes relevant coursework and experience, a statement of interest, and any restrictions on availability in the time frame noted to Dr. Avery Shinneman at alcs@uw.edu.