Presently, I work as a Tribal Liaison. The Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians hired me to serve as their tribal liaison at the Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center. In this role, I learn about the tribal priority issues that would improve their resilience to extreme weather and detrimental environmental trends. I believe that addressing these priorities are likely to most effective approach to increasing tribal resilience and their adaptive capacity. Tribes that have strong cultural, spiritual, environmental, economic, legal, and social health are generally more resilient to problems that arise.
Prior to my pursuit of a Ph.D., I worked as a consultant for about four years. I worked for two different environmental consulting firms, Parametrix (Albuquerque) and Entrix (Sacramento). In these positions, I specialized in river & riparian ecology, habitat restoration, habitat mapping and monitoring, groundwater monitoring and visualization, 2-D flood modeling, GIS mapping & databases, topographic surveys, FERC hydropower relicensing, geomorphic surveys, sediment transport modeling, proposal and technical writing, and worked in large multi-disciplinary teams.
I also worked as a Research Associate for Oklahoma State University’s U.S. Fish and Wildlife Coop Unit. There I created a habitat model to examine the ecological ecological impacts associated with the extraction of water from the Kiamichi River watershed. I developed in-stream flow requirements and habitat suitability criteria for three endangered mussel species, which were based on bathymetric maps that I generated by using topographic surveying equipment. I monitored mussel habitat and evaluated water management options to model the potential impacts to mussels. The process required that I extend the hydrologic records of USGS gaging stations that did not have a sufficient period of record. I was the second author of the final USFWS project report.