REU Site: Natural Resource Science on Native American Lands

Cal Poly Humboldt Sponsored Programs Foundation, Arcata CA

Investigators

Abstract

This REU Site award to Humboldt State University, located in Arcata, CA, will support the training of 10 students for 10 weeks, during the summers of 2016- 2018. Students will design research projects on natural resource management in close collaboration with faculty mentors from the Departments of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Forestry as well as with collaborators from the Yurok, Hoopa, and Karuk Tribes. Students will also participate in workshops on Traditional Ecology Knowledge (TEK), responsible conduct of research, and how to get into graduate school. Access to unparalleled nearby ecosystems along with excellent facilities on campus and critical collaborations offer students opportunities to pursue research questions unique to the region, but with broad application, such as interactions between climate change and fire, forest alteration and wildlife habitat use, using environmental DNA in water samples to monitor elusive species, and the development of hydrological models to optimize water releases from dams for important fish species. It is anticipated that a total of 30 students, primarily from schools with limited research opportunities, will be trained in the program. The program is especially geared toward American Indian and Native Alaskan students. Students will learn how research is conducted, and many will present the results of their work at scientific conferences. In collaboration with local tribal offices and tribal natural resource managers, this program puts scientific research in the context of tribal natural resource management. Students will not only learn vital lessons about the practical value of science, but will also learn that results from collaborative student research projects can provide essential data for natural resource managers that can influence land use decisions. A common web-based assessment tool used by all REU programs funded by the Division of Biological Infrastructure (Directorate for Biological Sciences) will be used to determine the effectiveness of the training program. Students will be tracked after the program in order to determine their career paths. Students will be asked to respond to an automatic email sent via the NSF reporting system. More information about the program is available at (http://www2.humboldt.edu/REU/) or by contacting the PI (Dr. Matt Johnson at matt.johnson@humboldt.edu).