Fall Quarter

No speaker today due to the holiday. 

Odor is a human sensation that is frequently experienced and that nearly all humans understand. Most people realize that an odor is a human perception arising from small quantities of certain chemicals in the air the we breathe. When these chemicals are inhaled, they trigger nerve endings in the nose and mouth that communicate with our brain to interpret them as an odor. However, there is a certain amount of a chemical that must exist in the air we breathe prior to it being identified as an odor.

The societal demands on forests increase to provide an ever-growing list of ecological services: from habitat conservation and timber to carbon sequestration and recreation. Yet, after the adoption of the ecological forestry practices on public lands in the Pacific Northwest in the 1990s, there has been little change in silvicultural systems.

The 1855 Treaty of Point Elliott is a foundational document for many Coast Salish Nations today. During the treaty negotiations, Coast Salish leaders reserved specific rights for our peoples in perpetuity in order to secure a future for our nations. By crafting a way for Native fishers, hunters, and gatherers to continue practices that ancestors had relied on for generations, Indigenous negotiators sought to maintain relations with our homelands and waters.

For decades, communities have relied on Federal and State laws to ensure protection of a clean environment. And for decades, while achieving some important successes in environmental protection, overall the health of our environment for present and future generations has continued to degrade from a growing number of sources. The truth is, our laws are designed to accommodate pollution as much as, perhaps even more than, to prevent it. As a result people feel powerless when it comes to preserving the quality of their water, air, public parks, and natural spaces.

It's easy to think of forest fires in the Northwest as a phenomenon that occurs on the east side of the cascades in dry, inland forests. However, fires play a key role in shaping the wet forests west of the Cascade Crest - in the past, present, and future. In this talk, I will discuss our ongoing research projects examining forest fires in western Washington and northwestern Oregon ("Western Cascadia").

Maritime glaciers are a critical component of the landscape at Kenai Fjords National Park in Alaska. Changes to these glaciers affect terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems and physical properties, and glacier retreat and associated ecosystem changes in Kenai Fjords National Park will likely impact ecotourism associated with the park. Therefore, monitoring these glaciers is important for understanding how they are changing over time.

Maps help us to better understand our environment. They also serve political and cultural agendas. The Salish Sea map was created both as an educational aid and as a part of the naming campaign. In this talk Stefan will explore the choices and creative process that went into the creation of the map, why the map is the way it is and how it’s different from other maps of the area, and how the map contributed to the name adoption process at both the grassroots and governmental levels.

Sustainable Connections is a local nonprofit that works to create thriving communities through innovative ideas, collaboration, and action.

The western North Atlantic is warming faster than much of the rest of the world’s oceans, wreaking havoc on the world’s renowned fisheries in this region. This warming has more or less been ongoing since the start of the instrumental record in this region (turn of the 20th century). Understanding when this warming began and the drivers behind the warming is critical for improving predictions of future oceanographic conditions in the area. Along with colleagues, Dr.