Ecologue

Attending the American Fisheries Society meeting in Portland was an amazing experience for many reasons. I am grateful to The Student Sustainability Initiative for giving me the opportunity to attend. This meeting brought together a great diversity of professionals who shared their work through presentations and posters. My primary interest was attending a session addressing the conflicts with grazing and fish habitat. The session featured 8 presentations with speakers from all over the great basin. I was inspired by the research and projects taking place across the west and the work that is being done to address issues of drought and species loss resulting from our changing climate. Mary Rowland was the Session Chair and she did and incredible job brining in a diversity of researchers including social scientists, hydrologists and conservation leaders. Through this mix of expertise problems can be viewed holistically, and culturally appropriate solutions can be found. The final speaker for the day was Becky Hyde, a rancher from Southern Oregon who has been instrumental in establishing conservation easements with the Klamath Tribe and opening up a dialogue to help move beyond historical injustices and prejudice.

This conference was a valuable networking opportunity because of the after event social hour. The social hour was a chance for me to approach the speakers individually in a relaxed environment and ask about the details of their work. I will start my master’s degree in the fall and I am just beginning the development of my research objectives. I am inspired by all of the great work being done and look forward to making my own contribution. It was a great coincidence to have this event happening in a city so close to our university. This is a major event in the world of fisheries experts, and it attracted program leaders from federal agencies and non-profits in Washington D.C. Hearing about the way research is used and valued by decision makers and lobbyists was exciting and highlighted the relevance of good research and connections.