Dec 7, 2017

New research shows hydropower dams can be managed without an all-or-nothing choice between energy and food

Three Cambodian fisherpeople on a long, narrow boat with fishing lines and baskets. They are on the rough, brackish water of Tonle Sap Lake.

Nearly 100 hydropower dams are planned for construction along the tributaries and main stem of the Mekong River’s 2,700-mile stretch. The river, one of the world’s largest, flows through Burma, China, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and Cambodia. It is an economic engine for fishermen and a food source for millions of people worldwide. While the dams are expected to provide clean energy to the region, if not managed properly they also have the potential to offset natural river patterns, which would damage food production, supply and business.

Preventing a crustacean invasion

Washington Sea Grant’s Emily Grason and its Crab Team volunteers are on a mission to protect the Salish Sea from one of the world’s worst invasive species — the European green crab.

When to fish: Timing matters for fish that migrate to reproduce

It’s no secret that human activities affect fish, particularly those that must migrate to reproduce. Years of building dams and polluting rivers in some regions have left fish such as salmon struggling to return to their home streams and give birth to the next generation. A new University of Washington study points to yet another human factor that hampers the ability of fish to reproduce: the timing of our fishing seasons.

Changing the faces and future of conservation

The Doris Duke Conservation Scholars program at the UW was started in 2014 when it became clear that the environmental movement had made no strides in decades to address its lack of racial and gender diversity, a problem commonly known as the Green Ceiling. Simply put, no more than 12 percent of all employees in non-governmental organizations and foundations that work with natural resources could be described as ethnic minority or multiracial.

UW's Center for Creative Conservation asks how nature and health connect

Can exposure and access to nature give a boost to human health? That question was front and center at the recent Northwest Nature and Health Symposium hosted by EarthLab‘s Center for Creative Conservation. On tap for the day were leaders in education, planning and conservation — including former secretary of the interior Sally Jewell — all exploring the health benefits that come with being outside.