Master’s students Dana Flett and Melissa Booher recently received two of the four “Competitive Grants for Professional Travel” awarded this semester by Colorado State University’s Graduate Degree Program in Ecology (GDPE). Flett and Booher are GDPE students studying wetland and riparian ecology. They are both advised by Research Scientist David Cooper.

The “Competitive Grants for Professional Travel” awards provide funding for GDPE students who are giving oral presentations at professional development events during the final stages of their degree. As of this academic year, they will be awarded every semester while funding is available.

Dana Flett presents her research topic at the 2017 fall graduate student retreat.

Viajar a Colombia

Flett will travel to Colombia in January 2018 to present her research on the effects of hydrology, vegetation, and land use changes on fens in the Sierra Nevada range of California. Fens are wetlands that are perennially saturated by groundwater. She said her research sites exhibited impacts from grazing and hydrologic alterations that are also seen in fens of South America.

“I’m passionate about engaging underrepresented, aspiring scientists in research,” Flett said. “I’m looking forward to learning more about the culture and ecosystems of Colombia.”

She and Dr. Cooper will build on partnerships they established last year with Assistant Professor Juan Benavides of Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in the capital city of Bogota. She will also co-teach workshops and lecture in Spanish about ecosystem processes and scientific methodology of fens for students, researchers and land managers.

“Dana is a natural teacher and this opportunity will enrich her teaching experience and provide a great opportunity for northern South American students and national park managers to learn from her.” Cooper said.

Melissa Booher (at right) and a colleague make measurements in Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite National Park. (Photo courtesy of Melissa Booher)

Presenting in her own backyard

Booher will present her research on biomass accumulation associated with planted Carex (grassy plants called sedges) seedlings in Yosemite National Park at the California Native Plant Society’s Conservation Conference in February 2018. This conference brings California’s large conservation community together every three years. Booher has been a member of the organization since 2012, when she spent four years working at the national park in their Vegetation and Ecological Restoration branch.

“The California Native Plant Society actively promotes the use of science in land use and management decisions, making this conference ideal for presenting my research results,” Booher said. “I hope to continue working with public lands in my career and value this opportunity to grow professionally.”

Her research tests a restoration design for Carex species in Tuolumne Meadows, one of the largest sub-alpine meadows in the Sierra Nevadas. Results from this project will help park managers decide where planting efforts will be the most effective when restoring similar wetlands. This will be Booher’s first professional oral presentation.

“Presenting her research orally will be a great new experience for Melissa and will help her prepare for the life of a professional ecologist that must present newly original and sometimes complex topics to broad audiences,” said Cooper.