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College of the Environment Graduate and Undergraduate Publications

The The College of the Environment Collection includes:

Environmental Sciences Theses
Geography Theses
Environmental Education Theses
Field Project Reports
Environmental Studies Theses
Environmental Impact Assessments

created by College of the Environment students.

Publications from 2025 2025

Ecoprinting! An introductory creative workshop on natural fabric dyeing methods, Samone Alberts

Characterization of the migratory distribution, connectivity, philopatry and timing of the western North American Harlequin Duck (Histrionicus histrionicus) population, Andrew Annanie

Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Cannabis Production Systems in Washington State, Ryan Bottem

Finding Space for the Island Marble Butterfly: Modeling the Habitat of a Highly Endangered Endemic Butterfly in the Salish Sea Ecoregion, Emily L. Bradford

Spatiotemporal Variability in Water Properties at a Newly Constructed Clam Garden: The Influence of Physical Forcing Mechanisms, Chloe E. Cason

Whatcom Million Trees Project Intern, Reed Chesnek

A Life Cycle Analysis of District Heating Options for Western Washington University, Juniper Deitering

Understanding pathways towards a just energy transition: A comparative case study of distributed solar adoption in Bellingham, WA and Burlington, VT, Ellesha Gasperini

Char gardens: vegetation trends in planted conservation burn piles in the San Juan Islands, WA, Genevieve E. Gislason

Hydrodynamics and residence time in a newly constructed clam garden, Maia Heffernan

Integration of Climate Change Adaptation into Planning: A Study of Washington state Coastal Communities Exposed to Sea Level Rise, Yashel Kakavand

Kelp in the Salish Sea: Spatial Patterns of Persistence, Loss, and Data Gaps Using a Harmonized Dataset, Lamai S. Larsen

Analyzing the Future of the Lower Snake River Dams Under the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Gabrielle Lund

Quantifying Irrigation in Washington’s WRIA 1: A Field-Scale Modeling Approach Based on Evapotranspiration and Effective Precipitation, Bo MacArthur

The Fine Line: A Case Study Analysis of Meaningful Public Participation, Rosa M. Nelson

The Effects of Nano-Enabled Copper Hydroxide Fungicide on the Fate and Transport of Neonicotinoid Insecticides in a Pacific Northwest Wetland Environment, Cristopher J. Paradis

Satellite and UAV Remote Sensing of Snow Algae and Cryospheric Features, Colby F. Rand

Culture in the Commons: Third Places in Bellingham, WA, and their effects on sustainable behavior, Sophie Richmond

Exploring thermal occupancy between bull trout and brook trout in glacial headwaters, Nichole G. Ring

Seasonal Differences of Pacific Herring (Clupea pallasii) Embryo and Larval Metrics are Small, but Developmental Stage Drives Significant Proteomic and Physiological Variation., Ariel Elizabeth Shiley

Assessing the effects of atmospheric heat waves on the exchange between Hood Canal and Admiralty Inlet, Austin J. Valenti

Comparing primary production and vertical export of the picophytoplankton Synechococcus in the Northern Gulf of Alaska, Kathryn Williams

Publications from 2024 2024

Trace Element Characterization of Skagit River Waters for the Potential Application to Otolith-based Determination of Fish Life Habits, Nikhil Amin

Biodiversity of Snow Algae in the North Cascades: Comparing Distinct Microhabitats at Mount Watson., Chloe Beck

Assisted Regeneration of Threatened Whitebark Pine after Wildfires in North Cascades National Park, Dylan Braund, Clara Magsarili, Ben Molenhouse, Bridget Miller, and Zalan Szanyi

Environmental Impact Assessment for Reforestation of Douglas Fir After The 2023 Sourdough Mountain Fire, Samantha Burgh, Brandon Lankford, Spencer Natario, Mikaela Silva, and Maggie Strecker

Environmental Impact Assessment of the Horseshoe Bend Trail Reconstruction, Ian Caldwell, Kathleen Castleberry, Julia Grams, Sascha Knight, and Emily Panteleeff

Coast Salish foods gathered on clam gardens and rocky intertidal beaches, Amy Rose Cline

Better Data Creates Better Science: Using Strategic Planning and Process Documentation to Improve the Islands Conservation Corps’ Field Data Collection System, Bernard Cowen

Life cycle assessment of a hemp-based thermal insulation panel, Kara Davis

Collective Benefits, Individualized Responsibility: A Q Method Case Study of Local Food Consumer Subjectivities in Bellingham, WA, Henry Fisher

Environmental Impact Assessment of McGlinn-Goat Island Jetty, Sydney Freeman, Sarah Granard, Joey Lane, Ava O’Neill, and Malia Thatcher

A Spatial Representation of Wilderness Character Degradation in the Stephen Mather Wilderness of North Cascades National Park Service Complex, Andrew Giacomelli

Restoring Forest Habitat Using Assisted Migration as a Climate Change Adaption, Chelsea Harris

Environmental Impact Assessment of the ABC Recycling Metal Shredder, Amanda Hogue, Ellysen McFarland, Julian Medina-Schroeder, Nico Fotes, and Anna Newberry

Improving Riparian Restoration Planning Efforts in San Juan County Using a Site-Specific Planting Tool, Julia Jaquery

The Biophysical Resilience Capacity of the Salish Sea’s Tidal Wetlands to Sea Level Rise, Kenna Kuhn

Affordable Infill, Virginia MacDonald

Beyond Dystopia: The effect of reading hopeful climate fiction on climate anxiety and environmental self-efficacy, Brandon McWilliams

Enhancing the federal Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration process through Bayesian networks: A case-study on the Little Mississinewa River, Indiana, April D. Reed

Estuarine Wetland Restoration Impacts on Carbon Sequestration in the Oldest Projects Along the West Coast, Jenna Schroeder

Attitudes Towards Conservation in the Sagarmatha and Makalu-Barun National Park, Nepal, Morgan A. Scott

Legacy and Emerging Contaminants of Concern in Edible Seaweeds of the Salish Sea, Holly L. Suther

Black carbon in snow in the Pacific Northwest and the Arctic: ground verification of model-derived data and the associated radiative forcing, Sally M. Vaux

An Ecocentric Turn: Emerging Narratives in the Growing U.S. Rights of Nature Movement, Raechel E. Youngberg

Publications from 2023 2023

Weaving Fragmented Lands Together: Perspectives on a National Framework for Landscape Conservation, Jaimie Baxter

Coupling Unoccupied Aerial System Surveys and Elevation Measurements to Predict Native and Nonnative Eelgrass Cover in Padilla Bay, Jacqui Bergner

Trophic transfer of metals from seaweed to shellfish in an aquaculture system, Sophia Boyd

Cultivating Change: Case Study Analysis of Agricultural Resistance in Whatcom and Skagit Counties, Washington, Dana Bronstein

Who’s Nature? Ontological Narrative Dissonance Among Skagit River Fishery Coalitions, Jann Eberharter

Glacial loss and threatened fish: The future of Mount Rainier’s cold-water Bull Trout habitats, Kathleen C. Ewen

Contaminants of Emerging Concern in Puget Sound: Screening, Prioritization, and Estrogenic Mixture Response Assessment, Maya Faber

Against the Grain: A Mixed-Methods Analysis of the Effects of Climatic and Cultural Changes on Grain Agriculture in Northwest Washington, Natalie Furness

Learning from Traditional Ecological Knowledge: Paralytic Shellfish Toxins in Butter Clams, Jackelyn Garcia

Visual characteristics of walleye pollock and Chinook salmon: Modeling theoretical visual space and target contrast of trawling materials in the Bering Sea, Rebecca Haehn

Seeing Environmental Injustice Through Moss-Colored Glasses: Neighborhood Monitoring of Toxic Metal Air Pollution Disparities with Orthotrichum lyellii, Allison Hayes

A Characterization of Hyporheic Temperatures with Applications for Salmon Habitat Restoration in a Thermally Impaired River, Sydney Jantsch

Washington Conservation Corps Intern, Maczenzie Kelm

Value Mapping and the Community Wildfire Protection Planning Process in Entiat, WA, Katharine Kiendl

Impact of Riverbank Lupine (Lupinus rivularis) on Grand Fir (Abies grandis) Ectomycorrhizal Symbioses, Andrew Labay

Dendrohydrological Reconstruction of North Fork Nooksack River August Streamflow from Subannual Mountain Hemlock Ring-Widths, Cascade Mountains, Washington State, Hannah LaGassey

Distribution and Mixotrophy of Cryptophyte Phytoplankton in the Northern Gulf of Alaska, Megan O'Hara

Motivations for and Barriers to Forest Certification of Washington State Trust Lands, Tracy Petroske

Evaluating Leaf Trait Variation in High Elevation Bristlecone Pine (Pinus longaeva) Under Increasing Water Stress: Insights from Needle Length, Stomatal Density, and Cambial Growth, Audrey Salerno

Was the Grass Always Greener? Mapping the Historical Extent of Grassland Ecosystems in the San Juan Islands, Kailey Marie Schillinger-Brokaw

The Economic and Emissions Reduction Potential of Air Source Heat Pumps as a Replacement for Natural Gas and Electric Resistance Space Heating in the Contiguous United States, Joshua Schraer

Impact of Carbonaceous and Inorganic Nanomaterial Chemistry on Polymer Additive Release from Weathered Epoxy Composites, Haley Sefi-Cyr

Social Justice Through Beach Access and Community-Based Placemaking in Puna, Hawai'i, Yumi-Shika Shridhar

Generations of Stewards: Re-Indigenizing Youth Leadership, Learning, and Conservation Education, Drew Slaney

Adoption of Agroforestry Practices in Northwest Washington State: An Ex-ante Case-Study, Ava Stone

The Race Toward Carbon Neutral Ecotourism: Leveraging Life Cycle Analysis and Natural Climate Solutions for a Community Adventure Event, Ted Tarricone

Investigating perennial & annual eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) in Padilla Bay as potential donor sources for seed-based restoration, Yuki Wilmerding

Publications from 2022 2022

Waste Loop Leavenworth Internship, Emma Allison

Responses of the symbiotic sea anemone Anthopleura elegantissima to microplastics, Robert Beck

Kulshan Carbon Trust Internship, Olivia Benolken

Kulshan Carbon Trust Internship, Cristal Borrelli

WWU Spatial Institute GIS Internship, Ben Bruggen

Species Distribution and Abundance of Bering Sea Tunicates with Implications for Coastal Food Security, Meghan Bugaj

Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association (NSEA) FLOW Intern, Emma Burgess

NSEA's Future Leaders of Whatcom County (FLOW), Emma Burgess

Growing Veterans, Quinlan Christian

WWU Institute for Watershed Studies Research Assistant and This Kind Planet Intern, Isabella Cobert

BioDesign Studio Youth Engagement Internship, Carson Cortez

Using Frog Embryo Teratogenesis Assay-Xenopus laevis (FETAX) to Study Metals and Temperature as Multiple Stressors in Cascades Frog (Rana cascadae), Adam Turner (Cockrill) Crispin

Bioaccumulation of metals in Whatcom County estuaries by native tidal plants, Margaret Critchlow

NOAA Hollings Internship - NW Fisheries Science Center, Zofia Danielson

Transport Mechanisms of Nitrate on the Washington Shelf, Liesl G. Danyluk

WWU Active Transportation Coordinator, James Detke

ECO Alternatives - Local Business Development Lead, Jessica Dietzman

Institute for Watershed Studies Internship, Jessica Espy

Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association (NSEA) FLOW, Megan Fritz

Soil Mesofauna and Microbial Community Response to Mixed Biochar and Compost Application in a Skagit Silt Loam, Jameson Goff

City of Bellingham Parks and Recreation Environmental Restoration Intern, Zach Griffin

NE Aquarium Conservation Learning Internship, Riley Hammack

Restoring the Nooksack Watershed Through Community-Driven Forest Stewardship, Alexander Harris

UAV remote sensing approaches to mapping glacier ablation and snow algae radiative forcing in the North Cascades., Shannon Healy

Analysis of Eelgrass in Padilla Bay, Washington Using an Uncrewed Aerial System, Hannah Hein

Somatic Learning and Eco-Anxiety in Environmental Education Teacher Preparation, Pippa Hemsley

Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group - GIS Internship, Stephen Hullen

Whatcom Marine Resource Committee Intern, Stephen Hullin