Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Learning To Protect And Restore: Interning At The National Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration, Sarah Idczak

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

When I started looking for internship opportunities for this past summer, I hoped to find something that was rooted in environmental policy, but that would result in real changes in communities and the environment. I also hoped that my internship would introduce me to a variety of different careers that I could pursue after graduating from Huxley College of the Environment at WWU. I applied for an internship at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration knowing that working there would offer the rewarding and challenging experience I was looking for.

My learning objectives at the beginning of my internship were …

Birch Bay Shoreline Enhancement: Environmental Impact Assessment, Ellen Cole, Laura Higashi-Poynter, Ashley Hill, Rachel Morton, Brian Noel

College of the Environment Graduate and Undergraduate Publications

The objective of the Birch Bay Shoreline Enhancement Project is to enrich the Central and North Birch Bay community by creating better access to the shoreline and beachfront area, constructing a pathway, and widening of the beach to help with flood control, aesthetics, ecosystem function, and sustainability. This will be accomplished by bettering the roadways and creating a pedestrian and bike friendly pathway that will run between the water and Birch Bay Drive. The project will focus on two specific areas--The Central Reach and The Cottonwood Reach. These are separate, as most of the intensive waterside and landside improvements will …

Lummi Youth Riparian Education Program, Kirsten Moore

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Lummi Youth Riparian Education Program, an Honors project by Kirsten Moore. It is a series of educational activities to be performed at Marietta Slough in order to fulfill the educational component of the grant written by Lummi Natural Resources.

As defined by the grant, "Lummi Youth" includes students grades 3-12. The following lesson plans are aligned to the Washington State Learning Standards for grades 3, 4-5, and 6-8, with the intention of involving students grades 9-12 in leadership/mentor roles. The lesson plans are similar from grade level to grade level, primarily varying in topics and depth of discussion. My hope …

Evaluation And Analysis Of The Role Played By The International Mobility & Trade Corridor Project (Imtc) In The Cascade Gateway Region, Patrick H. Buckley, John Belec

Environmental Studies Faculty and Staff Publications

The International Mobility & Trade Corridor Project (IMTC) is a highly unique cross-border planning and policy coalition. It describes itself to be a, “U.S. - Canadian coalition of government and business entities that identifies and promotes improvements to mobility and security for the four border crossings between Whatcom County, Washington State and the Lower Mainland of British Columbia.” (www.wcog.org/Border/About-IMTC/58.aspx, retrieved 10 June 2009).

Purpose of the study: The major purpose of this study was to document the role, successes, and obstacles that the IMTC faces along with evaluating its voluntary nature, impact on cross border collaboration & communication, and speculate …

Proposed Expansion: South Fork Nooksack Gravel Mine: Environmental Impact Assessment, Andrew Bohannan, Alyssa Lewis, Rebecca Taber, James Van Der Voort, Marlena Milosevich

College of the Environment Graduate and Undergraduate Publications

The purpose of this Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is to evaluate the potential impacts of future mineral extraction for the 280 acre expansion of MRL designation and zoning overlay, proposed for amendment within the Whatcom County Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Map. If the amendments were to be accepted, the 280 acre expansion will be mined for gravel and aggregate by Burlington based company, Concrete Nor'West. This EIA investigates the environmental impacts associated with the proposed action, an alternative action and again for a no action alternative. Impact analysis has been performed in accordance with the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA). …

Galbraith Mountain Wind Power Proposal: Environmental Impact Assessment, Zane Beal, Sean Jobes, Anna Herbel, Jaime Liljegren, Steffi Nuerenberg

College of the Environment Graduate and Undergraduate Publications

Around the world, wind energy is becoming an increasingly popular renewable alternative to fossil fuels. The U.S alone has installed roughly 35% of the world's wind capacity over the past four years, a capacity double that of recent coal and nuclear installation combined. Washington State's total amount of installed wind capacity is among the top five in the country (AWEA, 2011). Cascade Community Wind has acquired a conditional use permit to construct the first large, 2.5-megawatt wind turbine in Whatcom County on Galbraith Mountain, near Bellingham, Washington. The 2.5 megawatts of wind capacity is expected to provide enough energy to …

Cherry Point Coal Trains: Environmental Impact Assessment, Sarah Brownell, Kirsten Miller, Stephen O'Guin, Matthew Reider, Sarah Ward

College of the Environment Graduate and Undergraduate Publications

The purpose of this environmental impact assessment (EIA) is to determine the potential environmental effects of increasing the amount of coal trains passing through Whatcom County if the Gateway Pacific Terminal site were to be approved at the Cherry Point, Whatcom County location (Figure 1.2a). This document addresses the environmental impacts train traffic associated with of the Gateway Pacific Terminal's proposed construction project at Cherry Point in Whatcom County, which would increase the amount of coal train traffic passing through Whatcom County by about 18 additional trains each day. The environmental impact assessment includes detailed sections on the existing conditions …

Lummi Island Rock Quarry Expansion: Environmental Impact Assessment, Jessica Conquest, Hannah Gallagher, Erin Murray, Grace Schmidt, Jordan Zanmiller

College of the Environment Graduate and Undergraduate Publications

Lummi Island is located in Whatcom County, Washington. The island is inhabited year round, but the number of residents doubles during the summer months. North Lummi Island supports the majority of its residents and is topographically flat. The southern half is mountainous and forested with limited amounts of development. There is a sandstone quarry located on the southeast side, directly abutting the shoreline. The quarry is owned by Lummi Rock LLC and operated by Aggregates West INC. Currently the quarry pit is 19 acres, but Lummi Rock has applied for a rezoning application to increase the mining area by 27.5 …

Proposed Yew Street Uga Environmental Impact Assessment, Leah Grassl, Lester Johnstone, Andrew Majeske, Christian Shope, Erin Thorson

College of the Environment Graduate and Undergraduate Publications

The purpose of this Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is to analyze the probable significant environmental impacts associated with annexation and increased development of the Yew Street corridor. The proposal will encompass the northern Yew Street UGA and southern Yew Street UGA Reserve. This document evaluates the impacts on elements of the natural and built environment. The most significant impact in the natural environment would be the degradation of water quality due to an increase in impervious surfaces. Two alternatives are presented, as well as required and recommended measures to mitigate significant impacts to the natural and built environments. Proposed Action …

Hurricane Ridge Downhill Ski Area Improvement Plan Proposal: Environmental Impact Assessment, Rachel Bellamy, Ben Campen, Patick Chappelle, Donald Cheyette, Tristan Sewell, Sarah Smith

College of the Environment Graduate and Undergraduate Publications

1.1 Purpose This Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) aims to evaluate the potential impacts of updating the infrastructure of Hurricane Ridge Ski and Snowboard Area in Olympic National Park. The Hurricane Ridge Winter Sports Club (HRWSC) means to replace the current lifts, which have been in service more than 50 years, and are on the end of their service lives. In this document, the proposed action and an alternative are investigated for potential impacts on the National Park land and surrounding communities; the future prospects of removing the Ski Area's lifts are likewise considered. Both action alternatives replace the current POMA …

Environmental Education Plan For The Valdivian Coastal Reserve, Hillary Landers

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

For my Honors senior project, I developed a 3-year environmental education plan for the Reserva Costera Valdiviana (RCV), a nature reserve located in southern Chile, owned and funded by the Nature Conservancy. Because it is owned by a non-profit organization, this reserve has limited funding and resources. Five park rangers run and maintain it year round, and during the school year they put on environmental education workshops for the neighboring schools of Huiro, Chaihum, and Huape. Because the park rangers have little extra time and no college-level education, they asked me to design an environmental education plan for these workshops, …