Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Visualizing Animal Fire Responses, Michael Ginster

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

The following document contains an assembly of 21 pie charts depicting proportions of animal during-fire responses across ecosystems and groups of specific animals within those ecosystems. For further clarification, a good example would be the Coastal Redwoods Ecosystem Pie Charts, which depict a general chart for all animal fire responses before displaying bird fire responses and mammal fire responses in separate charts. The pie charts were originally created for a group ENVS 429 capstone project before being modified based on accessibility guidelines and Edward Tufte’s graphic design principles. This project and its ENVS 429 predecessor are valuable because animal fire …

Environmental Education At An Under-Resourced And Multicultural Bellingham School: Reflections On Americorps, Culturally Responsive Education And Abbott Elementary, Allie Vandewege

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

This internship report details a year of an AmeriCorps service with Common Threads Farm, working at Cordata Elementary’s school garden and teaching cooking classes in Bellingham, WA. A comprehensive summary of the systemic segregation of the Bellingham School District elucidates how northern schools like Cordata are under-resourced and underserved compared to Bellingham’s more central, wealthier neighborhoods. The author compares her experiences to that of the characters on ABC’s Abbott Elementary, discussing the importance of culturally responsive teaching pedagogies when working with multicultural school communities and collective, grass-roots movement for education reform in under-resourced schools.

Anaerobic Digestion At Western Washington University, Sienna Taylor

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Anaerobic digestion (AD) is the process by which organic matter (such as food waste, manure, paper products, etc.) are broken down by bacteria in a contained system lacking oxygen. The decomposition in this environment produces the byproducts of digestate, which can be used as a liquid fertilizer, and biogas, which can be used in place of natural gas. The goal of anaerobic digestion at Western Washington University is to create a closed-loop waste system to process the pre-consumer and post-consumer organic food waste from the dining halls and use the resulting byproducts. This paper provides recommendations for anaerobic digestion at …

Getting To Know Community Forestry, Jane Egan

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

This Story Map is an interactive website introducing the concept of community forestry. Community forestry is a system of land management where local people are empowered to participate in, benefit from, and actively manage the ecosystem where they live. Unlike the dominant land management strategies in the United States over the past two centuries, community forestry is a model of land management that is sustainable, equitable, and participatory. This site explores that history to illustrate how different land management strategies contribute to environmental justice goals. In addition, it uses case studies from the US and Nepal to demonstrate that community …

What Are Our Plans Missing? What Are Our Missing Plans?, Vivien Coop

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

How well we plan for climate change today will determine who lives, who dies, and the quality of life people in the United States will have. Climate change’s current and projected impacts to civilization beg a few questions for local governments, state governments, tribal governments, elected officials, and community members involved in planning processes. Firstly, what are our plans missing? In other words, is climate change integrated into our plans and to what extent is it integrated? Secondly, what are our missing plans? In other words, do jurisdictions have climate change-specific plans, and how do they compare to the adaptability …

Growing Through Climate Change: Food And Farm Resiliency Post-Disaster, Sarah Quenemoen

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

This research looks in the Whatcom County agriculture sector's disaster preparedness. It investigates the relationship between the farmers and the community, and looks briefly into different strategies being used or being talked about within the realm of farming and natural disasters.

Unmasking Climate Change: How The Impacts Of Global Warming Alter Disease Spread And Discovery, Ellie Potts, Andy Bunn, Adam Wright

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

What is the relationship between global temperature increase and the number of communicable disease cases, and is this relationship stronger for denser populations? Climate change and communicable diseases are two intertwined global issues. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, business owners, governments, and general consumers have all realized the scale of benefits and risks of an internationally integrated global economy, and how our level of urbanization can cause rapid disease spread. This pandemic has uncovered our lack of preparation for global emergencies. Climate change not only poses a global emergency but will also increase our world’s likelihood of diseases. …

Tim Foster's Regenerative Craft Website, Tim Foster

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

This portfolio website explains and contextualizes Tim Foster's Fairhaven Interdisciplinary concentration in Regenerative Design, Ecological Solutions and Craft through design and writing. Website link: https://timfoster.webflow.io/

Whose Water Is It Anyway?: The Adjudication Of Water Rights In The Nooksack Watershed, Emma Ledsham

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

This paper examines the current state of water rights in the Nooksack watershed, specifically looking at stakeholders such as the Lummi Nation, Nooksack Indian Tribe, and local farmers. I then go on to explore what an adjudication of water rights is, its process, and how it will be used in the Nooksack watershed to create an inventory of water users in the area. Finally, I explore the possible effects that adjudication might have on the different stakeholder groups and how they might respond to it.

Mentoring Through Moss: Measuring Air Pollution With High School Youth In The Duwamish Valley, Nichole Vargas

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

This report is a reflection on my participation in the Duwamish Valley Moss and Air Quality Study. In this internship experience, I am mentoring South Seattle high schoolers participating in the Duwamish Valley Youth Corps to collect, prepare, and analyze moss samples from trees in the Duwamish Valley. This project is in collaboration with Seattle community organizations such as the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition, Dirt Corps, El Centro de La Raza, the South Park Area Redevelopment Committee; and Just Health Action. This is the second year that this study has been done. Last year, the study found hotspots of heavy …

Where, Wheat, When?, Natalie Furness

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Understanding historical and modern agricultural practices and climates for cereal grains in Washington using climate change analysis in ArcGIS Pro.

Contamination In The Upper Columbia: Smelting And Its Impact To The Environment And Human Health, Brenden Murphy

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

The objectives of this project include discussing the historical context of the smelting that occurred in Washington and Canada over the past century and how political events shaped the geographies of the region(s). Another objective will be to assess the level of environmental impact to the Upper Columbia region and the potential health effects to organisms and humans from the pollution released from the smelters. We will also explore the interaction of different agencies and stakeholders and the political processes of environmental cleanup to which parties are held responsible. Explaining the different advocacy and conservation groups already involved in the …

Original Environmental Education Lessons And Curriculum, Waverly Shreffler

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

This project is a culmination of my learning through Huxley and the Honors Program designed with the intent of exercising creativity, reflection, and resourcefulness to better myself as a future educator. I have designed a curriculum with five unique units and several coinciding lesson plans with ninth and tenth grade learners in mind. This work reflects my educational philosophy of bringing traditional curricular disciplines into relation through interdisciplinary teaching and multimodal learning. As an Environmental Education student, it has become my duty to acknowledge Place, Indigenous Knowledge, and social justice as integral to the future of education. I try to …

Emotion In Science: The Need For Compassion In Wildlife Conservation, Max Alexandria Boock

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

The scientific field of wildlife conservation was created during a historical time when animal sentience and individuality was not fully recognized. Since then, wildlife conservation has failed to ultimately serve the needs of all stakeholders, particularly animals and marginalized human communities such as indigenous and local peoples. This paper investigates the history of wildlife conservation and the hypocrisy of conserving species by sacrificing animal lives, and integrates the studies of Critical Animal Studies, compassionate conservation, and traditional ecological knowledge and ethics of care, into wildlife conservation in hopes of creating a more just, equitable, and sustainable field of study.

Processing This Pandemic, Dana Ericksen

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Processing the Pandemic, by Dana Ericksen is three reflexive essays on topics brought to light during COVID-19.

Taste Of Place And Provenance, Alison Stevens

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Bioregionalism is a framework that could serve to bridge the gap between humans and the land that they inhabit. A bioregional food system exemplifies the reduction of large scale agriculture and economy to one that falls within climatologically and geographically determined regions, superseding anthropogenic and political borders. Not only would a bioregional food system encourage mindfulness of the ecosystem that surrounds a community, but create a secure, community-based economy scaled to match the bioregion. The valuation of products and crops of local farmers and artisans would reflect the reliance on bioregionally specific wares, as well as ground members in their …

Wildfire Education In Washington School Districts, Jessica Martin

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Wildfire education is an important and often overlooked unit of a comprehensive public school education. Ecology, earth science, and disaster preparedness for events like earthquakes and house fires are examples of subjects already taught to students in schools throughout Washington; however, given the effects of climate change, wildfire education warrants much greater integration into school district curricula. To assess the general extent of wildfire education in Washington state, Washington state public school districts were contacted and asked if they provided their students with wildfire education. A majority of the school districts contacted reported that they either do not formally include …

Public Meetings: Barriers And Solutions, Pauline Mogilevsky

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Public meetings and hearings are some of the most common avenues of interaction between government officials and the public. In many circumstances, they are a legally required element of the public involvement process. However, elected officials, government staff, and residents often find public meetings to be frustrating, unrepresentative, and ineffective (Hajnal and Trounstine, 2016; McComas et al, 2007; Walters et al, 2000). This has prompted many planners to employ other, more nontraditional methods of public participation in order to gain meaningful feedback and build relationships with residents. Though these newer methods, which include workshops, tours, and charrettes, are often more …

Regional Textile Production: Mapping The Pacific Northwest Fiber Network, Caroline Vogl

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Inspired by the slow food movement, more people have started to question the source of their clothing and textiles due to the environmental and human rights abuses in the current global fashion industry. The Pacific Northwest in particular is a place where questions about textile production and sourcing have been raised and where many textile farmers, retailers and makers already exist. Currently there are many gaps in production and a lack of connection between the various players in this regional economy. The first step in creating a stronger regionally-based fiber economy is to connect the participants in this economy. To …

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 …

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 …

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, …

Tales From A College Intern: National Information Center For Ecology (Nice), Shannon Ashurst

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Nearing my graduation from Western Washington University's Huxley College of Environmental Studies, I found myself seeking out an internship. Glancing through the various internship postings, I encountered a promising flyer: a local non-profit group called the National Information Center for Ecology (NICE) needed help with grant writing and habitat restoration projects around Bellingham. As a college student, I appreciate the value of obtaining funds, and since I plan to pursue graduate school, grant writing seemed a valuable skill to learn. Additionally, as an environmental science major, I believe firmly in restoring threatened and endangered habitats. Thus, this internship seemed right …

Whatcom County Land Use Senior Project: Land Use Intern Journal, September 1997 To June 1998, Elizabeth S. (Elizabeth Sutton) Cullen

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Whatcom County Planning and Development Services regulates and monitors the land use in the county. The Land Use Office has a staff of 19 people which deal specifically with land use regulations, including specialized employees such as the Critical Area Specialists, State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) Specialist, and the Shoreline Specialist. Engineering, Building Services and Planning are also housed under the umbrella of Planning and Development Services. All incoming project proposals may be subject to review from one or all of the departments. These branches and specialists play a vital and necessary role in governing land use and development in …

People In The Park: Reconciling Residents, Tourism, And Conservation In Shey-Phoksundo National Park, Nepal, Juniper Garver-Hume

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Nepal is a small, independent country located between Tibet, India, and Sikkim. Its government is a constitutional monarchy. Its constitution has gone through many changes since it was first created in 1948. The most recent changes “ended almost thirty years of absolute monarchy (Savada 1993).” This 1990 constitution “vests sovereignty in the people and declares Nepal a multiethnic, multilingual, democratic, independent, indivisible, sovereign, and constitutional monarchical kingdom (Savada 1993).” The king is still chief of state, but the government is now multiparty with separation of powers and guarantee of human rights.

The land area of Nepal is approximately equal to …

The Relevance Of Nature Photography In Environmental Work, Susan Sarratt

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

As we near the end of the twentieth century, our society faces an uncertain future. Can we continue on our present pathway of exploitation and degradation of the natural world and hope that it will continue to sustain us? Our wanton wastefulness and destructiveness have damaged and destroyed many natural ecosystems and pushed many more to the brink of collapse. This degradation has been the result of such factors as overpopulation, industrialism, rapid and extensive development, and economic incentives; but ultimately, our unsustainable social structure is the product of a society which has become distant from the natural world and …

The Little Country That Could: Danish Energy Policy And Practice, Chandra L. Meek

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Over the past 25 years, Denmark has made a transition away from an industrial society with a large agricultural sector towards a service economy. Rapid growth in production volumes has resulted in a higher level of resource consumption and pressures on the environment. This development has influenced Denmark's environmental policy, which has grown and diversified over the years. The following statement Is indicative of the Danish commitment to the environment and the realization that Denmark is one of the world's leaders in sustainable development: The most environmentally conscious countries must therefore be prepared to act as front-runners in the international …