Idaho Water Resources

"Idaho Water Resources Research Institute at 50: A Half-Century of Issues, Research, and Results"

Tuesday, December 2, 2014 | 12:30-1:30 p.m. 
Whitewater Room, Idaho Commons

Presenters: 
Adam M. Sowards - History
Brynn Lacabanne - Environmental Science



Abstract
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Idaho Water Resources Research Institute (IWRRI). Designed to research and resolve Idaho’s water resource issues, as well as educate the public about them, IWRRI produced path-breaking research from groundwater issues to wild and scenic rivers designation to reclamation. Although IWRRI’s research tends toward the technical and specific, by scaling outward for a wider view and tracking it over time, the presenters reveal a fascinating history of Idaho’s recent challenges and opportunities related to water.

Biographies
Adam M. Sowards is an environmental historian who focuses on North America, especially the West. His research focuses on conservation history and the intersection of environmental history and history of science. Most recently, he edited Idaho’s Place: A New History of the Gem State (University of Washington Press, 2014). Sowards has been at the University of Idaho since 2003 and has been active in interdisciplinary teaching, research, and service.

Brynn M. Lacabanne will graduate in December with an M.S. in Environmental Science with two master’s certificates (Restoration Ecology and Fire Ecology). She also holds an M.S. in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and currently works for the Idaho Transportation Department's District 3 office as a GIS analyst. She is passionate about using GIS as a tool for education, especially in the context of environmental issues.