Ashley Bagley, NW CASC Fellow and master’s student in UW’s School of Marine and Environmental Affairs, won first place for her poster submission at the recent Restoring Resilient Communities in Changing Landscapes Conference, hosted by the Society for Ecological Restoration and the Society of Wetland Scientists. This conference brought together scientists, practitioners and decision makers to share knowledge about the ways in which ecological restoration can build resilience of ecological and human communities in changing landscapes.
Ashley’s poster was based on her research which focuses on identifying where floodplain restoration in the Stillaguamish River basin could provide the greatest increase in salmonid habitat. Chinook and coho salmon in the Stillaguamish River are vulnerable to decreased water flows and higher water temperatures associated with climate change. However, certain floodplain restoration efforts have the potential to create areas of cold-water habitat that could help buffer salmon vulnerability to climate change. Ashley is working with the Stillaguamish Tribe and Snohomish County, who will be able to use her research to help guide their future planning and restoration efforts.
