Changing the Current: Lightning Tales from a New Generation
Session Coordinator: Ashley Shannon, Cal Trout
This is a Lightning Tales session, featuring five- ten-minute talks geared towards young professional development in the world of fisheries and restoration science. It is a space for growth, grit, and claiming your place in a field that does not always look like the future you want to build. This session also highlights how thoughtful, values-based decision-making and emotional awareness are essential to shaping a resilient and inclusive future in fisheries and restoration science. Our speakers will bring fresh perspectives, lived experiences, and diverse career paths to learn from, all while moving forward the values that drive our generation. And we encourage more experienced folks to sign up or listen in, because the future of this field depends on listening across generations. These talks will be short enough to keep your attention but packed with insights that will stick with you long after. Together we will reflect on how we got here, imagine where we are headed, and share the tools and tips to grow our visions, just like healthy rivers grow strong fish.
Womxn in Watershed Science: Taking Space in Male Dominated Fields,
Katherine Stonecypher, M.S., Senior Fisheries Research Assistant, U.S. Geological Survey California Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Cal Poly Humboldt
Confronting Imposter Syndrome,
Virginia Wala, M.S., Fisheries Technician, Redwood National Park
Sweaty Pits and Writing Permits: Environmental Regulation, Anxiety, and Saving Everything,
Shannon Husband, Environmental Scientist, California Department of Fish and Wildlife
River Partners Fellows Program: Building the Next Generation of Restoration Scientists,
Holly Ferrara, Restoration Science Ecologist / Project Manager, River Partners
We Are Being the Power of the River: Restoration Stories from the Riparian Zone of the Trinity River,
Simone Groves, Riparian Ecologist, Hoopa Valley Tribal Fisheries, Trinity River Restoration Program
We Are Being the Power of the River: Restoration Stories from the Riparian Zone of the Trinity River,
Chase Niesner, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow, Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley
Quotes Offer Sound Advice and Inspiration to Younger Generations of Stream Scientists and Restorationists,
William J. Trush, Ph.D., Adjunct Professor, Cal Poly Humboldt, River Institute
Momentum from Mentorship,
Jason White, M.E.S.M., South Coast Habitat Restoration, University of California, Santa Barbara, Lecturer, SRF Board Member
Science in the Summer? Bringing the Next Generation With Us,
John R. Oberholzer Dent, Biologist, Karuk Tribe Department of Natural Resources
Swimming Upstream: How to Navigate a Changing Job Market as a Young Professional,
Megan Kownurko, Agricultural Enhancement Coordinator, Humboldt County Resource Conservation District
Changing the Tone for GIS and Empowering Folks for Discovery,
Robert George, M.S., North Coast Project Manager, California Trout
Growing a Conservation Coalition in Southern California Using Traditional and Modern Engagement Strategies,
Elizabeth Burns, M.S., South Coast Project Coordinator, Southern Steelhead Coalition, California Trout
The Power of Art and Natural History in Fisheries Restoration and Stewardship,
Edgar Cruz, Pacific Watershed Associates
Political Ecology as a Lens for Understanding Fishery Declines from the U.S. to Gaza,
Stella Baumstone, Watershed Stewards Program Corpmember, Bureau of Land Management, Arcata
Post-talk Discussion,
Ashley Shannon, North Coast Project Manager, California Trout, and Milton Reynolds, Board Member, California Trout
