SpeakUP: The Power of Writing and Turning Toward Trouble with Young People

When a group of rural teens meet regularly out-of-school to write for social change in their communities, they inquire into those recent moments when they did or did not choose to speak up. This article describes some of the conceptual tools and practical classroom implications for three teachers who participate with SpeakUP. In particular, this piece argues that when young people turn toward trouble together, specifically when they do or do not decide to speak up, they can identify their assumptions and expectations, notice how power is working in both visible and invisible ways, and consider multiple possibilities for future responses in similar situations

Comparison of Reach-Scale Morphologic Adjustment in Confined and Unconfined Alluvial Mountain Rivers, Western Washington

Over human time scales (10-1 – 102 yr), alluvial mountain rivers respond to changes in sediment input and discharge through adjustments in reach-scale morphology (width, depth, grain size, and, to some degree, slope). Channel confinement (valley-width relative to the bankfull channel width) in these systems can strongly influence the magnitude of channel response. We compared channel responsiveness to flood events (50-100 yr) within the last 5 years in unconfined and confined valley segments on the Olympic Peninsula, western Washington. Field measurements of cross-sectional averaged width and depth in 20 confined and 20 unconfined valleys are compared to the bankfull dimensions predicted from established downstream hydraulic geometry relationships for the region. We expect that measured bankfull geometry of confined reaches will be significantly greater than the predicted bankfull dimensions, which would suggest that the morphology of confined channels is more responsive to flood events. In unconfined channels floodplains are large enough to disperse over-bank flows, which can limit the effect of peak discharges on channel morphology, whereas confined channels are forced to disperse the extra energy exerted by peak flows into increased shear stress along their bed and banks. Results from this study can aid modeling efforts to predict future changes in channel geometry and aquatic habitat in response to climate change or land use at the basin scale

Application of MODIS snow cover products: wildfire impacts on snow and melt in the Sierra Nevada

The current work evaluates the spatial and temporal variability in snow after a large forest fire in northern California using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) snow-covered area and grain size (MODSCAG). MODIS MOD10A1 fractional snow-covered area and MODSCAG fractional snow cover products are utilized to detect spatial and temporal changes in snowpack after the 2007 Moonlight Fire and an unburned basin, Grizzly Ridge, for water years (WY) 2002–2012. Estimates of canopy-adjusted and non-adjusted MODSCAG fractional snow-covered area (fSCA) are smoothed and interpolated to provide a continuous time series of average daily snow extent over the two basins. The removal of overstory canopy by wildfire exposes more snow cover; however, elemental pixel comparisons and statistical analysis show that the MOD10A1 product has a tendency to overestimate snow coverage pre-fire, muting the observed effects of wildfire. The MODSCAG algorithm better distinguishes subpixel snow coverage in forested areas and is highly correlated to soil burn severity after the fire. Annual MODSCAG fSCA estimates show statistically significant increased fSCA in the Moonlight Fire study area after the fire (<i>P</i> < 0.01 for WY 2008–2011) compared to pre-fire averages and the control basin. After the fire, the number of days exceeding a pre-fire high snow-cover threshold increased by 81%. Canopy reduction increases exposed viewable snow area and the amount of solar radiation that reaches the snowpack, leading to earlier basin average melt-out dates compared to the nearby unburned basin. There is also a significant increase in MODSCAG fSCA post-fire regardless of slope or burn severity. Regional snow cover change has significant implications for both short- and long-term water supply for impacted ecosystems, downstream communities, and resource managers

Garden City Geotechnical, Transportation and Structural / Pronto Engineering

Garden City, ID does not currently have water storage facilities within its boundaries. It currently does have 10 potable water supply wells serving nearly 6,000 residents and businesses in the city limits. Pronto Engineering has teamed up with No B.S. Engineering in order to provide the design plans for a new Reservoir and Booster Pump Station, to be located on a city-owned parcel of land at 201 E. 46th Street. This will provide equalization and fire suppression storage for the east end of Garden City, ID. Extensive coordinated communication is expected to occur with No B.S. Engineering in order to complete the design of the new reservoir and booster pump station. Information provided by No B.S. Engineering will allow Pronto Engineering to determine all required permits, design the water storage reservoir and pump station building, associated foundations, realignment of 46th Street access, design of the site stormwater management system, and enhance Chinden Boulevard access to the new site