Reflection on Research

Recently I had the great opportunity to go to a screening of the film A Rivers Last Chance. The film highlights the history of the Eel River watershed, including testimonies and experiences from various individuals, academics and professionals, ultimately providing a brief glance at the ecological devastation that has occurred due to a dynamic history of intensive and irresponsible fishing, logging and cannabis cultivation. The film also makes mention of several hydroelectric dams and irrigation diversions at the headwaters of the Eel River that contribute to the current imbalance of the majestic watershed. Currently PG&E is at the negotiation table to relicense the projects, a process which happens only once every 50 years.
Having seen the successful negotiation of various stakeholders and activists involved in the Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement and how the resolution has laid out the foundation for the removal of four dam projects, I see a key opportunity to restore a local watershed that I have grown to love and cherish from childhood to adulthood. I don't quite know to what capacity I wish to explore the relicensing process, but I think it will be a fulfilling challenge to identify and interview stakeholders, and unravel the red tape that shrouds the decision making process that will ultimately determine the fate of the local watershed for the next 50 years and beyond.
Now the important question...why is this research personally fulfilling to me? I find a lot of intrinsic and aesthetic value in the local environment that makes up Humboldt county, much of this appreciation stemming from my identity as a local resident. Thus I feel a strong calling toward protecting the environment that has helped shaped who I am today. The Eel River, and many of Humboldt counties watershed are subject to a plethora of diversions due to licensed and unlicensed cannabis farms scattered throughout the county. Through my internship at a local consulting firm I have had the unique opportunity to explore the sources of cannabis related land and water impacts, and work with a group of professionals and state/local agencies to help mitigate these impacts. But as the film A Rivers Last Chance revealed, the impacts that plague the Eel River are diverse in source and scope. Thus in order to maximize my skills and abilities, I think it would be tremendously valuable expand my knowledge into an unknown territory and research the dam relicensing process. I believe this project would effectively fulfill my "instinctual" calling to participate in the protection of a local and valuable ecosystem.