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Water Knows No Boundaries
Oct. 13, 2008
Photo is available at www.today.uidaho.edu/PhotoList.aspx
Written by Jeremy Bennett
MOSCOW, Idaho – Mark Solomon’s passion comes to the surface when the topic of jurisdictionally complex water basins comes up. He’s been working on water issues in Idaho and across the nation for more than 30 years, and now is part of a University of Idaho team focusing on the Lapwai Creek watershed on the Nez Perce Reservation.
Solomon, a University of Idaho graduate student, has taken his academic research into water issues to the next level through the unique Waters of the West program, known as WoW.
The program is revolutionizing the management of water issues by blending engineering, science, management, policy, law, philosophy, social science and other disciplines to both define a basin problem and identify solutions. Not only are graduate students being taught how to affect this interdisciplinary approach, but WoW faculty and students are teaming with communities to help solve real and pressing water challenges.
“I have never seen a program in the country with the level of interdisciplinarity that we have developed in Waters of the West,” said Fritz Fiedler, associate professor of civil engineering. It is the only program in the nation to offer concurrent J.D. and Ph.D., or J.D. and master’s degrees in water resources and one of a few to offer master's and doctoral degrees in water resources in multiple fields.
Solomon recently received a $31,000 per year fellowship from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Greater Research Opportunities (GRO) program to help his studies on minimizing jurisdictional barriers of water basins with complex ownership.
“Waters of the West allows me to research the complex issues of water resources from a true interdisciplinary approach,” Solomon said. “My research focuses on developing transferable tools and skills necessary to help stakeholders achieve the goals of the federal Clean Water Act, so all of the nation's waters are fishable and swimmable, particularly when jurisdictional goals differ within a given watershed.”
Solomon is part of a WoW team of faculty and students from across disciplines that is helping stakeholders in the Lapwai Creek watershed. The team is led by Barbara Cosens, associate professor of law at the University of Idaho, and Brian Kennedy, assistant professor of fish and wildlife resources.
As a member of the team, Solomon will be involved in face-to-face meetings with watershed landowners and managers to hear their views and concerns of what should be done. He and team members also will be reviewing local laws, regulations and programs to identify jurisdictional barriers and explore areas of compromise across those jurisdictional lines.
The team will gauge the knowledge of those living on the river as a path to finding the best way to bring about a unified vision to protect it.
“The Waters of the West team was invited to work on the Nez Perce Reservation because of the issues arising between tribal and non-tribal owners living on the reservation,” Solomon said. “Tribal members have sustenance and spiritual issues tied to the waters, while non-tribal entities need to divert water for irrigation of crops and for residential use. I hope that the team's work can help bring together a unified vision to protect the water and the people, fish, plants and animals that depend on it.”
More information about Waters of the West is available at http://water.uidaho.edu. More information about Solomon’s GRO fellowship is available at http://es.epa.gov/ncer/fellow/recipients/gro_fellow08.html.
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About the University of Idaho
Founded in 1889, the University of Idaho is the state’s flagship higher-education institution and its principal graduate education and research university, bringing insight and innovation to the state, the nation and the world. University researchers attract nearly $100 million in research grants and contracts each year; the University of Idaho is the only institution in the state to earn the prestigious Carnegie Foundation ranking for high research activity. The university’s student population includes first-generation college students and ethnically diverse scholars. Offering more than 150 degree options in 10 colleges, the university combines the strengths of a large university with the intimacy of small learning communities. For information, visit www.uidaho.edu.
Media Contact: Tania Thompson, University Communications, (208) 885-6567, taniat@uidaho.edu
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