I graduated from Humboldt in May of 2001 with a BS in Fisheries Biology (Freshwater Emphasis). During the first year after graduation (May 2001 through June 2002), I worked for Dr. Bret Harvey with the U.S. Forest Service as a Fisheries Technician at Redwood Sciences Laboratory in Arcata, CA (a position that I also held during the last year that I was a student at Humboldt). In July 2002, I moved to Redding, CA and accepted a job with the Forest Service as the Assistant Fisheries Biologist for the Inland Fish Management Zone of the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. This position is a cooperative education position and has allowed me to return to school to complete a graduate degree. I deferred the fall 2002 semester to stay in Redding and work on the Shasta-Trinity NF so that I could identify a project for my graduate work.

Currently, I am a graduate student at Utah State University working toward a MS in Aquatic Ecology (Spring 2003-present). During the past two summers (2003-04) I have returned to Redding to work on my thesis research at Shasta Lake, CA. The title of my research project is, “Assessing the Effectiveness of Planted Grass Beds in Shasta Lake, California: An Evaluation of Possible Benefits for Juvenile Bass.” My work involves evaluating one of the habitat enhancement projects that the Forest Service uses to try and mitigate the impacts of reservoir drawdown on bass populations in the lake. I am currently processing samples and data collected during the past year while completing my last semester of coursework. Once my thesis has been accepted and successfully defended, I will return to Redding and convert to a full time employee with the Forest Service. I am an active member of the USU Student Subchapter of the American Fisheries Society and presented a poster on my preliminary thesis work at the 2004 Western Division AFS meetings in Salt Lake City, Utah. I have recently been awarded a Research Fellowship from the USU Ecology Center in support of my research project.