Western to Host Jen Watkins for a Talk on Cascades Habitat Connectivity March 3

Western Washington University’s Huxley College of the Envionrment will host Jen Watkins from Conservation Northwest for a discussion on habitat connectivity in the I-90 corridor as part of the Huxley Speaker Series at 4 p.m. on Thursday, March 3 in Communications Facility 110.

The presentation is free and open to the public.

In her talk titled “Connecting Wildlife in the Cascades: Maintaining and Restoring Habitat Connectivity in the I-90 Corridor,” Watkins will explain why the bottleneck of habitat around Interstate 90 just east and west of Snoqualmie Pass is so important for wildlife in light of a changing climate. Her talk will also highlight the historic efforts of public and private partners to maintain and restore habitat connectivity in this region.

Watkins began working with Conservation Northwest in 2001 as part of the outreach team for The Cascades Conservation Partnership. As a conservation associate, she continues to work on connectivity issues in the Central Cascades with the I-90 Wildlife Bridges Coalition and with our national forests program on the Okanogan-Wenatchee and Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forests. Watkins graduated from the University of Washington’s College of Forest Resources and has a strong interest in community collaborations and wildlife connectivity.

The presentation will include a question-and-answer period. Anyone interested in the topic is encouraged to attend and participate.

The Huxley College Speaker Series, sponsored by Western’s Huxley College of the Environment, is intended to bring together environmentally-minded members of the WWU and Bellingham communities. Speakers address topics of contemporary environmental concern in the region and the world.

Western’s Huxley College of the Environment is one of the oldest environmental colleges in the nation and a recognized leader in producing the next generation of environmental professionals and stewards. Huxley’s distinctive, interdisciplinary curriculum reflects a broad view of the physical, biological, social, and cultural world, and has earned international recognition for quality.

For more information, please contact Jen VanderWeyden, Huxley College of the Environment’s marketing coordinator, at (360) 650-2554 or Jen.VanderWeyden@wwu.edu.

Photo: I-90's route through Snoqualmie Pass cuts through important habitat in the Cascades, creating a bottleneck for wildlife across their ranges. Image courtesy Washington DOT.