Western's Huxley College of the Environment to Host Fraser Valley Flood Researcher Jonathan Hughes Nov.18

Contact: Western Washington University’s Huxley College of the Environment at (360) 650-3520.

BELLINGHAM:  Jonathan Hughes will present “A History of Extreme Freshet Floods in the Fraser Lowland of British Columbia” as part of Western Washington University’s Huxley College of the Environment Speaker Series at noon on Friday, Nov.18, in Academic West room 304 on the Western campus. 

The presentation is free and open to the public.

Over the last few years, Hughes and his undergraduate students have studied Fraser Lowland wetlands as repositories of Fraser River freshet flood deposits.  The evidence they found of past floods includes dozens of silty and sandy layers (slack-water deposits) that stand in contrast to the otherwise peaty matrix of the bogs and wetlands that include them. Reconstructing the frequency and magnitude of these past floods helps managers assess future flood risk while engaging students in inquiry-based learning.

Hughes is an instructor and researcher in the Geography department at the University of the Fraser Valley.  The focus of his research program, which operates out of the UFV Paleoecology Laboratory, is to better understand natural hazards and past environmental change, particularly as they relate to vegetation ecology.  Research themes include paleoseismology (past earthquakes), paleohydrology (past floods), fire history, and ecosystem function in response to climate and human-induced change. 

Hughes is a recipient of the Mendenhall Postdoctoral Fellowship from 2003-2006.  He received his doctorate from Simon Fraser University and has also studied at University of Wyoming and University of the South.

Anyone interested in this topic is encouraged to come and participate; the presentation will include a question-and-answer period. The speaker series is held by Western's Huxley College of the Environment to bring together the environmentally minded community and other interested members of the WWU and Bellingham communities.  Speakers address topics of contemporary environmental concern in the region and the world.

For more information, please contact the main office of Huxley College of the Environment, at (360) 650-3520.

Western’s Huxley College of the Environment is one of the oldest environmental colleges in the nation and a recognized national leader in producing the next generation of environmental stewards. The College’s academic programs reflect a broad view of the physical, biological, social and cultural world.  This innovative and interdisciplinary approach makes Huxley unique. The College has earned international recognition for the quality of its programs.