YAKIMA, Wash. – Yakima Valley College is holding a film screening that depicts the work of scientists to conserve old growth forests for future generations.
“Now or Never: Saving Old Growth Trees in Eastern Washington Forests” is a nine minute film that showcases the challenges these forests face as a result of drought and wildfire.
A panel of scientists from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and other agencies will be on hand to answer questions following the film.
Here are the speakers for the 5:30 p.m. event on Tuesday, January 14 at the Kaminski Conference Center:
Richard Tveten, Natural Resource Scientist, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
Richard is an ecologist with a bachelor’s degree in terrestrial ecology and a master’s degrees in fire ecology From Western Washington University. He created and has led WDFW’s forest management team since 2014. His team has completed over 31,000 acres of forest health treatments in diverse environments including but not limited to Sitka spruce wetlands, oak savannas, dry ponderosa pine forests, aspen woodlands and Larch savannas. WDFW projects focus on improving wildlife habitat, restoring ecological integrity and increasing forest resiliency. Richard also has experience working in shrub steppe, prairie and wetlands restoration.
Bill Gaines, Wildlife Ecologist and Director, Washington Conservation Science Institute
Bill Gaines, Ph.D. is a Wildlife Ecologist and Director of the Washington Conservation Science Institute. He has been involved in wildlife research and forest management in eastern Washington for over 3 decades, including 27-years as a wildlife biologist with the US Forest Service. He has conducted research on the effects of fire and forest restoration on wildlife and published over 75 peer-reviewed articles on a wide-range of wildlife species and conservation topics.
Garrett Meigs, Forest Health Scientist, Washington DNR
Garrett Meigs is a Forest Health Scientist in the Forest Resilience Division at the Washington Department of Natural Resources. He works with a wide range of partners to support adaptive management strategies across all lands. Garrett’s current research topics include old-growth forest sustainability, the work of wildfire in the context of landscape resilience, and disturbance interactions under climate change. He enjoys exploring the diverse forest landscapes of the Pacific Northwest and beyond.
