Achievement

The research work of GLOBES trainees Sarah Roley and Mia Stephen, to be presented at the 2009 NABS annual meeting, assesses two-stage ditch design and its affect on nitrogen export from Indiana agricultural streams that results in downstream water quality problems including the "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico. The interactions of Roley and Stephen with the various constituencies and agencies involved in the project brings their GLOBES training to the forefront. These include The Nature Conservancy (TNC), Kosciusko County landowners, the local NRCS office who agreed to pay conservation easements to the landowners, and the Kosciusko County Surveyor’s Office which agreed to allow the practice of two-stage ditch design. In order to educate natural resource managers on the outcomes of the practice, Roley and Stephen have spoken at several TNC-sponsored events. In addition, their work with collaborators helped determine relevant research questions and informed management decision-making.