USU Watershed Sciences

12/22/2025

Join our team in Logan, Utah! Learn more and apply: https://careers-usu.icims.com/jobs/9782/job

10/31/2025

Frightening: beaver jumping into the water at dusk on your way back to the car.

08/13/2025

07/17/2025

06/30/2025

Our researchers in the Wetland Ecology & Restoration Lab combat the spread of phragmites by finding out what conditions are best to replace the invasive plant with native ones, enhancing the biodiversity of Great Salt Lake wetlands! Check out the story: usustatesman.com/saving-the-wetlands-at-the-great-salt-lake

“You take it for granted until it’s not working anymore and there’s not enough clean water or water at all,” Kurkowski said. “Wetlands do lots of really important things for us and for nature. It’s really important to be able to restore that diversity back into wetlands.”

06/30/2025

06/10/2025

Students, like Christina Waddle in our ecological restoration program, have joined volunteers and professionals to help add woody structures and debris to Summit Creek in Smithfield Canyon, creating great habitat for fish and wildlife in general!

“I’ve learned a lot more about how to use the tools and what it actually looks like putting the structures in and meeting in different materials,” Waddle said. “With the class, I’ve gained a lot of experience with how to analyze data — how to look using a GIS [Geographic Information System] or even Google Earth to figure out what your plan is going to be and how you put the structures in.”

Quinney College of Natural Resources at USU

The Watershed and Fish Habitat Improvement Project is transforming more than just the flow of Summit Creek in Smithfield Canyon.…

05/29/2025

05/29/2025

💦🐟 San Rafael River water, which supports three species of fish that are only found in the region, is overallocated to human use and the stream runs dry far more often than it has historically, according to fish ecologist Phaedra Budy. Restoration practitioners are looking to dampen the effects by installing post-assisted log structures and reintroducing beavers.

“Now in light of drought and climate change, we simply are seeing more overallocation and more demand for water,” Budy said. “And more fights between humans and fish for this very, very precious resource.”

Quinney College of Natural Resources at USU

Because a lot of water from the San Rafael River gets used upstream, more of its path through southeast Utah is drying up. That’s transforming the river’s flow patterns and leaving native fish stranded. But scientists are testing ways to give them a better chance at survival.

05/28/2025

💧 Reservoirs are important for agricultural and residential users who need water on demand, but how to manage them through times of drought is challenging, and they can have unintended ecological consequences, like impaired water quality and increased greenhouse gas emissions. The good news is that new reservoir construction has slowed and people are focusing more on conservation to make our water systems more resilient.

-->“The number one thing would be to tread much lighter and steward our environment with a much greater sense of humility — recognizing that we’re part of this ecological system and anytime we alter that system, there are going to be ramifications and some unintended consequences,” Belmont said.

Utah’s reservoirs are more than just scenic bodies of water — they are the lifeblood of the state’s agricultural industry,…