1) Subject: Cattle Ranching

Proposal: Environmental, Societal, and Economic Costs of Cattle Ranching in Washington State (NAICS Code 112111)

Overview:
Cattle ranching in Washington State is an industry with complex environmental, societal, and economic implications. While ranching contributes to rural livelihoods, it also has significant environmental impacts, including habitat degradation, water consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions. Furthermore, the societal costs, such as conflicts over wildlife conservation, public land use, and the broader effects on public health, are less well understood.
This project aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the full costs and benefits of cattle ranching in Washington. By examining data across environmental, societal, and economic dimensions, the project would help stakeholders—including policymakers, conservationists, and ranchers—understand the long-term sustainability and potential trade-offs of this sector.

Research Questions:

1. What are the environmental costs of cattle ranching, including effects on biodiversity, water usage, and carbon emissions?
2. How does ranching impact local economies and job markets in rural Washington, and what subsidies or financial supports exist to sustain the industry?
3. What societal costs arise from ranching, including wildlife conflicts, public land disputes, and public health risks?
4. How do the economic benefits of ranching compare to the environmental and societal costs?

Research Methodology:

This thesis could use a mixed-methods approach, combining data collection and analysis with stakeholder interviews. Quantitative analysis of economic and environmental data (e.g., greenhouse gas emissions, water usage, grazing permit costs) will be complemented by qualitative research through interviews with ranchers, conservationists, indigenous groups, and government agencies.

Potential Impact:

This research would provide critical insights into the long-term viability of cattle ranching in Washington State. It would offer decision-makers a clearer understanding of whether current practices are sustainable or whether alternative approaches, such as regenerative ranching or conservation ranching, may be more beneficial in the long run.

2) Subject: Court of Limited Jurisdiction

Proposal: Establishment of a Court of Limited Jurisdiction for Wildlife and Natural Resources Issues

Overview:
The enforcement of wildlife and natural resources laws in Washington State is often handled through a patchwork of general jurisdiction courts, leading to inconsistent outcomes and slow adjudication of cases such as poaching, illegal logging, and environmental violations. Establishing a specialized Court of Limited Jurisdiction dedicated to wildlife and natural resource issues would streamline these cases and ensure a more consistent and knowledgeable application of the law.
This project will explore the feasibility of such a court, examining its potential structure, benefits, and challenges. It would also analyze comparative models from other states or countries and assess the economic, legal, and policy implications for Washington State.

Research Questions:

1. What are the key legal and policy challenges currently facing the enforcement of wildlife and natural resource laws in Washington State?
2. How would the establishment of a Court of Limited Jurisdiction improve case outcomes, enforcement consistency, and overall wildlife and resource protection?
3. What models from other jurisdictions could Washington adopt or adapt, and what are the financial and operational implications?
4. What are the views of stakeholders (judges, game wardens, legislators, conservationists) regarding the creation of a specialized court?

Research Methodology:

The project could combine a legal review of existing statutes with interviews and case studies. Reviewing successful models from other regions and comparing Washington’s current enforcement structure would offer a framework for analyzing the benefits and challenges of implementation. Stakeholder interviews with enforcement officers, judges, and policymakers would provide insight into the feasibility and desirability of such a system.

Potential Impact:

By exploring the legal, financial, and operational aspects of a wildlife and natural resources court, this research could lead to tangible policy recommendations that streamline enforcement and protect Washington’s natural heritage. A well-functioning court could deter violations, protect wildlife, and offer a model for other states facing similar challenges.

3) Subject: Chronic Wasting Disease

Proposal: Investigating the Spread of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) and Predator Management: A Comparative Study of Wolves and Cougars in Disease Control

Overview:
Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is an infectious prion disease affecting cervids (deer, elk, and moose) across North America. The spread of CWD varies significantly across regions, with some areas appearing to avoid the disease despite being surrounded by affected regions. One emerging hypothesis is that predator populations, particularly wolves and cougars, play a role in controlling the spread by preying on infected, weakened individuals. However, predator management strategies—especially those involving heavy hunting—may inadvertently reduce this natural control mechanism.

This project will investigate whether areas with more robust predator populations (wolves, cougars, or both) experience lower CWD prevalence compared to regions with heavy predator hunting. Furthermore, the research will explore the differences between the hunting strategies of cougars (stalk-and-pounce predators) and wolves (coursing predators), examining whether one type of predator is more effective in controlling CWD through selective predation of infected individuals.

Research Questions:

1. Is there a correlation between predator management practices (hunting intensity) and the spread of CWD in cervid populations?
2. How do the hunting strategies of cougars and wolves differ in their ability to detect and target infected cervids?
3. Does the presence of both predator species in a region have a compounding effect on the reduction of CWD, or is one predator more effective than the other at controlling the disease?
4. How has CWD spread into Washington State from Idaho, and what role has predator management played in this transmission?

Research Methodology:

This study will use a mixed-methods approach, combining spatial analysis using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to map CWD spread and predator population data with field observations and data from wildlife management agencies. The research will examine CWD incidence in regions with different levels of predator management (heavy hunting, minimal hunting, or protected predator populations) and compare this with regions that have both wolves and cougars versus regions with only one predator species.
Additionally, the research will analyze studies on predator hunting behaviors, particularly any evidence suggesting that cougars or wolves preferentially target diseased animals, and conduct interviews with wildlife biologists and predator experts to gather qualitative insights.

Potential Impact:

By investigating the role of predator management in controlling the spread of CWD, this research could provide valuable insights for wildlife management and conservation strategies. It could also lead to recommendations for integrated predator-prey management practices that consider both disease control and ecosystem health. The findings could influence policies in Washington State and other regions grappling with predator management and CWD spread, offering a more holistic approach to wildlife conservation.

4) Subject: Old Growth Forest

Proposal: Historic Forest Composition Photo Interpretation: Investigating Forest Composition Now and Then  

Overview:  

Historic mature and old growth forests (MOG) once dominated eastern Washington. Logging of MOG forests over the past 100 years has turned most of Colville National Forest into younger, smaller in diameter individual trees. Old growth stands are diminishing and at a historic low.  Comparisons between contemporary and historic range of variability (HRV) in forest structure can quantify the amount and types of restoration that shift landscapes toward structural conditions that have historically fostered resilience to fire. The USDA Forest Service defines HRV as a representation of the full range of landscape characteristics that have occurred in the past. It’s used as a benchmark for evaluating the health of ecosystems and landscapes, and can be used to guide land management.

How do you prove that Late Old Structure forests once dominated the landscape? 

Currently The US Forest Service Land Management Plan for the Colville National Forest (CNF) assert that in the CNF 38-78% of the dry Douglas Fir Plant Association Group was late-open structure. Historic 1934 photos, taken high atop mountain/fire lookouts suggest that it was not late-open structure but suggests Northern Rocky Mountain Mixed Conifer.

We need someone to help compile historical photographs that either proves or disapproves this Forest Service’s assertion:

Forest Service argues historic 1934 photos don’t “… scientifically show that the predominant HRV for forest structure was mature, dense stands of mixed conifer in the Bulldog project area. There are no peer-reviewed scientific articles that rely on these photos for estimates of HRV density or HRV structure class because these photos do not include a large enough scale nor the camera perspective needed to derive HRV estimates.”  (Bulldog Project Supplemental EA – Response to Comment)

A survey performed in 1936 estimated that old-growth stands dominated more than 70% of the forests in eastern Washington and Oregon.[1] The CNF has no up-to-date forestwide inventory of its mature and old growth forest.

The report (Henjum, et al) noted “warned that these forests had already been “transformed,” and that if current rates of logging continued, old growth stands would soon occupy less than 10% of these forests. Id. at 19. The panel warned that such a loss would “jeopardize many components of the biological diversity of eastside forests and increase numbers of threatened, endangered, and extinct species.” Id. at 5. In particular, the panel found that only 1% of the Colville National Forest (“Colville” or “Forest”) consisted of old-growth stands protected from logging. Id. at 54.

Why does this matter? Science analysis in the mid-1990s found that only 1 percent

of the Colville National Forest consisted of old growth forests. A project currently

underway in South Fork Boulder Creek in the Colville National Forest, 5,600 acres

are slated for logging. Emblematic of mature and old growth forest species habitat

is the northern goshawk, a region-wide sensitive species. Mature and old growth

forest store a vast amount of carbon and in fact forests absorb carbon faster as it

ages. Discrepancies in forest structure matter when determining the fate of mature old growth forest.

The forest service claims HRV late-open structure was 10-40% canopy closure. The sub-basin watershed scale and quality of 1934 photos from the Washington Rural Heritage digital photo archives refutes that.  

The Kettle Range Conservation Group is looking for a student to compare historic photos to current satellite photography/LiDAR/Aerial Vertical analysis the Forest Service uses to determine HRV structure in the South Fork Bulldog Creek watershed in the Colville National Forest in NE Washington.   The forest service argues that their more recent aircraft and satellite photography essentially negates historic photographs taken from the headwaters of a watershed which the forest service sanctioned

A comparison analysis is needed.  We will be developing research questions and methodology with the student.

Mature and old growth forest store a vast amount of carbon and in fact forests absorb carbon faster as it ages. They harbor endangered and sensitive species such as the northern goshawk, a region-wide sensitive species.

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[1] Mark Henjum, et al., INTERIM PROTECTION FOR LATE SUCCESSIONAL FORESTS,

FISHERIES, AND WATERSHEDS: NATIONAL FORESTS EAST OF THE CASCADE CREST, OREGON AND WASHINGTON 17 (1994) (“Eastside Screens Report”)