College of the Environment Newsletter - Spring 2026
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From the Dean’s Desk
Community and belonging are a central focus in the College of the Environment. As the 2025-26 academic year draws to a close, we’re excited to share how these values have shaped our work — from launching our Gear Lending Library, which expands access to field learning for all students, to the opening of Western's new House of Healing, a Coast Salish-inspired longhouse designed as a gathering place for connection and support, to advancing new research and expanding programs dedicated to student success.
We’re also celebrating student, faculty and alumni accomplishments and awards.
As we send off another cohort of graduates, we invite you to join us to reflect on another remarkable year together. Dive in to discover the people and projects shaping our future.
Teena Gabrielson,
Dean of the College of the Environment
Class of 2026
Congratulations to this year’s graduates! In this photo, class of 2026 grads hold cedar seedlings while posing on Comm Lawn during the graduation celebration on Friday, June 12. Photo by Charles Barnhart.
College News
College of the Environment Gear Lending Library removes barriers to field learning
From day trips to quarter-long immersives, College of the Environment field courses — affecting about 500 students each year — come with an extra cost: outdoor gear. With the help of a Sustainability, Equity and Justice fund grant from the Sustainability Engagement Institute and a partnership with the Outdoor Center, the new College of the Environment Gear Lending Library aims to reduce that financial burden and welcome more students to field study opportunities.
Read about CENV’s multi-year effort to create a shared gear closet.
Proteins may shine a light on why Dungeness crab broods are better at surviving the ocean’s changing chemistry
The surface ocean has become about 30% more acidic over the past 250 years. Ocean acidification can weaken shellfish’s protective shells and skeletons, particularly during developmental stages, but scientists have found that some Dungeness crab broods are able to weather the ocean’s changing chemistry better than others.
Environmental Sciences Professor Brooke Love and graduate student Rhiannon Holmes (shown above) are working to uncover the molecular secrets behind Dungeness crab resilience to ocean acidification. So far, they know it’s less about water conditions and more about matrilineal lineage, and have identified elevated levels of key proteins that might help explain.
Western Washington University’s House of Healing opens doors to collaboration
Western’s Lhaq ’temish-ew’xw e tse XwLemi’ - House of Healing opened last month in a building already steeped in symbolism, cultural heritage and collaboration.
Environmental Sciences Professor Marco Hatch (shown above) and his students have been tending a camas patch behind the Environmental Studies building for a decade. About 100 bulbs from that patch were transplanted to the House of Healing’s garden of plants for Indigenous science, art, medicine and cooking. Camas is a starchy root vegetable that rivals salmon in its importance in Coast Salish food traditions.
Is the Pacific Northwest better prepared for The Big One since the 2001 Nisqually quake?
It’s been more than 25 years since the February 28, 2001 magnitude 6.8 earthquake jolted the region. In less than a minute, roads cracked, buildings tumbled, and damages soared into the billions. Experts estimate an 85% chance of another deep quake of 6.5 or higher in the next 50 years, which they call “The Big One.”
Associate Professor Rebekah Paci-Green, whose research includes disaster risk reduction and the safety of school buildings following earthquakes, talks about the progress Washington state has made and what still needs to be done.
Find out how far we’ve come in quake-proofing bridges, buildings, and critical infrastructure.
Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning launches Peer Mentorship program
Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning (UEPP) received a grant from the Social Justice & Equity Committee to develop and launch a UEPP Peer Mentorship program. The program aims to foster a sense of belonging and supportive relationships by pairing established students with those just starting in UEPP. In its pilot year, 24 students were matched, and four informational and networking events were hosted. Looking ahead, the department hopes to add an alumni component to help prepare students for professional careers after Western. Interested in being an alumni mentor? Contact Tammi Laninga for more information.
Grad students hang out at the climbing wall
College of the Environment graduate students, and a few faculty and staff, gathered at the Campus Recreation Climbing Wall for a bit of end-of-quarter stress release and team-building!
Awards
Debnath Mookherjee Excellence in Teaching Award
Professor of Environmental Sciences Andy Bunn was selected as this year’s recipient of the Debnath Mookherjee Excellence in Teaching Award.
Environmental policy major Gabrielle Smith takes first place at international competition
Gabrielle (Gabbi) Smith earned first place in the Sales Management and Leadership competitive event at the Collegiate DECA International Career Development Conference, held April 18-21 in Louisville, Kentucky.
WWU Presidential Scholar for the College of the Environment: Sol Wilborn
Sol Wilborn, an environmental studies major with a concentration in education and eco-social justice and minors in Honors Interdisciplinary Studies and STEAM. At Western, they demonstrated shared leadership, engaged with local thinkers, scientists and artists, and a showed a commitment to equity.
Outstanding Graduates, Master’s Degrees:
- Brianna Benner, Environmental Science
- Harrison Collett, Environmental Studies
- Jonathan McLean, Environmental Sciences – Marine and Estuarine Science Program
Outstanding Graduates, Bachelor’s Degrees:
- Jack Bengston, Urban Planning and Sustainable Development
- Roslin Bennett, Environmental Studies - Policy, Politics, and Governance Emphasis
- Sage Brock, Environmental Science - Toxicology Emphasis
- Caleb Jansen, Environmental Science - Toxicology Emphasis
- Tori Lehman, Environmental Studies - Journalism
- Kay Quatsoe, Urban Sustainability
- Laddi Quintanilla, Urban Planning and Sustainable Development
- Cady Shaw, Environmental Science
- Gabbi Smith, Environmental Policy
- Cade Taylor, Environmental Studies - Geographic Information Science Emphasis, WWU on the Peninsulas
- Sol Wilborn, Environmental Studies - Education and Eco-Social Justice Emphasis
The Planet magazine takes home 8 awards at regional SPJ conference
The Planet magazine won three first place awards, including Best Affiliate Website, and five finalist awards (placed in the top three) from the Society of Professional Journalists’ Mark of Excellence Awards for Region 10 which includes Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington. The first-place winners will compete at the national level with winners from all 12 SPJ regions.
Publications
Native Plant Association with Lupinus rivularis on Coarse Sediments Following Dam Removal on the Elwha River, Washington; Northwest Science; Karson Nicpon, Joey Lane, Bruce Cudkowicz, John McLaughlin, May 2026
Historical Loss of Native Old-Growth Grasslands on the San Juan Islands, Washington, Kailey Schillinger-Brokaw and Aquila Flower, Ecologies, May 2026
San Francisco Seafood: A History from Ocean to Table, Paul Stangl, Bloomsbury Publishing, April 2026
Lake Whatcom Monitoring Project 2024/2025 Report, Institute for Watershed Studies, March 2026
Terrestrial Organic Inputs Drive Zooplankton Community Structure and Ecosystem Function in Early Successional Ponds of Mount St. Helens, Kathryn “Katey” Queen, master’s thesis, March 2026
Using a Bioenergetics Framework to Model Juvenile Chinook Salmon Growth Under Variable Prey Availability, Jonathan McLean, master’s thesis, Feb. 2026
Temporal Variability and Flux of Marine Invertebrates in the Snohomish River Estuary, Sean Grealish, master’s thesis, Feb. 2026
Wildfire Smoke Deposition on the Greenland Ice Sheet: Spatiotemporal Patterns and Implications for Radiative Forcing and Melt, Ella Hall, master’s thesis, Feb. 2026. Read more about Ella Hall’s research in Window magazine.
Char gardens: vegetation trends in planted conservation burn piles in the San Juan Islands, WA, Genevieve Gislason, master’s thesis, Dec. 2025
Evaluating Charcoal Resulting from Conservation Burn Piles: An Analysis of Hand Crew Practices in Remote Locations, Nicholas Walsh, master’s thesis, Nov. 2025
CENV in the Media
Beyond the desk: A week aboard a USACE dredging vessel to protect an ancient, elusive fish / U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, features alum Jacqui Bergner, ’23, M.S.
Port Townsend code may streamline building conversions, Peninsula Daily News, features Urban Planning and Sustainable Development students
The Rebirth of the Elwha, Adventures Northwest magazine, features Professor of Environmental Sciences John McLaughlin
Is knowledge enough for environmental governance?, The Case for Conservation Podcast, features Professor of Environmental Studies Mark Neff
Braiding knowledge: how Indigenous expertise and western science are converging, The Guardian, features Professor of Environmental Sciences Marco Hatch
1,900 Pounds of Dungeness Crab, Just Add Diners, New York Times, features Associate Professor of Urban Planning and Sustainable Development Paul Stangl
How mountaineers are pivoting as the ice retreats, Cascadia Daily News, features Professor of Environmental Studies Andy Bach
Ferndale wildlife ecologist Greg Green unveils beauty through photography, Cascadia Daily News, features senior instructor Gregory Green