Cascadia GeoSciences
EIN: 26-0357635
Part IV, Narrative Description of Activities:
There are several activities which Cascadia GeoSciences(CG) intends to undertake that are all centered around our mission to promote a cooperative, interdisciplinary, scientific approach to environmental research and restoration and earth science research. Our intent is to improve the overall health and safety of our community by conducting activities that benefit it, and developing a public education component of our organization to bridge the gap between our scientific activities and the need for the public to understand them. Furthermore, we intend to share our knowledge and paradigm with other communities in California. Detailed descriptions of the primary activities that Cascadia GeoSciences intends to undertake are outlined below.
Geologic Hazard Assessment
Cascadia GeoScienceswill conduct geologic research with the goals ofidentifying, monitoring, and, understandinggeologic hazards to help prepare for and mitigate future natural disasters. These activities will occur throughout the state of California and will comprise ~ 40% of our activities. Research will begin upon acceptance of non-profit status and will be conducted by members of Cascadia GeoSciences in collaboration academic and professional scientists, engineers, earth scientists, and educators in the field of expertise. Basic research of geologic hazards leads to scientific discovery as well asfurther knowledge and understanding of natural processes.
The primary geologic hazard in California is earthquakes. The most cost effective way to mitigate seismic hazard is to understand the hazards and educate the general public to prepare them for natural disasters. Directly associated with earthquakes are additional hazards such as liquefaction, landslides, and tsunamis, which lead to destruction and deterioration of critical community infrastructure. Earthquake studies investigating the timing, frequency, and magnitude of large damaging earthquakes will be facilitated throughsuch activities as geologic and geophysical investigations and surveys, exploratory drilling and excavations, as well as numerical modeling or age dating techniques.
In addition to earthquake related studies, Cascadia GeoSciences supports all areas of earth science research related to natural hazards assessment including geomorphic, watershed, pluvial, fluvial, hydrological, eustatic, isostatic, climatic, biological, and ecological studies.
Funding for these activities will come from state and local agencies, private and public utilities, the Cascadia GeoSciences student research grant fund, private donations, and federal funding agency grant sources such as the U.S. Geological Surveys’ National Earthquake Reduction Hazards Program (NEHRP) and the National Science Foundation’s Earth and Atmospheric Research program. The results of all Cascadia GeoSciences research will be published and made publicly available as outlined in the Cascadia GeoSciencesdata policy.
Environmental Restoration
One of the primary functions of Cascadia GeoSciences is to directly engage in and to provide facilities for others to engage in the enhancement and restoration of California’s environment. These activities will begin upon acceptance of non-profit status and will be conducted by members of Cascadia GeoSciences in collaboration with private consultants with expertise in the activity of interest. Environmental restoration will comprise ~20% of our activities. Our activities will include several forms of environmental restoration,consistent with community interest and planning, but will primarily focus on a few currently common forms: 1) Restoration of anthropogenically imperiled streams. This activity will include improving fish passage at road stream intersections, reduction of antropogenically generated sediment to watercourses, and conducting river corridor enhancement, both in-stream and on floodplains, to reestablish natural conditions. 2) Restoration of anthropogenically imperiled estuaries. This activity will endeavor to re-establish naturally functioning estuaries by replacing old or degraded tidal gates, removal or augmentation of levies, and reestablishment of sloughs and salt marsh. 3) Restoration of anthropogenically imperiled coastal environments such as bays and dunes. This activity will endeavor to restore natural function to coastal environments by conducting coastal cleanups, controlling of non-native floral species, and enhancement of native flora and fauna habitat.
These activities will be funded by several currently available state and federal grant programs including but not limited to the California Department of Fish and Game fisheries restoration grant program, the Regional Water Quality Control Board 319h grant program, and The U.S. Fish and Wildlife fish barrier removal grant program. Further funding is expected from membership dues and personal contributions.
Public Education & Outreach
Cascadia GeoSciences intends to have a multi-faceted educational component to our organization to support all components of research conducted by Cascadia GeoSciences. As mentioned above, our intent is to improve the overall health and safety of our community by conducting activities that benefit it. The public education and outreach component of our organization will endeavor to identify earth science information pertinent to community health and safety, distill it for ease of understanding, and distribute it freely. Our education activities will also augment local school earth science programs with funding and volunteers to provide more cooperation and idea exchange between teachers, students, and professionals in our community. The educational aspect of the organization’s operations will highlight the other elements of our organization including research and restoration. Future educational activities will account for roughly 40% our activities and will be conducted by members of Cascadia GeoSciences. The educational component of Cascadia GeoSciences will primarily focus in a few areas and will strive to equally divide the time and resources allotted to each of these efforts: 1) Creating public education material to inform the public of ours and others earth science activities 2) Conducting quarterly earth scientist meetings 3) Creating a small grants program, and 4) Creating an earth scientist mentor program.
1) Creating public education material to inform the public of ours and others earth science activities- The founding members of Cascadia GeoSciences have already begun public education and outreach by creating a series of Tsunami hazard maps for coastal areas of the California Pacific Northwest. These maps have been considered a huge benefit to public safety and have been featured in local newspapers and county fairs.
Along with updates to local and regional Tsunami hazard maps, all other material Cascadia GeoSciences generates will be available on a web site. The web site will be created and maintained primarily by members who volunteer their time. Occasional professional services may be required for some of the technical aspects of the web page, grant funding or charitable donations will be sought to pay for these services.
The web site will serve many functions. The educational functions of the web site will include: a searchable database including available scientific references (including papers and other literature resources), available scientific data, and an archive of local academic resources. One major planned component of the web based archives will be an online geographic information services (GIS) server which will facilitate viewing and download of selected available research, map resources, and datasets. This database will be developed using volunteer time.
2) Conducting quarterly earth scientist meetings- Using the education budget, Cascadia GeoSciences will host quarterly earth scientist meetings. The Humboldt Friends of Geology has been conducting quarterly meetings since 2003. After establishment of our non-profit status, Cascadia GeoSciences will begin to help pay for the cost of the rental of the meeting room, aid in advertising for the meetings, seek the attention and participation of guest speakers, and make available all lecture material on the Cascadia GeoSciences web site.
3) Creating a small grants program- One of Cascadia GeoSciences primary endeavors is to help provide interested earth science students with tools and funding to enhance their existing scholastic careers. To this end, we intend to develop a research grant competition for students. Membership fees, donations, and other sources of funding will fund and drive the grant award moneys.
4) Creating an earth scientist mentor program- Cascadia GeoSciences will facilitate a mentor program where students will be able to team up with local professionals with expertise in their field of interest. This will also be an opportunity for professional members to share their knowledge of local earth science with motivated students. Workshops and field activities will be conducted to explore and cultivate professional and academic relations. Some of these activities may vary from exploratory fault trenches involving numerous community members n the field, to worshops surrounding around student field research topics or identifying and/or developing sources of student research funding.
The educational activities of Cascadia GeoSciences are a top priority as an organization and as such they will receive the bulk of our initial funding from membership dues, donations, and administrative fees. All projects that are processed through Cascadia GeoSciences’s administration will incur a reasonable monetary fee that promotes the educational budget.
Cascadia GeoSciences will develop partnerships with local schools and universities including HumboldtStateUniversity and College of the Redwoods. Services that the institutions are unable to provide their students will be prioritized for inclusion for educational activities.
Cascadia GeoSciences will aid earth-science based student organizations by facilitating fund raising activities. By mid- 2008, Humboldt State University Geology Club T-shirts and other items will be available on the Cascadia GeoSciences web site. Other HumboldtStateUniversity earth science clubs are welcome to participate. All net proceeds will be dispersed to the respective clubs.
Funding Sources
In addition to the specific sources of funding listed in the categories above, Cascadia GeoSciences intends to acquire funding from such sources as other state, federal, and public grants, membership fees, annual fundraisers, donations, endowments, and internet sales of merchandise.
Administration fees of 15% should be expected to come from each grant handled by Cascadia GeoSciences. Administration fees may be negotiated (between the board and the principal investigator) based on existing and expected availability of funds.
Annual fundraisers will be performed in locations proximal to Humboldt Bay to raise awareness and collect funding for student grants and education and outreach.
The Cascadia GeoSciences webpage will have clothing, hats, and merchandise available for purchase. All net proceeds will directly benefit the student grant fund and education and outreach.