Cascadia Paleo Investigations, a benefit LLC.
Mission Statement:
My goal is to empower people and increase trust in science and scientists through inclusive scientific engagement. I am deeply concerned about how we are impacting the earth and how we treat each other. I can no longer watch from the sidelines as lack of concern for our planet and corruption become accepted and divide us.
Can we find common ground through learning about and preparing for the risks we face in the Pacific Northwest, the United States, the world?
“Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe.”
Machu Picchu begonias. Original artwork.
A proposed research project and a dream:
The Arctic is warming more rapidly than the rest of the world and glaciers are melting. A Cascadia earthquake and volcanic eruptions will happen, but we don’t know when. Weather has become less predictable and more extreme: hurricanes, droughts, floods . . . We don’t understand these powerful and costly extreme events and their impacts in our most populated regions. How do we prepare? I feel powerless at times to make meaningful changes. I can, however, take advantage of my knowledge and passion for my research to learn about past extreme events and include components that provide opportunities for others.
My goal is to work with an international team of scientists to create high-resolution records of past extreme events and climate to address some of these questions. Extreme weather is driven by global climate processes in the ocean and atmosphere which are sensitive to changes in polar regions. As a result, this project requires records from around the world, including the polar regions to be successful. Synchronization from regional to global scales is needed to connect ice cores, speleothems, tree rings, and marine, coastal and lake sediments. This can be accomplished using directly dated earthquake deposits; a new concept that has resulted from my dissertation research.
I would ideally like to pair with well-known organizations with experience and knowledge as to how to implement social programs. I want the work I do to provide opportunities for others and empower local people and communities by flipping the system on its head. What if those of us who are most likely to be impacted by a Cascadia earthquake, tsunami, volcanic eruption, extreme weather events, or sea level rise, are given the opportunity to learn about and prepare for these extreme (and costly) events? My hope is that this could foster a sense of importance and value in our youth, returning military veterans, native people and anyone else with the desire to become involved in solving the problems that impact them and their neighbors. There is so much to do to prepare . . . rural communities in particular depend upon infrastructure and travel to meet their needs. What happens if there is a health emergency or a lack of vaccines after a Cascadia earthquake causes landslides that block roads? What about those who are homeless? These people will suffer greatly without roads, access to gasoline, clean water, health care and food.
I am deeply concerned by what is happening in our country, especially rural communities: drug addiction, spikes in suicides by returning military veterans, hate crimes, gun violence, the lack of affordable health care, lack of trust in science, a feeling of hopelessness and anger in our youth, and limited opportunities for upward mobility. We distrust people from other cultures and religions. The rich and famous buy entry for their children into top Universities. College athletes and others lose their financial support and are forced to leave because they are injured? Professors continue to be supported even after being found guilty of sexual harassment? This does not reflect my country! I think it’s time that we rise up and take a stand.
Can we come together to learn about and prepare for the risks we face in the Pacific Northwest? By doing so, I think it may empower us as individuals and revitalize struggling communities.
See Cascadiapaleo.org for more information!