OEC Celebrates Scientists: Allison Aldous, Freshwater Scientist

“People underestimate how dependent we are on healthy rivers and watersheds. Wetlands help to store and clean water. Rivers connected to their floodplains buffer downstream communities from flooding. Healthy rivers provide recreation opportunities and fishing for sport and food. Oregonians are very connected to rivers across the state. Science can help clarify the relationship we have with water.”

—Allison Aldous, PhD, Senior Freshwater Scientist

The Nature Conservancy

Allison Aldous is a senior freshwater scientist for The Nature Conservancy in Oregon. For the past 10 years, she has been working to fill the gap in our understanding of groundwater dependent ecosystems and develop tools to help us balance how much water we consume for people, agriculture and industry.

Our groundwater system feeds fresh, cold water into natural springs, wetlands and rivers where many plants and wildlife depend on it to survive. Whether it’s supporting key life cycle stages for Bull Trout and Spotted Frogs or sustaining perennial native plants through a long, hot summer, water that comes from the ground is a critical lifeline for ecosystems and a finite resource that has to be managed wisely.

Allison and her team have developed an atlas of Oregon’s groundwater dependent habitats and species, showing how dependent each is on groundwater to survive and the main sources of man-made stress on these environments. Using their methodology for evaluating how much groundwater is available and needed for ecosystem health, Allison can help communities throughout Oregon balance their out-of-ground uses with in-ecosystem groundwater needs to ensure we’re sustainably managing this important resource for all of our needs now and into the future.

MORE FROM ALLISON

What environmental issues concern you the most for Oregon?

Water use is probably my biggest concern. We live in a state generally thought of as abundant when it comes to water resources. I still believe that’s true, but the perception that we have nothing to worry about is leading us to inaction. In many basins across the state, we have fully allocated all of the water, which leaves many rivers and wetlands perilously dry during the long hot summers. For that reason, many of our wetlands and springs are stressed because we are not using water as efficiently or wisely as we should.

Second is climate change: knowing what we know about our future climate system, we need to be careful about how we use our natural resources. We’ve always treated our water supply as a static thing, but it is not static. Our natural resources are vulnerable to the changes in our climate, and we are not very prepared to respond to those changes. It’s possible to get there, but we need a truly concerted effort.

With so many demands on our water supply and few protections for rivers and wetlands, my greatest fear is that it’s going to be the rivers and wetlands that suffer.

Why is science important?

Science can help us understand how much we rely on healthy ecosystems. People underestimate how dependent we are on healthy rivers and watersheds. Science can help clarify the relationship we have with water.

Science has a lot to offer us in terms of options for making important decisions. As a scientist, I have a lot of opportunity to be creative, from modernizing irrigation to better understanding what the ecological needs are for water so that we can balance all of its uses. Science offers us really powerful technologies and creative opportunities that we’re not taking advantage of fully. We just have to make the decision to start acting on more of those opportunities.

How does your work move us toward a healthier, more resilient Oregon?

We recognize that people need to have access to a clean and abundant supply of water, both for our health and our economy. At The Nature Conservancy, we try to provide both sides of that picture. Our work shows how healthy ecosystems are so important to our well being – from clean water and recreation to controlling and buffering our water supply, and to the pure beauty of our rivers and wetlands. We look at that whole picture. The choice is not nature or people. People do best in a well functioning, whole system.

More: Celebrating Oregon Scientists

Related Posts
Filter by
Post Page
Featured Climate Protection OCAP News OCAP-Page Transportation Solutions Policy Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Living Green Toxics-Free Environments Toxic Free Priorities Eco-Healthy Homes OEC News/Updates/Events Media/PR/Statements
Sort by
Windmills over green terrain

OEC & Partners Advocate to Strengthen the Climate Protection Program

July 16, 2021 Governor Kate Brown Office of the Governor 900 Court Street NE, Suite 254 Salem, OR 97301-4047 Director Richard Whitman Department of Environmental Quality 700 NE Multnomah St. Suite 600 Portland, OR 97232 Cc: Chair
August 3, 2021, 7:55 pm
noraaoeconline-org

9

OEC and partners call on ODOT to consider climate and equity

July 14, 2021 Oregon Transportation Commission 355 Capitol Street, NE MS 11 Salem, Oregon 97301   Dear Chair Van Brocklin and members of the Oregon Transportation Commission: Our organizations write this letter as communities around the state are reporting dozens of deaths in the wake of a record-breaking heatwave while preparing for another summer and fall of destructive wildfires. Climate change is already bringing enormous human suffering to
July 15, 2021, 3:57 pm
saraw

9

Say no to fast fashion, say yes to sustainable shopping

Sustainable Fashion and OEC’s Newest Impact Partner

As Oregon emerges from 16 months of shut downs and people begin to return to stores and restaurants with a sense of safety, we at OEC want to bring some more good news for the Summer. We are thrilled to have been chosen as the Impact Partner for the next 6 months with a local Portland, OR boutique called Foundation: Fashion and Philanthropy.
July 8, 2021, 1:05 pm
jamie-pang

9

OEC Partners With Hacienda CDC to Expand Access To Eco-Healthy Home Kit

The average American spends 90% of their time indoors, and this
December 18, 2020, 6:10 pm
jamie-pang

9

OEC Announces New Executive Director, Diana Nuñez

October 31, 2019, 5:50 pm
mcadmin

9

OEC Supports Nature For All

Oregon Environmental Council is proud to endorse the Nature For All ballot measure, put forward by Oregon Metro. 
September 30, 2019, 11:52 pm
morgang

9

OEC applauds legislators who prioritize constituents over corporate interests

Oregon Environmental Council (OEC) applauds the work of The Oregonian/OregonLive to shine light on the role that corporate campaign donors play in shaping environmental policy. In our 50 years of advocacy for environmental policies and practices, our organization has witnessed the extraordinary pressure that can be exerted by corporate interests far beyond the hearing rooms and the floor of legislature.
February 22, 2019, 10:34 pm
mcadmin

9


1 Reply to "OEC Celebrates Scientists: Allison Aldous, Freshwater Scientist"