Lead faculty member Will Ouimet is now the principal investigator on a funded RAPID grant from the National Science Foundation through the Geomorphology and Land Use Dynamics program (Division of Earth Sciences).  The grant is titled “RAPID: Characterizing Sediment Mobilization and Landscape Response to the Combined Effects of Wildfire and Extreme Flooding along Fourmile Canyon, Front Range Colorado”.  The project seizes an opportunity to view exposures and sample flood deposits associated with severe flooding along the Colorado Front Range in September 2013.  This region experienced a large, intense wildfire in September 2010, and since that time we have been studying the effects of the wildfire on soils, erosion and sediment deposition along Fourmile Creek. The major flooding of September 2013 affords a unique opportunity to confirm and expand on this work.

This research continues a collaboration with Dave Dethier (Williams College), James Kaste (College of William and Mary), members of the Boulder Creek CZO (Suzanne Anderson, Bob Anderson) and USGS professionals at Boulder, Colorado office (Sheila Murphy and Deborah Martin).  It also builds upon previous Keck research with BA Thesis graduates Hannah Mondrach (UConn, ’13), Ben Purinton (Wesleyan University, ’13) and Sarah Beganskas (Amherst College, ’12).

This news (and a photo) is also posted HERE.