Humna is working with the water conservation team at National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) to assess anthropogenic threats to western waterways that run through or close to national parks. Recent policy rollbacks in legacy environmental laws, including the Waters of the United States Rule under the Clean Water Act (CWA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), are threatening the quantity and quality of park waterways. Our team is working to understand how these threats may be exacerbated in the future, especially with worsening climate change, and identifying policy and conservation initiatives that may be able to prevent further degradation. Some land management practices, and the 20-year running mega-drought in the southwest is especially endangering critical Colorado River water supply. Areas of research include the Grand Canyon National Park, Dinosaur National Monument, San Gabriel National Monument, and the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area among others.
COLLABORATOR
National Parks Conservation Association
PROJECT DELIVERABLE
FELLOWSHIP BRIEF
STUDENT RESEARCHER
Humna Sharif, Research Assistant and Western Resources Fellow Humna Sharif is a Master of Environmental Management Candidate at Yale F&ES and is focusing on Water Resource Science & Management, and Environmental Policy Analysis during her time at Yale. She is interested in exploring the interconnectedness of freshwater systems with land, and how we can address issues of water quantity/quality through ecosystems management practices, and policy changes. As a Western Resources Fellow, Humna is working with the National Park Conservation Association (NPCA), and Sustainable Waters on issues of water and land conservation in the Western US. She holds a BA in Environmental Sciences, and Environmental Thought & Practice from the University of Virginia and worked at the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) in Washington D.C prior to beginning her graduate work. See what Humna has been up to. | Blog