LOGAN — A professor in Utah State University's department of watershed sciences has received the director's award for natural resources research from the National Park Service.
The awards, announced Wednesday in a Denver ceremony, recognize the work and leadership of eight individuals in the field of natural resources stewardship and science.
John C. "Jack" Schmidt, who also serves as director of the Intermountain Center for River Rehabilitation and Restoration, has provided research on geological processes to guide future river restoration in national parks and preserves. He has also made recommendations to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation on the timing and pattern of dam releases to enhance native fisheries in and beyond Grand Teton, Grand Canyon and other national parks.
Other recipients of the director's awards include a research geologist who assessed the vulnerability of coastal national parks to sea-level rise and a gardener at the Herbert Hoover National Historic Site in Iowa who worked to restore the area's natural vegetation to that of the late 1800s.
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