Rafting through the Grand Canyon

The UC Davis Ecogeomorphology class is an integrative course that merges ecology, geology and morphology concepts with students and experts from a wide range of fields to connect and share knowledge culminating in a 230 mile white water rafting trip down the Colorado River. A river rafting trip in the Grand Canyon, a place that represents the brilliant merging of life, time, water and rocks, is an experience that is once in a lifetime for many. However, this experience was heightened further by sharing in the company of a passionate and open-minded group of individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences in hydrology, economics, policy, agriculture and biology, to name a few.

Given the interdisciplinary nature of the course, each student selected a research topic for the quarter and communicated their findings in a lecture, research paper and elevator pitch to improve their science communication skills. Lectures and research papers were completed prior to the trip, while “barefoot talks” took place in the Canyon. These occurred nightly and consisted of a one minute pitch to journalists with ten minutes of questions to attempt advancing a policy or new management strategy, with fellow students playing the role of journalists. Topics covered vast disciplines, with the three of us specifically studying high-flow release experiments for sandbar rejuvenation, the history of the Colorado River Compact and its impact today and riparian plant effects of altered disturbance regimes. Studying these topics both in the classroom and in the Canyon allowed us to immerse ourselves in the complex Colorado Riverscience-policy landscape.

This experience came at an interesting time in the Colorado River Basin’s history. The Bureau of Reclamation announced the first ever water shortage in the Basin in August of 2021 leading to new guidelines on river management and water use reductions were introduced shortly after our trip. This invoked a flurry of discussions regarding policy ideas, strategies and management plans to determine what to do next in this dire situation. Ideas being discussed and refined by our peers in a wide array of disciplines brought about lively conversations on and off the rafts.

Not only did these talks help guide our own thoughts, but gave outside perspectives to challenge our status quo. The knowledge that the students, professors and raft guides brought into the Canyon was instrumental in our nature-based educational experience which we will never forget.

Future students who are interested in participating in the EcoGeo class will receive more information next year via email.