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CapitalPress.com
Friday, February 25, 2022
People & Places
Science of measuring snowpacks
By BRAD CARLSON
Capital Press
Established 1928
BOISE — Researcher
Hans-Peter “HP” Marshall
uses satellites, microwave
radar, remote sensors and
other advanced technology
to study snowpacks.
He has funding from the
U.S. Army Corps of Engi-
neers Cold Regions Research
and Engineering Laboratory,
and is on the research team
for the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration’s
SnowEx mission.
But much of his work
boils down to finding ways
to more accurately measure
snowpacks.
“The goal is to use these
remote-sensing
measure-
ments, which we get over
large areas in very high res-
olution, along with Sno-
tel sites, to estimate snow
everywhere,” said Marshall,
a Boise State University
geoscientist. Snotel stands
for Snowpack Telemetry,
which are remote instru-
ments that measure the snow
and transmit the information
to researchers.
Snotel sites gather data
with automated equipment.
Snow courses are where
researchers take core sam-
ples. Both are used in quan-
tifying snowpack and its
water equivalent compared
to a 30-year norm.
Marshall said data from
these established modes
and methods could be used
to help evaluate the new
tools and techniques, and
their findings. If that proves
successful, analyses could
cover more ground and pro-
duce water forecasts that are
more reliable as a predictor
Capital Press Managers
Joe Beach ..................... Editor & Publisher
Western
Innovator
HANS-PETER
MARSHALL
Heather Stebbings is
the new executive direc-
tor of the Pacific Northwest
Waterways Association, the
organization that speaks
for farmers and others who
depend on the Snake and
Columbia rivers to transport
grains and goods.
She replaces Kristen
Meira, who departed Feb.
17 after 20 years with the
organization, including 10
as executive director.
Meira joined PNWA
member American Cruise
Lines as its Pacific North-
west director of government
affairs.
Stebbings
previously
worked at the association for
13 years, directing commu-
nications and government
relations, beginning in 2006.
“In some ways I feel like
I’m coming home a little
bit,” Stebbings told the Cap-
Occupation: Boise State
University associate pro-
fessor of geosciences.
Boise State University
Hans-Peter “HP” Marshall in front of a completed science snow pit at Banner Summit,
near Stanley, Idaho.
than the historical record —
particularly when conditions
swing widely from one year
to the next.
He said climate change
means snowmelt’s timing
is changing. An early melt
occurs more often, and it is
more likely that a given win-
ter will differ from the long-
term norm.
“The tools we are work-
ing on would allow us to
estimate the amount of snow
in the mountains in any spe-
cific year without relying on
the historical record,” Mar-
shall said. The approach
“would be more robust”
and sensitive to changes in
the amount of snow and the
timing.
Measuring snow every-
where on the ground means
“you would have to have a
measurement about every
football field, the typical dis-
tance over which a measure-
ment of one spot is represen-
tative,” he said.
Remote sensing can add
many measurement points
and produce valuable infor-
mation, but “cannot do it
alone,” Marshall said.
For example, an aircraft
or satellite measurement of
a large area returns a value
reflecting snow amounts
every five yards.
However, “you can’t use
it by itself to definitively
say how much is there until
you have tuned it to Snotel
sites,” he said.
“We are testing a large
number of different tech-
niques,” he said.
One is a special type of
radar measurement. A stron-
ger signal returns when
more snow flakes or grains
are present.
Another radar technique
features a longer, lower-fre-
quency wavelength that
passes through snow to the
ground, and then returns
to the aircraft or satellite.
Measuring and tracking the
down-and-back time inter-
vals help in estimating the
amount of water stored in
the snow.
“Ground truth” is needed,
which is where established
systems come in, Marshall
said.
“Snotel provides infor-
mation to be able to cali-
brate, or tune, the remote
sensing observations, and to
validate the final product,”
he said.
“In the future, combin-
ing both the low-frequency,
time-of-flight approach with
the high-frequency back-
Education: B.S., physics,
University of Washington,
1999; Ph.D., civil engi-
neering, University of
Colorado, 2005.
Home: Boise
ital Press.
Her goal
is to provide
consistency
and continue
to be a part-
ner for the
agriculture
Heather
Stebbings community,
she said.
“Making sure we can
advocate for funding for the
infrastructure that will ulti-
mately support the farmers
and help them be competi-
tive in the global market,”
she said.
She left the associa-
tion to work for the Port of
Vancouver and then Shaver
Transportation.
“So I stayed in the family,
somewhat,” she said.
But she missed being
able to dive in on issues
and projects, and PNWA’s
membership.
“So the idea of com-
ing back and being able to
do that again in a different
Karen Kelleher is the new state
director for the Bureau of Land
Management in Idaho.
She will oversee about 12 mil-
lion acres of public lands — nearly
a quarter of Idaho’s total land area.
BLM Director Tracy Stone-Man-
ning appointed Kelleher on Feb. 17.
Peter Ditton, acting state director,
will return to his permanent position
as BLM Idaho associate state direc-
tor. Ditton stepped in for John Ruhs,
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and new way ... and chart
the path for the future was a
really exciting opportunity,”
she said.
Stebbings studied applied
mathematics at the Univer-
sity of Connecticut.
Her interest in the proj-
ects the association was
working on grew “organi-
cally,” she said. She loves
the strategic element of con-
necting with people and
finding creative ways to help
the organization’s messag-
ing resonate.
“I find maritime to
be just a very interest-
ing world, so many differ-
ent facets,” she said. “The
people are so wonderful
that we work with. ... Peo-
ple stay in this industry for-
ever, so there’s a lot of old
friends.”
The association’s key
mission is to ensure that
federal policies and fund-
ing are in place to main-
tain infrastructure for trade,
who retired last
August.
Kelleher,
who
will
start
next
month and be based
in Boise, “is a true
professional with
decades of experi-
Karen
ence contributing
Kelleher
to the BLM’s mul-
tiple-use mission on behalf of the
American people,” Stone-Manning
ticipate in association discussions,
and learn about new technology and
research advancements. Website:
https://bit.ly/3GP6Alv
Bee School by Linn Benton Bee-
keepers Association: Day 1: March
5, 9 a.m. to noon, virtually online via
Zoom, basic beekeeping, bee biology,
overview of beekeeper’s year. Day 2:
March 6, 1 to 3 p.m., hands-on at Cor-
vallis Waldorf School, 3855 NE High-
way 20, covered outdoor location,
beekeeping equipment and basic
tasks. Free to paid LBBA members.
Non-members $25, which includes
membership. To register or for more
info email, info@LBBA.us or http://
www.LBBA.us/beeschools/
TUESDAY-WEDNESDAY
MARCH 8-9
FRIDAY-SUNDAY
MARCH 25-27
Oregon Wine Symposium
2022: Oregon Convention Center,
777 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.,
Portland. The Oregon Winegrowers
Association will host an in-person
event and trade show March 8-9 at
the Oregon Convention Center. The
live event attracts industry owners,
directors, academics, winemakers,
viticulturists, and sales and market-
ing professionals. Website: https://
www.oregonwinesymposiumlive.
com/
MONDAY-TUESDAY
MARCH 7-8
THURSDAY-SUNDAY
MARCH 17-20
Oregon Dairy Farmers Associa-
tion Convention: Salem Convention
Center, 200 Commercial St. SE, Salem,
Ore. The convention is the time each
year for our members to network, par-
Oregon FFA State Convention:
Deschutes County Fair and Expo
Center, 3800 SW Airport Way, Red-
mond, Ore. Oregon FFA members
from around the state will gather to
Northwest Horse Fair and
Expo: 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday,
and 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday and
9 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday. Linn County
Fair and Expo Center, 3700 Knox
Butte Road E, Albany, Ore. The
Northwest Horse Fair and Expo is a
huge horse expo packed with fami-
ly-friendly fun, exciting equine enter-
tainment and education. It features
daily clinics with top-notch trainers
and riders; Colt Starting Challenge
USA; stunning stallions and beautiful
breeds performing daily; giant trade
show; and much more. More infor-
mation: https://bit.ly/3rvKaA9 or
765-720-2098.
SATURDAY-SUNDAY
MARCH 26-27
Central Oregon Agricultural
published every Friday.
Capital Press (ISSN 0740-3704) is
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2870 Broadway NE, Salem OR 97303.
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scatter method, we could
potentially map snow water
storage in a wider range
of conditions around the
globe,” Marshall said.
Marshall said in a profile
last year that snow “is a rel-
atively new science. A lot
of the problems we tackle
are questions that a lot of
people haven’t actually
looked at before. What this
means for students is that
it’s much easier to make an
impact.”
News Staff
Idaho
Carol Ryan Dumas ..............208-860-3898
Boise
Brad Carlson .......................208-914-8264
Western Washington
Don Jenkins .........................360-722-6975
Eastern Washington
Matthew Weaver ................509-688-9923
Oregon
George Plaven ....................406-560-1655
Mateusz Perkowski .............800-882-6789
transportation and energy
production.
The U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers is funded annu-
ally, and PNWA relays to
lawmakers the value of nav-
igation as they determine
funding.
The association’s broad
membership spans the Puget
Sound, Oregon coast and
the Columbia-Snake River
system.
The Snake River dams
remain a hot topic, she said.
“Something we really
need to be protecting, and
making sure we’re out there
telling the story of those
projects and the value they
provide to the region,” she
said.
Stebbings’ biggest con-
cern is ensuring that deci-
sion makers and the pub-
lic understand the value of
transportation and particu-
larly water infrastructure.
“That’s something that’s
been a challenge for a long
said in a release. “We’re excited to
have Karen leading our agency for-
ward in Idaho, strengthening and
expanding our partnerships with
state and community leaders and
being a good neighbor.”
Kelleher has been associate
state director in BLM’s Arizona
office since 2018. Earlier positions
included senior adviser to BLM’s
assistant secretary for land and min-
erals management; deputy assis-
compete and to learn during their
annual convention in Redmond.
Website: https://oregonffa.com/
state-convention/
An independent newspaper
and at additional mailing offices.
time,” she said. “Mainly
because people see roads,
they see the rail activ-
ity. They don’t always pay
attention to what’s going on
on the water side.”
Stebbings praised Meira
for broadening and strength-
ening PNWA membership.
“I think that will really
only help us as we look to
bring dollars back here and
support for the projects that
we have,” she said.
“Heather is a proven,
well-rounded leader with
deep experience and rela-
tionships in our indus-
try, across the Northwest,
and in Washington, D.C.,”
Glen Squires, Washington
Grain Commission CEO
and PNWA board presi-
dent, said in a press release.
“We are pleased to wel-
come her back to the PNWA
team and are enthusiastic
about her leadership and
the continued success of the
association.”
tant director for resources and plan-
ning; district, field and monument
manager posts; environmental coor-
dinator; and planner. She started
with BLM more than 20 years
ago.
Kelleher received a bachelor’s
degree in computer science from
Union College, Schenectady, N.Y.,
and a master’s degree in environ-
mental management from Duke
University, Durham, N.C.
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MARCH 5-6
Samantha Stinnett .....Circulation Manager
Family: Wife, Amaya
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BLM gets new state director for Idaho
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Pacific Northwest Waterways Association gets new executive director
By MATTHEW WEAVER
Capital Press
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FarmSeller.com
Show: 9 a.m. Deschutes County Fair
and Expo Center, 3800 SW Airport
Way, Redmond, Ore. Welcome to the
first-ever Central Oregon Agricul-
tural Show, featuring exhibitors, pre-
sentations, seminars and more. See
you in Redmond! Website: https://
northwestagshow.com/ Phone:
800-882-6789
SATURDAY-TUESDAY
MARCH 26-29
California FFA State Leader-
ship Conference: Golden 1 Cen-
ter, 500 David Stern Walk, Sacra-
mento, Calif. More than 7,000 FFA
members will gather for this year’s
convention in Sacramento. Web-
site: https://bit.ly/3sgmiRr
TUESDAY
MARCH 29
National Cattlemen’s Beef
Association Legislative Confer-
ence. 5:30-8:30 p.m. J.W. Marriott
Hotel, Washington, D.C. The con-
ference will focus on federal pol-
icy. Website: www.ncba.org
SATURDAY
APRIL 2
Free Waste Pesticide Collection
Event in Pendleton: Pendleton Con-
vention Center, 1601 Westgate, Pend-
leton, Ore. The Oregon Department
of Agriculture through the Pesticide
Stewardship Partnership is sponsor-
ing a Free Waste Pesticide Collection
Event. This event is an opportunity for
landowners, farmers and other com-
mercial pesticide users to rid storage
facilities of unwanted or unused pes-
ticide products. Registration for this
event is required by March 23. Con-
tact: Kathryn Rifenburg, 971-600-
5073, kathryn.rifenburg@oda.oregon.
gov Website: https://oda.direct/PSP
SATURDAY-SUNDAY
APRIL 2-3
Spring Farming Days at Pome-
roy: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Garfield County
Fairgrounds, 99 Fairgrounds Road,
Pomeroy, Wash. Horse farming and
antique equipment displays. No entry
fee. Fun for the whole family. Con-
tact: 509-566-7027
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facebook.com/FarmSeller
twitter.com/CapitalPress
youtube.com/CapitalPressvideo
Index
Markets .................................................12
Opinion ...................................................6
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