Page 8 The Skanner Portland & Seattle November 14, 2018
News
By Catherine Caruso, Pa-
cific Northwest Region,
USDA Forest Service
driana Maria Mo-
rales did not grow
up near any ocean.
She was born and
raised in Bogota, Colum-
bia; a metropolis high in
the Andes mountains,
8660 ft. above sea level.
But technology brought
the ocean closer. Every
Sunday at 8 p.m., she
watched Jacques Cous-
teau on television, and
fell in love with marine
biology.
Today, Morales is a
district fisheries biolo-
gist in Hebo, Ore., on the
Siuslaw National Forest.
In college, she moved to
Brazil, earning a Bach-
elor’s of Science degree
in marine biology and
a master’s degree in Bi-
ological Oceanography.
Then she moved to Scot-
land, where she learned
to speak English - and
earned a second master’s
degree, this one in aqua-
culture.
“I fell (in love) with
aquaculture, cultivating
fish, alligators, algae and
shrimp with the idea to
educate others about it”
she said.
After a few years work-
ing California, Morales
moved to Oregon eight
years ago and became
fascinated
with
the
state’s salmon fisheries.
“I was amazed,” she
said. “I have been work-
ing to improve their hab-
itat since.”
A
Salmon isn’t the first
thing many people think
of when it comes to land
management, but for-
ests play an important
role the lifecycle for the
Northwest’s iconic ocean
salmon, many species of
which are threatened or
endangered.
Fallen trees create
“
Oregon.
“It was a perfect col-
laboration between the
tribes, agencies and the
local community,” she
said.
But the Siuslaw Na-
tional Forest, located on
the Oregon coast, is the
place this well-travelled
biologist currently calls
Working projects improv-
ing water quality and aquat-
ic habitats in-land is a good
way to protect the ocean…
all the waters run to the sea
turbulent stream condi-
tions that allow spawn-
ing salmon to swim
upstream to their hatch-
eries without strong cur-
rents sapping all their
strength. The cover to
hide in, gravel bars they
collect, and insects they
attract help young salm-
on that hatch from those
eggs grow and thrive.
Trees also provide the
shade that keeps alpine
stream
temperatures
cool as the water runs
down towards the ocean,
which improves con-
ditions for salmon and
their eggs.
As a Forest Service dis-
trict fisheries biologist,
Morales coordinates fish
habitat
improvement
projects for the agency,
and with its partners. Re-
cently, she worked with
the Umatilla Tribe on
restoration work on Mit-
cham Creek, in Eastern
“home.”
“(It) has streams, rivers
and ocean… all connected
with agriculture, timber,
cities and rural areas,”
she said. “Working proj-
ects improving water
quality and aquatic habi-
tats in-land is a good way
to protect the ocean…
all the waters run to the
sea,” she said.
When she isn’t caring
for salmon and steel-
head, Morales is often be
found working to share
her love of the natural
world with others. She
leads bilingual outreach
and education events for
young people in an effort
to open outdoor experi-
ences to under-served
communities, and to
communicate the value
of natural resources, in-
cluding importance of
using them rationally
and preserving them for
future generations. She’s
PHOTO COURTESY OF USDA FOREST SERVICE
Adriana Morales Makes a
Difference as a Career USDA
Forest Service Fisheries Biologist
Adriana Morales, a fisheries biologist with the USDA Forest Service, works on a fisheries project on the
Siuslaw National Forest
also is a strong advocate
for Science, Technology,
Engineering and Math
(STEM) education, and
introducing young peo-
ple to STEM concepts
“
STEM is
like a seed
to inspire
young peo-
ple, to en-
gage them
in any pro-
fessional
area they
want to
be (in). It
is opens
a door
in their
minds
and ideas.
“STEM is like a seed to
inspire young people, to
engage them in any pro-
fessional area they want
to be (in). It is opens a
door in their minds,” she
said.
Morales said she also
encourages young peo-
ple to consider exploring
career opportunities in
the sciences and natu-
ral resources, including
with her current employ-
er, the USDA Forest Ser-
vice.
The agency’s intern
and fellowship programs
provide opportunities
for students to learn and
get hands-on experience
in technical and scientif-
ic fields, in outdoor class-
rooms that offer contact
with Mother Nature,
while interacting with
Forest Service profes-
sionals knowledgeable in
a diverse array of natural
resources fields, she said
Morales adds that
while her mental image
of a National Forest is
one of diverse plant and
animal life, the diversi-
ty found in America’s
culture is often miss-
ing from campsites and
trails on the forest she
works on.
The reasons are many,
but enmeshed in both
in historical and pres-
ent-day barriers. For
example, a city-dweller
may lack access to a vehi-
cle or public transporta-
tion to rural areas. Chil-
dren may be in school
during the week, but
have a parent who works
weekends.
Non-native
English speakers may
have trouble finding rec-
reation information in a
language they can read.
Together, the barriers
result in demograph-
ics that are largely un-
der-served by lands they
have a right to access.
“National Forest Lands
are (a) place where hu-
mans can (enjoy) rec-
reational activities in-
cluding picnic, camping,
hunting, fishing, and
more…. Public Lands
(are) for all of us,” she
said.
Sharing recreational
knowledge with others
is a form of environmen-
tal stewardship, Morales
said.
“Land stewardship is
the conscious and re-
sponsible use of the land
by human activities.
This is tied to the Envi-
ronmental Stewardship
term by Aldo Leopold…
the interrelation be-
tween the land, the an-
imals and plants which
grow upon it,” she said.
“We are sharing this
planet … and we need to
recognize and ensure
that conservation, pres-
ervation and rational
use of natural resourc-
es needs have a balance
with the interest of the
society, and with other
animal and plant species,
because this is our legacy
for future generations.”
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