…so what is it you do, exactly? Colorado State’s Kurt Fausch tackles the question in his book For the Love of Rivers. In Fausch’s case, how aquatic communities of fish and invertebrates are structured, how they are linked to terrestrial ecosystems, and how humans alter those linkages. It’s thoughtful, and messy- if scientists knew how to answer these questions they’d already be answered- and sometimes the solutions seem absurd, like fixing plastic greenhouses over creeks to understand the importance of streamside insects to native trout. But understanding how these systems work helps us fix them when they break. Fixing them when they break ensures our children have the same opportunities our parents provided us. Fausch’s book is a must-read for those interested in field biology generally, for those interested in field biology as a career, and perhaps most importantly- as a primer in how to engage and interest the public in field research that contributes to the health of their environment.
