Capturing footage of natural wonders in the Western U.S.
Author: Dawson Oakley | Major: Biological Engineering | Semester: Spring 2022
My research explores impacts of climate change and how engineering can help mitigate some of these issues. The main goal of this project is to raise awareness of these problems and their engineering connections using video.
The main purpose for this research trip was to meet with Zack Woffard, a former Biological Engineering major from the U of A. He currently works for Weber Basin Water Conservancy District in Salt Lake City, UT. Some of his projects related to water conservation interested me, so I decided to make the trip to Utah to interview him. My girlfriend and fellow Biological Engineering major Flora Noble accompanied me on the trip, and we set out West in early August. Since it was such a far drive, I decided it would be helpful to shoot some b-roll along the way at some national parks as well. We stopped in Albuquerque the first night to take a break from driving and continued to the Grand Canyon the next day. Zion National Park was next, and I collected footage while hiking The Narrows and Angel’s Landing. We drove to Salt Lake City the next day, got settled into our Airbnb, and prepared for the next day that would be spent filming with Zack.
We were picked up early the next morning by Zack, and we spent the day visiting the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, the Wasatch Mountains, and several reservoirs that supply water to the SLC area. Zack explained the hydrology of the area and how water is used, and this opened my eyes to a lot of the issues being faced by many western cities. Salt Lake City is particularly interesting because of its proximity to the Great Salt Lake, which provides several important benefits to the surrounding area. Because of climate change and anthropogenic uses, the lake is currently at an all-time low and could lead to several consequences in the near future. Some of these impacts were already visible on our trip to the bird refuge. Rotting fish corpses littered dried up stream beds where migratory birds once sought refuge. There were still other areas of the wetland that provided habitat to the birds for now, but as the water available to them decreases so will their populations. Zack provided a unique perspective as a local and an engineer that’s responsible for making sure people the people of SLC have water. His concerns for the future of water availability in the West were a bit scary, but it’s important for people to be aware of these issues so that progress can be made.
The next day in SLC we visited the Great Salt Lake. As we drove up, it was immediately evident that the lake level wasn’t what it once was. What used to be a few hundred feet’s walk to the water was now around a mile. Once we got to the water, we were able to get in and float because of how high the salinity is. We were surrounded by brine shrimp (otherwise known as sea monkeys) and the water looked like it went on forever. It was a really cool experience, and it’s sad to think that future generations may not be able to experience what I did. On our way back to the city, we noticed a large cloud of smoke billowing from the mountains behind the SLC skyline. The Parley’s Canyon Wildfire had just started hours before, and it was spreading quickly. We were able to get close enough to watch aerial crews fight the fire from a distance, and it was a surreal experience to see this in real life. Occurrences like this will continue to become more common and severe as climate change further dries these dry areas in the West. We finished off the trip by stopping through Arches, Canyonlands, and West Colorado. Smoke from all the wildfires out West reached all the way to the mountain valleys of Colorado.
This trip not only allowed me to collect footage for my thesis video, but it also gave me a deeper understanding of the issues facing the western U.S. Trips like this allow us to take a glimpse into the lives of others and experience things from a different perspective. Seeing people stop what they’re doing and smile up at the clouds for a few drops of rain helped me appreciate what we have and take for granted sometimes. To see an engineer like Zack find so much purpose in the work he was doing was inspiring, and I hope that I can find something that drives me as much someday.