A graduate research assistantship is available to compare meadows in the Tatra Mountains of Poland and Slovakia with those in the Rocky Mountains of the U.S.  Meadows are critical ecosystems for supporting biodiversity, hydrologic processes, and producing forage for native and domestic animals.  Meadows also provide scenic vistas of landscapes, mountain peaks, and floral displays, and support historic cabins and other structures.  Some meadows are natural and created by hydrologic and ecological processes that limit tree establishment and forest development.  Other meadows have been created by human activities, including tree cutting, periodic or annual mowing, grazing of domestic livestock, irrigation and burning. 

Natural and anthropogenic meadows occur in both central Europe and the Rocky Mountains, but little is known about their hydrologic or ecological similarities and differences, or their environmental histories on short or long time scales.  These comparisons will be used to provide insights into climate change monitoring.  This project provides support for one MS/MA or Ph.D. graduate student from Poland or Slovakia, or a US citizen fluent in either Polish or Slovakian, to work with us at Colorado State University comparing mountain meadows in the Tatra Mountains and in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado.  The student would analyze the environmental histories of each landscape and meadow, as well as water table depth, timing of snow melt, soil water content, soil organic matter content, carbon flux, grazing animal forage utilization, flora and vegetation composition, and current and recent land uses. 

The research will inform our collective understanding of how meadows in parks (Rocky Mountain National Park, and Tatra National Parks in Poland and Slovakia) may respond to climate change.  Park meadow management policies will be summarized, and a comparative analysis of anticipated climate change consequences (working hypotheses) will be provided. 

The student will be enrolled in either the Graduate Degree Program in Ecology or Department of History at Colorado State University.  Applicants must possess a Bachelors or Masters degree in a suitable field (hydrology, wetland ecology, plant ecology, soils, environmental history), be physically capable of working in high elevation sites and performing demanding work.  Student will be provided with a monthly stipend. Tuition and field expenses are provided.  Send letter of interest, CV and list of references to Dr. David J. Cooper at: David.Cooper@colostate.edu and Dr. Mark Fiege at: Mark.Fiege@colostate.edu