The Big Rivers Project with NPS Program Manager Dusty Perkins

About this episode

Joey interviews Dusty Perkins about the ecological complexities and monitoring of the Green and Yampa Rivers.

Recorded along the banks of the Green River inside Dinosaur National Monument, Joey sits down with Dusty Perkins to explore the science, beauty, and ecological complexity of the Green and Yampa Rivers. Dusty serves as Program Manager for the National Park Service’s Northern Colorado Plateau Inventory & Monitoring Network and is a lead scientist on the Big Rivers Monitoring Project. In this conversation, he explains how scientists monitor some of the American West’s most iconic river systems, what happens when rivers are dammed and regulated, and why long-term ecological monitoring is critical for the future of these landscapes. From endangered fish and invasive species to river morphology, sediment flow, snowpack decline, and the emotional experience of rafting through canyon country, this episode offers a rare look at the science shaping our public lands. In this episode, we explore: What the Big Rivers Monitoring Project actually does How the Green and Yampa Rivers differ ecologically The impact of Flaming Gorge Dam on river systems Why sediment and seasonal flooding are essential to river health The role of invasive species like tamarisk How endangered fish species depend…

People in this episode

Host: Joey

Guest: Dusty Perkins

Topics covered

• river ecology
• long-term monitoring
• endangered species
• invasive species
• river systems
• ecological complexity

Keywords

• Big Rivers Monitoring Project
• river health
• sediment flow
• snowpack decline
• rafting expeditions
• canyon country
• endangered fish
• tamarisk
• aridification

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: National Park Service

Places: Green River, Dinosaur National Monument, Yampa River, Flaming Gorge Dam, American West

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