Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
During this week's Environmental Speaker Series presentation, we will have the opportunity to hear from a graduate student and the WWU's Spatial Institute.
4:30 p.m. | Kaitlin Macaranas
Claws for Concern:
Exploring the Impact of the Invasive European Green Crab on Eelgrass and Bottom-Dwelling Sea Life in the Salish Sea
In this talk, Kaitlin discuss the threat posed by the European green crab (Carcinus maenas) to coastal ecosystems, focusing on eelgrass estuaries in the Salish Sea. Known for their voracious appetites and extreme aggression, green crabs are one of the most destructive invasive species, capable of drastically altering habitats like eelgrass beds—vital for carbon storage, sediment stabilization, and marine biodiversity.
The Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, home to one of the largest eelgrass beds in North America, is at risk from an early-stage green crab invasion. In collaboration with the Padilla Bay team, Kaitlin's research investigates how climate change is amplifying the vulnerability of these habitats to invasive species and the resulting disruption to eelgrass survival and benthic invertebrate communities. Through field surveys and quarantine lab experiments, we aim to understand the broader impacts of green crabs on these critical ecosystems and inform more effective conservation strategies.
4:45 p.m.
Environmental Geographic Information Science Projects at WWU's Spatial Institute
The Spatial Institute is an interdisciplinary center for environmental and spatial research housed in WWU’s College of the Environment. The Spatial Institute collaborates with students, staff, and faculty across campus, as well as with public agencies and the broader community. Faculty, staff, and fellows of the Spatial Institute are leaders in spatial analysis and education. The Spatial Institute supports the CENV in their goal of preparing undergraduate and graduate students for meaningful environmental careers by arranging applied, real-world work experience for our students as research assistants, interns, and teaching fellows.
The Spatial Institute’s talk will be led by graduate and undergraduate research assistants and will focus on highlighting the broad range of projects the Spatial Institute works on. These topics include using high resolution LiDAR data for mapping active river channels across Puget Sound, creating a transboundary assessment of climate and landcover change in the Salish Sea, developing a digital atlas focused on environmental history in the Upper Skagit Valley, and the assessing spatial patterns of wildlife collisions in Whatcom County. Each of these projects involves students, faculty, and staff working in collaboration with community agencies and organizations to use geographic information science and cartography to address regional needs for spatial environmental data and analysis.
The Environmental Speaker Series is free and open to the public. Talks are held each Thursday at 4:30pm in Academic Instructional Center West, room 204. Join us at WWU or online on Zoom!
During this week's Environmental Speaker Series presentation, we will have the opportunity to hear from a graduate student and the WWU's Spatial Institute.
4:30 p.m. | Kaitlin Macaranas
Claws for Concern:
Exploring the Impact of the Invasive European Green Crab on Eelgrass and Bottom-Dwelling Sea Life in the Salish Sea
In this talk, Kaitlin discuss the threat posed by the European green crab (Carcinus maenas) to coastal ecosystems, focusing on eelgrass estuaries in the Salish Sea. Known for their voracious appetites and extreme aggression, green crabs are one of the most destructive invasive species, capable of drastically altering habitats like eelgrass beds—vital for carbon storage, sediment stabilization, and marine biodiversity.
The Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, home to one of the largest eelgrass beds in North America, is at risk from an early-stage green crab invasion. In collaboration with the Padilla Bay team, Kaitlin's research investigates how climate change is amplifying the vulnerability of these habitats to invasive species and the resulting disruption to eelgrass survival and benthic invertebrate communities. Through field surveys and quarantine lab experiments, we aim to understand the broader impacts of green crabs on these critical ecosystems and inform more effective conservation strategies.
4:45 p.m.
Environmental Geographic Information Science Projects at WWU's Spatial Institute
The Spatial Institute is an interdisciplinary center for environmental and spatial research housed in WWU’s College of the Environment. The Spatial Institute collaborates with students, staff, and faculty across campus, as well as with public agencies and the broader community. Faculty, staff, and fellows of the Spatial Institute are leaders in spatial analysis and education. The Spatial Institute supports the CENV in their goal of preparing undergraduate and graduate students for meaningful environmental careers by arranging applied, real-world work experience for our students as research assistants, interns, and teaching fellows.
The Spatial Institute’s talk will be led by graduate and undergraduate research assistants and will focus on highlighting the broad range of projects the Spatial Institute works on. These topics include using high resolution LiDAR data for mapping active river channels across Puget Sound, creating a transboundary assessment of climate and landcover change in the Salish Sea, developing a digital atlas focused on environmental history in the Upper Skagit Valley, and the assessing spatial patterns of wildlife collisions in Whatcom County. Each of these projects involves students, faculty, and staff working in collaboration with community agencies and organizations to use geographic information science and cartography to address regional needs for spatial environmental data and analysis.
The Environmental Speaker Series is free and open to the public. Talks are held each Thursday at 4:30pm in Academic Instructional Center West, room 204. Join us at WWU or online on Zoom!
