Levia’s upbringing in coastal Alaska left her with a deep appreciation for wet places and the human and non-human communities they support. She combined this interest in culture and the environment by earning a B.A. in Biology with a minor in Anthropology from the University of Montana. After college she spent several years enjoying the West and gaining valuable work experience in the aquatic sciences, science education, and in life. As a naturalist she taught intertidal ecology in coastal Alaska, and swimming and cold water survival in rural Alaskan native villages. She also studied an invasive shrimp in Flathead Lake, Montana, and worked seasonally as a fisheries technician. Her travels in less developed countries in Asia and Latin America confirmed her desire to work towards aquatic resource conservation, with a focus on both the scientific as well as societal drivers behind the degradation of both the environment and traditional ways of life.
Levia’s M.S. research focuses on the distribution of riparian vegetation and associated environmental conditions in the Upper Gallatin and Yellowstone River watersheds, two of the major watersheds in the northern portion of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Riparian vegetation plays an integral role in proper riparian zone function and overall watershed integrity. It provides stability to banks and hillsides, influences biogeochemical processes, interacts with both surface and groundwater to alter near-stream flow systems, as well as providing a disproportionate amount of wildlife habitat relative to its area occupied on the landscape. While the vegetation and general landscape ecology of the GYE has been studied quite comprehensively, riparian ecosystems of small mountain watersheds have had little study and an investigation of these systems would greatly improve our scientific understanding as well as the land management in this unique ecoregion.
The GK12 program has been an excellent way for Levia to further her desire to integrate scientific research with science education. Arrowhead school is located in the Upper Yellowstone watershed, lending itself perfectly to connecting students to her research through visits to her research sites, as well as lessons related to vegetation, hydrology, and soil science.
Levia plans to pursue a career in aquatic resource conservation, integrating aquatic science with water education. Her goals in life are to build a house with a view of the mountains, and to always make time for the things she loves: running on backcountry roads with her small black dog, skiing in wild places, gardening, and dancing with her husband to old country music.