09/30/2026
Spokane Watershed enthusiasts,
As Spokane Riverkeeper’s Water Quality Monitoring Intern, I’ve spent the summer working closely alongside Jule Schultz on all things river science. While my time with Spokane Riverkeeper has come to an end, the experiences I’ll take with me are prized and wide-reaching.
I began the season taking long drives into the Palouse, along the winding Spokane River, and wading through the cold waters of the Little Spokane tributary to deploy temperature loggers and record surface water temperature in the basin. Throughout the summer, I enjoyed field days spent checking on these loggers and recording temperature data. Beginning in July, I joined the Spokane Community College Water Science Department to collect flow rate data along the losing reach of the Spokane River from the Washington-Idaho Stateline to Flora Rd in Spokane Valley to study our dry river. Despite learning so much in this role, I’ve also realized how much we still don't understand about our watershed. This is an exciting time for Spokane River research, and I’m grateful to have learned from and alongside local experts.
While the days exploring the watershed were plentiful, I spent much of my time analyzing temperature and turbidity data collected by participants of Spokane Riverkeeper’s Citizen Science Program. My overarching research question for the summer was “How does Hangman Creek turbidity affect turbidity in the Spokane River downstream of their confluence?” I spent much of my time in the office applying statistical analyses I learned as an undergraduate to answer this question. It’s been both incredibly challenging and rewarding putting my statistics knowledge to use in a way that can make an impact here in my hometown.
Another valuable part of the internship was my engagement with local communities and organizations. In this position, I worked alongside local colleges/universities like the aforementioned SCC Water Science Department and chemists at Gonzaga. I collected data for the Department of Ecology and water samples for the Spokane Regional Health District. I led river education for youth camps/schools including the Salish School, the Ubuntu Fly Anglers Youth Camp, and the City of Spokane Parks and Recreation B.A.S.E. Camp. Further, I presented our research at Spokane Riverkeeper’s Science on Tap event, led a full moon community float, cleared litter from the riverbanks with volunteers, rafted with Chas Clinic staff to provide resources to the homeless population along the river, and guided Mayor Brown’s cabinet members on their river float.
Through my time with Spokane Riverkeeper, I explored and learned about our beautiful watershed, strengthened the skills I began developing in school, and deepened my connections with the wider Spokane community. Though it passed all too quickly, my time with Jule and Spokane Riverkeeper was a warm welcome to a career in natural resources, statistics, and community engagement.
Many thanks and best wishes,
Forrest Lorber Yegge