BEND, OR, August 30, 2024 - Laurel Morrison Collins has been included in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.

Drawing on more than 4 decades of experience in her field, Ms. Collins has distinguished herself through her work as the owner of Watershed Sciences, where she serves to consult on fluvial and tidal wetland geomorphology. With a particular eye toward discerning the influence of humans and techniques through which to restore them or help them adapt to climate change. In this capacity, she has been retained for a number of projects, including risk assessment, analyzing the impacts of sea level rise in the San Francisco Bay Area and the northern California Coast, investigating the changes in hydraulic geometry of tidal channels from their historical condition, rendering her expert opinion in various legal settings, and liaising with municipalities, private, and governmental sectors to develop plans for creek restoration, among other duties to her credit.

Before delving into the world of geology, Ms. Collins served at the helm of a thriving textiles business, through which she crafted bespoke weavings and wall hangings for a variety of spaces, from high-end hotel lounges to presidential suites. However, despite her flourishing career, she chose to challenge traditional gender norms and enrolled in a geology program in 1976. Her fascination with landscape patterns and the processes shaping them steered her toward a specialization in geomorphology at the University of California at Berkeley, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Earth Sciences in 1981.

In the following years, Ms. Collins broadened her academic pursuits to Encompass Earth Science, deepening her understanding of how climate and fire affect the interaction of flora, fauna, and humans on earth surface processes. After serving as an Environmental Scientist at the Center for Natural Resource Studies of the John Muir Institute and later as a Research Assistant for the California Department of Forestry, she went on to work as a Field Assistant for the U.S. Geological Survey where she had the opportunity to conduct surveys in the active crater of Mount St. Helens following its 1980 eruption. She went on to become Geologist at the East Bay Regional Park District and during this time, she is proud of her extensive stream mapping work at Wildcat Creek, which significantly advanced her understanding of hydrology and stream sedimentation processes. The mapping technique she initially developed in this role went on to achieve widespread use among professors as U.C. Berkeley, and ultimately facilitated her participation in a project by the U.S. Department of Justice that sought to address water rights issues in the Colorado Mountains.

After advancing to become a Senior Research Associate at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, Ms. Collins pivoted toward academia, working as a Staff Research Associate for her mentor, Dr. Luna Leopold, at U.C. Berkeley and later as an Environmental Scientist at the San Francisco Estuary Institute. In this latter role she developed a "Watershed Science Approach" for field methodologies to assess changes in the delivery of water and sediment as influenced by historical and modern land use practices.

Becoming an independent consultant in 2001, Ms. Collins established Watershed Sciences and contributed to numerous research-focused environmental projects in geomorphology throughout the Bay Area and other regions of California, Hawaii, Oregon, Wyoming, Colorado, and Montana. Her entrepreneurial pursuits included mapping landslides, studying the impact of fire on soil erosion and streamflow rates. She also had the opportunity to contribute to fire-related projects close to home, such as the Tunnel Fire in the Oakland Hills, the Vision Fire in the Point Reyes National Seashore, and the Laguna Fire in Southern California.

In accounting for her success, Ms. Collins largely credits her insatiable curiosity and diligence in the pursuit of knowledge. Likewise, she draws strength from the love and support of her family, who not only accommodate her professional endeavors but embrace and encourage them. Additionally, she developed an extensive network of connections in the research community, through which she has published several journal articles and written numerous reports. Ms. Collins is also a past member of the American Geophysical Union, the Geological Society of America, and the California Forest Soils Council. She volunteers as a Board Member to the East Cascades Bird Alliance and Chair of its Science and Conservation Committee in Oregon where she helps advise on habitat and water issues.

Looking toward the future, Ms. Collins aspires to deepen her involvement in efforts that make a positive impact on the world – especially in the face of climate change and sea level rise. Her mission is to raise awareness about the potential impacts of a changing climate on various landscapes and to explore proactive measures to mitigate these effects in a way that favors ecological succession and adaptation.

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