Team | DRAMS | Four Corners Water Center

David Graf was a key contributor to the DRAMS team through his knowledge of the Dolores Rivers habitats for native fish as he has set up several field monitoring sites for warm water fish since 2005. Graf previously was a Water Resource Specialist for the Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) and has now transitioned to the Upper Colorado Endangered Fish Recovery Program with US Fish and Wildlife Service. Graf began working on the Dolores River in 2001 when he was asked by the CPW to apply his geomorphic and habitat restoration experience to the cold water fishery between McPhee Dam and Bradfield Bridge. Graf’s science background is in watershed science, geomorphology, sediment transport, and the effects of flow alteration on geomorphic processes. 

Ryan Unterreiner is a Water Resources Specialist with Colorado Parks and Wildlife. He is a participating member of the Dolores Biology Team and the Dolores River Monitoring and Evaluation Team, two groups whose goals include actions to improve the habitat and status of native warm-water fish in the Dolores River below McPhee. 

He is most interested in re-introducing stream and riparian habitat complexity below the dam to preserve native fish habitat and disadvantage non-native invasive predatory fish species, a challenging task given the hydrologic reality of today and the foreseeable future. The intervals between managed releases at McPhee are widening and the annual fishery allocation for the river below the dam is diminishing. In the face of these challenges, what can managers reasonably expect to accomplish below the dam to preserve or enhance habitat for native fish species in decline?

Dr. Carolyn Cummins is an aquatic ecologist and the Director of the Four Corners Water Center at Fort Lewis College. Dr. Cummins specializes in the effects of rising stream temperatures on aquatic insect communities and stream ecosystem function. Dr. Cummins is also passionate about inclusive and evidence-based undergraduate education and broadening participation in water careers. As Director of the Four Corners Water Center, Dr. Cummins is excited to leverage her background as a freshwater scientist and her passion for student engagement in support of the DRAMS project.

Dr. Clutter specializes in groundwater and subsurface modeling, field measurement design, science communication, and data worth analysis. Take a look at one of Dr. Clutter's (Boley) publications regarding the Dolores River: “Dam release and monsoon controlled recharge and drawdown of riparian aquifers, Dolores River, Colorado" Metamorphosis: COPLAC Journal of Undergraduate Research, Fall 2011. 

Dr. Gigi Richard was the Director of Four Corners Water Center and Instructor of Geosciences at Fort Lewis College. Dr. Richard specializes in surface water hydrology, hydrology and water resources of the western U.S., human impacts on river systems, GIS, and GPS, and has worked on the Dolores River since 2003. 

Richard, G.A. and Anderson, R.M., 2007, Channel-Forming Discharge on the Dolores River and Yampa River, Colorado, Technical Publication No. 44, Colorado Division of  Wildlife. 

Dr. Sholtes' professional and academic experiences focus on physical river processes (river hydraulics and fluvial geomorphology) with applications to stream rehabilitation, riverine infrastructure management and flood hazards.  

Dr. Kasprak uses GIS and remote sensing data to examine the impacts of large dams on the geomorphology, sediment transport, and land cover of the Colorado River corridor through the Canyonlands and Grand Canyon regions of the Southwestern U.S. In addition to these field based projects, he uses laboratory flume experiments and numerical modeling to predict how rivers will respond to alterations in water or sediment supply. 

Dr. Harvey is a geomorphologist, researching ancient and modern floods in slot canyons of the Colorado Plateau. He also uses UAVs to map topography of landslides, river terraces, and other geomorphic features. Jon’s specialties include meteorology, hydrology, GIS and remote sensing applied to geomorphic and environmental change. 

As RiverEdge West's Restoration Coordinator, Rica Fulton, specialized in riparian restoration, project management, and collaboration in the Dolores River watershed. Fulton created the Dolores River Restoration Partnership's (DRRP) StoryMap,  Dolores River Restoration Partnership , that includes DRRP initiatives, background, and mapping of invasive species along the Dolores. 

Dr. Cynthia Dott specializes in the ecology and dynamics of river systems, including how floodplain vegetation responds to changes in river flow, geomorphology and disturbance regimes. 

View published research on Dolores River hydrology and vegetation interactions by Dr. Cynthia Dott, Dr. Gary Gianniny, and Dr. Melissa Clutter.

Joe Manning is a manager and supervisor of the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Tres Rios Field Office Resources staff. This is one of the several BLM field offices that manage the public lands along the Dolores River. Joe supervises the currently vacant hydrologist position that is involved with DRAMS. 

Celene Hawkins serves as the Colorado and Colorado River Tribal Engagement Program Director for The Nature Conservancy. She co-leads the Dolores River Native Fish Monitoring & Recommendation Team and has worked on Dolores River water management since 2009.  

Sophia Werren will graduate from Fort Lewis College in December 2024 with a bachelors in Geology and a GIS certificate. For her senior thesis, Sophia studied the relationship between groundwater recharge and the inundation of cross-cutting channels through a point bar on the Dolores River. She works with Melissa Clutter to update and maintain data and figures on the DRAMS website.

Maddie Roberts assisted in the creation of the DRAMS StoryMap. Roberts graduated from Fort Lewis College in May 2021 with a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies and a Geographic Information Systems Certificate. Roberts' undergraduate research experience includes river flume flood analysis and change detection, paleoenvironmental analysis within Chimney Rock National Monument, and remote sensing of land cover change over time. 

Gage Norris is a GIS professional living in Durango, Colorado. He recently earned his GIS certificate from Fort Lewis College, and is currently applying his skills at a private GIS firm. He is particularly interested in python coding and creative cartography. View more of Gage's work.

Charlie Brockway is a Fort Lewis College alum who studied Environmental Studies with a Geographic information Systems certificate and an Anthropology minor.  He is primarily interested in using field measurements in combination with GIS to understand human driven alteration of river systems. Charlie is now working for the U.S. Forest Service as a GIS technician in Trout Lake, Washington.