Professor Emeritus
Department: Environmental Studies
University System: University of Montana - Missoula
Website(s): https://hs.umt.edu/evst/people/default.php?s=Watson
Professional Summary:
My research, teaching, and service focus on the conservation, preservation, and restoration of watersheds. My grants have included studies of the impacts of cyanide and heavy metals leaching from abandoned cyanide leach mines and the fate and effects of herbicides applied for roadside weed control. I have assisted the Montana Department of Environmental Quality in the development of a statewide water quality monitoring system and water quality standards through studies of streams and lakes throughout Montana since 2001. The work on wadeable streams in Montana’s Northern Plains and Western Mountains appears in a 2004 EPA report. I was part of a team of scientists that helped the US Environmental Protection Agency develop nutrient criteria guidance documents for the US and another team that helped MT Dept of Environmental Quality develop nutrient criteria for Montana streams.
While at UM I’ve taught over 20 different courses in biology, ecology, environmental science and impact assessment, pollution ecology, ecosystem/watershed conservation, and restoration and a sustainability lecture series. All my classes emphasize research and community service and have contributed over 30,000 hours of service to the local community. I have directed over 90 MS graduate committees and served on over 100 other graduate committees. I also advise about 50 undergraduates at any one time and have directed hundreds of internships, senior honors theses, and independent study projects. Many of my graduate students (& some undergraduates) have presented their results at professional meetings, published government reports, and/or written successful research grants. My former students work in government agencies (national, state & local), for nonprofits or in environmental consulting firms.