I would describe myself as research scientist/project manager with a wide range of interests. Some of my interests include: biological soil crusts, linguistics, remote sensing/GIS, terrestrial plant ecology and native plant community conservation. Over the past fifteen years have worked for Feds, Tribes, State and myself. As such, I have been around and worked with a lot of capable and hardworking people. I also grew some grey hairs!!! Activities and projects I’m most familiar with include: environmental impact analysis, rare plant monitoring/inventory, wildland fire restoration, archaeological site investigations, linguistic documentation and translation of endangered American Indian languages, and educational outreach.
Recently, I have been working with ENVI and ArcGIS to delineate native plant communities of the Palouse Prairie grassland. Less than 1% of the native Palouse Prairie grassland remains and it is one of North America's most endangered grasslands. Basically, soils that were too steep or rocky have not been converted to agriculture. A picture of what is locally known as a "remnant" is provided below. I'm also standing in one of these remnants in the photograph above. One of the goals of this research is to map out the extent of invasive annual grasses across this endangered landscape, as Ventenata dubia has extensively invaded into the region. I’m also developing a baseline inventory of the biological soil crust for the region and have been collaborating with Dr. Roger Rosentreter, BLM State Office Botanist. Not a whole lot is known about the diversity of these cryptic lifeforms despite their ecological importance. For example, did you know that these deminuative organisms provide ecosystem services such as reducing soil erosion and nutrient processing? They can even be a physical barrier to prevent seed from germinating!
During my free time I read about the American Indians of the Columbia Plateau and lift weights. My hope is to gain a better understanding of the natives' perspectives and priorities of Palouse Prairie landscape. I value the views of American Indians and know they have a lot to offer, especially in regard to understanding sustainable use. I have also recently caught the programming bug and have been using SAS to make models for analyzing data. I have also been increasingly use the R program for my scientific graphics. Use of the R program is an area of study I’m planning to explore a lot more when I get some time. So, keep an eye out for some statistical models and R graphics at www.panakwate.com, my technical research page. Also, check out my www.waamuuza.com website for some cool video on Natives, Climate Change, and Comedy!
My long-term goals in life are to enjoy it with family and friends. I also wanted to thank all the prayer people out there who have been praying for us. Tammi Na nanisekwegaide kuvatu nanewe, tewau pia teipe sutehai!!! “Our Father watch over us and take pity upon us and mother earth”