ADA, Okla. – During the last week of July 2025, two faculty members from the College of Health Sciences, Mr. Jose Montalva and Dr. Leah Dudley, participated in the National Safety Workshop for River Field Studies, held at the Rice River Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, in Richmond, Virginia.
This event was an intensive, weeklong workshop designed to enhance safe and effective river field education. Organized by the River Field Studies Network, the program aims to train the next generation of river scholars and stewards through immersive, hands-on learning experiences.
Welcomed by faculty and summer interns from VCU and the Rice Rivers Center, educators from eight states, Virginia, Florida, Tennessee, North Carolina, Maryland, Illinois, Oklahoma, and Nevada, joined a diverse group of students, ranging from undergraduates to postdoctoral researchers.
"It was a truly rewarding experience connecting with fellow ecologists who share my interests and passion for the field," said Montalva.
According to Dudley, “the goal is to apply the newly acquired skills by taking students kayaking and conducting fieldwork. These fresh ideas also offer valuable enhancements to our new master’s program focused on water studies."
The River Field Studies Network was established by university faculty members who coordinate their institutions’ involvement in the River Studies and Leadership Certificate program, an initiative led by the River Management Society.
Montalva and Dudley were able to canoe through a recently restored tributary of the James River, located near the Chesapeake Bay. This restoration project, led by Dr. Edward Crawford of the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), is considered one of the crown jewels of the RICE River Center.
The surrounding marshlands are home to thriving wild rice, and serve as nesting grounds for warblers, bald eagles and ospreys. Researchers in the area also monitor the migration patterns of the magnificent Eastern sturgeon, a species of significant ecological importance.
-ECU-