
Tiffany Sprague holds a dual appointment with the Natural Resources Research Institute as a Watershed, Stormwater and Sustainability Research Coordinator and with Minnesota Sea Grant as a Stormwater Resilience Extension Educator. This dual role allows Sprague to transfer stakeholder research needs to fellow researchers at NRRI, facilitating teams to develop project proposals, seek funding, execute data collection, and write both scientific and public-friendly reports. By connecting with MN Sea Grant, valuable data collected by University researchers are effectively communicated to stakeholders and the public, giving these data a new life as they are integrated into resource management and decision making. Tiffany also serves as NRRI's Sustainability Coordinator, moving the Institute to a low-waste facility through staff education, enhanced recycling programs, and collaborations across the U-system.
Research Focus
Sprague is a generalist in the field of water resources science, considering herself a Watershed Scientist, with specific interests in:
- Land use - water quality relationships, particularly in expanding urban environments of northern Minnesota
- Long-term water quality trends in streams, given changes in land use and climatic variables –
- Interplay of data collection and watershed management / regulation
- Development of best management practices addressing water quality impairments, particularly chloride and water quantity / water storage
- Green infrastructure as a water quality / quantity best management practice
- Citizen / Community Science
Education
Area of Emphasis: Watershed Management
Minor: Applied and Computational Mathematics
B.S., Biology; James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA; 2009
Area of Emphasis: Ecology and Environmental Biology
Minors: Mathematics; Environmental Management
Resources
- CrowdHydrology - Crowdsourced Citizen Science Project on Duluth Streams
- Regional Stormwater Protection Team (RSPT) - Communities Doing Stormwater Outreach
- Duluth Urban Watershed Advisory Committee (DUWAC) - Duluth-area Watershed Management Group