BETH GAVRILLES
Research Professional II
River Basin Center
Institute of Ecology
JOB DESCRIPTION: “We mainly focus on the relationship between land use and water resources with the goal of integrating science and policymaking.
“We’re working on two major projects right now. With funding from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, we’re helping the local governments in the Etowah watershed develop a habitat conservation plan to protect threatened and endangered fish species while allowing growth to continue there.
“We’ve also just started the Initiative for Watershed Excellence: Upper Altamaha Pilot Project, funded by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Georgia Environmental Protection Division. The goal of this project is to support the stakeholders-local governments, water and sewer authorities, non-governmental organizations -within the watershed in their efforts to protect their water resources.
“Both of these projects involve extensive scientific, legal and policy research, some of which is undertaken by graduate students through the ‘Environmental Practicum’ service-learning course.
“My role is mainly to communicate the research and policy analysis by our faculty, staff and students to the people who can use it to make informed decisions about growth and natural resources in their communities.”
A TYPICAL DAY: “Involves working on the River Basin Center’s Web site because there is always something to be uploaded or added. I also maintain the Web site for the Etowah Habitat Conservation Plan, and I’m building the site for the Initiative for Watershed Excellence.
“Our office produces a lot of reports, so I do some writing, editing and graphic design. Some days I help to set up meetings, and then take notes.
“We also receive a lot of information requests, so I try to find answers to those questions or at least a referral to the right source of answers. I also work on administrative tasks like keeping track of our finances.”
YEARS IN CURRENT POSITION: 4 years and 9 months.
OTHER WORK EXPERIENCES: “In the late 80s, I was a graduate student in UGA’s art department, where I earned my MFA in drawing and painting and worked as a teaching assistant. Then I studied ceramics at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, and I became a TA teaching drawing. I have also worked for a women’s rights organization, a financial services company, and I taught art at a children’s camp for several years.”
IF I WASN’T DOING THIS JOB, I WOULD MOST LIKE TO: “Spend my time bicycle touring in Europe. My husband, Philip Juras, and I have been on several tours over the years, and there’s nothing like it. You become part of the place in a way you can’t in a car or even by train. You really experience the weather; you smell the sun on the fields, the leaves decaying in the forest or the bread from a bakery. You can travel to small, out-of-the-way villages that you wouldn’t even notice from a car. People talk to you. There’s also a feeling of accomplishment when you make it over a mountain pass-not to mention the freedom to eat whatever you want because you’ll need those calories later. And I can’t describe the feeling of freedom you get from arriving at the airport, assembling your bike, and riding away-usually on a bike path, or at least a road where the drivers are used to accommodating cyclists.”
OFF-THE-JOB INTERESTS: “I’m active in several local environmental groups: Athens Grow Green Coalition, Athens Land Trust and Bike Athens. Grow Green promotes smart growth, which protects natural resources and lowers the costs of municipal services. Bike Athens works for policies that support all modes of transportation, biking, walking and transit as well as cars. Athens Land Trust has a dual mission, to conserve open space and farmland, and also to revitalize neighborhoods by creating permanently affordable housing. I was very honored to receive the Alec Little Environmental Award this year for work I did on behalf of the environment in Northeast Georgia.
“I’m also a member of Oconee Street United Methodist Church. In my free time I like to travel, ride my bike and go for walks with our dog, Maybelle.”
A BOOK I’D RECOMMEND TO OTHERS: “Anything by Terry Pratchett. I recently finished A Hat Full of Sky, which is a funny and insightful story about an extremely resourceful girl who tackles some big problems.”
THE PERSON I MOST ADMIRE: “I’m fortunate enough to actually work with some of the people I most admire every day. Also, of course, my parents: my father, Peter, was a World War II veteran and career public servant, a person of great integrity, kindness, intelligence and dedication. My mother, Jeanne, has a great sense of humor, practicality, and a love of travel and learning.
THE ISSUES THAT CONCERN ME MOST ABOUT THE WORLD TODAY: “There are a lot of extremely troubling issues-the deteriorating state of the environment, increasing poverty, the war in Iraq, to name just a few-that all stem from the same root: selfishness.
“As a society, we don’t seem to be basing our actions on what’s best for everybody, but rather on short-term gain at others’ expense. It’s not fair and it’s certainly not sustainable.”