Mimicking Nature: Engineering for the Environment

Описание: Naturalist Nights 2017 | April Long

Around the world, engineers are learning how to better manage stormwater runoff by looking to the one that does it best – Mother Nature. Due to the hard surfaces we install as we develop, such as roads, buildings, parking lots and sidewalks, rain and snowmelt do not have a chance to soak into the ground as it would in a natural system. April Long, Stormwater Manager and Clean River Initiative Program Manager for the City of Aspen, will showcase how engineers in the Roaring Fork Valley have created features such as bioswales, rain gardens, green roofs, and engineered wetlands to slow water down and allow it to sink into the soil or be absorbed by plants.

April Long, Stormwater Manager and Clean River Initiative Program Manager for the City of Aspen, focuses on water quality and river health improvements for the Roaring Fork River in Aspen. April’s work ranges from writing policy, regulations, and technical design guidelines to master planning, design and construction of award-winning capital projects that use creative and natural approaches for removing pollutants from the City's stormwater runoff. April is a steering committee member of the Roaring Fork Watershed Collaborative and works closely with other mountain resort communities to effectively and creatively solve stormwater management and river health issues that are unique to mountain towns. April has a degree in Biosystems Engineering from Auburn University.

Naturalist Nights are brought to you through a partnership between Aspen Center for Environmental Studies, Wilderness Workshop, and Roaring Fork Audubon.