Please join us on Friday, February 10 from 3:30 to 5:00 PM for the WRRC’s Annual Chocolate Fest. This year, we are thrilled to be hosting this fun event in-person at the WRRC’s offices! The agenda this year is simple: gather with friends and colleagues, enjoy chocolaty treats, and see the winning photographs from our 2022 Annual Photo Contest. In keeping with tradition, this year’s celebration will be a chocolate potluck! Start thinking about what you would like to bake, concoct, purchase, or brew, then bring your favorite divine chocolate delectation to share.

Native Voices in STEM - Groundwater to Snow Science: My Research and Teaching Path to Becoming a “Jack(lyn)- Of-All-Trades”
Melissa Clutter (Cherokee), Assistant Professor, Geosciences Department, Fort Lewis College
Melissa Clutter is an Assistant Professor in the Geosciences Department at Fort Lewis College. Born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, as member of Cherokee Nation, she traveled west for college. She received her B.A. in Geosciences from Fort Lewis College, and during this time fell in love with Durango and the Four Corners region.
After college, she worked at Chesapeake Energy Corporation for three years as an Engineering Technician. Determined to change career paths and seek higher education, she went to the University of Arizona for graduate school as a NSF Graduate Research Fellow and an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellow. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Arizona in Hydrology and her M.Sc. in Soil, Water, and Environmental Science.
Her research interests stem from her passion for undergraduate teaching and communicating science to the public. She strives not just to further the field of hydrologic modelling, but also to help non-profits, government agencies, and private landowners make science-informed management decisions.
Upcoming Events

WRRC Brown Bag Webinar: A Living River – The Santa Cruz River from Mexico to Marana
The Santa Cruz River has long been the backbone of the region’s natural and cultural heritage. Although the river has changed since humans first arrived in the region 12,000 years ago, the river still exists and is a “living” entity that continues to support wildlife and communities along its course. Throughout Arizona, the release of effluent maintains flows of many river reaches. The Santa Cruz River is fortunate to have three stretches with effluent flows—one near Nogales in Santa Cruz County and two near Tucson in Pima County.