Wasatch Water: Ecosystem Services and the American Dream
This Praxis Lab explored the complex relationship between ecosystem services, water resources, and the American Dream, with a focus on water along the Wasatch Front. Students traced the journey of water, from its original state as clean, free snow, through the urban landscape, and out to the Great Salt Lake or Jordan River. The course examined how the value and quality of water shift through this landscape and how new research in science, engineering, economics, psychology, and aesthetics has influenced our understanding of ecosystem services.
Through the course, students explored the implications of treating natural resources—such as clean water, decomposition, and pollination—as free and infinite, as was once assumed with the American Dream. This broad inquiry culminated in a second-semester project where students integrated these themes to address water-related challenges in the region.
Instructors:
Jim Ehleringer
Kate Kopischke
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