By Cameron Wacker Clara Goshgarian was the Lake Forest Public Works’ Ravine Engineering Intern this past summer. Goshgarian spent her days walking through the entire Lake Forest Ravine System, collecting data points to evaluate their conditions.
Goshgarian is going into her senior year at Smith College, where she majors in Environmental Geoscience. Lake Forest Love caught up with her recently to learn more about the City’s Ravine Inventory and Evaluation Program, her findings during her internship and more.
What sparked your interest in environmental geoscience?
I always knew I was interested in science, and I wanted to continue studying it in some field when I was older. Luckily, when I was in high school, I took an environmental science class and was intrigued by all the different elements that went with studying this field. Once I went to college, I started taking environmental geoscience classes right away, and my interest was solidified!
"When looking at the ravines, I rank the bed and the banks on a scale of one to five -- one being the worst condition, five being the best," said Ravine Engineering Intern Clara Goshgarian.
Can you tell us about the City’s Ravine Inventory and Evaluation program?
The program allows me to go down into the ravines and determine their condition. The last internship for this program was three years ago, so there has been a decent amount of time for either ravine restoration or degradation at this point. The mapping program I use to look at the ravine and its state has the previous intern’s data sets as well, so I am able to compare my rankings and determine if it makes sense when I rank a section of the ravine well or poorly. This is helpful, as sometimes I am unsure if I am being reasonable in my classification. I can look at their points and consider if it has worsened or stayed in a similar condition over the past three years (if no restoration has occurred).
How does ravine data collection work?
I use a tool called ArcGIS. This mapping software allows me to look at a map of where the ravines reside and add data points according to my location. I will make my way down into the ravines, whether there is a designated trail or not, and begin to survey the area. To collect the data itself, ArcGIS gives me different fields to fill in such as left bank and ranking, right bank and ranking, as well as bed and its ranking. This allows me to rate the banks and bed on a scale of one to five, as well as determine if there are any noticeable features such as scarps, gullies, log jams, natural knick points, existing structures, and failing structures. I am also able to add comments to describe the ravine in greater detail to get a full picture of the state of the ravine.
Once you’ve collected each data point, how do you use it to evaluate your findings?
When looking at the ravines, I rank the bed and the banks on a scale of one to five -- one being the worst condition, five being the best. The ravine will be in great condition if there are a lot of rocks for support, dense vegetation, gradual bank slopes, wide beds, no undercutting of the banks, etc. A ravine will be ranked poorly if there are scarps, gullies, severe undercutting or downcutting, narrow beds, steep bank slopes etc. As stated earlier, with the fields I fill in according to noticeable features and what condition I suggest the bed and banks are in, I can surmise where restoration should take place if it is within the City’s rights to do so.
What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to collect data?
The biggest challenge is either physical access to specific portions of the ravine or lack of internet service. There are times when ravines become difficult to access due to weather conditions, specifically rain, or the ravine itself is in such poor condition that it becomes increasingly difficult to navigate through to the end. Along with this, there will be instances where the ravine is in good condition, but it takes minutes for the data point to submit on ArcGIS because there is not strong service at the bottom of some ravines. Although the physical act of walking through the ravine might be easy, waiting for the submission to go through elongates the process more than I would like sometimes.
What is your favorite ravine in Lake Forest and why?
McCormick Ravine. This ravine is split up into three distinct portions on ArcGIS, and I like the southernmost portion. This ravine was pretty and was in good condition for most of its length, so it was enjoyable to spend a couple of days there. It is also a long ravine which is why it took days to get through, but because the vegetation in and around it was so nice, I didn’t mind spending that much time down there.
What's the most unexpected animal, plant or other item you've come across in the ravines?
The most unexpected animal I saw was a mink.
Looking ahead, what are you hoping to do once you graduate from Smith College?
I am looking to go to graduate school and hopefully further my education in the field of Aqueous Geochemistry or Hydrology.