Tyee reporter Colleen Kimmett has been awarded a fellowship by the Metcalf Institute for Marine and Environmental Reporting to attend a week-long marine and environmental science workshop at the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography in June.


Kimmett has written about a range of environmental issues, including the push to create private run-of-river projects throughout B.C., the ecosystem of the Fraser River watershed, and stressed salmon stocks.

She'll build on that experience by attending the six-day immersion program, Coastal Impacts: Global Change in Coastal Ecosystems, which, according to the Metcalf Institute press release, "gives reporters and editors an opportunity to learn about the basic science underlying the news in their communities to help them improve the accuracy and clarity of science-based news reporting. The workshop includes basic research in the field and lab with scientists and lectures and discussions that examine the intersection of science, policy, and politics."

"I think science should have a stronger role in informing public policy, and the media has to be part of that," says Kimmett. "This workshop will, I hope, broaden my own understanding of marine ecosystems so I can explain how what we do actually impacts our rivers and oceans.

"And I’m looking forward to exploring Narragansett Bay."

Lone Canadian

The other ten 2009 Metcalf Fellows include journalists who have worked with the BCC and National Geographic, as well as newspapers, magazines or TV stations in cities including Providence, Rhode Island; Jackson, Mississippi; Key West, Florida; San Diego, California; and Raleigh, North Carolina. Kimmett is the only Canadian in the group. The list of fellows with their bios is here.

Kimmet is also the associate editor of Briarpatch magazine and has written for cramscience.ca, and the National Research Council, Canada. She has contributed to numerous publications since graduating from Carleton University in 2006 with a Bachelor's degree in journalism.

The Metcalf Institute for Marine and Environmental Reporting, a leading provider of science training for journalists, was established in 1997 with funding from Belo Corp., the Providence Journal Charitable Foundation, the Washington Post's Philip L. Graham Fund, and the Telaka Foundation. The Metcalf Institute was named for the late publisher of the Providence Journal, Michael P. Metcalf.

The 2009 Metcalf Institute Science Immersion Workshop was made possible in part through generous gifts from Charlotte Metcalf, Pamela and J. Frederick Thye through the J. Frederick Thye Charitable Trust, Lucy Metcalf, Helen Buchanan, the Chicago Tribune Foundation, the Rhode Island Foundation, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Sharpe, Jr., Mr. and Mrs. John Penney, Jr., Mr. and Mrs. W. Nicholas Thorndike, and Mr. and Mrs. Paul Coe Nicholson.

Related Tyee stories:

• Exploring the Fate of the Fraser River (series)
  A Tyee reporter paddles from source to sea, a journey that teaches how the mighty watershed is central to the future of nature and humans in British Columbia.
• Should You Stop Eating Salmon?
  Yes, says a top UBC scientist. 'Smart shopping' isn't saving wild stocks.
• War over River Power Escalates
  Industry, foes clash over massive private Bute Inlet project.