George Valente, Research Assistant, completed his degree in Hydrology at California State University Chico in 2016. At CSU Chico, George worked under Dr. Monohan of The Sierra Fund to evaluate methylmercury concentrations in trout in the Yuba and Bear River watersheds. Following graduation, George interned with The Sierra Fund to collect fish tissue samples to test for mercury with the goal of filling data gaps so that site specific fish consumption advisories could be developed by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA).
As The Sierra Fund’s Research Assistant, George will install and maintain stream gages, monitoring wells and equipment across field sites, collect water quality samples, and assist a team working to map hydraulic mine features in the Tahoe National Forest (TNF). George is also instrumental in developing GIS-based databases for our projects and coordinating field work with a diverse team of graduate students.
In his free time, George can be found backpacking, hunting and fishing in the wild outdoors.