Scott has been an ecological and water resources engineering consultant for almost 30 years. He has primarily been engaged in landscape restoration, particularly wetland, stream and river restoration. In the last ten years he has become very preoccupied with ecohydrology – how water impacts living systems and how living systems impact water. This focus has completely changed how he sees the world and fostered a deep sense of gratitude for all the life that has come before and made his life all and our lives, possible.

TSN Conference 2026

January 23rd, 2026 (Friday) // 10:00 am – 11:00 am // Red Cedar Room // The Living Skin of the Earth: the Difference Between Magnifying or Mitigating Climate Change // The consensus around climate change is that excess carbon from fossil fuels is ratcheting up global temperatures and the intensity of weather phenomenon. Research suggests that the earth’s albedo – its reflectivity – is decreasing, driven by fewer aerosols from air pollutants like sulfur dioxide and decreasing cloud cover. This is accelerating heat gain and the loss of soil moisture. This presentation will show how land use change helps drive weather variability. Converting forest to agriculture or hardscape inhibits the land’s ability to soak up water and limits its ability to return that moisture to the atmosphere. That return of continental moisture to the atmosphere, along with the production of biogenic particles that act as condensation nuclei for rain, are diminishing due to land use change. I will make the case that nature-based solutions have a role to play in helping mitigate climate change impacts from both extreme precipitation as well as from drought.