In this lecture, Patrick discusses his work on environmental policy with respect to how the Waters of the United States is defined under the Clean Water Act and how species are managed under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Patrick also discusses work that he is doing with Pitt graduate and undergraduate students to study the fisheries and water quality of the Churchill Valley Greenway.

About Patrick Shirey

Dr. Patrick Douglas Shirey is the grandson of steelworkers from the Pittsburgh area. His father enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and attended college supported by the G.I. Bill and his mother worked as a secretary at Gulf Oil Corporation while attending night classes to earn her degree at the University of Pittsburgh.Patrick serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geology and Environmental Science at the University of Pittsburgh. He is a Certified Ecologist (Ecological Society of America) and Certified Fisheries Professional (American Fisheries Society). He is a Leonard Peters Faculty Fellow in Sustainability with the Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation and serves on the Pittsburgh Water Collaboratory’s Faculty Advisory Board as an Associate Director Patrick conducts multidisciplinary research using techniques from his terminal degrees in ecology (PhD) and law (JD). His recently published research topics include water policy, fisheries history, urban stream restoration, endangered species conservation policy, environmental DNA, and science communication. He teaches courses in Environmental Justice, Environmental Law and Policy, and Current Issues in Sustainability in Pitt’s Environmental Studies Program.