Department of Geography : Faculty - Gina Bloodworth

Gina Bloodworth Lind Hall 118C Phone: (509) 963-2044 Email: bloodwog@cwu.edu

  I was born and raised in Oklahoma, a state that encompasses both wet and dry climates, and through which the 100th meridian passes. This varied landscape nurtured an interest in environmental issues, and water in particular. Like many geographers, I am a generalist by inclination, and thus my academic path is broad with a B.S. in mathematics, an M.S. in environmental science/geography (both from Oklahoma State University) and a PhD in geography from Penn State University.

My academic interests center in geography, but flow over into resource management and environmental studies. The focus of that interest resides in water resources, and includes a predilection for rivers, especially their patterns of use, and the evolution of transboundary conflicts related to water laws, policies and cultural traditions. I am broadly trained in both quantitative and qualitative methodology, but prefer a mixed methods approach to research. Human use of the environment in the American West is deeply rooted in patterns of water use, and two emerging issues in water resources that I follow concern are our shifting societal values associated with dams, and the implications of rapid urbanization of the desert West, which cannot sustain the population it now holds.