Dr. Karl Lillquist

Emeritus Professor, Dept. of Geography, Specialities: Geomorphology, soils, and snow of mountain and arid watersheds in western North America

Karl is a physical geographer who was a faculty member at Central Washington University from Fall 1995 until Summer 2024. Prior to coming to CWU he was an assistant professor of geography at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa from 1993-95. Returning to CWU was a homecoming of sorts for Karl as he earned undergraduate degrees in Geography and Geology here in the mid-1980's.

Karl's first academic love is physical geography field study. His upbringing in Coulee City, WA probably played a big part in this love. "I grew up amidst the Channeled Scablands of eastern Washington. My parent's house was situated on a late Pleistocene flood scoured basalt surface, and I grew up recreating in this unique landscape. Also, I spent my summers removing rocks (i.e., glacial erratics) from wheat fields located behind the terminus of the Okanogan Lobe of the Cordilleran Icesheet". He taught physical geography, geomorphology, soils, snow, airphoto analysis, field methods, mountain environments, arid lands, and graduate research. In retirement, Karl continues to research environmental change in the mountains and drylands of the western U.S. with an emphasis on using geomorphology, soils, and stratigraphy to better understand rock glaciers, glacial lakes, and arroyos. His two current research projects involve rock glaciers in Washington’s Eastern Cascades and paleolakes on the Columbia Plateau. He also regularly leads public field trips throughout Eastern Washington.

Karl's spouse Nancy is also a Geography alumnus (1983) and they have two grown sons–Erik and Jensen. In his spare time, Karl enjoys most human-powered outdoor activities with his family (including hiking, backpacking, bicycling, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, and whitewater rafting), hunting mule deer, trout fishing, making compost for Nancy's garden, rebuilding bicycles, making cider, and doing home improvement projects.

Education

PhD. Geography. University of Utah. Summer 1994.
Non-degree Program. Juneau Icefield Research Program. University of Idaho. Summer 1990.
M.S. Geography. Portland State University. Spring 1989.
B.A. Geology. Central Washington University. Spring 1985.
B.A. Geography. Central Washington University. Spring 1984

Karl Lillquist Previous Research Students

Undergraduate Students

Michael Fischer. Geography, Winter 2021. Snow surface indications of wind direction, Windy Gully, WA. Completed research report.
Ellie Myers. Summer 2017-Spring 2018. Age and origin of soil mounds on Manastash Ridge, Kittitas County, Washington. Secured 2018 Farrell Scholarship. Presented at 2018 SOURCE. Completed research report.
Rebeca Becerra. January 2016-June 2016. The spatial distribution and origins of sandstone monoliths in the Swauk Watershed, Kittitas County, WA. Secured CWU Undergraduate Research Grant. Presented at 2016 SOURCE. Completed research report and maps.
Mark Weidenaar. Winter 2011-Spring 2013. Rock glaciers in the Eastern Cascades, Washington. Science Honors Student. Presented at several conferences including 2012 Western Division of Canadian Association of Geographers, 2012 SOURCE, and 2013 Washington Association of Geographers. Completed research report and maps.
Tiffany Bishop. Geography, Winter-Spring 2009. Anthropogenic Effects on Floodplain Geomorphology: Naches River, Washington. Presented at 2009 SOURCE and completed research report and map.
Michael Joslin. Geography, Winter-Spring 2009. Arroyos in Central Washington. Presented at 2009 SOURCE and completed research report and map.
Ryan Murphy. Geography, Fall 2005. Field Mapping at the Wenas Mammoth Site, Central Washington. Completed research report, maps, and datasets.
Jeff Fetters. Geography, Fall 2003-Spring 2004. Geomorphology of the Naneum Meadows area, Wenatchee Range, Washington. Presented at 2004 SOURCE and completed research report and map.
Zak Steigmeyer. Geography, Summer 2003. Geography of Architecture at Four Western Japanese American Relocation Camps. Completed research report.
Marc Fairbanks. Geography, Summer 2002-Summer 2003.The Geomorphology of the Potholes Coulee area, Washington. Presented at 2003 SOURCE and 2003 Association of Washington Geographers. Completed research report and maps.
Ben Simmons. Geography, Fall 2001-Spring 2002. Columbia Plateau Climate Analysis. Completed research report.
Henry Sanderson. Geography, Fall 2000-Summer 2002. Swauk Watershed Mass Wasting. Secured 2000 Farrell Scholarship. Completed research report
Carson Keeler. Geography, Winter 2002-Spring 2002. Changes in Wetland Area: Crab Creek, Washington. Completed research report.
Justin Erickson. Geography, Winter 2001-Spring 2001. Swauk Watershed Land Use. Secured 2001 Farrell Scholarship, presented at the Geography/Resource Management Colloquia, and completed research report.
Knud Martin. Geography, Winter 2001-Spring 2001. Foster Creek Glacial Lakes. Secured 2001 COTS Undergraduate Research Grant, presented at the Geography/Resource Management Colloquia, and completed research report.
Alex Levell. Geography, Summer-Fall 2000. Glacial geomorphology of the Foster Creek Watershed. Completed research report.
Mark Dunbar. Geography, Spring 1999-Fall 2000. Missoula Flood Deposits in Kittitas County. Secured 1999 Farrell Scholarship and completed research report.
Jeff Bandow. Geography, Spring 1998-Summer 2001, Possible Limiting Age for Soil Mounds in the Kittitas Valley, Washington. Secured 1998 CWU Undergraduate Research Grant and completed research report.

Graduate Students

Griffin Hansen. Fall 2022-present. Between a Rock and a Hard Place: A Comparison of Sediment Accumulation Upstream of Beaver Dam Analogues, Rock Dams, and Post-Post-Assisted Log Structures on East Foster Creek, Douglas County, WA. Secured Spring 2023 CWU Masters Research Grant.
Ian Reischl. Fall 2019-present. Echoes of internment: A study of the removal and reuse of buildings from the former Minidoka War Relocation Center, Idaho.
Ryan Hampton. Cultural and Environmental Resource Management, Fall 2018-Spring 2023. Windblown Snow Bedforms and Their Effects on Snow Water Content, Wenatchee Range, Washington. Secured Winter 2020 Geological Society of America Student Research Grant and Fall 2020 CWU Masters Research Grant.
Jessica Coffey. Cultural and Environmental Resource Management, Fall 2019-Summer 2021.Rock glacier hydrological significance in a warming world: A geoecological transect in the North Cascades, Washington. Secured Summer 2020 CWU Graduate Student Summer Research Fellowship, Summer 2020 CWU Masters Research Grant, 2020 Kittitas Audubon Society Scholarship. Completed thesis.
Michael Horner. Cultural and Environmental Resource Management. Fall 2016-Spring 2020. Assess the implications of the Cle Elum reservoir expansion on archaeological resources in the Yakima Basin, Washington. Completed thesis.
Adam Riffle. Cultural and Environmental Resource Management, Fall 2016-Summer 2018. Internal composition, structure, and hydrological significance of rock glaciers in the Eastern Cascades, Washington. Secured Summer 2017 CWU Graduate Student Summer Research Fellowship, Summer 2017 CWU Masters Research Grant, 2017 Mazamas Student Research Grant, and 2017 Evolving Earth Research Grant. Presented at 2018 AAG Annual Meeting.
Noah Oliver. Cultural and Environmental Resource Management, Fall 2012-Summer 2018. Geomorphic consequences of hydroelectricity and transportation development near Celilo Falls, lower mid-Columbia River, Washington. Presented at 2018 CWU SOURCE.
Scott Kugel. Cultural and Environmental Resource Management, Fall 2016-Summer 2018. Abandoned Mine Land Impacts on Tributaries in the Upper Yakima River Watershed, Eastern Cascades, Washington. Secured CWU Graduate Student Summer Research Fellowship, Summer 2017 CWU Masters Student Research Grant, Geological Society of America's Student Research Grant, and Kittitas County Audubon Society's Scholarship. Presented at 2018 CWU SOURCE and 2018 Northwest Scientific Association Annual Meeting.
Kari Nielsen. Resource Management, Fall 2011 to 2014. Geomorphic hazards in glacial conditioned basins and implications for recreational trails in Glacier National Park, Montana. Secured Summer 2012 Graduate School Student Summer Research Grant.
Angela Reese. Resource Management, Fall 2009-2012. A Comparative Study of Soil Moisture on Cultivated and Conservation Reserve Program Land in Douglas County, Washington. Secured 2010 Graduate School Student Summer Research Grant.
Tom Winter. Resource Management, Fall 2008-Spring 2012. Mass Wasting in the Yakima River Canyon, Washington: An Inventory and Hazard Assessment. Secured 2009 Graduate School Student Summer Research Grant.
Jared Treser. Resource Management, Fall 2005- Spring 2011. Historic Glacier and Climate Fluctuations at Mount Adams, Washington, and Effects on Regional Water Supply. Secured 2006 Graduate School Student Summer Research Grant, 2006 Graduate School Student Research Grant, and 2007 Mazamas Student Research Grant.
Darcy Batura. Resource Management, Fall 2007- Spring 2011. Backcountry Campsites at Waptus Lake, Alpine Lakes Wilderness, Washington: Changes in Spatial Distribution, Impacted Areas, and Use Over Time. Secured 2007 Graduate School Summer Research Grant.
Eli Asher. Resource Management, Fall 2005-Spring 2010. Dispersed Riparian Campsite Management in the Greenwater River Watershed, Washington. Completed thesis in Summer 2010.
Meghan O'Brien. Resource Management, Fall 2007-Fall 2009. Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Tree Invasion, Upper Naneum Watershed, Washington: A Comparative Study of Hydric, Mesic, and Xeric Meadow Systems . Secured 2007 Graduate School Student Summer Research Grant and 2007 Graduate School Student Research Grant. Presented research at 2009 annual meetings of the Association of American Geographers and 2010 annual meeting of the Washington Society of Professional Soil Scientists. Completed thesis in Fall 2009.
Andrew Perkins. Resource Management, Fall 2005-Summer 2007. A Mass Wasting Inventory for Sumas Mountain, British Columbia. Secured 2007 Graduate School Summer Research Grant and 2006 Graduate School Student Research Grant. Presented research at 2006 and 2007 Association of Washington Geographers meetings, 2007 Northwest Scientific Association Meeting, and 2007 Western Division of the Canadian Association of Geographers. Completed thesis in Summer 2007.
Carla Jellum. Resource Management, Fall 2004-Spring 2007. Managing Mountain Bike Recreation and User Conflicts: A Case Study on Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, Washington State. Secured 2006 Graduate School Student Research Grant and 2006 Summer Research Grant. Presented at the International Symposium on Society and Resource Management in Park City, Utah in Spring 2007. Completed thesis in Spring 2007
Kevin Tyler, Resource Management. Winter 2002-Spring 2006. Biological Soil Crusts: Morphological Groups as Indicators of Landscape Condition. Secured 2004 Graduate School Student Research Grant. Presented at 2006 SOURCE, Washington Society of Professional Soil Scientists Winter Conference & Summer Field Tour. Completed thesis in Spring 2006.
Ryan Karlson. Resource Management, Fall 2004-Spring 2006. Investigations of Ice Age Flood Geomorphology and Stratigraphy in Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park, Washington: Implications for Park Interpretation. Secured 2005 Graduate School Student Research Grant. Presented at 2006 SOURCE and 2007 Northwest Scientific Association Meeting. Completed thesis in Spring 2006.
Paul Blanton. Resource Management, Fall 2002-Summer 2004. Historical Arroyo Development in the West Foster Creek Watershed, Washington: Spatial Extent, Timing, Causes, and Management Implications. Secured 2003 Graduate School Student Research Grant and 2003 Northwest Scientific Association Research Grant. Presented at 2004 Northwest Scientific Association Meeting. Completed thesis in Summer 2004. (online)
Justin Erickson. Resource Management, Fall 2001-Spring 2004. Historical Changes in Riparian Vegetation and Channel Morphology along the Lower Entiat River, Washington: Implications for Stream Restoration and Salmon Recovery. Lead author on 2002 Chelan County Conservation District Research Contract report. Presented at 2003 SOURCE and 2004 Northwest Scientific Association Meeting. Completed thesis in Spring 2004.

Current Research Interests

Geomorphology and landscape evolution in mountain and arid watersheds
Historic and prehistoric glacier fluctuations in mountainous Western North America
Protalus features in the Cascade Range
Rock glaciers in the Cascade Range
Permafrost and snow in the Cascade Range
Glacial geomorphology, chronology, and landscape evolution on the Columbia Plateau
Arroyo incision on Washington's Columbia Plateau
Glacial lake history and spatial extent on Washington’s Columbia Plateau
Landscape degradation in Iceland and Central Washington

Karl Lillquist Journal Publications

Teaching topographic map- and image-based geomorphic analysis: An example from alpine glacial geomorphology. Journal of Geography in Higher Education. Sole author.
Rock glaciers in the Eastern Cascades: Impacts of selected variables on spatial distribution and landform dimensions. Geomorphology 389 (2021). 1st author with Mark Weidenaar.
Single-grain luminescence dating of sediment surrounding a possible late Pleistocene Artifact from the Wenas Creek mammoth site, Pacific Northwest, USA. Geoarchaeology 29: 16-32 (2014) (3^rd author with Patrick Lubinski and James Feathers).
The Post-World War II Origin and Evolution of Mountain Snowshoes and Mountain Snowshoeing in North America. Yearbook of the Association of Pacific Coast Geographers 75: 140-166 (2013) (sole author).
Farming the Desert: Agriculture in the World War II-era, Japanese-American Relocation Centers. Agricultural History 84(1) (Winter 2010).
The late-glacial Wenas Creek mammoth site (45YA1083) in central Washington. Current Research in the Pleistocene 24: 178-180 (2007) (3rd author with Patrick Lubinski, Bax Barton, Morris Uebelacker, and Jake Shapley).
Teaching with Catastrophe: Topographic Map Interpretation and the Physical Geography of the 1949 Mann Gulch, Montana Wildfire (sole author).Journal of Geoscience Education 54 (5): 561-571 (November 2006).
Historical Glacier and Climate Fluctuations at Mount Hood , Oregon (1st author with Karen Walker). Arctic, Antarctic and Alpine Research 38 (3): 399-412 (October 2006).
The Moxee City ( Washington ) Mammoth: Morphostratigraphic, Taphonomic, and Taxonomic Considerations (1st author with Steve Lundblad and Bax Barton). Western North American Naturalist 65(4): 417-428 (October 2005).
Stream Tables and Watershed Geomorphology Education (1st author with Pat Kinner). Journal of Geoscience Education 50 (5): 583-593 (November 2002).
Mass Wasting in the Swauk Watershed , Washington Physical Geography 22 (3): 237-253 (May-June 2001).
Hydro-Isostatic Deflection and Tectonic Tilting in the Central Andes: Initial Results of a GPS Survey of Lake Minchin Shorelines (fifth author w/ B.G. Bills, S.L. de Silva, D.R. Currey, R.S. Emenger, A. Donnellan, and B. Worden). Geophysical Research Letters 21 (4): 293-296 (1994).
Holocene Fluctuations of the Coe Glacier, Mount Hood . Mazama LXXII(13): 32 (1990).

Karl Lillquist Monographs & Reports

Historic floods on the Teanaway River, Eastern Cascades, Washington. A report prepared for the Washington State Office of Attorney General. (Spring 2013) (first author with Nancy Lillquist).
Using Geospatial Technologies to Detect Closed Basin Wetland Pond Changes and Their Causes Over Time: A Case Study from the Waterville Plateau, Washington. (1st Author with Ben Sainbury and Thomas Winter). Final Report to RGIS-PNW, Ellensburg, WA.
Imprisoned in the Desert: The Geography of World War II-Era, Japanese American Relocation Centers in the Western United States. A research project funded by the Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) Through Interagency Agreement #23-0782 between OSPI and Central Washington University. 544 p. + appendices. Monograph on website for educators and general public (Summer 2007).
Town of Cusick Shoreline Inventory and Characterization (2nd author with Anthony Gabriel). Geo-ecology Research Report 15. Central Washington University . 42 p. (Summer 2005).
City of Medical Lake Shoreline Inventory and Characterization . (2nd author with Anthony Gabriel). Geo-ecology Research Report 13. Central Washington University . 49 p. + appendices (Summer 2005).
City of Chewelah , Shoreline Inventory and Characterization (2nd author with Anthony Gabriel). Geo-ecology Research Report 12. Central Washington University . 44 p. + appendices (Summer 2005).
Shoreline Habitat Characterization and Analysis for the Banks Lake Fishery Evaluation Project (2nd author with Anthony Gabriel and Leonard Jordan). Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Contract Report (Contract #33030532). Geo-ecology Research Group Report 10. 61 p. (Summer 2004).
Biogeography and Geomorphology of the Western Cascades and Mount Hood (co-author with Keith Hadley). Guidebook created for the Association of Pacific Coast Geographers Annual Meeting. Portland , OR . 45 p. (Summer 2003).
Aerial Photograph Inventory of Land Use and Riparian Vegetation in the Entiat Watershed (2nd author with graduate student Justin Erickson). Final report and maps submitted to the Entiat Watershed Planning Group (Fall 2002).
Mass Wasting and Moist Vegetation in the Vicinity of the KRD Canal, Kittitas County, Washington. Final report and maps submitted to Oshie and Spurgin, Attorneys at Law (Winter 1999).
The Proposed Davis Peak Harvest Unit, Kittitas County, Washington. Final report submitted to Alpine Lakes Protection Society (Fall 1997).
An Airphoto Investigation of the Geomorphology and Quaternary Geology of Railroad Valley, Nye County, Nevada. Final report and maps submitted to Bureau of Land Management (Fall 1994).
Criteria for Recognition of Depositional Environments in Kennecott Utah Copper Sediment Cores. Final report and stratigraphic sections submitted to Kennecott Utah Copper (Fall 1991).
The Chemical and Physical Characteristics of Three Cascade Mountain Lakes (second author with L.C. Duncan). Final report submitted to Washington Department of Ecology (Fall 1985).