Meyer has long been interested in the implications that research has for policy. She has served on boards or technical advisory committees of the Georgia state legislature, American Rivers, Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, the National Academies’ National Research Council, the Pacific Rivers Council, the Oregon River Council and more. In 2000, she co-founded UGA’s River Basin Science and Policy Center, which promotes research, policy analysis, technical and legal assistance, and other forms of outreach.

As chair of the scientific and technical advisory committee for American Rivers, a river conservation group, she has been involved with two recent Supreme Court cases.

“One case dealt with headwater streams and wetlands; the other was about whether water flowing over a dam is truly a discharge,” she said. “In both, there were real issues of science that needed to be stated so the judges can make informed rulings.”

Understanding the importance of headwater streams to overall health of rivers will help the Court rule on how far upstream the Clean Water Act’s jurisdiction extends, she said. Understanding what changes occur to water that flows into a reservoir — differences in temperature, oxygen levels, metal and nutrient concentration — will help determine that a dam negatively impacts water quality and water flowing over it qualifies as a discharge, as defined by the Clean Water Act.

She also recently testified at natural resources committee meetings of the Georgia state legislature. Meyer explained the results of a three-year study to examine the effect of changing the width of riparian buffer zones on mountain trout streams. She was part of the team that completed the study, which was funded by Georgia’s Environmental Protection Division.

“In 2000, the Georgia legislature reduced the buffer zone from 100 to 50 feet on trout streams,” she said. Strips of land left in a natural state help reduce erosion, mitigate the effect of flooding, provide habitat, filter pollutants and reduce stream temperatures.

“We saw a phenomenal decrease in trout when you went from a 100-foot buffer to a 50-foot buffer,” she said. “The narrow buffer reduced young trout population by 80 percent due to higher water temperatures and increased sediment in the water. This buffer issue is another example where science can make a real contribution.”

As Meyer prepares to retire this year, she plans to expand her involvement with conservation organizations and apply her expertise to policy issues related to healthy waterways, including urban watersheds.

“In urban landscapes, little creeks represent a rare link between humans and nature,” Meyer said. “There are streams that kids shouldn’t play in but other streams are in good shape. We should make it so that all children can play in our streams. That should be our goal.”

For more information on the National River Restoration Science Synthesis, log on to www.restoringrivers.org or email Judy Meyer at jlmeyer@uga.edu.