I have the pleasure to introduce our graduate student Ms. Janaina Da Silva, who started her M.S. program in civil engineering in our department this past January. I have advised her to develop a thesis topic dealing with the groundwater modeling of the live oak forest comprised within the McCain Valley Conservation Camp.

We respectfully request your authorization to conduct a number of visits to the site, starting December 2018 and continuing until Ms. Da Silva completes her thesis, expected in May 2020. The field visit will focus on the live oak forest located within camp property, in the NE direction.

The persons involved in the study will be Dr. Victor M. Ponce, Ms. Janaina Da Silva, and Ms. Donna Tisdale, a resident of Boulevard and one of our long-time collaborators. We intend to rely mostly on publicly available aerial imagery; therefore, the need for surveying and other sizable equipment will be limited. The number of visits is difficult to determine a priori; in my estimation it would comprise up to 8-10 visits during the duration of the study. If this number changes due to unforesen circumstances once the project is started, I will let you know in advance.