All of us - people, fish, and many other creatures - depend on the water in Utah's rivers. The choices we make about how to develop water resources have big impacts on river habitats. In Decisions Downstream, watershed scientist Sarah Null teams up with artists Carsten Meier and Chris Peterson to explore new ways of seeing river habitats. Come immerse yourself in beautiful large-scale images created from layers of scientific data, original paintings that capture the transcendent experience of encountering wild fish, and 3D map projections that tell stories of our past and future water development choices. Then discover how new water management models can help us preserve river habitats and supply water for people. Critical water decisions are being made in Utah. Decisions Downstream highlights the water development tools, tradeoffs, and alternatives that can guide our choices.

Artist Carsten Meier created large-format composite images using visible, thermal infrared, red edge, topography (LiDAR), and NDVI data layers that I collected with a drone. Left: Cutler Marsh (Cache County, UT), 10' x 6'. Right: East Canyon Dam (Weber County, UT), 5' diameter.

Utah artist Chris Peterson brought the biota to life. Left: Bonneville Cutthroat Dream diptych, 10' x 6' (acrylic, aerosol, enamel, ink & oil). Right: Bluehead oracle, 48" x 32" (acrylic, aerosol, enamel, ink & oil).

Statement from the artist: "Millenia-honed but increasingly rare, these fish are still to be found in a few wild pockets of water around the Great Basin. When I caught this particular trout, I felt a connection that included a heightened sense of gratitude and reverence for these creatures that has stayed with me. For me, these experiences in the presence of wild animals inspire a sense of connection to both our primordial past and our shared future. These paintings are about that shared future and the spiritual nature of modern wild animals."