The FracTracker Alliance, Great Lakes Program Coordinator & Administrator; Adjunct Faculty Cleveland State University, Biology, Geology, Environmental Science Department.

At The FracTracker Alliance we have investigated topics ranging from the Food, Energy, Water (FEW) nexus and myriad up/downstream hydraulic fracturing issues to the influence of the fossil fuel industry on ecosystem services. Additional foci include frac sand mining, mapping intra- and interstate pipeline proposals, shale production declines, compiling oil and gas industry waste data sets across several states, and georeferenced aerial images of the aforementioned topics with our partners at LightHawk. Dr. Auch has a Ph.D. - and B.S. - in Ecosystem Biogeochemistry from the University of Vermont where his dissertation focused on modeling the interaction between climate, chemistry, and ecosystem fluxes at the global scale. Prior to this he pursued an MS at Virginia Tech looking at the ecological effects of strip-mining and Mountain Top Removal (MTR) on middle Appalachia with a focus on soil ecology and plant diversity. After completing his Ph.D. Dr. Auch had several postdoc assignments including at the Cleveland Botanical Garden where he researched the Great Lakes Basin’s (GLB) vacant lot portfolio, constructing various Vacant Land Repurposing (VLR) scenario models, and working with institutions, urban planners, and community groups to understand the cost-to-benefits associated with VLR from an economic, social continuity, and environmental perspective (i.e., ecosystem services and/or ecological economics). The primary aim of this research was creating jobs, capturing and storing storm water, and decreasing the “urban heat island effect”. This research lead to a substantial long-term Great Lakes Protection Fund (GLPF) grant aimed at installing and quantifying VLR efficacy in Gary, Buffalo, and Cleveland. In addition to Ted’s responsibilities at The FracTracker Alliance he is an adjunct member of the Cleveland State University faculty teaching a graduate course in soil ecology and undergraduate environmental sciences and geology courses.