In this symposium, research findings are presented for two main projects addressing water resource management and economics in Owens Valley, California and the management of native biodiversity in Hawaii & the Galapagos. Students and faculty in the Department of Environmental Studies highlight findings of respective projects augmenting larger efforts to maintain native plant communities of alkali meadows in Owens Valley, California through adaptive water management and efforts to conserve endemic species diversity in two major archipelagoes, Hawaii and the Galapagos.