Sustainable Rivers Project (SRP)
First Annual Meeting
November 15-16, 2004; Lake Tahoe, CA
Purpose: To communicate lessons learned to date, help advance future SRP work, and contribute to the “re-visioning” of the SRP as called for by General Strock and Steve McCormick
Attendees: TNC chapter and national staff and Corps district and HQ staff involved in the SRP
Logistics: The meeting will run from 1:00pm on November 15th through 11:45am on November 16th. It immediately precedes the Corps-TNC Partnership Conference
Monday, November 15th
1:30 – 2:00 Welcome and SRP Site Team Introductions (Lisa Morales & Andy Warner)
SRP Site Case Studies (Corps-TNC Site Teams)
2:00 – 2:45 Green River, KY (Mike Turner & Richie Kessler)
The Green River is the most mature of Sustainable Rivers Project sites, and in many ways it acted as the catalyst for launching the overall Project. Adaptive management of the Green River Dam began three years ago when releases were changed to improve the health of the downstream ecosystem. The Green River team will summarize its efforts to date and outline plans for the future, including how success will be measured and the need for additional changes in reservoir management identified. Presentation (1.30MB)
2:45 – 3:30 Savannah River, GA/SC (Leroy Crosby & Amanda Wrona)
Nearly 50 scientists from more than a dozen organizations came together to define ecosystem flow requirements for the Savannah River and its associated floodplain and estuarine systems. The Savannah team will describe how these flows were defined and how they are being assessing against human demands. Initial high flow releases in March and October 2004 will also be described, along with plans to monitor the ecosystem’s response to changes in reservoir management. Presentation (5.77MB)
3:45 – 4:30 Bill Williams River, AZ (Joe Evelyn & John Hall)
SRP work on the Bill Williams River is being conducted through a multi-agency committee that has been around for well over a decade. The Bill Williams team will summarize how ecosystem flow requirements are being developed as an extension of past flow restoration work in the watershed, and how these flows will be advanced through the broader, pre-existing partnership. Presentation (1.59MB)
4:30 – 5:15 The Challenges to Success (John Hickey & Andy Warner)
This session is an open discussion of challenges that are hindering progress at SRP sites, including technical issues (science and engineering), resource availability (staff and monetary), social or political constraints, or limits or restrictions in Corps authorities. Solutions to hurdles will be explored, including those that require actions above the project level.
Tuesday, November 16th
8:15 – 9:00 Support for Advancing SRP Work (Chris Dunn & John Hickey)
Existing resources available to support SRP work will be presented, including direct support, model development and customization, training, and cross-site communication, collaboration, and learning. Presentation (4.39MB)
9:00 – 9:45 Corps Authorities and Appropriations for SRP work (Ted Illston & Lisa Morales)
A brief presentation and facilitated discussion will focus on the existing Corps authorities that can be used to advance SRP work, recent successes in gaining Corps appropriations for SRP sites, and how future appropriations can best be acquired. NOTE: the final 20 minutes of this session will be used for Corps-TNC site teams to work in small groups and draft a list of priorities needing funding.
10:00 – 11:30 New Vision for the SRP (Morales, Warner, Illston)
General Strock and Steve McCormick have called for a new vision for the Sustainable Rivers Project to help this nascent Corps-TNC partnership reach its full potential in improving how water resources are managed across the country and abroad. The outline of this new vision will be presented and input from the participants solicited.