| On September 8-11, 2008, the U.S. Geological Survey will host the Third Interagency Conference on Research in the Watersheds (ICRW) at the Aspen Lodge in Estes Park, Colo.
This year’s event, Planning for an Uncertain Future: Monitoring, Integration, and Adaptation, focuses on applied research in the field of adaptive management - learning and adapting, through partnerships of managers, scientists, and other stakeholders who learn together how to create and maintain sustainable ecosystems.
Hydrologic resources shift daily in response to changes in population, land use and climate.
At this conference scientists, resource managers and stakeholders will come together to present research and discuss how to best reach common goals for our uncertain future. In particular, adaptive management will be presented as an appropriate tool to leverage decision making, science, and monitoring to the benefit of all.
The conference will have both oral and poster presentations from universities, government agencies, industry and stakeholders. Field trips and activities are planned to acquaint participants with alpine and montane ecosystems, hydrology, geomorphology, and biogeochemistry. Interested stakeholders are encouraged to attend.
Conference topics will include:
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Adaptive management of watersheds and aquifers;
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Shifting water demand, water quality and ecosystem vitality in response to drought, urbanization, agricultural management and climate change;
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Fires, floods, and debris flows;
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Acid mine drainage;
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Agriculture and non-point sources;
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Impacts of energy development;
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Instrumentation, remote sensing, and data management.
Plenary talks from a number of distinguished guests will introduce key issues, projects, and research needs:
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Ken Williams, Chief of Cooperative Programs, USGS Biological Resources Discipline;
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Bill Jackson, Director, Water Resources Division, National Park Service;
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Deborah Hayes, National Program Leader, Watershed Research , U.S. Forest Service;
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Andy Loranger, Chief, Division of Natural Resources and Conservation Planning, National Wildlife Refuge System , U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service;
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Daniel Cordalis, Legislative Assistant, National Congress of American Indians;
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Brad Udall, Director, CU-NOAA Western Water Assessment;
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Mark Walbridge, National Program Leader, Agricultural Research Service;
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Chuck Noss, National Program Director - Water Quality Research, Environmental Protection Agency;
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Curt Brown, Director, Office of Research and Development, Bureau of Reclamation;
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Claudia Hoeft, Hydraulic Engineer, Natural Resources Conservation Service;
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Ron Huntsinger, National Science Coordinator, Bureau of Land Management;
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Earl Greene, Chief Scientist for Hydrology (Acting), U.S. Geological Survey;
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Rick Hooper, Director, Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science.
Oral presentations will be organized into five sessions by region, including: Arid West, Interior Temperate and Boreal, Maritime Temperate and Boreal, Low Latitudes, and National.
To emphasize the multi-disciplinary integration required in successful adaptive management, each session will have papers on up to eight topic areas: Climate, Geology, Geomorphology, Hydrology, Geochemistry, Ecology, Human Impacts, and Management.
More information is available online.
Darius Semmens is a Research Physical Scientist at the United States Geological Survey's Rocky Mountain Geographic Science Center in Denver.
His current research focuses on the development of methodologies for integrated ecosystem services assessment at local to national scales. He recently transferred from U.S. EPA Office of Research and Development in Las Vegas, where he conducted research on multi-scale hydrologic modeling for landscape change assessment and scenario analysis. He also worked as an adjunct professor and part-time instructor in the Department of Landscape Architecture at UNLV. Darius has a Ph.D. in Watershed Management (University of Arizona), M.S. in Geology (Northern Arizona University), and B.S. in Geology (University of Minnesota).
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