Thursday, June 8, 2017
14:00 - 15:45

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14:00 - 14:15: / 301B A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT: SAN MARCOS’ (TEXAS, USA) GROWING DEMAND FOR FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEM SERVICES

6/08/2017  |   14:00 - 14:15   |  301B

A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT: SAN MARCOS’ (TEXAS, USA) GROWING DEMAND FOR FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEM SERVICES San Marcos, TX is one of the fastest growing cities in the USA. It is also a major tourist destination, largely attributable to the aesthetic, perennial spring-fed river that flows through it. The San Marcos River is a protected freshwater ecosystem that provides habitat for seven endangered species. It also provides freshwater for multiple human uses, most notably river recreation. In order to assess the supply and demand of ecosystem services provided by this river, we surveyed 3,193 people who visited or lived in San Marcos, including university students, residents, and tourists. Our 49-question survey on the uses, preferences, and values of these stakeholders is one of the largest and most comprehensive assessments of social demand for a freshwater ecosystem. Use, preference, and value were significantly influenced by educational and life experiences among all stakeholders. The highest usage of the river was by residents (56% of respondents), with a median annual visitation of 30 days. Students visited 10 days/year and tourists 6 days/year. Given that the resident population is the most rapidly increasing (8%/year), the demand and impact on San Marcos River’s ecosystem services will continue to grow.

Jason P. Julian (Primary Presenter/Author), Texas State University, jason.julian@txstate.edu;


Graham Daly ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Texas State University, graham.daly@txstate.edu;


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14:15 - 14:30: / 301B GOVERNING WATER SCARCITY ACROSS SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS (WATERSES): A PROGRAM ON ECOSYSTEM CHANGE AND SOCIETY PERSPECTIVE

6/08/2017  |   14:15 - 14:30   |  

GOVERNING WATER SCARCITY ACROSS SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS (WATERSES): A PROGRAM ON ECOSYSTEM CHANGE AND SOCIETY PERSPECTIVE Environmental and social change in water-scarce regions across the globe pose significant challenges to the well-being of social-ecological systems (SES). WaterSES is a sponsored working group within the Program for Ecosystem Change and Society that promotes transdisciplinary, placed-based comparative research to identify appropriate operational scales for SES stewardship and management. WaterSES aims to understand and compare the social-ecological dynamics of water scarcity across international research sites with conflicting local and regional water needs and governance, including China, Spain, and Oklahoma, Texas and Idaho in the US. WaterSES goals are (1) synthesize data collected across research sites to identify novel and pressing SES science questions, (2) identify data needed to make cross-site comparisons to identify sustainable policy solutions at a range of spatial scales and contexts, (3) target cross-institutional funding opportunities at the national and international level. Here we discuss a preliminary assessment of these goals based on an international WaterSES workshop.

Antonio J. Castro (Primary Presenter/Author), Idaho State University, castanto@isu.edu;


Colden Baxter ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Idaho State University, baxtcold@isu.edu;


Katrina Running ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Idaho State University, runnkatr@isu.edu;


Carla L. Atkinson ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Alabama, carlalatkinson@gmail.com;


Cristina Quintas-Soriano ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Idaho State University, quincris@isu.edu;


Caryn C. Vaughn ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Oklahoma, carynvaughn@gmail;


Marina Garcia-Llorente ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Inst. Invest. Madrileño and Rural development, agriculture and food (IMIDRA), marinaglloren@gmail.com;


Benis Egoh ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, South Africa, Benis Egoh ;


Morey Burnham ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Idaho State University, burnmore@isu.edu;


Jodi Brandt ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Boise State University, jodibrandt@boisestate.edu;


Berta Martin Lopez ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Leuphana University, martinlo@leuphana.de;


Albert Norströms ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Stockholm Resilience Center, Albert Norström ;


Jason P. Julian ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Texas State University, jason.julian@txstate.edu;


Felix Liao ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Idaho, hliao@uidaho.edu;


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14:30 - 14:45: / 301B EMERGING THREATS TO AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS FROM DESALINATED BRACKISH GROUNDWATER

6/08/2017  |   14:30 - 14:45   |  301B

Emerging Threats to Aquatic Ecosystems from Desalinated Brackish Groundwater As the demand for fresh water sources in Texas continues to grow in order to provide communities with reliable drinking water, the efforts to maintain adequate drinking water supply are tapping previously under-utilized sources such as brackish groundwater. Treating brackish groundwater through reverse osmosis to provide drinking water is one such potential source gaining traction, particularly in the western part of the state. As the use of brackish groundwater as a drinking water source continues to grow, so do the concerns with disposing of the reverse osmosis concentrate from these treatment systems. Many rivers in west Texas are already challenged by naturally-occurring salts and other constituents of concern making the addition of these highly concentrated waste streams potentially more problematic for the ecology of these rivers and streams, especially where they discharge into designated critical habitat of federally-endangered species. This presentation will explore the routes of disposal available for these concentrated wastewaters and examine the potential risks they may pose on aquatic environments which already face many challenges typical in the arid west.

Anne Rogers (Primary Presenter/Author), Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, anne.rogers@tpwd.texas.gov;


Erik Orsak ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, erik_orsak@fws.gov;


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14:45 - 15:00: / 301B NORTH CAROLINA COASTAL PLAIN DITCH TYPES SUPPORT DISTINCT HYDROPHYTIC COMMUNITIES

6/08/2017  |   14:45 - 15:00   |  301B

North Carolina Coastal Plain ditch types support distinct hydrophytic communities Ditches in flat temperate areas can resemble wetlands, yet ecologists rarely examine ditches. In summer 2015, we surveyed 32 ditch reaches in the North Carolina Coastal Plain. These ditches were constructed in agricultural or forested areas, or alongside highways. We examined herbaceous plant and tree community composition, soil properties, hydrologic indicators, and morphology. Herbaceous community composition differed among agricultural, forested, and highway sites, but all ditch types supported predominantly hydrophytes. These communities appeared to respond to wetness, geographic location, and mowing, which apparently limited biodiversity on roadsides. Agricultural ditches had the greatest herbaceous percent cover and biodiversity, up to 41 taxa. Forested ditches were apparently wettest and had the most soil organic matter, up to 61% by mass, but 22/32 sites, including 4/10 forested sites and 11/12 highway sites, had less than 10% organic matter. Most variables measured ranged widely, in ways difficult to explain with this dataset. Better parsing drivers of this variability could allow managers to promote wetland-like behavior in existing and future ditches.

Chelsea Clifford (Primary Presenter/Author), Iowa State University, chelseaclifford@gmail.com;


Jim Heffernan ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Duke University, james.heffernan@duke.edu;


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15:00 - 15:15: / 301B MATCH-MISMATCH: CHALLENGE AND CREATIVITY IN DEVELOPING AND APPLYING A SOCIAL ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS SCIENCE OF AND FOR RIVERS AND THEIR COMMUNITIES

6/08/2017  |   15:00 - 15:15   |  301B

MATCH-MISMATCH: CHALLENGE AND CREATIVITY IN DEVELOPING AND APPLYING A SOCIAL ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS SCIENCE OF AND FOR RIVERS AND THEIR COMMUNITIES We offer lessons from nascent efforts in developing and applying a social ecological systems (SES) science of, and for, rivers and their communities. First, a mismatch arises because most ecologists are trained to conceptualize complexity in nature as occurring in a nested hierarchy. In contrast, because social processes like cognition, perception, power dynamics and behaviors can result in information flow and phenomena that transcend hierarchically defined spatio-temporal boundaries, many social scientists consider complexity as better represented by heterarchies, sprawling networks that may encompass hierarchical components but within which relationships across scales are dynamic. Our attempts at creative solutions to this disconnect have included extending heterarchical concepts to SES and cross-disciplinary approaches to environmental perception and response. Second, our empirical SES studies in Idaho reveal a combination of matches and mismatches between ecological character of a river (including potential for its design/restoration) and the values, perceptions and “visions” for the river expressed by the human community, leading us to strategically direct science at the mismatches and to purposefully and creatively engage with our community in co-production of river understanding and visioning.

Colden Baxter (Primary Presenter/Author), Idaho State University, baxtcold@isu.edu;


Danelle Larson ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), U.S. Geological Survey, dmlarson@usgs.gov ;


Donna Lybecker ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Idaho State University, lybedonn@isu.edu;


Mark McBeth ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Idaho State University, mcbemark@isu.edu;


Kathleen Lohse ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Idaho State University, klohse@isu.edu;


Rebecca Hale ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, haler@si.edu;
Rebecca Hale is an ecosystem ecologist who works at the interface of biogeochemistry, hydrology, and society. In addition to traditional ecological methods, she adapts concepts and tools from geography, sociology, and history to ask fundamental ecosystem ecology questions in non-traditional settings. She works within and across cities and rural areas at local to regional scales.

Morey Burnham ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Idaho State University, burnmore@isu.edu;


Kevin Marsh ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Idaho State University, marskevi@isu.edu;


Jade Ortiz ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Idaho State University, ortijade@isu.edu;


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15:15 - 15:30: / 301B CO-PRODUCING URBAN RIVER IMAGINARIES OVER TIME: AN IDAHO RIVER AND ITS COMMUNITY

6/08/2017  |   15:15 - 15:30   |  301B

CO-PRODUCING URBAN RIVER IMAGINARIES OVER TIME: AN IDAHO RIVER AND ITS COMMUNITY Urban river systems are designed landscapes that reflect combined human and natural elements. These co-produced systems in part emerge from human “imaginaries” of what a river should be and do that drive its design and management. Urban rivers are particularly affected by shifting imaginaries of urban nature: utilitarian imaginaries in the mid 20th century, which led to channelization of many rivers, have shifted to recognizing multiple social and ecological benefits and roles rivers can play. This has manifested in widespread efforts to revitalize urban rivers as places with high ecological and social values, shifting imagined rivers from spaces of risk to spaces of amenity recreation. We use historical documents and long-term biophysical data to understand the dynamic interplay between urban river ecology and urban river imaginaries over the past 80 years in the Portneuf River and city of Pocatello, Idaho. In particular, we explore how shifting expectations of public participation in decision-making influence the range of river imaginaries considered, and what the presence of multiple imaginaries means for the Portneuf’s ecological character, possible future states, and relationships to its community.

Rebecca Hale (Primary Presenter/Author), Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, haler@si.edu;
Rebecca Hale is an ecosystem ecologist who works at the interface of biogeochemistry, hydrology, and society. In addition to traditional ecological methods, she adapts concepts and tools from geography, sociology, and history to ask fundamental ecosystem ecology questions in non-traditional settings. She works within and across cities and rural areas at local to regional scales.

Colden Baxter ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Idaho State University, baxtcold@isu.edu;


Morey Burnham ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Idaho State University, burnmore@isu.edu;


Kevin Marsh ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Idaho State University, marskevi@isu.edu;


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