SFS Annual Meeting

5/21/2018  |   14:00 - 14:15   |  320

LESSONS FROM ATTEMPTS TO GET SCIENCE TO AFFECT WATER POLICY AND MANAGEMENT Australia has trialled numerous programs to link science to ‘industry’ (a term which includes environmental management by governments and others), which suggests that bridging the divide between them can be difficult. This paper outlines lessons from applying science to both water policy and management over 15 years through a research-industry collaboration. Experience suggests that the most critical factor for success is whether the scientific knowledge is central to the business of the policy/decision makers and/or environmental managers, regardless of the mechanism used to deliver it (e.g. a review of evidence, a decision support tool, etc.). To entrain science into business, considerable effort should be made to characterise both the demand for knowledge and the business environment in which it will be applied. Scientists may help to generate demand through green advocacy, but the demand must ultimately come from within the industry. Solutions conceived mainly by scientists are rarely fit for purpose for industry, and the effort and sacrifice to make science-based solutions ‘business ready’ is underappreciated by all. The utility of various approaches to ‘technology transfer’ are outlined, and a useful framework for thinking about knowledge-sharing is presented.

Ralph Ogden (Primary Presenter/Author), University of Canberra, ralphogden4@gmail.com;


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5/21/2018  |   14:30 - 14:45   |  320

PROTECTING INLAND LAKE NEARSHORE HABITAT THROUGH EDUCATION, ENGAGEMENT, AND CITIZEN SCIENCE IN MICHIGAN, USA Healthy lake shorelines provide critical habitat, slow runoff, limit erosion, and maintain water quality. However, residential and commercial development along lakeshores can dramatically alter shoreline function. Habitat is lost, and water quality and biodiversity decline. We address these issues through coordinated education, engagement, and citizen science. The Shoreline Educators Training program has taught shoreline protection to over 200 natural resource professionals and volunteers, many of whom then serve as educators statewide, resulting in over 30 property owner workshops. Over 600 property owners have evaluated their practices using our new Shoreland Stewards online self-assessment. The new Shoreland Stewards Ambassador Training Program will utilize community based social marketing techniques to increase use of proper shoreline practices. Our citizen science program, Score the Shore, enables volunteers to assess and monitor an entire lake’s shoreline. In 3 years, volunteers have assessed 36 lakes (score range: 39-97 out of 100). Finally, to support individual protection efforts, our Certified Natural Shoreline Professionals program has trained over 200 people to install natural shorelines and biocontrol of erosion. As a result, Michigan individuals and communities have the needed knowledge, resources, and support to protect and rehabilitate nearshore habitat.

Jo A. Latimore (Primary Presenter/Author), Michigan State University, latimor1@msu.edu;


Bindu R. Bhakta (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Michigan State University Extension, bhaktabi@anr.msu.edu;


Erick Elgin (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Michigan State University Extension, elgineri@msu.edu;


Julia Kirkwood (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, kirkwoodj@michigan.gov;


Paul J. Steen (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Huron River Watershed Council, psteen@hrwc.org;


Marcy Knoll Wilmes (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), knollm@michigan.gov, knollm@michigan.gov;


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5/21/2018  |   14:45 - 15:00   |  320

DAM REMOVAL FOR RIVER RESTORATION WITHING THE COMPENSATORY MITIGATION SCHEME Motivated by growing evidence of ecological benefits of dam removal, we explore strategies, tools, and examples to consider the decommissioning of old, obsolete dams as a practical alternative for ecological compensation projects. Under the compensatory mitigation (CM) rule of the U.S. Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, several types of restoration projects may be eligible to offset unavoidable impacts to aquatic resources, but dam removal is underused as a strategy for achieving river restoration targets. Because the potential for dam removal is often constrained by high costs, the CM scheme may provide an alternative funding mechanism. However, inappropriate CM guidelines, the absence of science-based knowledge, a lack of coordinated strategies to disseminate data and scientific knowledge, and the lack of a watershed approach for river restoration are among the challenges to more effectively use dam removal for river restoration within the CM scheme. The approaches discussed here may support the formulation of policies in and beyond the United States aimed at scientifically guided decisions on ecosystem restoration and watershed planning.

Simone Souza (Primary Presenter/Author), University of New Hampshire, simone.pereiradesouza@unh.edu;


Kevin Gardner (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of New Hampshire, Kevin.Gardner@unh.edu;


Jessica Jansujwicz (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Maine, jessica.jansujwicz@maine.edu;


Emi Uchida (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Rhode Island, euchida@uri.edu;


David Hart (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions, University of Maine, Orono, ME, USA, david.hart@umit.maine.edu;


Samuel Roy (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions, University of Maine, samuel.g.roy@maine.edu;


Alexandra Evans (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of New Hampshire, alexandra.evans322@gmail.com;


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5/21/2018  |   15:00 - 15:15   |  320

CITIZEN SCIENCE AND SWIMMABILITY: INCORPORATING COMMUNITY MEASURES INTO RECREATIONAL WATER QUALITY CRITERIA People value freshwater and coastal beaches for a range of recreational activities; swimming, boating, and gathering shellfish, as well as providing a place for community interaction and connection with the environment. Because waterways are susceptible to fecal contamination and associated microbial pathogens, there is considerable effort expended to measure microbial water quality at recreational sites. However, individuals intuitively judge recreational water quality using a range of other characteristics not found in traditional environmental monitoring. For example, flow, temperature, clarity, rubbish, nuisance plant growth, and toxic algae are strongly related to public perception of water quality. The goal of this study is to look at the role of community-based initiatives in assessing swimming suitability. Volunteers measured water quality attributes (visual clarity, E. coli, periphyton, rubbish) weekly over the summer bathing period at a popular swimming river in Wellington (NZ). Observations were collected concurrently by scientists to facilitate side-by-side data comparisons. This information is being used to develop indices for reporting water quality suitability attributes. Here we show how members of the local community can generate their own information on water safety and contribute to a wider discussion on swimmability and health.

Amanda Valois (Primary Presenter/Author), NIWA, amanda.valois@niwa.co.nz;


Juliet Milne (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), NIWA, juliet.milne@niwa.nz;


Rob Davies-Colley (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), National Institute of Water and Atmopsheric Research, rob.davies-colley@niwa.co.nz;


Rebecca Stott (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), NIWA, rebecca.stott@niwa.nz;


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5/21/2018  |   15:15 - 15:30   |  320

IMPROVING OUTCOMES OF ENVIRONMENTAL FLOWS THROUGH ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT: AUSTRALIA’S LONG-TERM INTERVENTION MONITORING PROJECT Legislators have identified adaptive management as a way to improve outcomes from environmental flows. The Australian Government’s ‘Long-Term Intervention Monitoring’ (LTIM) Project is evaluating responses to Commonwealth Environmental Water in the Murray-Darling Basin. Adaptive management is nested with monitoring, evaluation and reporting undertaken for 7 ‘selected areas’, with results also synthesised at the basin scale. In 2017 we met to compare approaches, share successes and learn from failures. The parallel implementation of adaptive management in seven projects provides the potential for more rapid learning than is possible with any single project. All selected areas are using adaptive management to improve environmental water outcomes over short time scales. However, as the scale of the decision increases, adaptive management becomes harder. Incomplete and inconsistent documentation of decision making processes is also a barrier to better disseminating learnings from individual selected areas to the rest of the LTIM project. Large-scale monitoring and adaptive management of environmental flows is in its infancy. There is potential for rapid advances to improve social, economic, and ecological outcomes from environmental water. However, improved ‘reflection’ to share the learning from individual projects remains the key to achieving this.

Fiona Dyer (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Centre for Applied Water Science, University of Canberra, fiona.dyer@canberra.edu.au;


Paul Frazier (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), 2Rog Pty Ltd., pfrazier@2rog.com.au;


Ben Gawne (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Canberra, ben.gawne@canberra.edu.au;


Paul Marsh (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Commonwealth Environmental Water Office, paul.marsh@environment.gov.au;


Darren Ryder (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of New England, dryder2@une.edu.au;


Skye Wassens (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Charles Sturt University, swassens@csu.edu.au;


Robyn Watts (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Charles Sturt University, rwatts@csu.edu.au;


Qifeng Ye (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI), qifeng.ye@sa.gov.au;


Angus Webb (Primary Presenter/Author), The University of Melbourne, angus.webb@unimelb.edu.au;
Dr Angus Webb is a Senior Lecturer in Environmental Hydrology and Water Resources at the University of Melbourne, Australia. He originally trained as a marine ecologist before moving into the study and restoration of large-scale environmental problems in freshwater systems. Much of his research centers on improving the use of the existing knowledge and data for such problems. To this end he has developed innovative approaches to synthesizing information from the literature, eliciting knowledge from experts, and analyzing large-scale data sets. He is heavily involved in the monitoring and evaluation of ecological outcomes from the Murray-Darling Basin Plan environmental watering, leading the program for the Goulburn River, Victoria, and advising on data analysis at the basin scale. Angus is currently a co-editing a major new text book on environmental flows science and management. He was awarded the 2013 prize for Building Knowledge in Waterway Management by the River Basin Management Society, and the 2012 Australian Society for Limnology Early Career Achievement Award.

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