Date: Monday, February 3, 2025
Times:
- Morning and full-day short courses will commence at 8:00 am and afternoon courses at 1:00 pm.
- Lunch will be provided for all registrants and instructors (between 12:00-1:00 pm).
- All classes will end at 5:00 pm.
Location: Skamania Lodge, 1131 SW Skamania Lodge Way, Stevenson, WA 98648
Pricing:
- $400 Full Day
- $200 Half Day
Registration Instructions:
- Once you have logged into the registration portal, select Individual Registration and navigate through the system to the Registration & Tickets page.
- Scroll down to the bottom of the list of ticket options to view the complete list of offered Short Courses.
- Add your selected short course and continue to the payment page to complete your ticket purchase.
Full Day Short Courses
Ecohydraulics
Full Day
Instructors: Rocko Brown, PhD & Joseph Merz, PhD
Ecohydraulics is a multidisciplinary field and practice that combines ecology, biology, chemistry, engineering, hydrology, hydraulics and geomorphology to understand how aquatic organisms and their ecosystems are shaped and evolve with lotic systems. This course aims to introduce ecohydraulics for people interested in learning about some of the basic principles and concepts in ecohydraulics, with a focus on applications to solve real world management questions.
Course objective and anticipated skill transfer: Understanding current and future flow and fisheries relationships is at the heart of applied and basic fisheries science and management. Advances in science and technology, such as numerical modeling and field-based evaluations of fish community and flow structure, make this topic important.
Material to be covered:
- Introduction and history of ecohydraulics
- How aquatic organism use lotic systems
- Human influences on aquatic systems
- Characterizing water flow and aquatic habitats
- Habitat suitability
- Habitat suitability modeling
- Case study 1 – Kings River – Incorporating Populations
- Case study 2 – Advanced Topics
Target audience and recommended prerequisites: We intend this course for new employees and journey level professionals seeking an introduction or refresher on ecohydraulics.
Instructor Bios: Joseph E. Merz, Ph.D. is a registered scientist with the American Fisheries Society. He has over 20 years of experience working with aquatic resources and has been the principal scientist on several salmonid habitat restoration programs in the California Central Valley. He has taught environmental science, salmon biology and restoration courses for the past fourteen years. Joe is known for his work with human and fisheries habitat interactions, and for his ability to communicate with scientific and stakeholder audiences alike. He has earned degrees in Environmental and Systematic Biology (Bachelors), Cal Poly at San Luis Obispo (1991); Biological Conservation (Masters), California State University, Sacramento (1994); and Conservation Ecology (Ph.D.), University of California, Davis (2004). Dr. Merz has worked for California public, provide and non-profit entities on resource monitoring and fisheries habitat enhancement. He is noted as an environmental studies and natural resources lecturer, and for his successes working with stakeholders. He has coauthored a variety of peer-reviewed publications*, focusing on river rehabilitation, fish movement, invasive species, woody debris/redd associations, and evaluation of spawning habitat enhancement, among others. In line with his professional interests, he is a member of the Ecological Society of America, the American Fisheries Society and the Southwestern Association of Naturalists. Dr. Merz has been honored with a variety of awards and has received research and restoration grants from multiple stakeholders for restoration related projects in California, Oregon and Washington for salmonid habitat restoration; salmonid management and reintroduction; monitoring of fish migration and movement; fish passage improvement; and assessment of invasive species interactions with native salmonid populations.
Rocko Brown, Ph.D., P.E. is an expert design geomorphologist who uniquely balances applied and scientific aspects of geomorphology and engineering. He focuses on process-based assessment and restoration of fisheries resources through channel manipulation integrating geomorphic, hydraulic and ecological frameworks. He has extensive experience in hydraulic and sediment transport modeling and design for fish passage improvements, channel design, large wood and instream habitat structures, and bank stabilization. Rocko has led the design of seasonal floodplain, spawning habitat, and fish passage projects in a diverse array of physical and regulatory settings. He has made contributions to spawning habitat rehabilitation efforts, including assessment, modeling, design and construction of projects on several of California’s most-important rivers. Dr. Brown has published heavily on evaluating the interactions of topography and flow hydrology for geomorphic processes needed for salmonids to complete their life cycle and how to design functional riverscapes that honor these linkages. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering from Temple University and Master’s and Doctorate Degrees in Hydrologic Sciences from the University of California, Davis. He is also a licensed Civil Engineer in the State of California.
Facilitating in the Wild
Full Day
Instructor: Maggie Chumbley
In this one-day short course we’ll brush up on foundational facilitation skills and learn practical methods to lead groups better when things are challenging and complex.
You’ll leave feeling tuned up with a plan to improve things ranging from everyday meetings and ambitious projects.
You Can Expect:
- Increased Confidence and Skill: You’ll be better at designing and leading sessions in a range of contexts, and all types of groups from (even challenging ones!)
- Expanded Toolkit: You'll have facilitation techniques and structures that are ready right away.
Material to be covered:
Foundational Facilitation
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- Clarity of purpose of your session and priming the group
- Does every agenda item have a goal and is there an interactive activity? (if this meeting can’t be an email, then prove it)
- Analysis of how good design makes for the group dynamic and results you want
Adaptive Strategy: How to facilitate and lead among complex systems
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- Seeing your system through the lens of complexity
- Fostering the right amount of structure, and letting direction arise.
4-5 structures to aid facilitating strategically in the wild
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- Un-fancy methods to change the pattern of engagement in the group.
- Doable moves you can apply right away.
Recommended pre-symposium reading and/or web site:
Nine Emerging and Connected Organizational and Leadership Principles
Instructor Bio: Maggie Chumbley specializes in group facilitation. She consults on leadership development, strategy, training, meeting design and facilitation in the business, government, non-profit and education sectors. She is a certified coach. www.leadgroupsbetter.com
Spatial Analysis of Streams and Watersheds with QGIS
Full Day
Instructor: Konrad Hafen, PhD
QGIS is free, open source, GIS software with powerful capabilities for stream and watershed analysis. This course will teach the basics of using QGIS to identify and analyze streams and watersheds using existing hydrographic and boundary datasets, elevation data (moderate and high-resolution DEMs), and satellite images. These concepts introduce the skills required to conduct geospatial analysis for fluvial systems and produce insightful products that address relevant questions and management actions.
Course objective and anticipated skill transfer:
Learn the basic geospatial analysis workflows to transform publicly available geospatial data into actionable information. Students will learn how to work with vector and raster dataset and create and analyze informative derivative data products.
Material to be covered:
- Introduction to course objectives, course material, and QGIS
- Geoprocessing methods for watershed and political boundary analysis
- Stream networks from elevation data
- Relative elevation model (REM; or detrended DEM) from high resolution elevation data
- Watershed vegetation analysis through time with NLCD and satellite data
Target audience and recommended prerequisites:
This course is intended for students and employees with a grasp of GIS basics that would like an introduction to the QGIS software and/or the fundamentals of geospatial analysis for fluvial systems. Basic understanding of GIS principles (data types, creating data, basic geoprocessing) is recommended.
Software to be loaded prior to class:
QGIS Desktop
Link to required software: https://qgis.org/download/
Instructor Bio: Dr. Konrad Hafen has spent the last 10 years teaching geospatial and programming skills in a variety of venues, ranging from university classrooms to online courses. He has worked on a variety of water resources projects as a student, developer/programmer, and principal investigator.
Konrad earned degrees in Wildlife Science (Bachelor’s) with minors in Fisheries Science and GIS, Utah State University (2014); Ecology (Master’s), Utah State University (2017); and Water Resources Science and Management (Ph.D.), University of Idaho (2021).
Dr. Hafen worked for the USGS as a hydrologist, specializing in data science and geospatial modeling for water quality and water quantity projects. His USGS work was primarily focused on modeling water presence in small streams and identifying algal blooms from satellite imagery.
Indigenizing Restoration
Full Day
Instructors: Serina Fast Horse and Toby Query
How can we realign our projects and ourselves to form better relationships with the land and its First Peoples? What are examples of projects that acknowledge this history of the land, its peoples, and include not just ecological restoration but cultural and spiritual restoration?
In this workshop, we will have a dialogue about the history of native peoples and white supremacy in the northwest and how it intersects with ecological restoration. We will be using the example of the Shwah Kuk wetland enhancement project which includes ITECK (Indigenous Traditional Ecological and Cultural Knowledge) as well as Western methods. We will compare ITECK approaches and western approaches and look for common ground, including themes of healing through reciprocity, respect, and relationships. We will share learnings and challenges faced in our project when creating a co-created and co-managed project between the urban native community (including Portland State University’s Indigenous Nations Studies program) and the City of Portland, that will support your future projects with a wider and more inclusive spirit.
Course objective and anticipated skill transfer: The objective to show the importance of partnering with Indigenous community members in a respectful manner and steps that can be taken to foster relationships. You will learn how projects can meld ITECK and western knowledge systems.
Material to be covered: General history of native people in the US. ITECK and western knowledge systems that are applied to land stewardship.
Target audience and recommended prerequisites: Anyone interested in partnering with Indigenous people in a land stewardship project.
Recommended pre-symposium reading and/or websites: The Confluence Project; Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer; Original Instructions by Melissa K. Nelson; “On the role of traditional ecological knowledge as a collaborative concept: a philosophical study” by Kyle Whyte
Instructor Bios: Serina Fast Horse (Lakota & Blackfeet) is a lifelong member and emerging leader of the Indigenous community of Portland. With a foundation of interdisciplinary studies in Community Development and Indigenous Nations Studies, she holds a rounded worldview that prioritizes community-focused and relational approaches. As the owner of Kimimela Consulting, Serina works to cultivate transformative relationships that address social and ecological needs through collaborative relationships between Indigenous communities and regional agencies. She also served as the program coordinator for the Institute for Tribal Government at Portland State University for over three years where she supported the delivery of Tribal relations programming.
She is a gifted communicator and organizer who has been called on to support multiple regional gatherings such as the Changing Currents Tribal Water Summit, Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians Climate Camp, and the first Indigenous Land Conservation Summit. Additionally, she serves as a coordinator of the emerging group called the Land Care Collective. Serina is driven by her passion to embrace Indigenous cultural knowledge and empower Indigenous voices to help create a holistic path to healing our ecological and social communities for our future generations. She looks forward to working collaboratively with her fellow Co-Directors and is excited by the potential impact of the Northwest Environmental Justice Center to create just, equitable, and lasting systemic change for our regional communities.
Toby Query is a father, husband, and ecologist. As part of the City of Portland’s Revegetation Program since 1999, he stewards natural areas for all Portlanders. He most values his teachings from the ITECK project where he sees the possibilities of land and community healing through collaboration and co-management with Indigenous peoples. He founded the discussion group Portland Ecologists Unite! which created spaces to learn, discuss, and connect over current ecological issues. He is a certified Senior Ecologist from the Ecological Society of America. Besides plants, he loves to learn about slugs, worms, and fungi.
Half Day Short Courses
Speaking of Science — Delivering Inspired Presentations
Half Day: Morning
Instructors: Janine Castro
We are offering a Part 1 online on January 24th from 9am-12pm PST. This will allow those who are presenting at RRNW time to incorporate the information from this great workshop into their presentations. Part 2 will be in person on Monday February 3.
Scientists and engineers should not be condemned to dry, monotonous, and uninspired presentations, because science is not boring. River restoration is one of the most exciting and dynamic fields of science and it is up to us to reflect our enthusiasm and passion in every talk we give and every message we deliver. Improve your public speaking skills, feel less nervous, and actually enjoy getting up in front of a crowd. Become a river restoration champion! Join me to learn a few simple techniques to dramatically improve your delivery and your impact. You will leave the workshop armed with useful skills to develop and deliver inspired presentations and to improve your everyday communication. Whether you are a seasoned speaker or a relative novice, this course is for you.
Course objective and anticipated skill transfer: If you would like to improve your public speaking and science communication skills, please join me for a half-day session on making your presentation interesting and effective, while also reducing your stress and actually enjoying the experience. Participants will leave the workshop with a greater skill set, including a comprehensive checklist and personal coaching, to develop and deliver presentations, which is directly transferrable to our everyday communication. The workshop is highly interactive and builds on the collective experience of the audience and the instructor.
Target audience and recommended prerequisites: Everyone…especially if you will be speaking at RRNW or any other scientific conference.
Instructor Bio: Janine Castro is the Project Leader for the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s Columbia River Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office (CRFWCO) in Vancouver, Washington. It is the mission of the CRFWCO to assist in determining the status of imperiled natural fish stocks, to evaluate management measures for recovery and assist in the recovery of these stocks, and to prevent future ESA listings. As the Project Leader, Janine provides leadership to a highly diverse technical staff that address a wide variety of fisheries issues, including: (1) fish passage and aquatic habitat restoration, (2) bull trout recovery and lamprey conservation, (3) marking and tagging of nearly 40 million hatchery fish annually to support tribal, recreational, and commercial mark-selective fisheries, (4) mark-recapture studies of wild fish to determine occupancy, distribution, abundance, trends, and population growth rates, and (5) providing analytical support to project design, evaluation, and information management.
Janine provides national and international training on stream restoration, river science, and public speaking for scientists. She has worked for the Fish and Wildlife Service for 20+ years and spent the preceding 10 years working for the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Janine is one of the five founding members of River Restoration Northwest and the Technical Director for the PSU River Restoration Professional Certificate Program.
Sediment Transport in Stream Channel Assessment and Design
Half Day: Afternoon
Instructor: Peter Wilcock, PhD
How do you account for sediment transport when assessing or designing a stream channel? When do you have to worry about scour, aggradation, or channel shifting? How do you accommodate uncertainty in sediment supply? When is a more comprehensive sediment study merited? What tools are available to assess the situation? Stream channel assessment and design begins with identification of desired channel behavior (static? dynamic? threshold? alluvial? both?) and then uses estimates of water and sediment supply to explore design alternatives. Uncertainty in water and sediment supply is explicitly included in assessing channel performance. A risk framework is used for threshold channels; alluvial channels are evaluated in terms of the probability and magnitude of undesirable aggradation or degradation. There are no precise answers in sediment transport, but there are tools available to evaluate the consequence of different management and design choices. A computational tool will be presented that assists in estimating the sensitivity of channel performance to uncertainty in sediment supply. The tool includes river state diagrams useful for reconnaissance evaluation and channel stability diagrams useful at the planning stage.
Course objective and anticipated skill transfer: Develop strategies for assessing and designing desirable conditions of sediment transport in stream channels. Use spreadsheet tools linking water and sediment supply to threshold and alluvial river dynamics.
Material to be covered:
- Problem Definition: Transport principles with application to desired stream behavior
- Channel hydraulics and threshold channels
- Sediment supply and transport capacity; alluvial channels
- Pitfalls, risk, and strategy for decision making
- Spreadsheet application & discussion
Target audience and recommended prerequisites: The course is intended for those who wish to evaluate and manage sediment supply and transport in stream channels, including the potential for scour, aggradation, and channel shifting. A rudimentary familiarity with stream hydraulics and transport is expected. Background reading will be provided.
Recommended pre-symposium reading and/or web site:
- Background on Sediment Transport:
Wilcock, P; Pitlick, J; Cui, Y. 2009. Sediment Transport Primer: Estimating Bed-Material Transport in Gravel-bed Rivers. RMRS-GTR-226. USDA Forest Service. - Background on Design Approach:
Wilcock, P. 2023. Beyond Bankfull. SEDHYD Proceedings.
Readings can be found with other goodies at https://qcnr.usu.edu/wats/programs/short-courses/sediment-transport/wilcock/
Notebook computers required? YES
Software to be loaded prior to class: MS Excel
Links to the required software: Excel files will be distributed directly to class in January. Related spreadsheets and other stuff can be found at https://qcnr.usu.edu/wats/programs/short-courses/sediment-transport/wilcock/
Instructor Bio: Prof. Wilcock received his PhD in Earth Science at MIT in 1987 and specializes in erosion and sedimentation processes and their application to stream and watershed restoration and management. His research spans grain-scale mechanics, sediment-channel interactions at the reach scale, and the control and management of sedimentation at the watershed scale. Applications include channel restoration, reservoir and channel response to dam removal, and reservoir operations for downstream channel maintenance. He has worked extensively in experimentation, field observation, and computer simulation of sediment systems and has published more than 100 peer-reviewed articles. Dr. Wilcock has provided expert and litigation consultation to industry and government agencies. After serving on the faculty of the Whiting School of Engineering at the Johns Hopkins University for 27 years, he joined Utah State University in 2014 as Head of the Watershed Sciences Department in the Quinney College of Natural Resources. Prof. Wilcock is a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union and received the Hans Albert Einstein Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers for outstanding contributions to the understanding of sediment transport in gravel-bed rivers. Since retiring from USU in 2024, Prof. Wilcock continues to work toward the practical and useful application of sediment transport principles.