2015 Watershed Symposium
"The Ever-changing Climate of Watershed Management"
Speakers and sessions at the 9th Annual Watershed Symposium covered a wide range of watershed issues from general interest to technical. The theme of climate change was incorporated in many of the presentations this year, including keynotes by Dan McCool and Pat Shea, as well as an excellent panel discussion on the management of watersheds in times of climate change.
And, we tried a couple of new things this year, including shorter sessions and peer-voted “Best Of” awards. The shorter "power" sessions allowed us to offer more talks in two concurrent breakouts, and really kept the momentum up.
Survey says...
We're always looking for ways to improve the Symposium, and we take comments and critiques seriously. View survey results
Some of our favorite comments:
“It gets better every year. There is no other event in Utah that provides such a learning opportunity.”
“The keynotes were engaging and thought-provoking. Embracing a bit of controversy should absolutely be part of the symposium…”
“It was a great mix of political aspects as well as current scientific research on extremely important issues of water quality and quantity.”
"There is so much research, studying and collaborating that I wasn’t aware of."
"I loved the shorter sessions!"
Keynotes
- Keynote-The Solutions to Utah's Water Problems: The Four Water Freedoms
Dan McCool, University of Utah - Keynote-Jurisdictional Jealousies: Why We Can't Get Anything Done
Pat Shea, University of Utah
Plenary Session
Panel Discussion: Managing Watersheds In Times Of Climate Uncertainty
Moderator: - Laura Briefer, Salt Lake City Public Utilities
Panel:
Bob Bonar, Snowbird Resort
Robert Davies, Utah Climate Center
Joan Degiorgio, The Nature Conservancy
Dan McCool, University of Utah
W. Paul Miller, NOAA - Colorado Basin River Forecast Center
Breakout Sessions
- A Survey Of Water Feats And Follies Across The American West
Gordon Rowe, Utah Rivers Council - Are Utah's Landscapes Worth The Water?(6.7MB)
Larry Rupp, Utah State University - Assessing And Managing Farmington Bay Impounded Wetlands(9.1MB)
Theron Miller, Jordan River/Farmington Bay Water Quality Council - Detecting Harmful Algal Blooms: A Different Shade of Green(3.7MB)
Ben Holcomb, State of Utah - Don't Drink The Water? Testing Water Quality For Science And Outreach(2.5MB)
Maura Hahnenberger, Salt Lake Community College
Brian T. Greene, Utah State University Water Quality Extension - Fecal Contamination And Source Identification In Summit County(31.3MB)
Lucy Parham, SWCA Environmental Consultants - Focusing On What's Important: Prioritizing and Implementing TMDLs(540KB)
Carl Adams, Division of Water Quality - Go With The Flow: Using Free Play In Watershed Education(4.8MB)
Anne Terry, Annie Young, Corinne Gentry, Marina Astin, Tracy Aviary - Gray Meets Green: Planning Multi-Purpose Water Reuse Facilities(17.1MB)
Joe Donaldson, Ecology & Environment, Inc. - I Looked Over Jordan And What Did I See? Jordan River Comprehensive Management Plan(6.7MB)
Laura Vernon, Utah Department of Natural Resources
Kelly Gillman, Susie Petheram, CRSA - Lock 'Em Out Or Let 'Em In? The Future Of Recreation In The Watershed(3.1MB)
Reid Persing, SWCA Environmental Consultants
Alex Schmidt, Save Our Canyons - One Goal Many Paths: A Multidisciplined Approach To Water Conservation(2.4MB)
Stephanie Duer, Salt Lake City - Rainwater Harvesting Strategies For Abundance(225KB)
Shaun Daniel, University of Utah
Nick Schou, Utah Rivers Council
(download pdf to view videos) - Revitalizing Red Butte Creek At The University Of Utah
Robin Rothfeder, Sarah Hinners, University of Utah - Shell Shocked: Utah's Unique Native Freshwater Mollusks On The Brink(22MB)
David Richards, OreoHelix Consulting
Theron Miller, Jordan River Farmington Bay Water Quality Council
(download pdf to view videos) - The Future Of Utah's Water Supply In A Warming Climate(15MB)
Brian McInerney, National Weather Service - The Nature In The City Riparian Restoration Master Plan(15.3MB)
Soren Simonsen, Community Studio and Impact Hub Salt Lake
Ray Wheeler, Earth Restoration Network - The Power Of Information In Water Conservation (15.2MB)
Todd Marti, Matt Olsen, Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District - Uncertainty In Future Water Quality And Quantity In The Jordan River
Ramesh Goel, Steve Burian, Mike Barber, Sarah Hinners, University of Utah
Carl Adams, Utah DWQ - Understanding The Present And Charting The Future Of Utah Lake(2.8MB)
Hilary Arens, Utah Department of Environmental Quality - Water And Nutrients In The Urban Center And Surrounding Wildlands(14.2MB)
Samantha Weintraub, Yusef Jameel, Gabriel Bowen, University of Utah - West Jordan Big Bend Phased Restoration Plan (3.3MB)
Eric McCulley, River Restoration
Christopher Sands, BIO-WEST, Inc. - What Is Going To Happen To Great Salt Lake?(1.6MB)
Jeff DenBleyker, CH2M
Laura Vernon, State of Utah
See the Symposium Program for session abstracts, bios, the event schedule and more.
Symposium "Best Of" Awards
"The Wordsmith Award" for Most Creative Session Title
- Winner--Shell Shocked: Utah's Unique Native Freshwater Mollusks On The Brink
- RunnerUp--Gray Meets Green: Planning Multi-Purpose Water Reuse Facilities
"The Sulu Award" for Best Science
- Winner--Water And Nutrients In The Urban Center and Surrounding Wildlands
- RunnerUp--Uncertainty In Future Water Quality And Quantity In The Jordan River
"The Tony Award" for Most Engaging Presentation
- Winner--Don't Drink The Water? Testing Water Quality For Science And Outreach
- RunnerUp--Revitalizing Red Butte Creek At The University Of Utah
"The A-Team Award" for Best Group Presentation
- Winner--Go With The Flow: Using Free Play In Watershed Education
- RunnerUp--Panel Discussion: Managing Watersheds In Times Of Climate Uncertainty
"The Wiki Award" for Best Information Table
- Winner--Tracy Aviary
- RunnerUp--Friends of Great Salt Lake
"The Billboard Award" for Best Poster
- Winner--Understanding Nutrient Dynamics In The Jordan River
- RunnerUp--Salt Lake County 2015 Integrated Watershed Plan
More Information
- Guidelines for Speakers, Tablers, Poster Display and Session Moderators
- Venue Info: Utah Cultural Celebration Center
Watershed Planning and Restoration
2001 S State St NL-400 N3-120
Salt Lake City, UT 84114-4575
Phone: (385) 468-6600
Fax: (385) 468-6603
