The American Water Resources Association Washington Section presents:

Abstract: Despite decades of effort to support the recovery of aquatic species, stream restoration remains an area of urgent focus in the face of rapidly shifting flows and climate change. In this context, we will discuss the intersection of two large-scale and long-term watershed planning efforts aimed at restoring streamflows and supporting the recovery of aquatic species. One such planning effort began in 2018 when the Washington State Legislature enacted ESSB 6091 to guide the protection and restoration of streamflows affected by the development of new domestic permit-exempt wells. This initiated streamflow restoration planning across fifteen watersheds in Washington State, with the intent to restore streamflows to levels necessary to support robust, healthy, and sustainable salmon populations. Likewise, the Aquatic Species Restoration Plan (ASRP) is a key science-based component of the Chehalis Basin Strategy, a long-term strategy designed to address habitat degradation and damaging floods in the Chehalis. As Washington’s second largest river basin, the Chehalis is a testbed of innovative restoration approaches where both streamflow restoration planning and the ASRP present a unique case study to examine the intersection between two large-scale planning efforts. In this talk, we will discuss ongoing challenges in ecosystem restoration and adaptation planning, highlight examples of how programmatic watershed recovery creates opportunities for innovative cross-programmatic collaborations, and present case studies of new research bridging the gap between recovery priorities.

Our Speakers: Emelie McKain is an environmental planner with Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife. In her current role, she manages the collaborative development and implementation of basin-wide aquatic species restoration on behalf of the Chehalis Basin Strategy. Her professional focus is comprehensive landscape scale conservation planning and applying ingenuity to complex environmental challenges. Prior to managing the aquatic species restoration initiative in Washington’s Chehalis Basin, she led watershed planning, prioritization and implementation efforts to conserve and restore oyster habitat for the entire Georgia coast.

Tristan Weiss is a stream restoration ecologist with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. He works to support streamflow recovery associated with the Streamflow Restoration Act (RCW 90.94) by conducting interdisciplinary research to inform the practice of streamflow restoration. He is interested in investigating the scalability of low-tech, evidence-based restoration in Washington and strengthening the intersection between community-based conservation and large-scale watershed planning. His previous work includes planning and managing research in beaver-mediated montane wetlands, examining climate impacts on arctic hydrology, and supporting citizen-led watershed restoration throughout the Western U.S.

Fees

Free for EVERYONE!!! 

Thank you for continuing to support the Washington Section of AWRA during this unprecedented event.  To the best of our ability, we will continue to help you learn about water resources issues and connect with other members.  Thank you for staying home and staying safe and we look forward to seeing everyone in person when it's safe to do so!