Advanced Project Management

Fundamentals of Culvert Design and Hydraulics (Wednesday Oct. 28; 9:00am - 10:30am)

This session is designed for watershed council coordinators, technical specialists, and watershed volunteers to better understand the components of fish passage in culverts. A special emphasis will be provided on the following components: 1) Minimum amount of field data necessary for design 2) Permitting overview 3) Hydraulic modeling 4) Construction 5) Keys to successful projects. The basis of the session will come from several real world examples in Oregon as well as published research projects. Participants will gain a better understanding of the design and implementation process that will enable them to ask the right questions and get the right answers when doing these types of projects.

Effective Strategies for Effectiveness Monitoring (Wednesday Oct. 28; 10:45am - 12:15pm)

The primary goal of this session will be to provide attendees with clear, concise, and practical guidance towards implementing an effectiveness monitoring program in their watershed. We will provide a brief overview of types of monitoring programs (e.g. effectiveness vs. implementation), how to choose the right one, and how to select monitoring locations. We will focus on presenting a variety of protocols (most based on the EPA’s EMAP protocol) that can be used to monitor the effectiveness of riparian, instream, water quality, and fish passage projects. These protocols have been used extensively in Oregon and Washington, and are consistent with OWEB recommendations. Handouts will be provided which will help attendees locate additional information resources on effectiveness monitoring.

Working Lands Easements (Wednesday Oct. 28; 1:45pm - 3:15pm) 

People often assume that land use and land conservation present an either/or choice.  Working Lands Easements provide an opportunity for “both-and” outcomes that can benefit both conservation and agriculture, based on partnerships between landowners and conservationists to maintain working ranches and farms. This session will review what the conservation easement tool is and isn’t, and highlight a wide range of applications in working lands contexts.

Managing Aquifer Recharge for Watershed Restoration (Thursday Oct. 29; 8:30am - 10:00am)

Get on board with this emerging watershed topic, learn what managed aquifer recharge is, why you should be interested in it for restoration, possible funding opportunities and how to implement it in your basin. Examples will be given to show councils how MAR is currently working on watershed restoration issues in Oregon.

Streamlining Restoration: Needed Efficiencies for Critical Work (Friday Oct. 30; 8:30am - 10:00am)

The Department of State Lands and The Freshwater Trust have worked together for a number of years to improve the systems for funding, permitting and implementing restoration projects. These efforts are bearing fruit. In both 2008 and 2009, DSL undertook numerous steps to clarify and simplify the regulatory processes related to restoration actions, including new legislation that will exempt certain restoration actions from state permits , and TFT continues to pilot its StreamBank project around the state, now with EPA and DEQ as major partners. DSL and TFT will provide an update of their respective efforts, and demonstrate new tools and systems that make it easier for restoration professionals to do their work.

Organizational Development

Foundations Roundtable(Wednesday Oct. 28; 9:00am - 10:30am)

Explore the role foundations might play in helping to achieve your goals.  Address your concerns by talking with representatives from three foundations who support watershed council restoration and capacity building efforts in Oregon.  Learn about specific funding opportunities, the importance of relationship building, foundation priorities, and what information to provide when working with foundations.  Presenters: Krystyna Wolniakowski, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation; Tom Gallagher, Ford Family Foundation; and Eric Jones, Meyer Memorial Trust.

Budgeting for Organizational Success (Wednesday Oct. 28; 10:45am - 12:15pm)

Councils use budgets as organizational tools to identify priorities and fund their operations and projects. Learn to create annual organizational budgets and how they can be used to further organizational goals. The second half of the session will focus on the development of project budgets for grant applications and project tracking. Examples will include a small project with one to two funders to a project costing well over $1 million with multiple funders.

Building Council Staff Capacity (Wednesday Oct. 28; 1:45pm - 3:15pm)

Do you think about growing your council staff? Learn from councils that are using creative ways to staff their activities. Topics to be covered will include hiring new staff, transitioning councils to greater capacity, becoming a manager/supervisor, job sharing, employee versus contractors, and regional sharing of staff between councils. This session will be conducted as a round-table discussion/panel of speakers.

Creative Organizational Development (Thursday Oct. 29; 8:30am - 10:00am)

Learn about how Farmers Conservation Alliance was formed and why FCA is a nonprofit organization selling fish screens. The workshop will also discuss using goal and metric tracking as a method for guiding the organization, communicating with board and staff, uniting stakeholders towards a common goal, and most importantly evaluating both failures and successes.

Recruiting Volunteer Leadership (Friday Oct. 30; 8:30am - 10:00am)

Councils are always looking for new volunteers, board members, and citizen involvement. This session will explore how councils can recruit and keep volunteer participation, and move them up and down the “volunteer pyramid”.

Emerging Topics in Watershed Management

The Ecosystem Marketplace: Opportunities on a New Frontier (Wednesday Oct. 28; 9:00am - 10:30am)

The Willamette Partnership, a non-profit dedicated to increasing the pace, scope, scale and effectiveness of conservation, has been leading the development of a marketplace for ecosystem services in the Willamette Basin. When launched, this marketplace will create revenue opportunities for landowners who complete ecologically-important restoration and conservation actions. It will also generate revenue opportunities for Watershed Councils that are able to engage in the on-the-ground restoration work needed to improve ecological health and the design, planning and verification activities essential for creating tradable credits.

Carbon Offset Trading and Ecosystem Restoration: Opportunities and Realities for Watershed Councils and Landowners (Wednesday Oct. 28; 10:45am - 12:15pm)

Explore the Carbon Offset Trading possibilities that may have potential value for watershed councils & landowners to earn income for projects. Discover how councils can be more involved in this emerging field.

Preparing Watershed Councils for Climate Change(Wednesday Oct. 28; 1:45pm - 3:15pm)

A session on how to analyze, design, and integrate climate change preparation efforts into watershed council conservation and restoration activities. Review results of basin wide studies conducted by the Climate Leadership Initiative and the National Center for Conservation Science & Policy in the Rogue, Upper Willamette, and Klamath basins to help workshop participants understand how aquatic and terrestrial systems are likely to be affected by climate change and identify specific restoration activities to help prepare for these impacts. Identify opportunities and funding available for climate preparation efforts.

The Role of Watershed Councils in Conservation and Recovery Plans (Friday Oct. 30; 8:30am - 10:00am)

This session focuses on recovery and conservation plan development and implementation for salmon and other fish in Oregon, and the important roles and experiences of watershed councils in these processes. What are the opportunities for council involvement and influence? What can your council gain from participating in these plan processes? How can these plans provide substance and direction to your restoration program, and improve your success at obtaining funding? What frustrations, as well as rewards, can you expect from your participation? A moderated panel and audience discussion will provide perspective and aim to promote council involvement.