2021 VIRTUAL Upper Colorado River Basin Water Forum

2021 VIRTUAL Upper Colorado River Basin Water Forum: 

Negotiating Resilience

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SCROLL DOWN FOR A DETAILED PROGRAM AND LINKS TO ABSTRACTS, BIOS, SESSION RECORDINGS AND OTHER RESOURCES.

Many thanks to these sponsors & exhibitors!

Nov 3 - Practices for Local Resilience

8:00 – Welcome + Preview of the day

8:10 - Day 1 Keynote Speaker
Laura Tohe, Writer, Librettist, Scholar of Indigenous American Literature, Navajo Nation Poet Laureate Biography
Session Recording

8:45 – Break

9:00 - 10 Strategies for Climate Resilience 
Panel Abstract
Report  
Session Recording

• Overview: Amy McCoy, Martin & McCoy (Moderator & Coordinator)  Biography
• Regenerative Agriculture: Shelby Smith, UC Santa Barbara's Bren School of Environmental Science and Management   Report  Biography 
• Natural Distributed Storage: Caroline Nash, CK Blueshift  Biography

10:00 – Break

10:15 – Building Resiliency in the Cimarron Watershed 
Panel Abstract
Bostwick Park Water Cons Dist website
Session Recording

• Cary Denison, Trout Unlimited (Moderator & Coordinator)  Biography
• Allen Distel, Bostwick Park Conservancy District  
• Luke Gingerich, JUB Engineers  Biography

11:15 – Break

11:30 - Blazing a New Trail for Youth Corps: Wildfire and Climate Resilience in Stewardship
Presentation Abstract
Canyon Country Discovery Center website
Session Recording

• Elissa Rothman, Canyon Country Youth Corps  Biography   
  Poster on Manual Russian Olive Seedling Removal on the San Juan

11:50 – Break

12:05 – Water Banking in Utah 
Panel Abstract
Utah Water Banking website
Session Recording

• Emily Lewis, Clyde Snow Attorneys at Law (Moderator)  Biography
• Grant Zimmerman, WestWater Research (Session Coordinator) Biography
• Sue Bellagamba, The Nature Conservancy  Biography
• Kevin Cotner, Carbon Canal Company Biography

1:05 – Break

1:20 -  CO Agricultural Perspectives on Demand Management and Temporary Fallowing
Moderator: Kirsten Kurath, Williams, Turner & Holmes, PC  Biography
Session Recording

• Perspectives of Participants in the Grand County, Colorado Alternative Transfer Mechanisms Pilot Project Study, Paul Bruchez, Reeder Creek Ranch & Irrigators of Lands in the Vicinity of Kremmling  Project description     Project Presentation to CWCB    Biography
• Findings of the Colorado River District Demand Management Stakeholder Consultation, Andy Mueller, Colorado River District  Report   Biography

2:00 – Break

2:15 - Stream Management Plans in Colorado
Presentation Abstract
Colorado SMP website
Session Recording

• Nicole Seltzer, River Network  Biography

2:35 – Break

2:50 - Managing Risk & Resilience in Groundwater-dependent Systems: Lessons for the Colorado Basin
Session Recording

• Coordinator/ Moderator: Alex Funk, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership  Biography
• Lessions Learned from CO Experiences with Interstate Compact Administration, Kelsea MacIlroy, MacIlroy Research & Consulting  Report  Biography
• Deb Daniels, Republican River Water Conservation District   Republican River WCD website  Biography
• Sarah Parmar, Colorado Open Lands   Report    Biography
• Ann Hayden, Environmental Defense Fund   EDF CA Groundwater Management Resources page    Biography

3:50 – Break

4:05 - Municipal Water Conservation Strategies and Case Studies
Session Recording

• John Berggren, Western Resource Advocates (Coordinator and Moderator)  WRA Water Conservation & Efficiency page   Biography
• Rachel Zarowin, High Country Conservation Center  Resources: Water Now Project Accelerator, Growing Water Smart, NW CO Council of Governments Water Resource Guide     Biography
• Rick Schutlz, Castle Rock, CO  Castle Rock Water Wiser page    Biography
• Mila Dunbar-Irwin, Moab, UT  Moab Sustainability page    Biography
• Christy Wiseman, CO Deparment of Local Affairs  DOLA Water & Land Use Integration page   Biography

Nov 4 - Policies for Regional Resilience

8:00 – Welcome + Preview of the day

8:10 - Day 2 Keynote Speaker 
Anne MacKinnon, Author of Public Waters: Lessons from Wyoming for the American West (2021)  Biography
Session Recording

8:45 – Break

9:00 – Tributary Voices and Rhetorical Listening: A Paradigm for Inclusionary Water Management
Presentation Abstract
Session Recording

• Paul Formisano, University of South Dakota   Book Flyer    Biography

9:20 – Break

9:35 – Colorado River Climate and Hydrology Workgroup
Background: Colorado River Basin Climate and Hydrology: State of the Science
Session Recording 

• Collaborative Applied Research Within the Colorado River Climate and Hydrology Workgroup, Paul Miller, National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration  Colorado Basin River Forecast Center website   Biography
• Incorporating Decadal Temperature Predictions into Streamflow Forecasts and Operational Reservoir Projections in the Colorado River Basin, Erin Towler, National Center for Atmospheric Research  Biography
• Stochastic Decadal Projections of Colorado River Streamflow and Reservoir Pool Elevations Conditioned on Temperature Projections, David Woodson, University of Colorado Boulder  Biography
• Increasing the physical representation in climate downscaling and hydrologic modeling to better understand future climate projections, Ryan Currier, National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration    Biography

• Consumptive Use Modeling for the Colorado Basin, Shaun Carney, RTI International   RTI Water Resources page    Biography

11:00 – Alternative Management Paradigms for the Future of the Colorado and Green Rivers
USU Alternative Management Paradigms Report
Kuhn Draft Paper on Upper Basin's Obligation to Mexico
Session Recording

• Moderator: Gigi Richard, Four Corners Water Center, Fort Lewis College  Biography
• Jack Schmidt, Center for Colorado River Studies, Utah State University  Biography
• Eric Kuhn, Author & Retired Manager, Colorado River District  Biography

11:40 – Break

11:55 - Lower Basin Perspectives
Session Recording

• Moderator: Luke Runyon, Ted Scripps Environmental Journalism Fellow, University of Colorado Boulder  Biography
• Kathryn Sorensen, Arizona State University  Biography
• Jeffrey Kightlinger, retired Director, Metropolitan Water District of Southern CA  Biography

12:35 - Break

12:50 – Upper Basin Perspectives
Background: Bureau of Reclamation Review of the 2007 Interim Guidelines for Managing Powell & Mead  Upper Colorado River Commission    Ten Tribes Partnership Tribal Water Study Report    Water and Tribes Initiative
Session Recording

• Moderator: Steve Wolff, Southwestern Water Conservation District  Biography
• CO: Becky Mitchell, Director, Colorado Water Conservation Board  Biography
• UT: Bart Leeflang, Colorado River Program Manager, Central UT Water Cons District  Biography
• WY: Jeff Cowley, Administrator, WY Interstate Streams  Biography  WY Interstate Streams website
• NM: Ali Effati, Colorado Basin Manager, NM Interstate Stream Commission  Biography
• Ten Tribes Partnership & Jicarilla Apache Nation: Daryl Vigil  Biography
• Water and Tribes Initiative & Southern Ute Tribe: Lorelei Cloud  Biography

2:15 – Break

2:30 – Bureau of Reclamation Perspective
Session Recording

• Moderator: Brad Udall, Colorado State University  Biography  Website
• Carly Jerla, Bureau of Reclamation appointee to coordinate the renegotiation of the interim guidelines for managing Lake Mead and Lake Powell  Biography

3:00 - Break

3:15 - Informal Zoom Social &  Debrief

4:00 - Adjourn