Habitat Program: Webinars

The Habitat Program uses online webinars to share important information and training resources with watershed groups and others around the country. Below you'll find a repository of the Habitat Program's webinars. To see a list of upcoming webinars and/or to register for one, visit River Network's main webinar page. There you will also find recordings of webinars from other River Network programs.

The webinars below are organized based on our Current Campaigns. Visit the Current Campaigns page to learn more about any of these topics.

Advocating for clean water and healthy habitat

The Clean Water Act Through the Biological Lens
Presenter: Bob Adler, Professor of Law, University of Utah
Date Recorded: Friday, November 18
Summary: This summer River Network produced an issue of our newsletter -- River Voices -- with a focus on how to look at the Clean Water Act through a biological lens. That is, how can the Act be better used to protect ecosystem integrity, the physical structure of a system, habitat, flow and all the interrelated aspects that make a system whole?

As follow up, we’re hosting a webinar to cover the newsletter topics in a format that mixes a presentation from a very well-known Clean Water Act expert – Bob Adler --- and discussion of YOUR ideas and experiences with the topics. Don’t miss this exciting chance to think creatively about one of our nation’s most important environmental laws and to hear how your peers around the country are applying it creatively to protect and restore flows, riparian habitats, and more!

This is an intermediate-level Clean Water Act webinar. Participants need a basic understanding of water quality standards, Total Maximum Daily Loads, wetlands permitting and 401 water quality certification. Visit our online course at www.cleanwateract.org to get yourself prepared!

Protecting water quality from federal permitted activities: 401 water quality certification
Presenter: Merritt Frey, River Network
Date Recorded: Jan. 19, 2011
Summary: The webinar covers:

• The basic federal requirements of the water quality certification policies, and how those are
  often applied at the state level.
• Mechanisms for public input and influence in certification.
• A snapshot of the status of 401 certification in states around the country, with a focus on the
  West.
• Examples of how watershed groups and others have used the power of certification to protect
  wetlands, in-stream flow, and more.
• Where to find more resources to dive in deeper on the issue.

Using 401 water quality certification on Nationwide Permits (wetland permits)
Presenter: Merritt Frey, River Network
Date Recorded: Feb. 16, 2011
Summary: The webinar covers:

• The timeline and process for NWP reissuance and 401 certification will be, and how you
  can be involved.
• What states did with the power of 401 certification on the last round of NWPs.
• How to advocate for conditions that will be protective of water quality and habitat…including
  sample conditions you can use in your own work.
• Where to learn more and connect with your state 401 certification process.

Case studies: 401 water quality certification in the real world
Presenters: Merritt Frey, River Network & Dean Naujoks, Yadkin Riverkeeper
Date Recorded: March 16, 2011
Summary: This webinar presents case studies demonstrating the power of 401 water quality certification to address issues from flow to aesthetics to wetland habitat. Examples from all around the country, and the real story of what it takes to use the power of 401 water quality certification in your watershed are discussed.

Connecting land & water: Blue Cities

Managing Stormwater in Redevelopment and Greenfield Development Projects Using Green Infrastructure: Economic Factors that Influence Developersʼ Decisions
Presenters: Ed Macmullan and Sarah Reich, ECO Northwest
Date Recorded: Wednesday August 17th, 2011
Summary: Clean water and healthy communities go hand in hand. Urban areas are increasingly using green infrastructure to create multiple benefits for their communities. However, there have been questions whether strong stormwater standards could unintentionally deter urban redevelopment and shift development to environmentally damaging sprawl. Smart Growth America, American Rivers, the Center for Neighborhood Technology, River Network and NRDC commissioned ECONorthwest to address this question. The resulting report, Managing Stormwater in Redevelopment and Greenfield Development Projects Using Green Infrastructure, highlights several communities that are protecting clean water with strong, volume-based stormwater standards and also fostering redevelopment. The findings show that clean water and urban redevelopment are compatible. Ed Macmullan and Sarah Reich from ECO Northwest will present the findings and answer questions. The report is available at www.americanrivers.org/cleanwatersmartgrowth.

Connecting flow, quality & habitat

An Artificial Distinction: tools for addressing low flow problems under the Clean Water Act
Presenter: Merritt Frey, River Network's Habitat Program Director
Date Recorded: Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Summary: This intermediate-level webinar will explore ways to better use Clean Water Act tools to protect and restore in-stream flows in our rivers. Our discussion will include tying water quality standards to flow needs, applying the states’ 401 water quality certification power more broadly to flow issues, and expanding creative use of the Total Maximum Daily Load program to better identify and remedy habitat and/or flow-related impairments. Each finding is illustrated with real world examples from the states and includes recommendations for – and limitations to – importing the policy ideas into new states. Participants should have a basic understanding of Clean Water Act concepts in order to benefit from this webinar…bone up with our online course at www.cleanwateract.org.

Cross-Cutting and General

USGS: Resources and Tools for River Conservationists
Presenter: Cory Angeroth, USGS Hydrologist/Chief
Date Recorded: April 20, 2011
Summary: Since the late 1800s, the U.S. Geological Survey has been collecting and publishing reliable, impartial, and timely information on the health of our ecosystems and environment, the natural hazards that threaten us, the natural resources we rely on, the impacts of climate and land-use change, and the core science systems that help us provide timely, relevant, and useable information. The USGS uses a variety of traditional and new medial tools, including social media, to share information and help the public understand how science addresses some of our Nation's most pressing issues. This talk will provide a tour of USGS web pages and show what data are available and various methods of access.