Workshop Descriptions

Track 1: Water, Energy and Climate Change

Find new ways to protect and restore rivers and watersheds in a rapidly changing world. This track will explore the major opportunities you and your community have to save water and energy together, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions and limiting climate change.

1A - Water, Energy & the Climate Challenge: Most people now understand that we have a climate problem, but few yet appreciate how big it is or what it will take to solve it. This workshop will explore the dimensions of the problem and frame the ensuing discussions about what the watershed protection community can do to rise to the climate challenge. Presenter: Don Elder, River Network.

1B - Water Efficiency: Saving Energy by Saving Water: Efficiency must be the foundation of America's energy strategy. Because almost all water use involves energy use, water conservation, efficiency and re-use can be the cornerstone. This workshop will provide facts, figures and ideas that people can use to help their communities save energy and money by saving water. Presenter: Don Elder, River Network.

1C - Watergy: Municipal Water and Wastewater: Much water-related energy use is associated with municipal water and wastewater systems. This workshop will explore a proven program that helps water utilities improve and repair their systems to save large amounts water, energy and money quickly. Presenter: Judith Barry, Alliance to Save Energy.

1D - Water Supply Blueprint: In a changing world, water supply needs and options are changing. This workshop will describe how communities can meet their water needs, minimize their water costs and protect their local environment by adhering to a set of established principles for water supply and use. Presenter: American Rivers

1E - Water Re-Use: When combined with practical water conservation and efficiency programs, well-planned water re-use programs can slash per capita water use of treated drinking water, helping individuals, businesses and utilities save water, energy and money. This workshop will explore cutting edge water reuse practices and the issues associated with them. Presenter: Charlie Logue and panelists.

1F - Integrated Water Management: Portland, Oregon is America's largest city with an urban growth boundary. After years of study, the UGB has been expanded by several square miles, where much of the metro area's new growth will be concentrated over the next 10-20 years. This workshop will explore the opportunities to establish a model of state-of-the-art integrated water management in this area. Presenter: Kim Anderson, Sunrise Water District.

1G - Hydro Options: How should we view new dams, modified dams, and other water-related energy projects in a changing world? This workshop will explore these and many related questions that are increasingly important to the watershed protection community. Presenter: Andrew Fahlund, American Rivers

1H - Options for Keeping Rivers Cool: Managing River Temperatures: Climate change promises to add to existing temperature stresses for many streams that are already too warm for their native life. This workshop will explore some of the new methods being contemplated and tested for helping rivers and streams keep their cool. Presenter: Neil Mullane, Willamette Partnership.

1I - Healthy Forests, Watersheds and Climate: Healthy forests help keep rivers and streams clean and flowing. In an era of climate change, they are all the more important, because they moderate local temperatures and help moderate climate change itself. This workshop will explore the connections and feedback loops between healthy forests, healthy watersheds, and a healthy climate. Presenter: Nancy Gilliam, Model Forestry Project.

Track 2: Restoring Cold-Water Streams

Develop projects to minimize the impacts of human activity to benefit cold-water fishes. Participants will learn principles of ecological restoration, assessment and prioritization, how to monitor and modify culverts and stream barriers, how to use bioengineering techniques, and how to secure permits, state funding and community support. Speakers are practicing scientists, engineers and restorationists active in the recovery of salmonids. Office hours will be available to address specific problems and projects.

2A - Fluvial Geomorphology and Restoration: Deliciously Wicked Problems: Using the rubric of "wicked problems" (i.e., those that are tricky, difficult to solve, and invariably create more problems), this talk will explore how basic concepts of fluvial geomorphology can be used to help guide restoration activities. The focus will be on geomorphic issues underlying restoring more natural flow, sediment and temperature regimes to rivers, and will draw on current research on dam removal and gravel augmentation. Presented by: Gordon Grant.

2B - Fish Passage Design, Planning & Assessment: All you wanted to know about restoring fish passage, but were afraid to ask an engineer!” This course will cover methods of fish passage assessment and correcting barriers – from removing small dams, to fish ladders, to “stream simulation” design for culverts, to bridge construction. Case studies will be used and workshop participants will emerge with enough information to be dangerous to the status quo. Presented by Peter Bahls.

2C - Instream Channel Restoration: Just about every watershed in the country includes ditched and channelized streams that need to be re-meandered to restore habitat, floodplain functions, and beauty. This workshop will provide an introduction to the design, planning, and construction, and behavior of new stream channels, including instream log placement techniques. Presented by Peter Bahls.

2D1 - Creative Funding through Community Partnerships: This session will help you navigate agency funding and permitting of restoration projects. Mr. Sungnome Madrone was the Director of the Natural Resources Services Division of Redwood Community Action Agency for twenty-three years. His team completed over 400 projects in the fields of natural resources restoration and trail planning and construction. Leah Mahan from the NOAA Restoration Center will present helpful tips for planning and implementing successful restoration projects. This will include discussion of potential fund raising strategies, key steps in project planning and implementation, and effective communication with partners and collaborators. Presenters: Ms. Leah Mahan and Mr. Sungnome Madrone, with office hours to follow.

2D2 - The Dam Doctor: Envisioning Dam Removal: This workshop will focus of western dam removal projects-both large and small-from a technical perspective (e.g., engineering, sediment transport, etc.) including permitting issues. The session will demonstrate the use of CommunityViz, a tool illustrating the visual changes associated with large scale dam removal projects. Because many challenges in dam removal require discussion of project specifics, the workshop will be followed by office hours to allow participants to discuss their particular issues related to dam removal. Please register in the Rally registration area.

2E - Office Hours: Dam Doctors and Restoration Projects: Rally attendees can schedule appointments at the Rally registration area with experts to discuss their special restoration project needs. Presenters: Ross Freeman, American Rivers; Mr. Sungnone Madrone, natural resource consultant.

2F - Upslope Sediment Management: Mitigating and Decommissioning Roads: This workshop on upslope erosion processes is focused on identifying and treating road-related sediment sources in salmonid watersheds. Roads are a major source of sediment delivery in many managed watersheds, and this threat to aquatic resources and salmonids can be systematically identified, characterized and treated to help protect and restore stream habitat. Participants will learn how to identify active and potential sediment sources that threaten aquatic resources, develop a prioritized watershed treatment plan that focuses on the most important problems, employ the most effective and cost-effective techniques for controlling road-related sediment delivery to streams, and monitor the effectiveness of sediment control projects. Topics will include sediment source inventories, developing treatment prescriptions, effective road upgrading and road decommissioning practices, road maintenance, and controlling episodic (storm-caused) and chronic erosion on road systems with the goal of salmonid protection and restoration. The presentation will include a 1-hour instructional video showing and describing a variety of protective road upgrading treatments being carried out by heavy equipment and labor work in salmonid watersheds. Led by: Dr. William Weaver, Pacific Watershed Associates.

2H - Estuary Restoration Permitting, Design & Planning: Estuaries are essential components of salmon habitat that serve several important purposes. Common to all estuary restoration projects are the design challenges of working within areas that have been diked off for decades and in some cases a century or more. Channel dredging, filling old slough channels, clearing vegetation to accommodate human uses, and the exclusion of tidal influence, have reduced the extent of these habitats and in most cases degraded the habitat to the point where it is marginal at best. Yet these areas have immense potential for restoration. Common to estuary restoration projects are the restrictions based on the desire of adjacent landowners to retain existing land uses. The design issues have a common theme of how to allow enough tidal restoration to restore habitat, while minimizing the impacts on the adjacent land uses. Also common to these projects is the multitude of permits needed. This workshop will use the example of estuary restoration efforts around Humboldt Bay and discuss the process of developing estuary restoration plans, from pre-project feasibility studies, to construction designs and permits. Participants will split into groups of design teams and will be given a project which will include restrictions imposed by the landowner. The team will be asked to develop a project work plan and develop design concepts for the restoration of the site. Each team will discuss its design and rationale for it with the group. Led by: Don Allan, Redwood Community Action Agency.

2I - Restoring Marshes, Lagoons & River Outlets: Restoring Marshes, Lagoons and River Outlets will demonstrate tools and resources for practitioners implementing Lagoon and Marsh Restoration Projects on the Pacific Coast. The session will review background information on these dynamic systems, and will present several Lagoon and Marsh Restoration Case studies and lessons learned. In addition, the session will demonstrate some available resources that can assist in planning, funding, implementing and monitoring Lagoon, Marsh and River Mouth Restoration projects. Led by: Leah Mahan and Don Allan.

Track 3: Watershed Health Assessment

How does a river work? How can you design and execute a watershed assessment that includes cultural uses of water, as well as, sound science? Workshops will focus on ways to design your assessment to inform local decision-makers, find crucial watershed information without getting your feet wet and how to find "the story" in your monitoring data.

3A - Watershed Assessment Basics: Description coming soon

3B - Listening to Watersheds: Culture & Science: Description coming soon

3C - Assessing the Health of Aquatic Life: Description coming soon

3D - Understanding Watershed Data: Telling the Stories Numbers Don’t Tell: Too often volunteers try to fit their data/information into the classic data use scenarios….When asked about data use goals, a volunteer group will often respond…”we want our data to be used by the state.” This session is designed share stories of data use in the non-conventional sense, not another 303 d list data use, but smaller local changes for the better. These examples are stories that we do not hear enough of because usually they are not large, legal battles, just volunteers and a few others learning how to effective care for their own watershed. Presented by Danielle Donkersloot, New Jersey Water Watch Network.

3F - Measuring Aquatic Conservation Success: Description coming soon

3G - Going Spatial: GIS for Everyone: Description coming soon

3H - Yukon River & Climate Change: Description coming soon

3I1 - Partnering with Municipalities to Protect Natural Resources: The protection and health of a watershed relies on the land use laws and policies enacted by local municipalities. The Project for Municipal Excellence provides an opportunity for municipalities to achieve their vision for the future by developing proactive measures that ensure natural resources and community character are preserved. Through the Project for Municipal Excellence, a municipality’s vision is compared to what is "on the books" (ie. zoning, ordinances, etc). A municipality, with support from the Watershed Association, assesses local laws and policies affecting quality of life and environment in the community. Recommendations and concrete “next steps” are made to either complement proactive measures or resolve problem areas in the community. The Watershed Association is a partner that stands by municipalities helping them enact stronger ordinances and better land management practices that lead to cleaner water. Presented by: Jennifer Coffey, Stony Brook Millstone Watershed Association.

3I2 - Watershed Assessment Clinic: Come to this informal session with your questions, tips, demos, tricks. We’ll all help you find answers to your questions about watershed assessment. Moderated by Geoff Dates, River Network.

Track 4: Implementing Federal Water Quality Laws

This track covers the basic tools of the Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act, as well as, addressing advanced CWA tools and their applications for watershed advocates. These laws were written with strong emphases on citizen involvement, and it is up to us to make them work well in our watersheds!

4A1 - Water Quality Standards (Basic): Everyone needs to understand water quality standards. We will explain designated uses and water quality criteria. We will work through real state water quality standards and discuss how to make changes. (This is Part 1 of CWA basic training.) Presenters: Rachel Conn, Amigos Bravos, Merritt Frey, Utah Rivers Council.

4B1 - Discharge Permits (NPDES Basic): Discharge permits were created to limit and track pollution dumped into our waters. Unfortunately, they have created the right-to-pollute. We will explain the structure of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program as well as introduce real permits and how to review and comment on them. (This is Part 2 of CWA basic training.) Presenter Melissa Powers, Pacific Environmental Advocacy Center

4B2 - Treated Wastewater and You: Protecting Uses in Your Streams: You might not want to think about it, but odds are you've got a stream that is "dependent on" or "dominated by" treated municipal or industrial discharge in your watershed. These discharges heavily influence both the quantity and quality of water in the stream. Especially in the arid southwest, many previously ephemeral or intermittent waters are dominated by treated discharge. Although these are often the streams that most need protection and restoration, the EPA is developing policies that would loosen water quality standards for these streams. We will discuss the nature of the debate and how to prepare for it in your watershed. Presenters: Merritt Frey, Utah Rivers Council, Rachel Conn, Amigos Bravos

4C1 - Anti-Degradation Policy (Basic): Much of our attention is focused on identifying and cleaning up the problems in our watersheds. However, the Antidegradation Policy of the Clean Water Act is supposed to protect our watersheds from activities that will degrade them. Not one state has an adequate policy or implementation plan in place. We will introduce the policy and discuss actions and results in Kentucky. (This is Part 3 of CWA basic training.) Presenter: Judy Petersen, Kentucky Waterways Alliance

4C2 - What's Going on with Antideg? Top Ten: Citizens and NGOs have been increasing the pressure on state agencies to get the antidegradaton policy and procedures right. We will summarize the work going on to improve antidegradation implementation in 10 different places. Presenters: Albert Ettinger, Environmental Law and Policy Center; Gayle Killam, River Network.

4D1 - Introduction to Stormwater Permitting Programs - Basic and Applied: Storm water pollution has become one of the biggest problems in every watershed whether it is associated with urban, suburban or rural runoff. Requirements to control storm water pollution have been placed on municipalities, industries and construction activity. We will present the basic elements of the federal requirements and discuss examples of how citizens and organizations have been pushing for the necessary protection of watersheds. Presenters: Chris Winter, CRAG Law Center; Mark Riskedahl, Northwest Environmental Defense Center; Chris Kilian, Conservation Law Foundation; Katherine Baer, American Rivers; Gayle Killam, River Network

4D2 - Getting Federal Agencies to Comply with the Clean Water Act (Section 313 and Other Tools: Federal Agencies are subject to the regulations developed by each state to comply with the Clean Water Act. What does that mean in your watershed? It might mean that dams, mining activities or grazing activities should be more protective of all the uses in the watershed. We will discuss what this has meant for the Columbia and Snake Rivers and the salmon that grace those waters as well as some highlights on new litigation concerning cattle grazing. Presenter: Nicole Cordan, Save Our Wild Salmon

4F1 - Using the Safe Drinking Water Act Within Watershed Protection: What did the 1996 Amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act require in your watershed? The new information generated from these requirements may coincide with your organizational priorities. Drinking water quality and public health issues have become an important issue for agencies based on citizen input. Public health concerns can be very successful in leveraging more citizen support for clean water. This presentation and discussion will focus on the new resources available to you, as well as other significant issues in drinking water protection, such as pharmaceuticals in source waters. Presenter: Julie Harvey, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality

4F2 - Examples and Impacts of Pollution Trading: We are seeing examples of pollution trading in watersheds where some entities have the money and others need it to do the work that can improve water quality. How is this being developed? Is it working? We will discuss the caveats and the potential positive outcomes and what you need to advocate if this is proposed in your watershed. Presenters: Dean Naujoks, Upper Neuse Riverkeeper; Albert Ettinger, Environmental Law and Policy Center

4G - Drinking Water Protection in Your Watershed - Making it Work: Municipal watersheds that provide public drinking water have now been mapped in every state. These watersheds are now the focus for "drinking water protection" efforts by agencies, communities, and public water systems. In this presentation, we'll discuss the actual risks to drinking water, specific tools for how drinking water sources can be protected, and examples of successful projects implemented in drinking water watersheds. We'll also discuss the challenges associated with protecting sensitive drinking water source areas and the need to integrate this work with the many other Clean Water Act priorities in your watersheds. Presenter: Karl Morgenstern, Eugene Water and Electric Board

4H - Closing Toxic Mixing Zones Loophole: Have you ever wondered what happens to the stuff that is discharged into your favorite water body? Yes, we have permits that are supposed to monitor and regulate such discharges, but all too often, the discharged pollutants are more concentrated and more toxic than is safe for the uses in the water. The permits generally suspend water quality standards at the end of the pipe - sometimes as much as 100,000 square feet or 5 miles - while allowing for "mixing" into the water. This "mixing zone" can be problematic for human health and aquatic life. Come to hear what the Columbia Riverkeeper has been doing to identify and reduce the mixing zones applied in the Columbia River. Presenter: Brent Foster, Columbia Riverkeeper

4I - Application of Tribal Water Quality Standards: Indigenous peoples have traditionally maintained a relationship of respect with the environment that contributes to the balance between nature and man. This relationship includes protecting water quality in the waters that cross and underlie Indian lands. In 1987, amendments to the Clean Water Act authorized US EPA to treat Tribes in the same manner as states regarding the implementation of environmental protection on Indian lands. Implementing water quality standards on a water body is not just the responsibility of federally recognized tribes, but an inherent right of indigenous peoples across this continent. In this workshop, we will examine the inherent rights of tribes to clean water, the Clean Water Act and Treatment-As-State Process for Tribes who want to implement WQS, and recent actions of the US Congress to severely limit and even abolish this inherent right. This panel presentation will provide insight and important information about a tribal right that everyone should support. Moderated by Robert Gomez, Environmental Program Director at Taos Pueblo.

Track 5: Rivers and Community Health

Investigate the links between water pollution and pathways of human exposure. The link can be either direct, such as when people swim in contaminated water or eat contaminated fish, or indirect through polluted groundwater. All of us-including those living closest to the land such as tribes and impoverished communities-bear the brunt of these impacts and need to know how to break these potentially deadly links.

5A - Hazardous Waste Sites: Risk Communication and Cleanup Lessons: There is much to be learned from the experience of groups that have grappled with hazardous waste sites in their watershed and the human health risks that they pose. Unfortunately, one such lesson is that not all hazardous waste and Superfund "clean-ups" result in actions that meet the needs or expectations of community members. We'll hear stories from the field, learn what community groups have experienced when it comes to government response, and explore what lessons have been learned that may benefit others. Presenters: Jane Haley Harris, Executive Director, Oregon Center for Environmental Health; B.J. Cummings, Duwamish River Cleanup Project Manager, Northwest Toxics Coalition.

5B - GIS, People and the Environment: This workshop will introduce groups to the powerful and inexpensive ($129.) EPA LandView GIS software. The software comes complete with detailed population data from the US Census (down to the block level), and information on US EPA regulated sites (e.g., hazardous waste sites). It also allows you to enter your own data layers to specify such things as environmental (e.g., contaminant concentrations) and health (e.g., incidence of illness) monitoring results. Speaker: Len Wallace, US EPA (To Be Confirmed).

5C - Cool Mapping Tools for Exploring the Land-Water Connection: This workshop will provide an overview of some of the latest GIS mapping tools that are available to watershed groups and tribes that want to geographically map and spatially understand relationships between environmental hazards and human health risks. Several of these tools area free and easily accessible on the Internet. None are very difficult to learn how to use. Presenters: Ansu John, Tetratech (invited), US EPA, and Steve Dickens, River Network

5D - Fighting Toxics in Your Community: The Resource Conservation Recovery Act or RCRA (pronounced "rick-rah") gave EPA the authority to control hazardous waste from the "cradle-to-grave." This includes the generation, transportation, treatment, storage, and disposal of hazardous waste. The Act was supposed to be based on the precautionary principle to prevent harm. Find out the reality and how citizens can have input under the law, as well as use RCRA as a basis to sue those doing harm. Presenter: Patricia Martin, Safe Food and Fertilizer (A project of the Earth Island Institute)

5E - Redeveloping Contaminated Sites: The Importance of Integrating Contaminated Land/Water Issues: Sometimes we become a bit myopic in our approach to clean water, forgetting the obvious connections between contaminated lands and polluted waters. The reality is that there is but one ecosystem, and as Barry Commoner said, "Everything is connected to everything else." Collaborators from EPA's Brownfields and Superfund Programs will share with us their knowledge and experience of the importance of integrating land and water issues. Presenters: Stacy Swartwood US EPA (invited); Kathryn Hernandez, US EPA (invited)

5F - Community Health Assessment: How Many Cancers Are Too Many?: When do we know if there are more illnesses than there should be in our community? Does the presence of a cluster of illnesses likely mean that environmental agents are responsible? What do we know about the connections between environmental contaminants and disease? Through a combination of presentation and experiential exercises, we'll explore thee issues and how to investigate pollution/health connections, including a detailed overview of the use of health surveys. Presenter: Steve Dickens, River Network.

5H - Risk Assessment in the Columbia River: Find out what researchers from the Oregon Health Sciences University learned as a result of their work with the Klamath Tribes and the Columbia River Inter-tribal Fish Commission, while studying contaminant levels in fish in the Columbia River. This risk assessment work has broad applicability to rivers and communities nationwide. Presenter: Bill Lambert, PhD, Oregon Health Sciences University.

5I - Fertilizers, Irrigation and Health Risks: We all know that run-off from farmlands and home lawns and gardens is a source of pollution for any water body. What we may be less aware of is the fact that not only are there nutrients that cause problems for rivers, but there are heavy metals - lead, arsenic, cadmium, mercury, uranium - and other contaminants such as dioxin and PCBs. In many states, farmers can legally spread fertilizer containing toxics on the land. We'll learn a lot about this subject and what your group should be aware of from an activist who has dealt with these issues first-hand. Presenter: Patricia Martin, Safe Food and Fertilizer (A project of the Earth Island Institute)

Track 6: Education and Communication

Find out how to implement effective watershed education programs for all ages. If we aren't communicating effectively, we can't educate. And if we aren't educating, we aren't doing our jobs. Participants will learn about effective methods to generate community support for river conservation.

6A - Educating for Sustainability; Promising Programs in Salmon Nation. How might these efforts be replicated in your bioregion?: Educating for sustainability is watershed work writ large. Here in Salmon Nation, from college campus collaborations to state-wide initiatives for sustainable schools, many noteworthy educational efforts point to a convergence of ideas and understanding. Come join in a dialogue about a range of promising programs for integrating, communicating, and measuring the principles and practices of sustainable prosperity. Participants will explore working models and then talk about opportunities for sparking similar efforts throughout the nation. Sustainability education is the endgame for watershed health. (Go ahead, name an action towards sustainable prosperity unrelated to your watershed address.) Presenter: Peter Donaldson, The Salmonpeople Tour

6B - Outreach Tips that Wont Break the Bank: We all face the challenge of communicating out messages to various audiences. Is your message being heard? Is it being heard by the people who need to hear it? What makes people respond to or ignore environmental messages? These questions are difficult enough to answer without worrying about if you have the technical expertise or budget to answer them. This interactive session will review the basic building blocks to developing effective outreach campaigns with a special focus on practical, cost-effective tools and strategies to help you get the job done. Participants will share their stories and discover specific strategies and approaches to develop and enhance outreach materials, work with the media, and inform and educate the public on various environmental issues. Presenter: Charlie MacPherson, TetraTech

6C - New Tricks for Old Dogs: Reaching the Adults in Your Community: In order to be effective change agents for the river conservation movement, we must reach the folks in our community who are making daily decisions that impact waterways. Whether we're talking about land use, school-based education, drinking water or recreation, it's the over-30 demographic that drives many of our communities' choices. In this session, we will demystify 'adult learning theory' and practice hands-on methods that work for the old dogs. We will develop and practice specific skills in preparing your message, assessing your audience, and engaging them in active learning to move from awareness to synthesis and action. Presenters: Rob Buirgy, Big Thompson Watershed Forum and Jan Hosier, Earth Force.

6D - Media Training: Basic Skill Building and Communication Strategies: Getting your message out in the media is essential to achieving greater visibility for your group and building public support for your river. But how do you pitch a story to a reporter? How do you stay “on message”? What’s the secret to a good interview? What makes a successful press conference? Come get the answers to these questions and many more, as you learn the basics for working with print, TV and radio outlets. This will be an interactive workshop, so come to practice, participate, and build your media skills confidence! Presenters: Amy Kober and Brad DeVries, American Rivers.

6F - Educating Legislators: Be a Voice for Your River: Whether talking to your county commission, your state legislators, or your U.S. Senators, there is always a need to advocate for river conservation. This session will cover the basics of lobbying and advocacy, and offer a practice session for the novice. Learn how to take your message to your elected representatives - how to develop a legislative strategy at state and federal levels, how to build a relationship with legislative offices, and how to make a persuasive case for rivers. Worried about how lobbying affects your non-profit status? We'll ease your concerns by giving guidance on living within non-profit limits. Presented by Liz Birnbaum or Rob Masonis, American Rivers along with participants from River Lobby Day 2006

6G - Integrating K-12 Water Protection Curriculum: This session focuses on how to produce strong water protection curriculum that adheres to national or state standards and also allows students to use their creativity and imagination. Learn how to build upon pre-written curriculum such as Project WET and Project Learning Tree, how to incorporate models and artifacts, and how to keep the lesson hands-on. The Watershed Ecology Center will share 3 original hands-on activities and facilitate curriculum construction so that each person leaves with at least one new lesson plan. Presenters: Dr. Jack Turner and Carol J.D. Broadus, Watershed Ecology Center at University of South Carolina Upstate.

6H - Involving Young People in Community Action: Join Earth Force as we look at how to move young people from data collection to action projects. We'll look at how to connect them to community resources to help them interpret data, how you as experts can encourage taking local action, and provide tips on working with teachers to help them meet their academic goals through water quality action projects. Presenters: Alyssa Hawkins and Jan Hosier, Earth Force

6I - Resource Roundup for Education and Communication Programs: There are a million-and-one fantastic tools for Educating and Communicating about River Protection and in this session you'll have the opportunity to see just about all of them! Resources from a wide range of organizations and perspectives will be included, and representatives from each will be on hand to answer questions. Facilitator: Rachel Felice, Columbia Slough Watershed Council

Track 7: Organizing Strategies

Organizing is the art of recognizing what is possible and making it happen. Learn how to harness the resources of your community and become a catalyst for environmental change. This track includes a talking circle for new and returning participants in the Indigenous Waters Network and other networking sessions.

7A1 - Cross-Cultural Communication: For protecting and restoring watersheds to be a democratic process involving full community effort we need the skills to hear and engage a braod range of cultural perspectives - even those whose worldview we may not fully understand or respect. Participants in this interactive session will have an opportunity to share and explore ways to be more effective organizers in both rural and urban situations, and ways that successful organizations can grow beyond sometimes un-recognized cultural boundaries. Come and share your experience and questions. Facilitated by Cliff Jones, TACS.

7A2 - Action-Oriented Engagement and Technology: Cancelled

7B - Watershed Decision-Making & Consensus: This session is for those leading or participating in watershed groups which rely on collaborative decision-making. The session will give you new ideas for how to run meetings and an opportunity to consider practical ways of helping the group. Presenter: Paul Hoobyar, Watershed Initiatives.

7C1 - Exploring Cultural and Spiritual Values of Water: Rivers, lakes, streams, and springs hold diverse values ranging from (1) economic uses (for agriculture, industries and people) to (2) environmental benefits (groundwater recharge, wildlife habitat) and (3) social-cultural-spiritual benefits that providing meaning to our lives. This session focuses on this third dimension: Why and how do bodies of water impart meaning to our lives? How do communities and individuals benefit from the non-material benefits of water, such as social identity, cultural heritage, aesthetic beauty, emotional comfort, and spiritual connection? We will explore what others, from Henry David Thoreau to Gary Snyder, have to say about cultural and spiritual values of water, as well as what we ourselves can share with each other. The objectives of this session are both to stretch our concept of how we benefit from rivers, and to expand our organizational message to new stakeholders with an interest in non-material realms, ranging from psychologists to artists and writers, to the religious community. Led by Dave Groenfeldt and Robert Gomez

7C2 - Class 5 Mediation Scenarios: Consensus-building and mediation and negotiation skills are essential for stakeholders, watershed managers, stewards, and environmental advocates. As collaborative processes grow they may encounter "process challenges" of increasing complexity ("Class 5 scenarios"). One such challenge is recognizing and dealing with the possibility of "bad faith" negotiation. Like Class 5 whitewater rapids, this can present risks to the integrity and fairness of the consensus-building or mediation process and require complex, demanding routes through process pitfalls. This session is intended to increase participants' "process fitness" and bolster "scouting" skills -so that participants can discern "good faith" and "bad faith" negotiation, minimize bad faith and cultivate good faith negotiation -- and explore what to do if bad faith negotiation is suspected. Led by Marci DuPraw, Senior Negotiator, RESOLVE.

7D1 - Indigenous Waters Network: This is an open session for Rally participants to discuss their work to protect tribal and indigenous water resources and their cultural and traditional uses. The session will include consideration of a tribally-based declaration on the issue of climate change, discussion of Indigenous Waters Network work after Rally and board business. Led by the board of the Indigenous Waters Network.

7D2 - State and National Strategies to Protect Instream Flows: There are few issues in watershed management more important or complicated than protecting instream flows from excessive surface and groundwater diversions. Every state has different processes, statutes and legal history. Many Rally participants are leaders in this field in their own state or watershed. This session will be held in two parts, the first will be a panel of leading instream protection policy practitioners. The second part will be a networking session for Rally attendees interested in exploring multi-interest surface and groundwater strategies. Facilitated by: Todd Ambs, Administrator of Water for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and River Network Board Member. Panelists include: Hal Beecher, Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife and Washington representative on the national Instream Flow Council, and Lisa Dally Wilson, private consultant.

7F1 - Internet Tools for Watershed Management: This is a workshop on key EPA Internet-based tools that you can you use for watershed management. (Please bring your own wireless laptop if you wish to follow along on the Internet.) This session will provide an overview of resources that help you find partners, funding, data, and assessments of waterbodies, all of which can contribute to watershed planning. Learn how to use Web interfaces to number of key EPA tools such as Surf Your Watershed, Adopt Your Watershed, Enviromapper for Water, the Catalog of Federal Funding for Watershed Protection, and others. Led by Ansu John, Tetra Tech, Inc.

7G1 - Watershed Plan Builder: EPA has recently developed the Web-based tool, Watershed Plan Builder, to help organizations develop integrated watershed plans to meet state and EPA requirements and promote water quality improvement. The Plan Builder leads you through a series of steps to produce a customized narrative outline of a watershed plan for your watershed, populated with relevant links to datasets, information resources, and analysis tools. This tool is designed to get you started, providing a framework for your watershed plan and tips on what should be included in your plan and how to obtain additional information. Much of the instructional text in Plan Builder is taken from EPA’s Handbook for Developing Watershed Plans to Restore and Protect Our Waters, which was written to assist watershed planners in developing effective plans that will provide an analytical framework to restore water quality in impaired waters and to protect waters that may be threatened. This session will provide you with an overview of the Plan Builder, and then navigate through the Plan Builder in an on-line demonstration. Led by Charlie MacPherson, Tetra Tech, Stuart Lehman, US EPA and Tracie Nadeau, US EPA.

7G2 - Campaigning to a National Audience: Joseph Bogaard and Nicole Cordan have experience as leaders in a national campaign to restore wild salmon and steelhead by removing 4 federal dams on the Snake River in the Pacific Northwest. They will host a discussion that explores how to (and how not to!) organize, operate and manage a national campaign. Topics will include exploring strategies and lessons learned for grassroots outreach and organizing, coalitions, policy resources, communication and messaging, and law.

7H1 - Campaigns to Build Your Organization: Led by Diana Toledo, River Network

7H2 - Buy That Fish a Drink: Water Trusts: Led by the Oregon Water Trust and friends

7H3 - Prioritizing Your Implementation Plan: One of the most challenging tasks for any group is determining the top priorities for strategic plans. A new tool, OPT -- Objectives Prioritization Tool, has been designed to help sort out the most important events for implementation. Attendees will learn how to access this free software, view a demonstration of how it can be used, and learn how OPT fits into a comprehensive approach to watershed planning and implementation funding. Led by: Bill Jarocki, Environmental Finance Center, Boise State University.

7I1 - Using the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act: The federal Wild and Scenic Rivers Act is the only law that specifically protects free-flowing rivers and their sensitive riparian habitat. The purpose of this session is to (1) explain the significance of one of America's best environmental laws; (2) explore ways to capitalize on the upcoming 40th anniversary of the act (Oct. 2008); (3) provide advice on how participants can add their own rivers to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System; and share tips on "40 Ways to Celebrate the 40th Anniversary" with participants whose rivers already benefit form Wild & Scenic status. Presenters: David Moryc and Quinn McKew, American Rivers

7I2 - Leading Change In Your Organization: Rally participants return home eager to implement new ideas, but sometimes can't get buy-in from other leaders in their organizations. This workshop will help you think systematically about how to overcome resistance and support the change you want to see. You'll identify your own goals for your organization, prioritize them, design your "change team," consider how to involve others, and create an "action plan" for your return home. This is one of the best investments of your time that you can make to turn your ideas into results. Led by Barb Rusmore, Institute for Conservation Leadership.

Track 8: Fundraising - Basic and Advanced

Learn how to raise cash through parties and pledges, memberships and partnerships. You'll find new ways to raise money and build sustainability for your organization. You can choose to attend basic workshops if you are new to the field or advanced sessions if you are a more experienced fundraiser. Don't miss these great sessions and opportunities for office hours with fundraising resource people!

8A1 - Creative Fun-Raising: With so many nonprofit organizations competing for the same funding dollars, donors and media attention, it's good to have other diversified and creative FUN-draising events, projects and ideas in the Annual Plan. Participants in this workshop will experience and develop several unique and creative ways to raise money, involve new people, donors and the green industries, get more media coverage and create awareness…all while having FUN! They'll also learn about the FUN-draising impact of making a river film and about the community art project, ARTYgators, and leave with the tools, some new ideas and creative energy to take back to their watersheds. Presenter: Mindy Matthews.

8A2 - Overcoming Fear of Major Donors: People don't have to like asking for money to be good at it. But if your organization is going to grow and thrive, a majority of your board and staff is going to have to be able to ask for gifts -- $50… $100… $1,000… $10,000 and even more. Workshop leaders Cohen and Timmer have both been the executive director of a local watershed group - so they know exactly how daunting it can be! Using their own experiences - both positive and negative - they will guide participants through fun role-playing exercises, useful scripts, templates and more so that you can leave the workshop with the skills and confidence you need to raise critical program money from your members, community philanthropists, and others who will be glad to support your good work! Presenters: Kerri Timmer and Janet Cohen.

8B1 - Foundation Grants: Easy Money or Management Mayhem?: Raising funds to support programs, activities, and staff is critical to accomplishing your organization's mission. Participants in this double-session workshop will learn how to grow and maintain financial support for their organizations using grant funds. The workshop will outline the grant process, identify various grant sources, summarize funders' expectations, and highlight research tactics. Participants will learn and practice cultivation techniques, how to develop a compelling proposal, and how to develop a grants management system. Presented by Jennifer Coffey.

8B2 - Introduction to Workplace Fundraising: This workshop will provide an introduction and overview of workplace fundraising. Participants will learn what it is, what it requires and what it offers in addition to money. We will explore possible options for getting involved and how to strategically rank those choices. We'll also cover how to get the most benefit out of the campaigns you're in. Presented by Deb Furrie.

8C2 - The ABC's of Monthly Giving: A monthly giving program will dramatically increase income, improve donor retention and lower processing and administrative costs. This workshop will begin with an explanation of how a typical program operates; discuss the changes that have taken place in monthly giving over the past decade; and describe the results you can expect. The second part of the presentation will examine the results achieved by several prominent environmental organizations. Presented by Bob Weselowski.

8D/E - Funders' Forum and Funder Office Hours: Nonprofit leaders and volunteers are often intimidated at the thought of talking with funders about their needs and projects. The Funders Forum/Office Hours is designed to break down these barriers and give participants a chance to meet and talk face-to-face with representatives of various types of funding institutions, including foundations, corporations and government agencies. The Forum will feature a panel discussion as well as small group sessions with individual funders. Participants can dialogue with funders about how to engage their interest, how to make their proposals stand out in the crowd and other topics of interest. Invited Panelists: the Environmental Protection Agency, the Environmental Support Center, the Jubitz Family Foundation, the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation, the Norcross Wildlife Foundation, the Northwest Fund for the Environment, Patagonia, Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI),

8F1 - Organizing a House Party: Charity Begins at Home: Looking for an easy way to recruit members, spread the word about your organization and raise some money? Then you might want to consider holding a house party, a fundraising strategy that can involve your board and volunteers in fundraising and help you reach out to potential new donors, while at the same time energizing those that you already have. Learn the basic steps in putting a house party together, as well as pitfalls to avoid and tips that will help you increase income. Presented by Pat Munoz, River Network.

8F2 - Effective E-Strategy for your Watershed Nonprofit: This workshop will show how any watershed organization can develop and execute an Internet strategy to further its mission and raise more funds. We'll examine how watershed organizations are using the Internet, how they'd like to be using the Internet, and how they should be using the Internet (but may be unaware of) - and how to bridge that significant gap easily and quickly. We'll select one participant, and analyze their existing website, make recommendations on how it (and everyone else's websites) can incorporate new, strategic features, and finally, actually build them a working, e-philanthropy prototype site in just minutes. Presented by Allen Pressel.

8G1 - Write Your Fundraising Plan: A Primer: Having an annual fundraising plan, with measurable goals and objectives, is every bit as important as an annual program plan. Participants in this basic workshop will learn how to integrate their fundraising expectations and income needs into a comprehensive annual plan. They'll leave this workshop knowing how go home and finish their fundraising plan and build an organizational culture that engages everyone in raising the money they need. Presented by Wendy Wilson, River Network.

8G2 - Creative Partnerships (with Corporations & Agencies) to Maximize Revenue: During this workshop session, attendees will learn how to create partnerships with corporations, government agencies and local businesses in order to produce new revenue streams to maximize productivity. Learn how to get your foot in the door to receive direct donations, sponsorships, in-kind support and other revenue-generating elements to help your organization reach that next level of success. Presented by Molly Mullins.

8H1 - Membership Basics: Building Loyalty and Engagement: Building a membership base takes time and effort, yet it is one of the best investments organizations can make if they plan to be around for the long haul and wish to engage people in their cause. This workshop is designed to give you the jump-start needed to grow and nurture your membership. By the end of the workshop you will clarify the story and opportunity that attract members to your organization in the first place, understand membership growth dynamics, determine realistic goals for membership growth, establish how to best acquire, keep and cultivate donors, and create an action plan tailored to your organization's current needs. Presented by Amy O'Connor.

8H2 - Building Reserves, Endowments and Capital Campaigns: Building Assets for Sustainability: Strong, lasting fundraising programs evolve in a healthy organization over a period of years, and can become even more reliable if they are built systematically. This workshop illustrates the way an organization can begin with a basic membership and/or annual fundraising program, then develop more long-lasting campaigns for projects, capital and endowment. This includes fostering growth of donor commitment, from one-time gifts to long-term pledges and planned gifts. No matter where your organization is in the chronology of fundraising development, you can learn about the next steps toward sustainability and get ideas for fiscal growth. Presented by Christine Graham.

Track 9: Starting Up

Plans and budgets and boards - Oh My! With what you learn in this track, a little heart and a lot of courage, you'll become a wizard at creating a sustainable and effective watershed organization. Follow this yellow brick track on a journey through the basics of "starting up" your group and moving it forward.

9A - The ABCs of Financial Management: This introductory workshop is designed especially for smaller-budget groups. Topics will include: designing an accounting system; creating your organization, project and grant budgets; connecting finance and fundraising; planning for staffing and insurance issues; increasing capacity and most importantly, becoming sustainable. Presenter: Susan Schwartz, River Network

9B - Board University: Board members are busy folks, and providing governance to a river or watershed group can be a complicated task. This workshop will give you a framework for managing your work as a board member. You'll also have lots of opportunities to share the challenges you face and come up with solutions.

9F Successful Volunteer Programs: Volunteers are free labor, but not labor free. Creating a volunteer program that works for the volunteer and adds value to the organization is a challenge, but one that can have a high return on investment. Effective volunteer programs are distinguished by specific features: They are well planned, they consider the individual and they are based on a culture of reward and recognition.

9G - Marketing and Public Relations - it's not just for big corporations!: When it comes to your river, what are the elements to successful marketing and public relations? What are the tools that a group with limited resources can use to get the word out to the community and influence key decision makers? In this workshop we'll discuss how newsletters, email alerts, web sites, brochures, and other materials can be used strategically to make a difference for your river. We'll share examples and discuss ways to maximize visibility. Presenters: Amy Kober and Rob Perks, American Rivers

9H - Meeting Facilitation Skills: If you're spending too much time in unproductive meetings -- indeed, if you are finding yourself running unproductive meetings -- please join us to learn how to create a great agenda; define common goals; build consensus; share responsibility among participants and diplomatically handle "that one person" who always seems to want to take over the agenda. Presenter: TBA

9I - What the Heck is a Blog? - Free Web Tools that Increase Productivity: Learn about free website tools that can make your website a dynamic fundraising and communication tool. This session will introduce open-source content management systems, blogs, forums, news aggregators, rss feeds, podcasting and bulk email tools that are easy to integrate into you website. Presenter: Sean Larkin

Track 10: Leading Strong Organizations

For the seasoned leader or staff of an established organization who need to keep growing and developing personal and professional skills. You will work with the most experienced professionals, meet others facing similar challenges and have time with mentors and coaches.

10A - How to Make Your Group Sustainable: No one person should be indispensable to an organization. In this workshop you will walk through an annual calendar of board meeting agenda’s and action steps that can be used to keep your organization growing and on track towards fulfilling its mission. We will consider different types and models of successful river and watershed organizations and how they reached the place they are today. Participants will develop their own leadership priorities so that a year from now they can see what they have accomplished. Led by: Wendy Wilson, River Network.

10B - Coalitions & Collaborations

This workshop will provide tools and processes for starting and sustaining cooperative efforts and coalitions. Led by: Barbara Rusmore, Institute for Conservation Leadership. It will help you:

Start right - Clarify your personal and organizational reasons for participating
Identify what helps cooperative efforts start well and ways to strengthen a shaky beginning
Recognize persistent tensions in your cooperative effort and learn a leadership skill for unraveling them
Use the 3 elements of participation to assess and prioritize improvements
Identify ways to strengthen your cooperative effort and initiate an implementation plan
Enjoy working together and learning from each other

10D - Individual coaching and mentoring sessions: Come to the Registration Table to sign up in advance for an hour of personalized assistance from an experienced practitioner, between 8:30 and 11:30 a.m. Organizational or personal topics of your choice can be addressed confidentially, ranging from leadership, confidence and stress, to boards, fundraising, finances, project planning, IT, human resources and volunteers. There will be three time slots available for each coach or mentor. Practitioners include: 1. Marc Alston (organizational development, strategizing and leadership); 2. Christine Graham, (fundraising); 3. Kevin Kasowski, (fundraising and membership); 4. Sean Larkin, (web design / general IT); 5. Allan Pressel (strategic internet use); 6. Barbara Rusmore, (organizational development and leadership topics); 7. Susan Schwartz (financial management, budgeting, human resources, employee benefits and board development issues); 8. Jennifer Coffey (communication and outreach) ; 9. Janet Cohen & Kerri Timmer - a two-person team (organizational development, fundraising, strategic planning, board development and communications); 10. Brad Webb (organizational development and leadership topics); 11. Suzi Wilkins Berl (organizational development and leadership topics); and 12. Bob Wesolowski (monthly giving programs, secure web giving and credit card processing).

10F - Relationships Make It or Break It: Successful watershed work is dependent on the ability to develop and manage relationships. People matter, they matter a lot. Whether volunteers, funders, staff, key stakeholders; the ability to manage these relationships make or break many watershed efforts. This workshop will provide strategies to more effectively manage critical relationships and tools for getting relationships back on track when they begin to fall apart. Presenter: Brad Webb, Institute for Conservation Leadership

10G - Avoiding Burnout: Burnout is a real occupational hazard in cause-related jobs. It strikes leaders and volunteers more often than most of us realize and it sometimes goes unnoticed or unaddressed until a crisis strikes. Learn the different stages on the "river of burnout," how you can identify them, and what you can do to maintain your own personal balance in each. In addition, we'll consider how organizations can create a culture which helps their employees and volunteers avoid depression and burnout. Past participants say that this workshop allowed them to step back and assess their personal balance (or lack of it) and as a result they've managed their workload better and stayed happier. Presenter: Brad Webb, Institute for Conservation Leadership

10H - Strategic Planning: We all know that a Strategic Plan is an essential organizational tool, but putting one together can be a daunting prospect for an organization. Find out the essential building blocks of a successful strategic planning process and leave with tips and tools to create your own effective strategic plan. For groups who don't have a strategic plan or who want to update an existing plan. Presenters: Janet Cohen, Community Action Partners

10I - Defining Success in Community Terms: What if, instead of describing our work in terms of dissolved oxygen levels and buffer widths, we spoke (told our stories) in terms of values? What are the values we pursue through our watershed protection efforts? How can we use these values to communicate our work to the communities we serve and to connect better with our broader community? Measures of Health is a tool developed by the Center for Whole Communities to help land conservation organizations to create healthy, whole relationships with their broader communities. The tool focuses on describing what they measure, and how they communicate the impacts of their work. This set of value-based practices can also be used to plan and evaluate your organization’s projects. This workshop will present these Measures, describe how they can be used both for planning and evaluation and adapted to watershed work, and discuss potential benefits of doing so. Through interactive small group exercises, participants will practice applying them to their own projects. Presenters: Chris Paterson, Center for Popular Research, Education and Policy and leadership coach, Marc Alston.

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