10 July 2001

Symposium

Large Scale Ecosystem Restoration and Adaptive Management:

Sharing Regional Experiences

Tuesday’s presenters came from a diversity of geographic locations as well as professional backgrounds, but all of them share extensive experience in the implementation of adaptive and ecosystem management and restoration. Each presenter shared the story of their region’s experience with large-scale restoration or adaptive management. They hoped to highlight what other regions and institutions have learned in implementing adaptive management that is potentially relevant to the Bay-Delta ecosystem. Of course, no one restoration program has been unqualified success; new adaptive management programs can learn from the approaches and successes as well as the mistakes and failures of efforts that have gone before them.

There are many key elements to the successful implementation of an adaptive management program. There are also many potential stumbling blocks that can bring a process or a program to a grinding halt, ranging from thorny scientific uncertainties to mistrust, miscommunication, political conflict and institutional inertia. Each story included some reference to how each regional restoration program has approached some of these key elements: a) developing vision, goals, and management objectives, b) developing conceptual models, c) monitoring and indicator selection, d) design and implementation of experiments, e) institutional structure and governance, f) environmental compliance and permitting, g) managing the statutory and legal processes, and h) identifying and meeting information needs.

PROCEEDINGS and ON-LINE PRESENTATIONS

	Welcome and Introduction to Workshop Michael Fainter, Ecosystem Restoration Program Opening Remarks: The Challenge for CALFED/Why CALFED needs AM Pete Rhoads, Aquatic ecologist (retired), Metropolitan Water District Click here for background information on the CALFED Bay-Delta Ecosystem (pdf download) Also see Williams, John. Thoughts on Adaptive Management in California water management.
	Implementing Adaptive Management: Principles and Practice Steve Light, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy 30 minute presentations followed by 15 minutes Q&A
	Overview of Water Management in South Florida: the Kissimmee River Restoration Experience Kent Loftin, Earth-Tech, Inc.
	Restoration of the Everglades Lance Gunderson, Emory University The use of conceptual ecological models in Everglades adaptive assessment Nick Aumen, Everglades National Park and RECOVER adaptive assessment team
	BREAK
	Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program:Lessons Learned Barry Gold, Chief, Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center Pam Hyde, Director, Southwest Rivers Glen Canyon Adaptive Management Technical Work Group Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program Chris Harris, Colorado River Board of California
	LUNCH
	Restoration of the Trinity River Scott McBain, McBain and Trush and Rod Wittler, US Bureau of Reclamation
	Adaptive Management and Watershed Restoration in British Columbia Dave Marmorek, ESSA Technologies
	BREAK
	CALFED: Achievements and Challenges Michael Fainter, Sam Luoma PANEL on INSTITUTIONS *Chair: Kristen Blann* Institutional structure/governance: Issues & barriers in different regional settings Members: Pam Hyde, Director, Southwest Rivers John Volkman, Stoel-Rives, LLP Steve Light, IATP Lance Gunderson, Emory University John Ogden, RECOVER Team leader, Everglades restoration

Webmaster: Kristen Blann