AUGUST Communing with our River Center Cohorts Milltown Dam

AUGUST
2009
Newsletter
Communing with our River Center Cohorts
PHONE 406.994.6690 • WEB SITE HTTP://AWRA.ORG/STATE/MONTANA/ • E-MAIL WATER@MONTANA.EDU
2009 Montana AWRA/UM River Center Conference: Waters that Cross Divides
C/O MONTANA WATER CENTER • 101 HUFFMAN BUILDING • MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY • BOZEMAN, MT 59717
MONTANA SECTION ~ AMERICAN WATER RESOURCES ASSOCIATION
MT AWRA
Camela Carstarphen, President
What better way to start off
our second quarter century
than a joint conference in
Missoula with the young and
already successful annual
University of Montana’s
River Center conference?
It has been since before the
2003 inception of the River
Center’s annual meeting
that Missoula has hosted
the MT AWRA conference.
It made sense to join
conferences in our first trip
back to Zootown. Indeed,
our conference theme,
Waters that Cross Divides
speaks to the local project
(removal of the Milltown
Dam and related, inbounded
metal-laden sediments) with
basin wide consequences
and concerns that stretch
upstream into multiple
counties and downstream
across a state line.
But the joint conference
is not the only “new”
item on our agenda. We
are also starting off on an
afternoon, and encroaching
backwards (can you encroach
backwards?) into September.
To keep our concurrent
sessions of talks to two, and
not go past
1 pm on Friday, we are
starting with a fieldtrip on
Wednesday, September 30.
See the article below for
more field trip info. The
evening is yours to spend at
one of the many tasty cuisine
joints just a walk away from
our hotel.
On Thursday, October 1,
our conference will start
off bright and early at 8:30
Continued on page 2...
Milltown Dam Field Trip: Wednesday, September 30, 1-5 pm
Andrew Wilcox,The River Center
This year’s conference field trip will visit the former Milltown Dam area, and possibly nearby
sites on the Clark Fork and Blackfoot Rivers, to discuss the latest science and management
issues associated with the 2008 removal of Milltown Dam and ongoing remediation and
restoration efforts. We will visit the bluff overlooking the site and hear from several of the
scientists involved in the Milltown project,
including discussion of downstream geomorphic
effects and sediment transport associated with
the dam removal, groundwater issues, and aquatic
ecology. Other stops along the Clark Fork River
will depend on time and access constraints.
MONTANA
University System
WATER CENTER
Milltown Dam cleanup
With generous sponsorship from Montana NSF
EPSCOR, the River Center is hosting this field
trip at no charge. Bus transportation will be
provided, but space is limited, so please register
early. Buses will begin loading at 12:45 in the
parking lot of the Holiday Inn Parkside (locale of
the conference). We will leave at 1 pm and return
at 5 pm.
...Continued from page 1
2009-2010 Montana
Section AWRA Officers,
Staff, and Contact
Information
President:
Camela Carstarphen
MBMG, Butte
406.496.4633
ccarstarphen@mtech.edu
Vice President:
Kirk Waren
MBMG, Butte
406.496.4866
kwaren@mtech.edu
Secretary/Treasurer:
Eric Chase
MT DNRC, Helena
406.444.0578
echase@mt.gov
Staff Secretary:
Margie Patton
Montana Tech, Butte
406.496.4102
mpatton@mtech.edu
Questions about the
meeting agenda, contact:
Steve Guettermann
Montana Water Center
406.994.1772
stephen.guettermann
@montana.edu
with our normal opening comments. We will then have a special address from the
President of National AWRA, Gerald Sehlke, before our two keynote speakers. The first
keynote address will be by Dr. Jon Major, a USGS
geomorphologist. He will speak about the removal
of Marmot Dam on Oregon’s Sandy River in 2007
and how the river system is responding. Next we
will welcome Dr. Steve Running of the University of
Montana College of Forestry, a recent Nobel Prize
recipient and lead scientist in documenting changes
in our world climate. From there we shall break
for lunch and return to two concurrent sessions
featuring Montana water science research.The
highlight, and really the best part of our conference,
is the social/poster hour and banquet. This is the time
we get to come together as fellow water scientists;
to reconnect; to bridge the gaps that sometimes
Steve Running, University of Montana
develop during the year, and share with each other
our work, our challenges and our pleasures. All
over great beer. The social poster hour is hosted, so I hope you all will join us. (There
will be three kegs and glasses for all!)
This year the banquet will be graced by a roast pig! Yes!! We won’t gather around a barb-q pit, but the pig will be back. (Thank you to a very enthusiastic host, our chef at the
Holiday Inn.)We will be honored with a banquet talk from nationally known river expert
Dr. Jack Schmidt, a stream geomorphologist and watershed sciences professor at Utah
State University.
We will return on Friday with two sets of two concurrent sessions that will wrap up
at 12:15. When we finish with final announcements, student and photo awards and
announcement of the new incoming MT AWRA treasurer. (We accept nominations on
the registration form.) We will again send a student (our top oral presenter) to the
National AWRA annual conference in Seattle this year, November 9-12, where he or she
will have a chance to meet professionals and present the winning talk.
It will be a great conference.! The Holiday Inn, Parkside is located near the Higgins
bridge and is adjacent to the river walking trail. Good food and beer is a quick walk
away. Though you will be close to ample good coffee, this year we will host coffee and
coffee cake outside the conference rooms starting each morning at 7:30! So come
join us, won’t you? Check the MT AWRA (http://www.awra.org/state/montana/events/
conference.htm) and River Center (http://www.umt.edu/rivercenter/conf.html ) websites
for updates on the conference, including registration information and schedule details.
2009 Poster Session
Kirk Waren,Vice-President
Questions about meeting
registration, contact:
Nancy Hystad
Montana Water Center
406.994.6690
nancy.hystad
@montana.edu
http://awra.org/state/montana
Kelsey Jencso from MSU took
1st place honors in 2008
A Thursday evening poster session will begin
after the afternoon oral presentations. The
poster session provides an opportunity for
participants to personally present complex
projects with detailed maps and graphics for
your perusal, as well as chance for student
poster presenters to compete for cash awards
for first and second place student posters. This
year, we will enjoy several kegs of beer and hors
d’oeuvres during the event. It’s always a great
time to visit with peers and open the more social
part of the meeting!
Banquet – The roasted pig is back!
Eric Chase,Treasurer
For this year’s banquet we will bring back the pig roast! While this will not be the
traditional late night pig roast, we expect everyone will enjoy the menu. The banquet
will feature Hawaiian-style roast pig served with mojo sauce. Accompanying the main
dish will be a summer salad with black pepper dressing, spiced black beans, green
poblano rice, and traditional creamed spinach and bananas. For desert we will have a
mango, pineapple and raspberry sorbet trio. For our vegetarian friends there will be a
main dish to go with all the great sides. Make sure to register for the banquet to enjoy
this great menu!
Pig Roast 2003
The banquet speaker will be Jack Schmidt, a distinguished professor of fluvial
geomorphology from Utah State University. Following Jack’s talk will be the ever
popular photo contest. Plan to come and spend the evening with friends while enjoying
great food!
2009 Photo Contest Promises Fame and Notoriety
Kirk Waren,Vice-President
This year’s photo contest content is up to you! We are soliciting all
photos of interest for the water conference. These can be scenic photos,
technical photos (e.g. field work or laboratory scenes), humorous photos,
or other pictures featuring the people and projects of our profession,
present and past! Photos from affiliates of the Center for Riverine
Science are more than welcome! Please send your latest, greatest “water
resource” photos to Kirk Waren at kwaren@mtech.edu, or call me at
496-4866 if you need additional details. If possible, please submit photos
by the end of August, although late entries may be accepted!
A 2008 winning photo from Tom Osborne: Black Canyon Lake
2008 25th Anniversary Conference
Water Sustainability: Challenges for Montana
Kirk Waren,Vice-President
The 25th Annual conference of the Montana Section American Water
Resources Association was an amazing event, hosted at the Yellowstone
Conference Center at Big Sky Resort. We were fortunate to have
many founding members and associates arrive for the Silver Anniversary
conference, including Bob Delk, Joe Moreland, Larry Cary, Marv Miller,
Jane Holzer, Gail Dahl, and May Mace. There were 156 registrants for the
conference.
Longtime supporters of MT AWRA. Front row: Bob Delk,
Gail Dahl and Larry Cary. Back row: Ron Shields, Marvin
Miller, Phil Farnes, and Joe Moreland.
The conference began with a field trip hosted by Larry N. Smith of the
Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology and Kristin Gardner, Executive
Director of Blue Water Task Force. We observed major geologic
structures of the area, had a look at the surficial water sources for the
Meadows Village portion of Big Sky, observed some local aquifers in
outcrops, and viewed and discussed the abundant landslide activity in
areas being developed around Big Sky and Moonlight Basin.
Continued on page 4...
The plenary session included an informative keynote presentation by Mr.
Richard Opper, Director of the Montana Department of Environmental
Quality, regarding the future of water quality regulation in Montana. Eloise
Kendy, Director of The Nature Conservancy’s Environmental Flows Program,
discussed streamflow optimization opportunities used in other parts of
the world. Tom Osborne, President of Hydrosolutions, Inc. discussed
conflicts that may arise among water users in Montana in the future. Tom
Patton, Senior Research Hydrogeologist and Program Manager with the
Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology described his recent work with
the development of the National Ground-Water Monitoring Network.
Finally, Larry McKay, 2008 Geological Society of America Birdsall-Dreiss
Distinguished Lecturer rounded out the plenary session with an impressive
discussion entitled “Germs and Geology: Emerging Issues in Waterborne
Pathogen Research.”
Bill Woessner acknowledges the crowd at
MT AWRA’s 25th Anniversary banquet in 2008.
Thursday evening began with kegs of
micro-brewed beer, snacks, and a technical
poster session with 20 scheduled posters, including seven from students from Montana’s
universities. Awards of first and second prize student posters went to Kelsey Jensco and
Able Mashamba, both MSU students.
The evening banquet began with a review of past Water Legends of the Montana AWRA.
This was followed by Dr. William (Bill) Woessner being awarded the Water Legend
status. The banquet included an
acknowledgement of the founders and
affiliates (collectively known as the
old-timers) that started the Montana
Section AWRA back in the early
1980s when the pig roast became an
Joe Moreland
annual tradition. Joe Moreland spoke
about his pride in how the Montana
AWRA has turned out to be the venue that they envisioned years ago –
and that if there is ever friction among professionals in the field, roasting
a pig in the fall is a sure way to developing better relations!
Friday morning, there were 38 presentations scheduled for three
concurrent sessions. The nine student presenters competed for the
grand prize of a trip the National AWRA conference in New Orleans,
November 17-20, 2008. The presentation winner was Antony Berthelote
(U of M). Lisa Bithell Kirk (MSU) and Sunni Heikes-Knapton (MSU) took
home cash prizes for second and third place.
Smiles greatly outnumbered scowls at the conference.
Montana AWRA Executive Secretary Returns!
Camela Carstarphen, President
May Mace is not returning. BUT! After a two year hiatus, we have found
someone to fill the position as outlined in our Bylaws. Once described
as the membership chair, May Mace filled that position with her heart,
good humor, stewardship and smile. She had a special connection
with MT AWRA in her partner, Phil Farnes, one of our distinguished
contributing scientists and a founding pioneer of our organization.
Let us welcome our new executive secretary, Margie Patton. Margie
also has a special connection to MT AWRA through one of our other
distinguished scientists, Tom Patton, her father. Margie will be a jack of
all trades, helping Nancy Hystad of the Water Center welcome and
register folks, taking pictures, running the AV station in one of the
rooms, and helping us keep things on track. But don’t let this stop you
from personally welcoming her into our fold.You will find her enjoyable,
engaging, and enthusiastic. Welcome, Margie!
New Executive Secretary, Margie Patton
Gracias Water Center
Camela Carstarphen, President
The Montana Water Center, through its USGS grant, provides
our conference with amazing support by partially funding Steve
Guettermann. Steve is our institutional memory and ring leader.
He is what makes the officers’ volunteerism work. This year,
Montana AWRA has helped to support work normally provided
through Montana Water Center personnel. It is our privilege to
contribute to the Water Center during its tight budget-times,
for it illuminates the amazing support we have had completely
donated in the past. So, gracias to Gretchen Rupp, and also to
you, our members and supporters, who have helped us maintain
and hopefully improve our service and our mission - to provide
a forum for water scientists and professionals to come together
and share, and thus, raise the efficacy of the work all of us do.
Gretchen Rupp, Director
Montana Water Center
A Heartfelt THANK YOU to Our Sponsors!
Our sponsors help reduce MT AWRA conference fees by generously donating cash, staff and
office space for the success of this conference. Sponsors help make such things possible as the
field trip and student awards. If you see someone wearing a nametag from our of our sponsors,
please be sure to thank them!
MONTANA
University System
WATER CENTER
ABOUT MISSOULA
Nestled in the Rocky
Mountain grandeur
of western Montana,
Missoula is the hub
of five valleys and
three major rivers
– the Blackfoot,
the Bitterroot and
the Clark Fork.
Roughly halfway
between Glacier and
Yellowstone national
parks, Missoula is a
blend of small-town
charm and big-city
sophistication.
Known as the
“Garden City” for
its forested, lush
surroundings and
plentiful fresh water,
Missoula continues
to be at the head
of Montana cities
in culture and
community.