Water Resources in the Northeast: Emerging Issues
October 22, 2004

Program

8:00 - 8:30 Registration and Continental Breakfast

8:30 - 8:45 Welcome and Opening Remarks

8:45 - 9:15 Keynote Address - Charles Groat, Director, US Geological Survey

9:15 - 10:15 Plenary Session

Dam Removal: Focusing Science and Policy Research to Improve Understanding
and Decision-Making David Hart, Academy of Natural Sciences
Fate and Transport of Pollutants Harold Hemond, MIT Civil & Environmental Engineering

10:15 - 10:30 Break

10:30 - 11:30 Concurrent Sessions

Session 1A: How Dam Removal Works and Lessons Learned So Far
Moderator: Karen Pelto, MA Dept. of Fish and Game Riverways

• Town Brook Case Study Eric Hutchins, NOAA Fisheries and David Gould, Town of Plymouth
• Dam Removal Lessons Learned Laura Wildman, American Rivers

Session 1B: Metals - Fate and Transport
Moderator: Richard Vachet, UMass-Amherst Chemistry

• Metal Speciation Methods for Natural Organic Complexes: Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue David Ryan, UMass Lowell Chemistry
• Microbial Influence in Heavy Metal Mobility Klaus Nüsslein, UMass Amherst Microbiology
• The Influence of Biology on the Speciation of Metals in the Environment Beth Ahner, Cornell University Biological & Environmental Engineering

Session 1C: Impact of Climate Change on Water Resources
Moderator: Robert DeConto, UMass Amherst Geosciences

• Historical Perspective, Patterns and Trends in Precipitation for the Northeast James Bradbury, UMass Amherst Geosciences
• Recent Hydroclimate Variability in New England and Implications for Future Prediction Anne Waple, NOAA National Climate Data Center

Session 1D: Roots and Rootlessness in Watershed Communities: Changing Uses and Perceptions of Land and Water Resources
Moderators: Jerry Schoen, MA WRRC and John Sinton, Independent scholar

• Geology Sets the Stage: Geological Processes that Influenced Human Settlement of the Connecticut River Valley Richard Little, Greenfield Community College Geology
• An Evolving Relationship: a Brief History of Humans and the Connecticut River through Time Mitchell Mulholland, UMass-Amherst Archeological Services

11:30 - 12:00 Poster Session

12:00 - 1:15 Lunch

1:15 - 2:15 Concurrent Sessions

Session 2A: Ecological Effects of Dam Removal
Moderator: Paul Barten, UMass-Amherst Natural Resources Conservation

• Ecological and Biological Aspects of Dams and Dam Removal Keith Nislow, US Forest Service Amherst MA
• Hydrological and Geological Aspects of Dams and Dam Removal Frank Magilligan, Dartmouth College Geography

Session 2B:Natural Organic Matter - Fate and Transport
Moderator: David Ryan, UMass-Lowell Chemistry

• Colored DOM Transport - Watershed to Estuary Robert Chen, UMass-Boston Environmental, Coastal & Ocean Sciences
• Characterization of Organic Compounds Present in Complex Mixtures and Drinking Water , Touradj Solouki University of Maine Chemistry

Session 2C: Environmental Field Facilities for Long-Term Monitoring
Moderator: Julian Hadley, Harvard Forest

• Estimating Whole-ecosystem Water Use from Above-canopy Water Flux Measurements Julian Hadley, Harvard Forest
• Development of the Long-Term Ecological Observation Network (NEON) in New England Julian Hadley, Harvard Forest
• Long-Term Monitoring at Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest Chris Eagar, U.S. Forest Service Durham NH

Session 2D: Ecological Cities - Urban Stream Management Studies
Moderator: Rutherford Platt, UMass-Amherst Geosciences

• Overview of Study Rutherford H. Platt, UMass-Amherst Geosciences
• Milwaukee River Case Study Laurin Sievert, UMass-Amherst Geosciences
• Park River, Hartford Mary Pelletier, Green Design Specialist, Hartford CT

2:15 - 3:30 Break

2:30 - 3:30 Concurrent Sessions

Session 3A: Social and Policy Implications of Dam Removal
Moderator: John Hird, UMass-Amherst Political Science/CPPA

• From Site to Statute: Policy and Regulatory Response to Dam Removal Karen Pelto, MA Dept. Fish and Game, Riverways Program
• Decision-making Process for the Dam Removal Option: Traditional versus Alternative Approaches Stephanie Lindloff, NH Dept. of Environmental Services

Session 3B: Nutrients - Fate and Transport
Moderator: Sarina Ergas, UMass-Amherst Civil & Environmental Engineering

• Modeling the Sensitivity of Atmospheric Deposition to the Scaling of Nitrogen Emissions using CMAQ Pat Bresnahan, University of Connecticut
• Assessing Nitrogen Loading in the Connecticut River Watershed Laura Blake, NEIWPCC
• Nitrogen and On-Site Wastewater Treatment Systems Sarina Ergas, UMass-Amherst Civil & Environmental Engineering

Session 3C: Decision Support Tools for the Connecticut River Watershed
Moderator: Craig Nicolson, UMass-Amherst Natural Resources Conservation

• Assessing and Visualizing Mesoscale Ecological Flow Requirements Piotr Paraciewicz, UMass-Amherst Extension, Natural Resources & Environmental Conservation
• Ecologically Sustainable Water Management: A Case Study in Dam Re-operation Kim Lutz, The Nature Conservancy Connecticut River Program

Session 3D: Strategies for Restoring the Human-Nature Connection
Moderator: Jerry Schoen, MA WRRC and John Sinton, Independent scholar

• Fun on the Holyoke Range: Mountain Biking, Logging and the Internet Eric Barnes, Hobart and William Smith Colleges
• Computer Presentations of Geological Processes Chris Condit, UMass-Amherst Geosciences
• Expressing Perceptions of Nature through Movement Charles and Rose Flachs, Mt. Holoyoke College Dance
• Questing: Using Community Landscapes as Outdoor Classrooms Steve Glazer, Vital Communities

3:30 - 4:15 Concurrent Panel Discussions

Panel A: Dam Removal - Future Needs
Moderator: David Hart

Panel B: Critical Contaminants - Fate and Transport
Moderator: Harold Hemond

Panel C: Local Consequences From Global Problems
Moderator: Craig Nicolson

Panel D: Building Watershed Community
Moderator: Jerry Schoen and John Sinton, Independent Scholar