H2OSU is also available at: http://water.oregonstate.edu/newsletter/.
April 9, 2008
The View from 210
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On 4 April the IWW’s Advisory Board held its inaugural meeting in Corvallis. Thirteen of the fifteen members found time in their busy schedules to spend a day becoming familiar with the Institute and water activities at OSU and suggesting courses of action. Vice President for Research John Cassady welcomed the group, and during the remainder of the morning session Mary Santelmann, Aaron Wolf, Anne Nolin, Todd Jarvis, Kathy Motter, Sam Chan and I provided the Board with reports on OSU water activities. The afternoon was devoted to discussion, and a number of good ideas surfaced, including one to conduct a series of early Fall 2008 workshops on Oregon water issues as a prelude to the 2009 legislative session. We’ll report on the meeting later.
Right after Easter I attended a two-day workshop sponsored by the WATERS (WATer and Environmental Resource Systems) Network, a group of academics that has been working for three years to develop a large proposal to secure Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction (MREFC) funding (c. $300,000,000) from the National Science Foundation for a hydrologic observatory infrastructure to permit the kind of investigations that cannot be done with small one-PI or several-PI proposals. WATERS is what NSF’s hydrologic observatory (HO) and CLEANER (Collaborative Large-Scale Engineering Analysis Network for Environmental Research) programs have (or will) become. The observatory will be designed to perform transformative science, and will promote collaboration among hydrologic scientists, engineers, and social scientists. It is important to note that the latter group has been involved in the design of the network almost from the beginning and will not simply be ”thrown into the mix” once the project is funded.
The WATERS Network Project Office (www.watersnet.org/index.html) recently released the draft WATERS Network Science, Education, and Design Strategy (SEDS) document for community review. Both the main body and the appendices of the document are available on the workshop website ( www.watersnet.org/workshop-20080324.html), where you will also find a blog for submitting comments. One thing I noticed in the SEDS was the lack of attention given to ground water, except for its role in providing baseflow to and receiving bank storage from streams. A few of us proposed a ground water-dominated observatory. Peruse the SEDS and submit your comments directly to the WATERS Network Project Office.
This mammoth project’s proposal is still 2-3 years away from submission. MREFC projects receive special scrutiny form Congress (think ‘Hubble telescope’); it is hard to “bury” $300M in NSF’s budget (perhaps we could stash it in the DoD budget). The academic community will need buy-in from cognizant Federal water agencies, and my concern is that, given the ‘zero-sum’ mentality, funding for the project will come out of the hides of the agencies. That’s not good.
Interested in different perspectives on water? Please mark your calendar for a panel discussion on "Living Waters: Connection and Separation in Water, from Physical, Legal, Political, and Spiritual Perspectives", to be held 23 April, 2-4 p.m., in the Memorial Union, Room 208. Our panelists include three water mavens. Scott Leibowitz, a research ecologist with the U.S. EPA, will discuss how the federal government views water, in light of recent Supreme Court cases. He will contrast this with a physical perspective of hydrologic systems. Aaron Wolf, OSU Professor of Geosciences, will consider the political aspects of water, especially as it relates to conflict and opportunities for peace in the Middle East. Finally, Benjamin Barnett, rabbi of Congregation Beit Am, will discuss water as a spiritual metaphor in Jewish thought and mysticism. This will be a real treat, so make it a point to attend. Visit our WWW site for a flyer.
Our “Water in the West” Wednesday (4 p.m.) seminar series is underway. Check out the flyer on our WWW site. Julia Jones has done a marvelous job attracting an all-star cast.
We’ll have a special speaker on Friday, 2 May, 4-6 p.m., in MU 208. Cynthia Barnett, author of the acclaimed Mirage: Florida and the Vanishing Waters of the Eastern U.S.(www.cynthiabarnett.net/book.html). Yes, it’s about the Eastern USA, but you’ll see parallels between the East and the West. Besides, she is a great storyteller. She will sign copies of her book. The OSU calendar has complete information, including a map (calendar.oregonstate.edu/event/18802/).
Just what you need, I know: another electronic newsletter. AlterNet (www.alternet.org/water) now has a weekly (Thursday) e-newsletter of water news and blog posts. Sign up at the AlterNet WWW site. Just a word of advice: some of the articles may have an "alternative" orientation some people may not like. For example, you're unlikely to see any articles favoring water privatization, nor will you see my blog post in which I criticized some of Maude Barlow's statements.
I attended the Ground Water Summit in Memphis last week. It was a great meeting, with a wonderful tribute to the late Tom Prickett, creator of PLASM (Prickett-Lonnquist Aquifer Simulation Model), the harbinger of MODFLOW. Read more about Tom at aquadoc.typepad.com/waterwired/2007/09/tom-prickett-a-.html. Todd Jarvis moderated a session on bottled water. Outside of the meeting, what struck me most was the amount of water on the ground, even for someone from the Willamette Valley. As we flew in low over Arkansas on approach to Memphis International, I swore I could have been approaching one of the airstrips in Panama’s Darien Province during the rainy season. Only an occasional floating trailer betrayed the location. The Mississippi River’s stage at Memphis neared that of the 1993 flood. If you want to see USA flood and high flow conditions, use the USGS’s new online tool: water.usgs.gov/waterwatch/?m=flood%2Cmap&r=us&w=real%2Cmap
American Water Resources Association President Jane Rowan has a post (26 March 2008) worth reading on the AWRA blog (awramedia.org/mainblog/) regarding the 'Rapanos' decision on Federal jurisdiction of some "waters of the United States". She posits that a national water policy may be the ultimate result.
We’re about to unveil our new WWW site, so keep looking.
Till next month,
Michael
“I’d rather be upstream with a shovel and a ditch than downstream with a decree.” – Western USA water saying
IWW Advisory Board Holds Inaugural Meeting
by Todd Jarvis
Thirteen water experts and policymakers from across Oregon met with the staff of the Institute for Water and Watersheds (IWW) at Oregon State University on 4 April 2008 to help chart the course of the IWW for the years ahead. Special guests included: Rep. Cliff Bentz, Oregon House of Representatives; Dr. John Cassady, vice president for research; Dr. Hal Salwasser, dean of the College of Forestry; Dr. Ron Adams, dean of the College of Engineering; Dr. Bill Boggess, executive associate dean of the College of Agricultural Aciences; Ms. Lynette de Silva, associate director, Program in Water Conflict Management and Transformation; Dr. Lucia De Stefano, visiting scholar; and Ms. Monica Hubbard, student in the Water Resources Graduate Program.
Dr. John Cassady welcomed the advisory board and spoke about water as one of the spires of excellence at OSU. He said that the Oregon University System is looking to enhance its strengths in sustainability and that the IWW fits well within that mission. Because 40% of university research funding comes from the National Science Foundation, OSU needs to have collaborative teams that can successfully attract federal dollars to fund the key areas of expertise: water, oceans, environment, and climate. Dr. Cassady also indicated that the next two years are critical to demonstrate that the IWW is sustainable; it needs to show that it is receiving funds from federal, foundation, and state sources.
Several OSU faculty provided the advisory board members with short presentations on their water-related work, some of which was funded by IWW. Laboratory Manager Kathryn Motter presented an update on the analytical services and specialized capabilities available through the IWW Collaboratory. Dr. Anne Nolin of the Department of Geosciences, presented her work on climate change and its impacts on water resources, which prompted feedback on the discontinued servicing of stream gages and snow measurement sites in the Cascades. Water Resources Graduate Program Director Dr. Mary Santelmann’s enthusiastic overview of the program and its graduate students led to pleas to have the graduating students remain instate to help address Oregon’s water problems. Water Conflict Transformation expert Dr. Aaron Wolf described the new certificate program and how it compared favorably with other top-tier schools in the eyes of graduate school applicants. And OSU Sea Grant Extension Team Leader Dr. Sam Chan used an advertisement from the beginning of the 1970's litter control campaign to illustrate how social change occurs. He indicated that society is at about the same place today with water as we were in the 1970s with litter, and that OSU Extension can help facilitate behavioral change.
Following a buffet lunch and networking, the afternoon session was dedicated to future tasks the advisory board considered important for the IWW to undertake. Given the upcoming centennial of Oregon’s water code in 2009, there was a spirited discussion on the “who, what, when, where, why, and how” of the message. There was general agreement that the IWW should participate in workshops across the state designed to seek input from stakeholders regarding water issues, and to link the workshops to the business community.
Discussions on funding mechanisms for IWW and Oregon water projects ranged from continuing to seek out a larger share of a diminishing pot of federal resources, legislative mandates within Oregon, and bonding, to assessments of products directly tied to Oregon’s water resources. The general consensus was that there has been a wind shift and we need to keep our eyes open. The take home message was “Don’t forget to do the incremental stuff as you look for big picture opportunities. If you keep floating, something will take hold.”
The IWW thanks the advisory board members for their sacrifice of time from their busy schedules and their wise counsel.
Congratulations
Geosciences and Water Resources Science Ph.D. student Jay Zarnetske received a research grant from the Geological Society of America. The grant is titled, "Toward Robust Estimates of Stream-Groundwater Exchange: Innovative Hyporheic Geophysics and Transport Modeling of a Key Nutrient". Congratulations Jay!
Featured Research Group: Oregon State University’s Watersheds Research Cooperative (WRC)
In 1971, Oregon passed the landmark Forest Practices Act (OFPA), based in part on the Alsea Watershed Study, the most far-reaching paired watershed study of its time. Since then, harvest practices have changed, environmental priorities have changed and the absence of new research has raised questions about whether current stream protection laws are adequate, or don’t go far enough.
Oregon State University’s (OSU) Watersheds Research Cooperative (WRC), directed by Arne Skaugset, associate professor in forest engineering, is made up of three paired watershed studies on Hinkle Creek and the Trask and Alsea rivers. The studies are designed to help guide stream protection practices in Oregon forests. Each study is a ten-year set of projects across thousands of acres, using sophisticated monitoring and tracking technology that did not exist 30 years ago. Scientists are investigating fish, water quality, and aquatic habitat at spatial and time scales never before possible. These studies will provide the research necessary to update or confirm Forest Practices Act requirements for the 21st century.
The multidisciplinary and integrated projects are made possible by the contributions and hard work of many institutions, agencies, and people. Roseburg Forest Products, Weyerhaeuser, Plum Creek Timber Company, Oregon Department of Forestry, and Bureau of Land Management have donated their land for the time period of the study. Project collaborators include the Forest Engineering, Forest Science, and the Fish and Wildlife Departments at OSU, USDA Forest Service Corvallis Forest Sciences Laboratory (FSL), and US Geological Survey Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center (FRESC).
For more information visit the WRC website: www.watershedsresearch.com/HinkleCreek/News021508.html#1
OSU Water Researchers in the News
Several media stories featured OSU water researchers during March.
Rivers seen having big role in removing nitrogen (Oregonian, 3/19/08) - Healthy streams with vibrant ecosystems play a critical role in removing excess nitrogen caused by human activities, according to a study last week in Nature. The research is the first to document how much nitrogen rivers and streams can filter through tiny organisms or release into the atmosphere through a process called denitrification. "The study clearly points out the importance of maintaining healthy river systems and native riparian areas," said Stan Gregory, an Oregon State University stream ecologist and study co-author. "It also demonstrates the importance of retaining complex stream channels that give organisms the time to filter out nitrogen instead of releasing it downstream." See also the related OSU News Service press release.
Oregon scientist creates waves in water research - Austin company SensorTran joins in with stream research (Austin American-Statesman, 3/15/2008) - For a scientist like John Selker at Oregon State University, finding a new way to take precise measurements in the natural world opens up a new level of understanding — and a shift in the way some earth science is conducted. Selker, who teaches ecological engineering, created some waves in the world of water research in late 2006 when he and his research collaborators deployed a technology that used fiber-optic cable as a tool for making thousands of continuous temperature measurements in streams. The first work was done in Europe while Selker was on sabbatical in Switzerland. He continued the work when he returned to Oregon.
Will wild salmon go the way of the buffalo? (Modesto Bee, 3/15/08) - “Salmon are becoming like buffalo because we are driving them to the brink of extinction,” writes columnist Mike Dunbar. “Once there were millions of salmon swimming up our rivers; now many of those rivers are too dirty or warm or filled with poisons and sediment for salmon to survive. It has become so serious that Wednesday the Pacific Fisheries Management Council canceled the early portion of the salmon season off the Oregon coast and will consider more closures in April. …This outlook was not popular at last week's Salmonid Restoration Federation's 26th annual conference. One of the featured speakers was Robert Lackey, a fish biologist with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, professor at Oregon State University and lead editor of the book/project "Salmon 2100." He considers himself pragmatic; others might say "doomsayer." By the year 2100, said Lackey, wild salmon will be "like buffalo" -- unlikely to go extinct, but living only in "boutique" populations. We're already well on our way, he said, with a 90 percent decline from historic salmon runs. Why? ‘More people, fewer fish.’ And even more people on their way.”
Studies Question Social, Environmental Implications of Midwest Agriculture (OSU News Service, 3/14/08) – Case studies of Midwest agricultural land use practices suggest that area residents would embrace more environmental protection and often care deeply about protecting their land, but in reality are being pushed by economic forces and government policies toward a future of high commodity production, declining biodiversity, soil degradation and heavy pollution. In a new book titled “From the Corn Belt to the Gulf,” authors from several universities, private industry and government agencies outline a range of both concerns and opportunities facing one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world, and the broader implications that management actions there have for ecosystems elsewhere. “Part of what’s most interesting is that the use of these lands can change quickly and dramatically based on government policies,” said Mary Santelmann, director of the Water Resources Graduate Program at Oregon State University, and co-editor of the new book.
Get Involved
Monday, May 12. Deadline to submit abstracts for the American Water Resources Association Annual Meeting. The meeting will be held 17-20 November, 2008 in New Orleans, LA.
May 31, 2008, Deadline to submit abstracts for the CUAHSI Biennial Colloquium on Hydrologic Science and Engineering (Resilience & Vulnerability of Natural and Managed Hydrologic Systems) which will be held July 14- 16 in Boulder, Colorado. This first CUAHSI colloquium features cutting-edge issues in hydrologic science, biogeochemistry, and environmental engineering that can benefit from the community planning that CUAHSI has been leading. Session topics are drawn from the hydrologic synthesis projects currently underway and from observatory planning efforts, including the WATERS Test Beds, Critical Zone Observatories, and various state efforts. Students from CUAHSI member institutions who present papers will have their registration fee refunded at the meeting. Held at Boulder, Colorado.
Upcoming Events
Wednesdays, 4:00-5:30 p.m., starting April 9 in ALS 4000. Spring Hydrology Seminar Series: Water in the West. Topics range from modeling climate change impacts on mountain hydrology to water and land use planning in Oregon. Students can register for credit (WRS 507 CRN: 37797) and can also sign up for the journal club which meets 11:00-11:50 in Wilkinson 203 (WRS 505, CRN 37771 or GEO 599, CRN 37750).
Wednesday, April 23, 2:00-4:00 p.m., OSU Memorial Union 208. Living Waters: Connection and Separation in Water, from Physical, Legal, Political, and Spiritual Perspectives (Distinguished Panel on Water Resources). Speakers include: Scott Leibowitz, Aaron Wolf, Benjamin Barnett. FMI: Todd Jarvis.
Friday, May 2 4:00-6:00 p.m., OSU Memorial Union 208. Cynthia Barnett, Journalist and Environmental Historian (Distinguished Lecturer in Water Resources). Cynthia Barnett is the author of the award winning book Mirage: Florida and the Vanishing Waters of the Eastern U.S. She will have copies of her book available for purchase and signing. FMI: Todd Jarvis.
Sunday, May 4 - Thursday, May 8, Portland, Oregon. 2008 Western Division AFS Annual Meeting. The Western AFS Annual Meeting also will serve as the Oregon Chapter's Annual Meeting.
Opportunities for Students
Natural Resources Digital Library GIS Internship Program -The Institute for Natural Resources and the OSU Libraries seeks to encourage promising OSU graduate students, GIScience certificate program students, and highly motivated undergraduate students to participate in the Oregon Explorer program. Specific duties include carrying out GIS-related tasks, assisting with interactive web mapping applications, and archiving documents. The intern must be available to serve in the position for approximately 5 months (April 28th to September 19, 2008) and work approximately 10 – 20 hours a week during Spring term and 20-40 hours a week during the summer. The pay rate will range between $9-$12 / hr, depending on experience. Deadline to apply is April 18, 2008.
Portland Bureau of Environmental Services Student Intern Program - Environmental Services has openings for summer intern positions and year-round internships. Applicants for BES intern positions must be enrolled in a trade school training program, or college or university undergraduate or graduate program, preferably in a field related to the mission and scope of the Bureau's work. The trade school, college or university must be located in Oregon or Washington, or the applicant must be a resident of the Portland Metropolitan Area. College student intern positions with Environmental Services are paid positions. Postions can be in Engineering Design and Construction, Watershed Services, Modeling and GIS, Industrial Source Control, Coordinated Site Assessment and Brownfields Program, and Wastewater. Deadline to apply for summer internships is April 25, 2008.
Visiting Fellowships in Canadian Government Laboratories (VF) - This program provides promising emerging scientists and engineers with the opportunity to work with research groups or leaders in Canadian government laboratories and research institutions including the National Water Research Institute and many other entities. Fellowships are awarded for one year with the possibility of renewal for a second and third year, at the discretion of the government department concerned. There are no restrictions on the nationality of applicants, but awards are subject to a citizenship quota: two-thirds of awards must be made to Canadian citizens or permanent residents. Applications are reviewed as they are received.
Funding Opportunities for Faculty
USDA Integrated Research, Education, and Extension Competitive Grants Program – National Integrated Water Quality Program - Watershed Scale Projects, Program Area Code 110.C - Projects must be conducted at a watershed or equally-appropriate geographic scale. Three project types are allowed in Program Area 110.C: Education projects (up to $60,000 per year), extension projects (up to $80,000 per year); or integrated research, education, and extension projects (up to $220,000 per year). Focus areas: (1) Projects that demonstrate conservation of water resources at the watershed (or other appropriate) scale to meet the potential diminished supply due to drought, climate change, salinity, and competing demands for water resources. (2) projects that improve the effectiveness of conservation practices and programs by targeting critical areas (physical, social, or economic) and protecting or improving these areas to achieve water resource goals. Proposals due: April 29, 2008.
EPA NCER Consequences of Global Change for Water Quality. The goal of this solicitation is to assemble modeling systems capable of capturing important linkages between regional climate drivers and terrestrial hydrologic systems and to apply these modeling systems to improve the overall understanding of the sensitivity of key water quality or aquatic ecosystem management targets to the types of climate changes anticipated over the next several decades. About five regular awards (up to $800k) and two early career awards (up to $250k) will be made. Proposals are due May 8, 2008.
DOE National Institute for Climatic Change Research (NICCR) - Proposed research is requested that would improve understanding of potential effects of contemporary climatic change on the structure and functioning of important terrestrial ecosystems (including wetland and freshwater ecosystems, but not marine or estuarine ecosystems) within the United States, as well as possible feedbacks from terrestrial ecosystems to climate and atmospheric composition. Projects can be for up to two years and request up to $125K per year. Preproposals required and due May 16, 2008; Full proposals due August 15, 2008.
NSF/NOAA Communicating Hurricane Information (CHI) - Call for proposals focusing on advancing fundamental understanding of the communication of hurricane outlooks, forecasts, watches, and warnings both to decision makers (i.e., emergency managers, elected officials) and to the general public. Proposals must be submitted by an interdisciplinary group with both physical and social science expertise. Strong proposals may use any of the variety of methods found in social, behavioral, and economic research. The role of the physical scientist or engineer on each project is to provide expertise about the state of hurricane forecast technologies and what is likely to be available in the near future. The physical scientist or engineer might also inform the social scientist about possible consequences (e.g., likely damage to built infrastructure, natural environment, loss of life) of forecasted level of hurricane. Proposals due: June 3, 2008.
NSF International Research and Education: Planning Visits and Workshops - These awards can support the initial phases of developing and coordinating integrated research and education activities with foreign partners. Support is primarily for travel and subsistence expenses. Individual proposals can be submitted for planning visits to have detailed discussions with prospective foreign partners or joint workshops focused on a specific, well-defined area of research collaboration. Proposals for workshops due May 20, 2008; proposals for planning visits can be submitted at any time.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Broad Agency Announcement for Conferences, Workshops, and/or Meetings - Grants for the planning, arranging, administering and/or conducting of conferences, workshops, and/or meetings that focus on research to protect human health and safeguard the environment. Specifically, EPA is interested in supporting scientific and technical research conferences that address the following research program areas: (1) human health; (2) ecosystems; water and security; (3) economics and sustainability; (4) air and global climate change; and (5) technology. Applications should be for $15-$75K. Proposals due: June 5, 2008 and December 9, 2008.
A list of additional water-related external funding opportunities is available on the IWW Web site.
H2OSU is a periodic e-mail news briefing provided by the Institute for Water and Watersheds. It is distributed through the OSU Hydro Email lists and the Oregon Water List (http://water.oregonstate.edu/news/email_lists.htm). Questions, comments and ideas for news briefs may be sent to the IWW at iww@oregonstate.edu. More news from the IWW is available at http://water.oregonstate.edu/news/index.htm.