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Communing with our River Center Cohorts 2009 Montana AWRA/UM River Center Conference: Waters that Cross DividesCamela 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

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.

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.

MONTANA

WATER CENTER

University System

Continued on page 2...

Milltown Dam cleanup

Milltown Dam Field Trip: Wednesday, September 30, 1-5 pmAndrew Wilcox, The River Center

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 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 bar-b-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.

2009-2010 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

Questions about meeting registration, contact: Nancy Hystad Montana Water Center 406.994.6690 nancy.hystad @montana.edu

http://awra.org/state/montana

Kirk Waren, Vice-President

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!

...Continued from page 1

Steve Running, University of Montana

Kelsey Jencso from MSU took 1st place honors in 2008

2009 Poster Session

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!

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!

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.

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.

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!

Banquet – The roasted pig is back!

2009 Photo Contest Promises Fame and NotorietyKirk Waren, Vice-President

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.

Pig Roast 2003

A 2008 winning photo from Tom Osborne: Black Canyon Lake

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.”

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 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.

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

Bill Woessner acknowledges the crowd at MT AWRA’s 25th Anniversary banquet in 2008.

Montana AWRA Executive Secretary Returns! Camela Carstarphen, President

Smiles greatly outnumbered scowls at the conference.

Joe Moreland

A Heartfelt THANK YOU to Our Sponsors!

Gracias Water CenterCamela 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

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.

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

WATER CENTER

University System