Practitioner Updates on the Ecological Limits of Hydrologic Alteration

July 4, 2008

 

 

Great news!  The state of Michigan has officially adopted flow alteration – ecological response curves as the scientific basis for a revolutionary new statewide surface-water and ground-water withdrawal management system.

 

Here’s the news:

http://www.thecenterformichigan.net/blog/huge-breakthrough-in-lansing/

 

And here’s the well-written report describing the scientific and stakeholder processes behind the flow-ecology curves:

 

Michigan’s computer-based, point-and-click Water Withdrawal Assessment Tool is described briefly in the attached ELOHA fact sheet. 

 

 

A new version of the ELOHA fact sheet is attached, and you are encouraged to distribute it widely.  Logos of the 10 international scientific organizations that contributed to and endorse the ELOHA framework clearly demonstrate that this is not exclusively a TNC initiative.  Contact ekendy@tnc.org if you would like a high-resolution (6 MB) version for printing.  The attached version is also available at http://www.nature.ly/ELOHA.  Please delete any previous versions you might have.

 

 

The article by Poff et al was submitted to Freshwater Biology this spring and is currently in peer review.   A .pdf is available for limited distribution; contact ekendy@tnc.org for information.

 

 

TNC will provide 1-day environmental flows courses, including hands-on IHA training, at the following venues:

 

·         Flow2008 conference in San Antonio, Texas on October 6, 2008.  www.instreamflowcouncil.org

·         World Conservation Congress in Barcelona, Spain, on October 6, 2008.  www.iucn.org/congress/2008

 

 

US Geological Survey and TNC co-convened a 2-day science workshop on April 29-30, 2008, to (1) share scientific advances in relating streamflow characteristics to ecological responses at a regional scale; (2) identify key factors for effectively linking streamflow-ecology relations to regional water resources policy development, planning, and management; and (3) establish an active environmental-flow communication network within and between TNC and USGS.  The 100 attendees primarily represented USGS and TNC river scientists, with a smattering of scientists and policy makers from state agencies and NGOs whose support is critical to parlaying this new science into environmental flow management.  The workshop included 30 invited presentations and 3 facilitated discussions.  Summaries of the case studies presented will be posted on the ELOHA website, http://www.nature.ly/ELOHA.  During a half-day meeting that preceded the workshop, 20 TNC ELOHA project managers and external ELOHA journal article coauthors exchanged practical logistics of managing ELOHA projects. 

 

Happy New (Fiscal) Year!

 

Eloise Kendy, Ph.D.

Director, Environmental Flows Program

The Nature Conservancy

Global Freshwater Team

656 N. Ewing

Helena, MT 59601

(406) 495-9910 (Phone) 

(313) 221-9910 (Fax)