Water Resources Student Orientation Tonight

From Bruce Thomson:

We will have an orientation meeting for Water Resources grad students this evening, 4/20, at 4:30 pm in Anderson School of Management room 1004. There are two groups of students who are strongly encouraged to come:

• New students who need to learn about the program, our curriculum, and its administration.
• Students planning to graduate in the next year who have forgotten all of the information presented in their own orientation that is absolutely essential for successful graduation. Remember, UNM shows no mercy for missed deadlines and uncompleted forms.

Rocky Mountain Young Professionals Networking Happy Hour

There will be a happy hour for young professionals in the water and wastewater industries during the 2009 Rocky Mountain Section of the American Water Works Association and Rocky Mountain Water Environment Association Joint Annual Conference. It is a great opportunity to network with other water students and potential employers.

• When: Monday, September 14, 5:00 pm
• Where: Maloney's Tavern, 325 Central Ave. NW

RSVP to Jason at jmontoya@brwncald.com or 575-649-6685 by September 4.

Guild Cinema present water films by Basia Irland

Basia Irland is an UNM Art and Art History emerita faculty member who has created a large body of artwork on the subject of water. As part of the LAND/ART festival taking place now in New Mexico, the Guild Cinema will feature seven of Basia's documentaries on water this Sunday, August 16, at noon and 2 pm.

See http://www.landartnm.org/guild-cinema.html for more details.

Technical Resources on Stream Corridor Restoration

The Natural Resources Conservation Service Stream Corridor Team Workgroup has put together a collection of on-line resources on stream restoration. The site contains a wealth of information on this topic, including NRCS policy and guidance documents, useful links, publications, photographs and drawings of various practices and treatments, workshop information, and spreadsheet tools.

Check it out at: http://www.ndcsmc.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/Stream/

Comanche Creek Restoration Workshop - August 21-23

Guest post by Megan Marsee:

This blog concerns this year's Comanche Creek restoration workshop, sponsored by the Quivira Coalition. KT Labadie and I attended this same workshop last year, and I would recommend it to any WR student interested in the use of in-stream structures to improve aquatic habitat and water quality.

The restoration work takes place on the lower reach of Comanche Creek, located in the Carson National Forest Valle Vidal Unit. The work focuses on reducing erosion to improve habitat for the Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout.

The river restoration methods that will be employed at the workshop were pioneered by Bill Zeedyk. His technique is called Induced Meandering. It uses artificial instream structures, manipulation of streambank vegetation, and the power of running water to expedite channel evolution and floodplain development. This year's workshop will involve installing post vanes and planting willows.

Several organizations have cooperated on this project over the past 7 years, so you have the chance to observe old erosion control structures and their impact on the creek. Though many attest to their efficacy, one of our own graduates, Ryan Weiss, examined the impact of in-stream structures for his Professional Project, and found that they had no significant impact on channel form. This is a chance to look at that question yourself, in one of New Mexico's most beautiful landscapes, with a great group of folks. The workshop takes place August 21-23. Contact Michael Bain mbain@quiviracoalition.org for info.