FARMS, FLOODS AND FLUVIAL GEOMORPHOLOGY: MAKING THE MOST OF OUR NATURAL RESOURCES

• Sponsoring Institution: National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• Project Status: COMPLETE
• Funding Source: OTHER GRANTS
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 1001488
• Grant No.: 2013-51130-21488
• Cumulative Award Amt.: $640,000.00
• Proposal No.: 2013-05779
• Project Start Date: Sep 1, 2013
• Project End Date: Aug 31, 2017
• Grant Year: 2013
• Program Code: [110.C]- Watershed Scale Proposals

Recipient Organization
UNIV OF MASSACHUSETTS
(N/A)
AMHERST,MA 01003

Performing Department
Geosciences

Non Technical Summary
Agricultural and undeveloped rural forested lands play a crucial role in diminishing the destructive power of floodwaters by receiving, spreading, and slowing the flood wave as it moves through a watershed. Climate scientists predict (and have already observed) that in the Northeastern U.S., individual storms may be more intense, and that there will be more precipitation on an annual basis. A river corridor is broadly defined as the area surrounding a river channel needed for the river to function as a river. This includes space for river and riparian habitat, sediment transport, and water conveyance at the full range of natural and historical flows and spatial scales, and may occupy a larger footprint than the present-day floodplain. This project will use state-of-the-art assessment techniques to create a map of the river corridor for the Deerfield River in Massachusetts and Vermont, where considerable activity and excitement surrounding responsible whole-watershed management is underway, and existing funded projects can be leveraged for maximum benefit. Through generating this map, we will determine best-practices for fluvial geomorphic assessments for application elsewhere. Once generated, we will then overlay maps of existing farmlands to target floodplain farms, or riparian corridor farms for outreach efforts to disseminate educational materials highlighting the role farms play in floodplains. We will integrate our knowledge with the basin's agricultural stakeholders in an effort to provide them with needed tools and support, including factsheets and kits for flood preparedness, strategies for riparian land management to maximize overall watershed/river health and minimize damages, sources for relief and post-disaster assistance, and pro-active measures for riverfront property management (and potential for profit). We will develop a Flood-or-Not mobile tool for growers to assess current soil moisture conditions and flood potential on their property, and expand the presence and impact of EDEN in Massachusetts and Vermont. While applied to a single bi-state basin as a test bed, these techniques will be readily transferrable throughout New England, and disaster preparedness kits and strategies will be broadly available.

Animal Health Component

25%

Research Effort Categories

Basic

25%

Applied

25%

Developmental

50%

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
112	0399	2050	50%
132	0330	2050	50%

Knowledge Area
112 - Watershed Protection and Management; 132 - Weather and Climate;

Subject Of Investigation
0399 - Watersheds and river basins, general; 0330 - Wetland and riparian systems;

Field Of Science
2050 - Hydrology;

Keywords

agriculture

climate

flood

fluvial geomorphology

Goals / Objectives
GOALS We need to break the vicious cycle of escalating costs associated with high-intensity storms and flooding in a way that provides a net benefit to floodplain farms and recognizes the important role these lands play during extreme events. To do this, we propose an integrated research and extension program that achieves the following goals: 1. Improved understanding of fluvial geomorphology (FGM) - how rivers work in a physical sense. Education is needed across agencies at all levels of government, for agricultural interests, other businesses and stakeholders (NGOs, recreational interests etc.) and the general public. This is needed so all parties will accept the necessity to incorporate FGM issues into policies, plans and practices, accept the changes and efforts that will be required to do this, and so that policies and practices adopted are carried out in a knowledgeable, effective manner. 2. Improved understanding of our function in the watershed. With a special focus on the floodplain and farms, which comprise the bulk of the floodplain land use, more knowledge is needed about the important physical and spatial role farms play during a flood. Downstream landowners may be unaware of what they stand to lose if an upstream farm had not been allowed to flood. Upstream landowners may be unaware of how their land management contributes to the flood in the first place. Comprehension of upstream-downstream relationships, causes and consequences, and the role of farmlands form the critical foundational understanding required for whole-watershed management and each landowner's place in it. 3. Knowledge of, respect for the River Corridor. Knowledge of the condition of our river corridors from a FGM perspective, in particular to know what areas, parcels, infrastructure are vulnerable to future flood events, or what practices or structures may be exacerbating the danger. This is needed in order to inform specific actions that need to be taken to protect farms and communities from river-related flood hazards, and to know the scope of the problems in a given parcel, community or watershed, and the resources needed to address them. 4. Widespread access to and use of a set of Comprehensive Flood Hazard Tools. Delineation of the river corridor and knowledge about fluvial geomorphology and how rivers and watersheds function alone is not enough. This knowledge must be incorporated into watershed plans and programs that reduce hazards and restore damage. In addition, stakeholders must have access to, and make use of, tools that provide practical, important, and actionable information about river conditions (long term and instantaneous), potential for flooding, and guidance for what to do to prepare, and when. Four types of programs are needed: a. Long term, proactive plans to mitigate future flood damage throughout the watershed. b. Short term emergency planning "kits" that include steps to take to reduce damage when flooding is imminent (e.g. in 1-5 days in advance of forecasted storms). c. In-the-moment tools that predict, based on weather forecasts, soil moisture conditions, and previous flood events, whether or not specific parcels should expect imminent flooding from the impending storm, and how high the water might reach. d. Post event response. Guidance and resources for landowners isolated and affected by flooding on how to restore systems, recover property, and avoid actions that exacerbate conditions. Specific protocols for post-flood treatment of crops and soils need to be examined, and better communication and/or establishment of these is needed. This has short and long term, elements, and blends back into #1, #2 and #3. 5. Improved institutional infrastructure surrounding fluvial geomorphology and river/watershed management. We need coordinated communication, actions, and support in securing resources (funding, expertise, equipment, etc.) to implement these plans and activities, and to minimize conflicts among potentially competing interests (upstream/ downstream, different businesses, farms vs. municipalities, setting priorities for which landowners get help, etc.) Coordination is needed among different jurisdictions (e.g. towns, states; transportation, environmental agencies & departments) and stakeholders as well (different businesses, recreation and environmental interests etc.). We particularly want to better coordinate efforts and information between the two Deerfield River watershed states of Massachusetts and Vermont, which are in very different developmental stages of FGM assessment. We will identify at all levels, from individual parcel to whole watershed, state, regional, or federal what support systems need to be in place to address the needs described above; and what recommended changes are needed to improve outcomes for farmers, river corridors and watersheds (e.g. new laws, regulations, funding programs; or changes in the way current ones are applied). 6. Farms resilient to climate change. In broadly general terms, climate change is likely to bring more water to wet places, and dry areas will become even drier. For the Northeastern U.S., this means more inches of rain (vs. snow), more intense storms, and more total precipitation, and longer, drier, and hotter summer (Frumhoff et al., 2007; Ahmed et al., 2013 and Rawlins et al., 2012). Interactive knowledge exchange with farmers is needed for scientists and managers to understand how both wetter and drier conditions affect farms. How wet does a field have to be for how long before it is no longer viable for farming? Which riverfront lands may become unusable if these conditions persist in the future? Where and how can farmers store and access excess water to make it through a longer, warmer, drier growing season? Understanding the details of these conditions first hand may aid in decision making about which farmlands to prioritize for profitable farming, and which to recommend for easements and other riparian (non-farming) uses. The long-term goal of this project is to address the needs of farmers in floodplains specifically relating to fluvial geomorphological hazards and healthy riparian zones along the river corridor by building an integrated support system for farms and rural communities dealing with the uncertainties and destructive power of rivers in extreme weather events.

Project Methods
The main research component of this project is focused, as is much of this project, on how streams work and why. This component is split into the actual assessment activity on a real river, and the theoretical investigations of fluvial process and evaluations thereof that arise during and after the FGM assessment is complete. 1. Fluvial geomorphological (FGM) assessment. Consultant James MacBroom will generate this assessment including a map of the Deerfield River watershed's river corridor using remote sensing techniques (Phase I) including: light detection and ranging (LiDAR), geographic information systems (GIS) and aerial photographs, as well as on-the-ground field evaluation. He will also divide the river into discrete segments based on geomorphic metrics to characterize each (Phase II). The end product of this activity is a useful map for an entire watershed showing the extent of the River Corridor as assessed using a state-of-the-art fluvial geomorphological analysis. 2. Fluvial research. For this phase, we will delve into the science of fluvial geomorphology and help assess the state-of-the-art for fluvial geomorphological techniques, test their strengths and shortcomings, and codify of the latest and greatest techniques from scientists and the literature. Specifically, we would like to know: What remote methods exist? How can these be automated to conduct FGM assessments? How accurate are these remote assessments, and are they practical? Finally, the research team will synthesize and evaluate the best data sources and techniques for flood prediction using simple, widely-available metrics such as water depth (stage), antecedent soil moisture, and rainfall-depth predictions, and apply these together with GIS analyses and models to create practical, site-specific flood-hazard maps or predictions. We will work with consultant Deborah Shriver to generate flood prediction tools for the watershed, including a Flood-or-Not mobile application for farmers and other riparian landowners to observe real-time data and make decisions when flooding is imminent. 3. Website and mobile development. Development of a web presence is imperative for interaction with stakeholders and free and public distribution of educational materials. Our information technology specialist will:a) develop web platforms to support information dissemination;b) develop a mobile app that will run the Flood-or-Not prediction tool; In addition, the IT specialist will help streamline content developed by the project team in support of interactive exploration of FGM concepts by watershed stakeholders and their use of a variety of planning tools in the following key areas:c) Flow and flooding resources,d) Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN)e) Fluvial geomorphology and how rivers work.f) Farms, floods and fluvial geomorphology. This site will contain specific recommendations for farmers who live and work in the floodplain environment, including guidance for generating emergency planning kits and guidance for post event response. 4. FGM education initiative. Our educational efforts in this project focus broadly on two topics:• the science behind the physical processes of rivers (e.g. erosion, deposition, sediment transport, meanders, lateral movement of rivers, river corridors, floodplains), all of which lead towards a better understanding of dynamic equilibrium, and• living with dynamic equilibrium - how to incorporate this science into responsible, whole-watershed management of riparian land and water resources. This initiative will involve compilation of educational materials (print, online, video, presentations), production of complementary materials, synthesis of these into web resources, and dissemination of these via workshops and other in-person venues. In addition, interactive, novel media will be used to further our educational objectives. 5. Climate change and resilience round-table. Interactive knowledge exchange with farmers is needed for scientists and managers to understand how both wetter and drier conditions affect farms. We will conduct a round table discussion between farmers and climate scientists so that scientists (extension and other) can better understand what are the viability thresholds for farming, and in turn, so that farmers learn what to expect with regards to temperature, precipitation, storm and seasonality changes in the future. Together, we will exchange information that will ultimately help scientists provide the type of information farmers need to plan for and cultivate resilience. 6. Recommend institutional infrastructure changes. Based on the findings from our research, we will recommend practical means of including the best possible FGM into practice. EVALUATION: The UMass Center for Agriculture provides evaluation support for faculty in staff in the form of dedicated staff expert in a variety of evaluation practices. Before the project begins we will meet with them to develop methods for evaluating the success of our research, education and extension efforts. In addition, the Center will provide some support and "branding" for our web and print media, and in the process help vet these products to ensure that they communicate effectively to the desired watershed stakeholders and particularly the rural farming community.We will meet regularly with our Task Force to evaluate our work, and plan for next steps as we generate our FGM analyses and education initiatives.Finally, we will use Q Methodology to evaluate the impact of our education and extension products and activities on watershed stakeholders.

Progress 09/01/13 to 08/31/17

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience of this project is divided into three categories. First, we engage with and inform researchers doing basic hydrogeology and geographical sciences. We do this by presenting our fluvial geomorphology research at academic conferences and invited lectures, and by publishing in traditional academic journals. Second, we engage local stakeholders in the communities in which we work. We do this in multiple ways. We hold meetings with river management professionals to provide them with our findings and solicit feedback on next-steps. We conduct river walks and educational outreach to engage the general public in conversations about sustainable river management in New England. Finally, we create farmer-specific education materials that we send to farmers who are vulnerable to flood impacts in the region; farmer engagement and education also occurs through farm visits and seminars. Third, we engage students at different levels. This mentorship includes undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdocs. Our goal is to provide students with the opportunity to do scientifically rigorous research that is relevant at the local level. Changes/Problems:We revised the budget to re-direct unused professional staff and subcontract funds to support the fourth year salary for postdoctoral research Ben Warner. This transfer resulted in increased success reaching our project goals. No additional reporting was required. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?• Project PI Christine Hatch was nominated to lead the Massachusetts partnership for the USDA Northeast Climate Hub, an opportunity to further expand and develop this project's work. • Partially based on hersuccess with this projectPI Christine Hatch was promoted to Associate Professor • Based on his success with this project's work and products, postdoc Benjamin Warner was hired by the University of New Mexico as an Assistant Professor. • Also based on his success with this project's work and products, postdoc John Gartner and PI Christine Hatch have received two additional grants: the first from the North Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative (LCC) to develop a river corridor across the entire region, and the second from the National Center for Earth Surface Dynamics (an NSF-sponsored program) to continue the specific investigation of timelines for stream evolution. • Graduate students Noah Slovin and Nicole Gillett are employed at consulting firm MMI and land conservation organization Audubon, respectively. Undergraduate students Alex Schwartz and Stephen Lukas are both employed at consulting firms as well. • Case study design and development, in partnership with the National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC) for postdoc Benjamin Warner, published by UC Press. • Master of Science thesis for one Geoscience student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. • Honors thesis for one Geoscience student in the Commonwealth Honors College at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. • Undergraduate Research Assistantship - undergraduates have a difficult time finding research experience and training, and this has proved to be invaluable for them. We had a formal assistantfor the duration of the project (2 students), who led student teams of up to 4 other undergraduates for field work with MMI (more training opportunities! and professional coaching!),the MA Geological Survey and Trout Unlimited. • Professional development for project staff,students and ~60 members of the community including practitioners, professionals, academics, community members, regulators and conservation commission representativeswho attended a Fluvial Geomorphology workshop. • Two undergraduate students presented papers to regional conferences as part of this project. • Postdoctoral researchers and PIs presented papers at regional and nationalconferences as part of this project, creating a great deal of enthusiasm around our work, and generating networks of interest and colleagues. • In the process of MS Geosciences student (and a human geographer peer) education, we realized that integrated nature of the research and extension/outreach components of this project made us pioneers in an emerging discipline: critical physical geography. The two mentors and two students published a chapter in a forthcoming book describing our educational process. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Project results have been disseminated to stakeholders in the following ways: • Approximately 100 agricultural landowners were identified as owning land that is vulnerable to flood impacts; these landowners were mailed information that included technical and funding resources to reduce their vulnerability. • 47 local river management stakeholders were provided with project information through the Creating Resilient Communities network (9 different meetings) • Approximately 200 local community members were provided with education and information at a booth manned by project members at the annual RiverFest in Shelburne Falls, MA (2 years) • Approximately 1000+ stakeholders statewide were provided with hands-on education and information at a booth manned by project members at the annual Science Festival in Cambridge, MA (each, at 3 events) • Ten local community members were provided with 3 hours of geomorphology education by project team members during a river walk held during the annual RiverFest in Shelburne Falls, MA (each, at 2 events) • Approximately 100 Seventh grade students from the McAuliffe School near Boston were provided with 3 hours of hands-on extreme events, resilience and fluvial geomorphology education by project team members during a river walk as part of their week-long outdoor education unit. • Five farm visits by team project members were used to identify specific flood vulnerabilities on agricultural land; team members provided these landowners with information that included technical and funding resources to reduce their vulnerability. • Members of the fluvial geomorphology task force (approximately 35 members) were provided access to project reports and resources. • Community decision makers in Western Massachusetts and Southern Vermont were provided municipal guidance booklets which provide location-specific information about how to limit the impacts of floods on their communities; these booklets may be seen here: http://scholarworks.umass.edu/water_publications/2/ and http://scholarworks.umass.edu/water_publications/3/. • Local and regional river managers were provided hard copies of the recently published "Supporting New England Communities to Become River-Smart: Policies and Programs that can Help New England Towns Thrive Despite River Floods," seen here: https://extension.umass.edu/riversmart/policy-report. • The report release was filmed for a public television program in the vicinity of the watershed: RiverSmart Report Released: http://gctv.org/videos/umass-riversmart-report-released and additional Deerfield River watershed programming followed: Water Hazard: http://gctv.org/videos/water-hazard River Restoration: http://gctv.org/videos/river-restoration • This media attention generated further press, and we were interviewed by our local public television station for a broader environmental series: Researching the Connecticut River Flooding: http://connectingpoint.wgby.org/2017/06/researching-connecticut-river-flooding/ • I was invited to speak about project work as part of a panel discussion about climate change and flooding impacts following a film entitled "From Hurricane to Climate Change" at a showing at the Hitchcock Center for the Environment, and the panel discussion was later filmed and distributed on the local cable circuit: From Hurricane to Climate Change: https://amherstmedia.org/content/hurricane-climate-change • Invited to talk about RiverSmart to the Board of Public Overseers in Shrewbury, MA (2 events) • Improved outreach sections of RiverSmart website that will contain content pertaining to watershed management, flood resilience and other resources. • Completed photo story documentation project for stakeholders who experienced major land changes as a result of Hurricane Irene on our website. • Answered questions about Hazard Mitigation Planning and inclusion of flood resilience planning in town documents. • Prepared Municipal Flood Guidance documents for Massachusetts and Vermont with specific directives for what to do way before, immediately before, during, and after the flood. • Gave public lectures about Fluvial Geomorphology and river flooding and resilience. • USDA Northeast Climate Hub: I have moved to a new role within this project: at the specific request of College of Natural Sciences Dean Steve Goodwin, I am serving in the supervisory role of liaison for this hub, part of a nationwide network within USDA. This work dovetails nicely with my ongoing research efforts. • My public education program has continued to expand significantly this year. We held four educational river walks, and provided a stream table and other river and flood-related resources including posters and fact sheets to public events including select board meetings, public river-themes festivals, public meetings and webinars. These efforts included hands-on trainings (e.g. streamflow and temperature monitoring), participatory education (stream table, river walk), lectures and webinars. • Long Island Sound Watershed Regional Conservation Partnership Program (LISW RCPP) - This watershed RCPP started up this year, after receiving a large federal grant. I serve on the Technical Steering Committee which advises all aspects of the five-year project, as well as the Resiliency group and the Soil Nutrients group. I have often been the sole Massachusetts representative in this Connecticut River watershed group, representing MA and UMass Extension. • Agricultural Producers and Climate Change Roundtable Discussion (10 stakeholders), New Bedford, MA. • Agricultural Producers and Climate Change Roundtable Discussion (30 stakeholders), Raynham, MA. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Initiative (1), Establishing a Fluvial Geomorphological Assessment (FGM) protocol in Massachusetts: Learning how to give rivers room to be rivers while living beside them. • Slovin (MS) compiled a database(https://extension.umass.edu/riversmart/fluvial-geomorphology-assessment-methods). • FGM assessments are labor intensive. Slovin compared the skill of automated methods for determining many FGM metrics. • With river restoration experts Milone & MacBroom, Inc. (MMI, Inc.), we prepared a geomorphic assessment of the Deerfield River and its adjacent riparian corridor in MA and VT to help stakeholders understand river processes in the watershed. Accessible and well-crafted, it provides robust science and a landscape framework by defining river characteristics, temporal river processes and resulting features, along with management issues. Anticipated hydrologic effects of climate change will be more acute along the tributaries with steep gradients and high stream power and dramatic geomorphic changes during floods. During year 2, MADOT invested $1.2M to create a multi-faceted tool for assessing road-stream crossings in changing climate conditions, allowing users to weight environmental, geomorphic, hydrology, transportation and structure condition variables. The tool helps identify potential risk to culverts due to erosion, sedimentation, debris, and flooding which can be ranked by priority for subsequent work. Groundwork for these metrics appears in our report.(See also FGM Task ForceunderInitiative 5) Initiative (2), Our function in the watershed:We developed fact sheets (web) with expert and stakeholder feedback to fill gaps in public understanding of flooding. We specifically developed a scientific illustration (John M. Evans) of a watershed for: a poster listing key concepts in flood preparedness and response, for river process and FGM education, and as an integral part of a report providing the basics about river processes, flooding in New England, and key policy recommendations for communities to be river-smart (our background science chapter is an excellent educational tool). It is our intention that our stakeholders hang the attractive poster in a public place and attach our municipal flood guidance for easy to access in the event of a flood. (dx.doi.org/10.1130/abs/2016AM-286147) Initiative (3), Knowledge and respect for the river corridor. Defining a river corridor is tricky; it is compromise and science. We need to know: (1)what- which geomorphic hazard we face at any given point, e.g. erosion or deposition, and (2)where- within which bounds is it likely to operate, e.g. the river corridor. For thewhat, postdoc Gartner developed a method to compute stream power. Change in stream power yields significant predictive capacity for assessing areas prone to deposition and erosion. For thewhere, GIS expert Chris Duncan of GIS Matters helped automate the stream power tool and many steps in SGAT, the fluvial geomorphic assessment methodology most preferred by theFGM Task Force(seeInitiative 5). • River Corridor and hazard maps by GIS Matters, MMI, MA Geological Survey and Debbie Shriver (using Gartner and MMI's tools to overlay a river corridor on prime agricultural lands, predict areas within the corridor subject to fluvial process, and tally the acreage of risk). • Outreach to provide this critical planning and risk-management information to NRCS, conservation commissions, select boards, area planners (e.g. FRCOG) and other stakeholders. Initiative (4), Widespread access to and use of flood hazard tools: We created a toolkit, consisting of: • Maps of the entire Deerfield watershed (MA/VT) showing fluvial hazard levels by reach, potential or active agricultural lands superimposed on the river corridor • Stream power methods manual and automated GIS tool for expert users to predict risk of erosion or sediment deposition(http://extension.umass.edu/riversmart/manuals) • flood preparedness resources and real-time warnings and data (web) • presence on and links to/from the Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN) •Municipal Guidance for Flood Emergencies: specific, local, resources and flood guidance for VT and MA at key times: Advance preparations, before the storm, during the storm, and recovery. Distributed to every municipality in the watershed to provide needed tools and support to maximize overall watershed/river health and minimize damages, identify sources for relief and post-disaster assistance, and pro-active measures for riverfront property management (and potential for profit; seeMunicipal Guidance) • Pilot-study maps of several reaches with detailed FGM assessments and hazards • Factsheets about fluvial processes, river hazards, river corridors, and near-river agricultural BMPs. • Interactive map withenvironmental, geomorphic, hydrology, transportation and structure condition on road-stream crossings to be used for prioritizing projects, repairs and detailed maintenance or upgrades. Together, these tools form a comprehensive set of effective flood hazard resources and educational tools for agricultural service providers, producers, and other riverfront stakeholders and planners. Techniques and tools are readily transferrable throughout New England. Initiative (5), Improved institutional infrastructure: Working to include geomorphic processes into flood risk management in New England, we feel that this must be a participatory process involving all stakeholders. A series of workshops over four years culminated in a recently published needs assessment articulating what comprises a MA flood hazard mapping program. Over the length of this project, we established aFluvial Geomorphic Task Force (FGM Task Force)for MA. The efforts of our interdisciplinary, multi-agency volunteer task force have resulted in: • defining the river corridor • defining the core mission of the FGM Task Force • defining a river-smart Massachusetts • preparation of a "vision presentation" for a river-smart Massachusetts • expert feedback on technical aspects of delineating river corridors • dissemination of major project ideas through community thought leaders from regulatory agencies, academia, consulting, river science practitioners, agriculturalists, and other state and local agencies. • laying the groundwork (including messaging, specific policy recommendations and network creation) for policy changes and actions on the state and regional levels. • a guidance document to clearly define a methodology for delimiting MA river corridors. • planning agencies invite FGM Committee to present ideas to policymakers to help translate them into specific policy recommendations for future lobbying efforts in Massachusetts and beyond(dx.doi.org/10.1111/jfr3.12328) • engaged conservation commissions statewide to educate about river processes and fluvial geomorphic hazards. Initiative (6), Farms resilient to climate change: In New England, Agriculture is often sited in floodplains, meaning farmers face significant risk of crop losses to floods. We developed targeted factsheets providing guidance, alternatives and resources for floodplain farmers. Finally, we conducted several roundtable discussions with farmers in the floodplain to talk about the impacts of climate change. These conversations were successful: Farmers were eager to envision solutions to future conditions, talk to scientists about pressing needs for information or resources, and to think through implications of different actions.(dx.doi.org/10.1525/cse.2017.sc.512407) See also: AGU-EOS, Fall Mtg Supp EP43A-3557, 2014; 2015 NE GSA paper 29-5; AGU-EOS, Fall Mtg Supp EP32A-03, 2015; dx.doi.org/10.1130/abs/2016NE-271668 (2016); dx.doi.org/10.1130/abs/2016AM-284097 (2016); AGU-EOS, Fall Mtg Supp EP51B-0903 2017; dx.doi.org/10.1130/abs/2017AM-307913 (2017)

Publications

• Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Slovin, Noah, "Using Digital Elevation Models Derived from Airborne LiDAR and Other Remote Sensing Data to Model Channel Networks and Estimate Fluvial Geomorphological Metrics" (2015). Masters Theses. 297. http://scholarworks.umass.edu/masters_theses_2/297
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Warner, Benjamin P.; Rachel E. Schattman, and Christine E. Hatch (2017) Farming the Floodplain: Ecological and Agricultural Tradeoffs and Opportunities in River and Stream Governance in New England's Changing Climate. Case Studies in the Environment Oct 2017, DOI: 10.1525/cse.2017.sc.512407
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Warner, B.P.; J.D. Gartner and C.E. Hatch (2017) Fluvial geomorphic assessment and river corridor mapping as flood risk management tools in Massachusetts, USA. Journal of Flood Risk Management. 1 NOV 2017 DOI: 10.1111/jfr3.12328
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2017 Citation: Warner, Benjamin P.; John D. Gartner, Christine E. Hatch and Michael Kline (submitted) A participatory approach to geomorphic-based fluvial risk management in Massachusetts, USA. Water Policy. (2016)
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Other Year Published: 2018 Citation: Gartner*, J.D.; I. Larsen and C.E. Hatch. (in preparation) Stream Power: from geomorphic origins to GIS computation, PLOS one
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Other Year Published: 2018 Citation: Slovin*, N.B.; C.E. Hatch, and J.D. Gartner*. (in preparation) Using Digital Elevation Models Derived from Airborne LiDAR and other Remote Sensing Data to Model Channel Networks and Estimate Fluvial Geomorphological Metrics, Geomorphology
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Other Year Published: 2018 Citation: Warner*, Benjamin P., John D. Gartner*, and Christine E. Hatch. (in prep) Flood narratives and institutional barriers, stories from the Chickley River during and after Hurricane Irene in Hawley (and Savoy), Massachusetts, USA
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Gartner, John D., Isaac J. Larsen, Stephen Lukas and Christine E. Hatch. Re-introduction of large woody debris to New England rivers by Tropical Storm Irene. AGU-EOS, "Fall Meeting Supplement" Abstract EP51B-0903, 2016.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Gartner, John D.; Carl E. Renshaw, Christine E. Hatch, and Isaac J. Larsen. Floods as natural agents of river complexity: Physical controls and geomorphic implications (invited), Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 48, No. 7 doi: 10.1130/abs/2016AM-286147 GSA Annual Meeting, Denver, CO 25-28 September 2016, Paper No. 282-2
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Gartner, John D.*, Stephen C. Lukas*, Isaac J. Larsen, and Christine E. Hatch. Predicting channel stability and analyzing changes in riparian cover and woody debris in the Chickley River Watershed, Hawley, Massachusetts, USA. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 49, No. 6 GSA Annual Meeting, Seattle, WA 22-25 October 2017, Paper No. 318-4. doi: 10.1130/abs/2017AM-307913
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Schwartz, Alexander D.; and Christine E. Hatch. Comparison of discharge estimation methods within a fluvial system: a case study. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 48, No. 7 doi: 10.1130/abs/2016AM-284097 GSA Annual Meeting, Denver, CO 25-28 September 2016, Paper No. 59-29
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Lukas, Stephen C.* John D. Gartner and Christine E. Hatch. Five years after the flood: Analysis of a river twice-restored in the Deerfield Watershed. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 48, No. 2 doi: 10.1130/abs/2016NE-271668 Northeastern Section - Geological Society of America, 51st Annual Meeting, Albany, NY, 21-23 March, Paper 48-5, 2016.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Hatch, Christine E., Stephen B. Mabee, Noah B. Slovin, Eve Vogel, John D. Gartner, Nicole Gillett and Benjamin P. Warner. Power of Streams and Power of Management: How Community and Fluvial Science Work Together for Massachusetts Rivers. AGU-EOS, "Fall Meeting Supplement" Abstract EP32A-03, 2015.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Slovin, Noah B.* and Christine E. Hatch. Using Digital Elevation Models Derived from Airborne LiDAR and Other Remote Sensing Data to Model Channel Networks and Estimate Fluvial-Geomorphological Metrics. (60) 2015 Annual Meeting - American Association of Geographers, Chicago, IL, 21-25 April, 2015.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Slovin, Noah B.* and Christine E. Hatch. What you dont know can hurt you: RiverSmart Communities and the importance of fluvial geomorphology assessments in Massachusetts. Northeastern Section - Geological Society of America, 50th Annual Meeting, Bretton Woods, NH, 23-25 March, Paper 29-5, 2015.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Hatch, Christine E., Stephen Mabee, Noah Slovin and Eve Vogel. Preparing for uncertainty: toward managing fluvial geomorphic assessment of Massachusetts rivers. AGU-EOS, "Fall Meeting Supplement" Abstract EP43A-3557, 2014.
• Type: Book Chapters Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2018 Citation: Gillett, Nicole V.; Noah B. Slovin, Eve Vogel, and Christine E. Hatch, (2018) Proliferating a New Generation of Critical Physical Geographers: Graduate Education in UMass's RiverSmart Communities project, Chapter 24 in The Palgrave Handbook of Critical Physical Geography, Lave, R., C. Biermann, and S. Lane, Editors, 2018. Palgrave Macmillan: London. Springer ISBN 978-3-319-71460-8
• Type: Books Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Community decision makers in Western Massachusetts and Southern Vermont were provided municipal guidance booklets which provide location-specific information about how to limit the impacts of floods on their communities; these booklets may be seen here: Vogel, Eve; Benjamin Warner, Jerry Schoen, Nicole Gillett, Laurel Payne, Daphne Chang, Peter Huntington, Christine Hatch, Marie-Francoise Hatte, and Noah Slovin (2016): Supporting New England Communities to Become River-Smart: Policies and programs that can help New England towns thrive despite river floods. Publication editor Joe Shoenfeld. UMass Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment. Available at https://extension.umass.edu/riversmart/policy-report
• Type: Websites Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: https://extension.umass.edu/riversmart/
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Municipal Guidance for Flood Emergencies: Documents for Massachusetts providing specific, local, resources and guidance for floods at key times: Advance preparations, before the storm, during the storm, and recovery by Debbie Shriver available at http://scholarworks.umass.edu/water_publications/2/
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Municipal Guidance for Flood Emergencies: Documents for Vermont providing specific, local, resources and guidance for floods at key times: Advance preparations, before the storm, during the storm, and recovery by John Bennett, Windham County Regional Commission available at http://scholarworks.umass.edu/water_publications/3/

Progress 09/01/14 to 08/31/15

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience of this project is divided into three categories. First, we engage with and inform researchers doing basic hydrogeology and geographical sciences. We do this by presenting our fluvial geomorphology research at academic conferences and invited lections, and by publishing in traditional academic journals. Second, we engage local stakeholders in the communities in which we work. We do this in multiple ways. We hold meetings with river management professionals to provide them with our findings and solicit feedback on next-steps. We conduct river walks and educational outreach to engage the general public in conversations about sustainable river management in New England. Finally, we create farmer-specific education materials which we send to farmers who are vulnerable to flood impacts in the region; farmer engagement and education also occurs through farm visits and seminars. Third, we engage students at different levels. This mentorship includes undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdocs. Our goal is to provide students with the opportunity to do scientifically rigorous research that is relevant at the local level.? Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Opportunities for training and professional development for project team members include the following: Case study design and development, in partnership with theNational Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC) for postdoc Benjamin Warner How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Project results have been disseminated to stakeholders in the following ways: Approximately 100 agricultural landowners were identified as owning land that is vulnerable to flood impacts; these landowners were mailed information that included technical and funding resources to reduce their vulnerability. 47 local river management stakeholders were provided with project information throught the Creating Resilient Communities network. Approximatly 200 local community members were provided with education and information at a booth manned by project members at the annual RiverFest in Shelburne Falls, MA. Ten local community members were provided with 3 hours of geomorphology education by project team members during a river walk held during the annual RiverFest in Shelburne Falls, MA. Five farm visits by team project members were used to identify specific flood vulnerabilities on agricultural land; team members provided these landowners with informationthat included technical and funding resources to reduce their vulnerability. Members of the fluvial geomorphology task force (approximately 35 members) were provided access to project reports and resources. Community decision makers in Western Massachusetts and Southern Vermont were provided municipal guidance booklets which provide location-specific information about how to limit the impacts of floods on their communities; these booklets may be seen here:http://scholarworks.umass.edu/water_publications/2/ andhttp://scholarworks.umass.edu/water_publications/3/. Local and regional river managers were provided hard copies of the recently published "Supporting New England Communities to Become River-Smart: Policies and Programs that can Help New England Towns Thrive Despite River Floods," seen here:https://extension.umass.edu/riversmart/policy-report. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?During the next reporting period, the project team plans to further develop and finalize farm vulnerability maps, conduct workshops with farmers to further disseminate information and gather feedback, and continue publishing the results of this project.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Together with colleagues, collaborators and our community counterparts, we have made great progress. The following is a summary of progress in each of our six initiatives. Initiative (1), Establishing a Fluvial Geomorphological Assessment (FGM) protocol in Massachusetts: Learning how to give rivers room to be rivers while living beside them. Through the efforts of our interdisciplinary, multi-agency volunteer task force, we have begun the process of defining what should be included in the river corridor, what is the core mission of the FGM Task Force, and what our vision is for a river-smart Massachusetts. After exhaustive research on methods for delineating river corridors, we presented the task force with a selection of the best of these during a targeted work session, and have parsedthe results of this out into both a peer-reviewed publication (in revision) as well as a guidance document to clearly definea methodology for Massachusetts river corridors. Combining this research activity with our service to the commonwealth has added significant value to the resulting research and buy-in to the outreach activity, and highlights the advantage of integrated research and extension activities. After a warm reception for these ideas at many public outreach events, and at the recommendation of the task force, we've generated a draft vision presentation. This presentation has been paired with printed material and has beenpresented to politicians and planners. Initiative (2), Communities facing change: We've developed a number of fact sheets that address knowledge gaps in the public's understanding of flooding, and have solicitedexpert and stakeholder feedback onthese materials. These areavailable on our RiverSmart website. In addition, we've included an entire background science chapter into a sister project's final report, that we think will be an excellent educational tool; this can also be seen on our website. Initiative (3), Knowledge and respect for the river corridor: With Milone & MacBroom, Inc. (MMI), we prepared a geomorphic assessment of Deerfield River in western Massachusetts and southern Vermont. This project is a broad-based geomorphic assessment of the Deerfield River and its adjacent riparian corridor to define its characteristics, processes, and management issues. This river assessment focuses upon temporal river processes and resulting features rather than the more common assessment of local cross section forms and characteristics that change after annual floods. The Deerfield River has been found to be remarkably stable with moderate specific stream power, except in highly contracted segments, and the few large floodplains are more prone to sediment deposition rather than dynamic migratory channels or avulsions. In contrast, several larger tributaries have steep gradients and narrow confined valleys that lead to high stream power and dramatic geomorphic changes during floods. Consequently, the anticipated hydrologic effects of climate change will be more acute along the tributaries than the main stem. The second part of this project included developing a GIS-based model to compute specific stream power and using the results to help predict culvert and bridge vulnerability of failure. This vulnerability screening tool uses remote sensing data and a regression equation to predict hydrology and channel reach slope and a prediction of channel and structure condition that is compared to a field inventory of culverts. The purpose of the vulnerability screen analysis is to help identify the potential for channel and structural risk at culverts due to erosion, sedimentation, debris, and flooding. Vulnerable structures can then be ranked by priority for subsequent on-site investigation. Initiative (4), Widespread access to and use of flood hazard tools: We havedevelopedtools to assess erosion and deposition hazards to farmland in the region, which have pilotedin the Deerfield River watershed in Massachusetts and Vermont. This assessment takes the form of a GIS model and delineates fluvial hazard levels from one reach to the next across the watershed. This map is currently being used as an educational tool for agricultural service providers, producers, and other riverfront stakeholders and planners. We have also used this knowledge to target agricultural and riverfront stakeholders in an effort to provide them with needed tools and support, including factsheets and strategies for riparian land management to maximize overall watershed/river health and minimize damages, sources for relief and post-disaster assistance, and pro-active measures for riverfront property management (and potential for profit). While we focus on a single bi-state basin as a test bed, these techniques are readily transferrable throughout New England. Initiative (5), Improved institutional infrastructure: We have begun studying possibilities forthe inclusion of geomorphic processes into flood risk management in New England. We argue that a program must be participatory by design, relying on flood risk management stakeholders representing government (local, state, and federal), non-governmental organizations, consulting agencies, academia, and industry. A series of workshops with stakeholders over four years has culminated in a needs assessment that articulates what must be included in the development of a Massachusetts flood hazard mapping program. In this report, we share the results of this needs assessment, which to our knowledge, represents the first inclusive and participatory assessment of its kind. We do this in the hope that other jurisdictions incurring flood damages from geomorphic processes may find it to be a useful model as they work to mitigate these damages. Initiative (6), Farms resilient to climate change:In New England, climate change models forecast increasing frequent floods. Communities in this region are already experiencing these changes, along with the negative consequences associated with them (such as inundation, erosion, natural habitat destruction, and property damage.) Based on our GIS farm vulnerability mapping, we can see that agriculture in New England is often sited in floodplains, which means that farmers face significant risk of crop losses when their fields flood. These farmers are already adapting to the increased risk of flooding, however some of their actions have negative implication for communities downstream, both human and natural. We have examinedthe competing perspectives of farmers and other community stakeholders in the context of New England and are currently in the process ofproposingamendments to the current river governance structure to ensure that agriculture is sustainable in the region in a changing climate.

Publications

Progress 09/01/13 to 08/31/14

Outputs
Target Audience:RiverSmart Communities and Federal Collaborators outreach-public-media centered groups and basic research scientists Stream and Riverfront Community stakeholders Riverfront farmers Changes/Problems:We had difficulty recruiting a suitable graduate student for this project, and hired two postdoctoral researchers instead. As a result of this, our timetable for completion has moved forward one calendar year. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?SARE Workshop for farm managers and farmers Guest lecture at Boston College Presentation to Deerfield River Watershed Association well attended by the public Training of undergraduate student Training of postdoctoral scholar How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Fluvial Geomorphology Workshop - (3) Meetings with collaborators to coordinate complimentary projects (3) Stream Temperature and Flow Monitoring Workshop (1) RiverSmart Factsheets (1) RiverSmart Project Website (1) Climate Voices Network (Websites or Other Electronic Delivery) This is an unplanned output Serve as liaison for Water and Climate Science issues in Agriculture (1) Stream Temperature and Flow Monitoring Workshop (3) 2-day fieldtrip/class relating to streams, floods (and mathematics) for EUREKA! Girls Incorporated of Holyoke, MA, Smart Partners. Climate Voices Network (Website ) This is an unplanned output Flood Resilience and Recovery Assistance: Lessons Learned from Vermont (webinar) Fluvial Geomorphology workshop (1) Give public lectures about Water Resources and Climate Change (at Pomfret School, NECSC and UMass's Summer Institute in Leadership in Sustainability) (3) Represent UMass and RiverSmart Communities at the Deerfield/Franklin Regional Council Of Governments (FRCOG) "Creating Resilient Communities" group meetings (4) Serve as liaison for Water and Climate Science issues between UMass (including Northeast Climate Science Center (NECSC - DOI), the New England Climate Center (UMass), and the Climate System Research Center (Geosciences)), stakeholders and the community Serve as liaison for Water and Climate Science issues in Agriculture SARE Workshop for farm managers and farmers Guest lecture at Boston College Presentation to Deerfield River Watershed Association well attended by the public What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Complete web resource kit of educational resource tools Additional educational stream walks Climate change round table discussions with farmers virtual tour roll-out photo documentation roll-out Irene photo stories event conservation commission presentation Massachusetts Farm Bureau meeting table printed report selectman's association meetings public fairs and events distribution of educational toolkits

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Participants adhere more closely to regulations and practices that protect aquatic, riparian and floodplain ecologies Participants adhere more closely to regulations and practices that provide long-term flood prevention and remediation Participants make informed decisions about flood restoration practices by utilizing tools and strategies provided in and described by RiverSmart Factsheets, website, Mini-report; and informed by process-based Fluvial Geomorphology Participants utilize Distributed Temperature Sensing for ecological assessment, researching surface water-groundwater interactions, or other environmental applications. Regulators, municipal officials or other professionals implement a Fluvial Geomorphology-based protocol for stream assessment and management in Massachusetts Increase in the kind and number of relationships between institutions and collaborations across jurisdictions, agencies and purposes. Increase in the number of New England rivers subject to ecologically restorative flood prevention and remediation (change in environmental conditions) Management and assessment of Massachusetts streams and rivers utilizing process- based Fluvial Geomorphology to inform decision-making Participants access our flood remediation approaches and outcomes database to increase understanding of the full range of fluvial geomorphological assessment methods, as well as their individual costs and benefits Participants access our web-based toolbox on the RiverSmart Project Website containing a compilation and analysis of FGM Assessment methods and flood remediation approaches to increase understanding of the full range of fluvialgeomorphological assessment methods, as well as their individual costs and benefits Participants increase understanding of codified approaches to quantitative field measures of fluvial geomorphology that can result in improved assessment of flood remediation and prevention Participants will increase in their understanding of how water resources are affected by changes in climate in the Northeast Changes in regulations, improvements in institutional coordination mechanisms, improved policy implementation or improved funding approaches that better support ecologically restorative flood prevention and remediation

Publications

• Type: Websites Status: Other Year Published: 2014 Citation: RiverSmart website: www.geo.umass.edu/riversmart