Recipient Organization
UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY
(N/A)
LOGAN,UT 84322
Performing Department
College of Natural Resources
Non Technical Summary
Water managers in the western United States must allocate increasingly scarce water resources among competing uses, in the face of long-term drought and climate uncertainty. The goal of this conference is facilitate interaction between water researchers, agency representatives, and other stakeholder groups and to disseminate information about the tools necessary for water managers to address these challenges. In addition to highlighting state-of-the-art water management techniques, the conference will assist water managers, policymakers, and researchers in identifying knowledge gaps in research necessary to continue to improve water management in the future; and to identify education and outreach needs and best practices to reach practitioners.Resulting outcomes will strengthen the resiliency of local and regional stakeholder communities faced with water resource challenges. The focus of the conference is on management tools to improve water managers; ability to cope with increased variability (including extreme events) of drought and flooding. Specific tools include water leasing and rights transfers, water banking, conjunctive management, water-use monitoring and information provision, balancing urban and agricultural water demand with instream flows, and improved storage management.The conference will be held in Salt Lake City, Utah, in October 2015 (likely October 21-23 or 28-30). Program area priorities addressed include: Effect of altered frequency and intensity of a changing climate on availability of water for agricultural use; ensuring sufficient water supply for agricultural use; scientific information for regional agricultural water security; and improved knowledge delivery to agricultural and nonagricultural water users.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
We propose to organize and offer a conference that will facilitate coordination of water researchers and stakeholders. The long-term goal of improved coordination is to provide local and regional water managers and policymakers with tools that will strengthen the resiliency of their stakeholder communities and improve their ability to manage water resources in the face of long-term drought and climate uncertainty.Research Objectives for this conference are:To identify knowledge gaps and research necessary to improve water management in the future.To share and discuss strategies, tools, and approaches for coping with long-term drought and climate uncertainty.Extension Objectives for this conference are:To bring together water managers, policymakers, and researchers to establish a dialog about water management in the western United States.To disseminate findings of the conference to researchers and different user groups.To identify outreach needs and best practices to reach practitioners.Education Objectives for the conference are:To identify education needs and best practices to reach educators, students and practitioners.
Project Methods
Conference Management Plan The following plan outlines the various steps necessary to plan and implement the proposed conference, assure that outputs (as defined in our Logic Model) are completed, and assure that we reach researchers, extension educators and formal educators about the findings of the conference.The Planning Committee currently is comprised of the PD and CoPDs, with likely input from some members of the Conference Advisory Team. PD, CoPDs and the Conference Advisory Team are identified in the Key Personnel document. Representatives from Western Governors Association and Western States Water Council will included on the planning committee once funding for the conference is secured.Letters of support by conference collaborators (Water for Food Institute (WFF), Utah State University (USU) Extension, Journal of Natural Resources Policy) are listed in the Documentation of Collaboration attachment.Pre conference planning Finalize dates of conference (Planning Committee): The proposed dates in the proposal (Tuesday, Wednesday or Wednesday, Thursday of the weeks of Oct 18 or Oct 25, 2015) were selected to minimize conflicts with other meetings or commitments of our target audience. We will confirm that this window is still the best and choose final dates.Arrange conference facilities (Mesner in consultation with rest of Planning Committee):Negotiate Salt Lake City hotel contract for conference rooms, Audio Visual (AV) needs, conference meals, room blocks.Finalize agenda (Planning Committee: Invite and confirm keynote and special topic speakers (we have developed a fairly detailed list of potential speakers during the planning process and will work from this as a starting point). We have budgeted funds for invited speaker travel. Whenever possible, invitations will be made by advisory team members who know or work with these individuals.Invite and confirm international speakers (this will be funded by and coordinated with WFF).Develop final agenda. Establish dates for registration.Seek out possible sponsors or invite professional societies/ other organizations who may wish to display during the evening poster session.Develop conference website (Mesner, USU Extension, Planning Committee): USU Extension will assist in developing conference website, including an online registration page and link to Hotel registration site, information about airport transportation, parking, restaurant and other opportunities in Salt Lake City, etc.Develop outreach materials about conference (Graphics team from USU Extension or other participating LGUs): Develop online "flier" about conference and distribute it to our target audience (members of WERA 1020 and W3190, researchers in LGUs and other institutions in targeted states, agencies, water managers).All members of Planning Committee and Conference Advisory Team will distribute through appropriate list serves and professional organizations.Graduate student travel awards (Planning Committee and Conference Advisory Team):Establish "rules" for granting graduate student travel awards.Announce graduate student travel awards for conference on website, through list serves, through other networks. Submissions through the web page.Selection of award winners made by subset of planning/advisory committee; awardees notified via email.USU will assist with award of travel awards and travel arrangements.Decide on and arrange for best methods to record / document talks at conference. (Planning Committee): During planning stages, we will discuss the value of different types of conference record keeping. Based on decisions during planning:We will ask for abstracts from all speakers.We will acquire all Power points and handouts.We may record audio with Camtasia, within Power point, or via another program. USU Extension will assist with this.We may also take video of some or all of the conference.Preconference materials / printing (Planning Committee): Collect abstracts, bios, titles from invited speakersPrint agenda and list of attendees, and collate with other materials for conference (writing paper, pens/other giveaways, info about Salt Lake City, and additional information as necessary)Print name tags to include with conference packets.During Conference General conference arrangements (USU Extension and Mesner): Coordinate with hotel, assuring that rooms are arranged correctly, that we have excellent AV (including microphones for speakers and for audience).Mesner and Extension team will also assure that problems with sleeping rooms, food and beverage or other issues are addressed in a timely manner by the hotel.USU students will be recruited to assist with the conference - manning registration, helping with setting up different room arrangements and setting up the poster display, etc. We will offer travel to and from USU and an opportunity to hear the sessions in return.Sessions: (Planning Committee and Conference Advisory Team): Members of the planning /advisory committee will moderate sessions, introduce speakers, and assist with leading discussions.Members of the planning/advisory committee will meet during the evening of the first session and also following the last special topic session to compile initial findings, identified needs, and develop leading questions for the wrap up session.Members of the planning/advisory committee, selected students or participants will be assigned as note takers for each session. These notes will be used in putting together the conference summary document.Following the conference: Send short email survey to obtain feedback on value of conference and ideas to improve future efforts. (USU Extension/Mesner or other member of Planning Committee)Organize special edition for Journal (Planning Committee and Conference Advisory Team, led by Dr. Schoengold)Organize formatted document of conference for posting on Conference and other partner websites. (Members of Planning Committee in coordination with USU Extension)Distribute findings to decision makers, Western Governors Association, Western States Water Council, State Engineers, managers of irrigation water. (Selected members of Planning Committee and Conference Advisory Team)Distribute follow up survey to decision makers (eg. Western Governors Association, Western States Water Council, State Engineers, managers of irrigation water) to identify any changes, modifications or other use of the outcomes of this conference. (Selected members of Planning Committee and Conference Advisory Team)Identify additional follow up activities and action items that resulted from the conference