College of Forestry
Watershed Moments: People, Forests, and Water
Water is an Essential Resource
In the coming year, both ongoing and new concerns about forest and water interactions are expected to generate increased interest among forest owners, managers, and the academic community. Questions and controversies concerning water protection policies and legal issues, coupled with emerging new information from paired watershed studies, provide a rich array of topics for this year's 2012 Starker Lecture Series.
The 2012 Starker Lecture Series will kick-off with a tie-in to the February 28 Oregon Forests and Water Symposium, sponsored by the Oregon Forest Resources Institute (OFRI). This all day symposium will provide updates on current issues, including paired watershed studies, herbicides, and point source vs. non-point source pollution. The three Starker Lectures that follow will explore selected forest and water issues more deeply, focusing on policy, the science of watersheds, and a global connections perspective. The Capstone Field Trip will offer a tour of the "Alsea Revisited" Watershed Study area.
February 28, 2012
8:00am - 4:30pm
OSU CH2M HILL Alumni Center
Sponsored by Oregon Forest Resources Institute (OFRI), the Oregon Forests and Water Symposium will disclose emerging conclusions from three large studies that are examining the relationship between managed forests and water resources. Free and open to the public, the symposium will be held at the OSU CH2M HILL Alumni Center. Registration is required.
Related Media:
March 8, 2012
3:30pm - 5:00pm
107 Richardson Hall
Dr. O'Laughlin authored a summary of the Clean Water Act to explain things like non-point source pollution and total maximum daily loads (TMDLs) to natural resource managers and policymakers in Idaho. He'll provide an overview of water quality protection policies in the Pacific Northwest and beyond, including discussion of voluntary vs. regulatory forestry Best Management Practices programs.
Jay O'Laughlin, Professor of Forestry & Policy Sciences and Director, Policy Analysis Group
College of Natural Resources, University of Idaho
April 5, 2012
3:30pm - 5:00pm
107 Richardson Hall
Paired watershed studies have long been used to accurately assess the impacts of forest management, especially timber-harvesting on runoff and erosion from forested watersheds. George Brown was one of the researchers on the original 1959-1973 Alsea Watershed Study and will offer invaluable historical context on the science of paired watershed research. George Ice is the Principal Investigator on the current "Alsea Revisited" Watershed Study and will offer national expertise on the science of forest practices and watershed effects.
George Brown / George Ice, Dean and Director Emeritus / Fellow
OSU College of Forestry and Oregon Forest Research Laboratory / National Council for Air and Stream Improvement (NCASI)
May 10, 2012
3:30pm - 5:00pm
107 Richardson Hall
Both land-use change and climate change are important drivers for water resources, and understanding the direction, magnitude, and timing of these influences can be challenging. Another key challenge is to connect and communicate this science to water users, landowners, policy makers and program developers to help them adapt to changing conditions and find effective approaches for managing water and other ecosystem services. Drawing on examples spanning from the Oregon Cascades to the Ecuadorian Andes to global syntheses, Dr. Farley will examine challenges associated with gaps in the scientific understanding of the effects of land-use and climate change on water resources and other ecosystem services as welll as efforts to fill gaps in communicating the science to stakeholders.
Kathleen Farley, Assistant Professor of Geography
San Diego State University, San Diego, CA
May 31, 2012
9:00am - 3:00pm
Flynn Creek and Needle Branch watersheds
This field trip to the Flynn Creek and Needle Branch watersheds will feature discussions on this and other current paired watershed studies on forest lands.
