Presenting at the 2024 Sustaining Colorado Watersheds Conference with a Modern Approach to Inevitable Change

November, 2024

This October, the annual Sustaining Colorado Watersheds Conference took place with the overarching theme of ‘Flowing Through Change.’ With that focus, attendees explored the relentless nature of change when it comes to work on natural systems. As part of the conference lineup, Ethan Ader (Otak Fluvial Geomorphologist) presented on how the evolving practice of adaptive management is addressing challenges to create lasting desired outcomes in the field of environmental science.

“Every opportunity to share data on adaptive management and monitoring helps the industry move closer to creating standardization for this type of work, so we’ll able to draw large scale conclusions.”

– Ethan Ader, Fluvial Geomorphologist

What is the Sustaining Colorado Watersheds Conference?

Watersheds represent some of our most valuable natural resources. In partnership between Water Education Colorado, the Colorado Riparian Association and the Colorado Watershed Assembly, the Sustaining Colorado Watersheds Conference takes place each year, bringing together environmental professionals to advance best practices in work on natural systems. With the goal of expanding cooperation and collaboration throughout the state in natural resource conservation, protection, and enhancement, the event engages participants on topical issues facing the practice. Along with a valuable opportunity to learn about emerging practices, the conference also facilitates important connections between industry professionals.

Sharing Lessons from an Adaptive Management Plan to Improve Industry Standardization

In addition to discussing ideas and networking, the Sustaining Colorado Watersheds Conference also explores real world examples of how approaches are being applied in the field. This year, Ethan Ader was there to do just that with his presentation titled Preparing for Inevitable Change Through Adaptive Management and Monitoring Along St. Vrain Creek. By sharing a look at an adaptive management plan and demonstrating how commonly competing interests don’t have to be at odds with one another in this type of work, he also aimed to help advance the standardization of this practice in the industry.

“[Through conferences like this] it’s important to be able to communicate two successful examples of where fish passage and water delivery can go hand in hand.”

– Ethan Ader, Fluvial Geomorphologist

While walking through the process for adaptive management, which involves ongoing monitoring that allows for responsive decision-making and project updates, Ethan detailed how the practice is being applied at two fish passage projects constructed along St. Vrain Creek. Fish passage projects can come with the negative perception that they can adversely impact water delivery to properties in the project area, but with data from these sites, Ethan demonstrated how this stream was performing as designed without interrupting flow to other entities.

Two years of data presented from St. Vrain Creek show that project goals continue to be successful while, simultaneously, ongoing conversations with ditch companies have ensured their needs are also being met. With this information, the project team is ultimately able to contribute towards advancing adaptive management in the industry. As the approach is more broadly adopted and as more data is collected, the creation of standardization will improve the efficacy of these projects and their impact on community resilience and aquatic habitat.

While Ethan notes there is still a lot of work to do on this front, with a lot of overlapping and reinforcing ideas, the Sustaining Colorado Watersheds Conference represented another step in the right direction and he’s happy to do his part in presenting this use case.