June 2
MONDAY MORNING PLENARY SESSION 

River Engineering versus River Restoration    Keynote Presentation  by Philip Williams, PhD

Learn about the frustrations and dilemmas river managers face who are caught between two paradigms: the 19th century utilitarian idea of the river as a resource to be exploited, and the contemporary view of sustainable multi-objective resource management. Explore how the river engineering legacy has created institutional, conceptual and technical barriers that must be overcome in order to effectively restore river ecosystems.

Phil Williams is president of PWA Ltd., a San Francisco consulting firm he founded 25 years ago to develop integrated solutions to river and flood management questions. Since the 70's, he has helped agency, non-profit, and private clients plan and design river restoration projects throughout the western States. He has long been an advocate of using scientific understanding as a basis for defining ecologic integrity that we use as the goal in reviving the ‘Living River'. Phil is also the founder and former president of the International Rivers Network. He has a Ph.D. in sediment hydraulics and is a registered engineer in California, the U.K., and the European Union.

Adaptive Management Panel Session

How can adaptive management be implemented on the Missouri River?

Dr. Steven Gloss served as National Research Council chair for the report, Missouri River Ecosystem: Exploring the Prospects for Recovery. He will discuss the report’s recommendation to implement adaptive management on the Missouri River and share his experiences as the lead USGS biologist on the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program. 

Dr. Gloss will moderate the panel session to discuss your adaptive management questions.

PANELISTS
Sue Lowry, Missouri River Basin Association • Tony Prato, Missouri River Institute, University of Missouri • Gene Zuerlein, Missouri River Natural Resources Committee • Rose Hargrave, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers • Charles Scott, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service • Michael Mac, U.S. Geological Survey

June 3 
TUESDAY EVENING BANQUET

PERFORMANCE Songteller Bob Dyer
Bob Dyer was raised on the banks of the Missouri River in the historic Boonslick region of central Missouri. Bob combines his skills as a poet, musician, historian, folklorist and teacher in his "songtelling" presentations. His songs, accompanied by guitar, are original folk-style ballads that encompass many historical themes, especially related to the Missouri River.

June 4
WEDNESDAY CLOSING LUNCHEON

Honoring the Legacy: Discovering and Restoring the Rivers of Lewis and Clark by Rebecca Wodder, President, American Rivers

Rebecca Wodder grew up along the banks of the Missouri in Omaha, Nebraska. She has been deeply involved in environmental protection for most of her life. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Kansas in biology and environmental studies and master’s degrees from the University of Wisconsin in landscape architecture and water resources management.   She began working in Washington 25 years ago as a legislative aide on the environment and energy for Senator Gaylord Nelson, founder of Earth Day. She then worked for The Wilderness Society, and helped found Earth Share, a coalition of national environmental groups that promotes charitable giving in the workplace. She served as its chair from 1990 to 1992. Rebecca joined American Rivers as president in 1995. Within three years, the American Sport Fishing Association named her its Woman of the Year, for her work on behalf of clean, healthy rivers. Since then, American Rivers has doubled its membership, staff, and annual budget – and quintupled the number of field offices.