Rocky Mountain Stream Restoration Conference
- Liam O'Meara
- Jul 7, 2017
- 2 min read
Last week, EQR was fortunate enough to attend the Rocky Mountain Stream Restoration Conference in Breckenridge CO. The event was not only a great opportunity to meet like-minded stream professionals in the Rocky Mountain region, but also a fantastic venue to learn more about new developments in research and practical case studies affecting the discipline.
We kicked off a very busy conference with an EQR Drone Workshop developed by Mike Aust and run by Mike and myself. There were 15 attendees who learned about the variety of benefits that drones (Small Unmanned Aerial Systems (sUAS) offer stream restoration professionals in construction. The attendees also had the opportunity to fly a drone for some hands-on experience! We had a very interactive workshop that generated excitement about the future of technology in ecological restoration.
Also, I was lucky enough to give a presentation developed by Katrina Emery and Adam Nabors on Materials Management in Stream Restoration--- which was well-received by the audience and fostered some great discussion. It turns out that owners and engineers want to save money!
Over the next two days we were fortunate enough to see some fascinating discussions from various experts in the field. We saw Prof. Thomas Dunne PhD., the foremost researcher in channel form, as well as Dave Rosgen PhD, the father of Natural Channel Design. We met and heard from local watershed coalitions, engineers, ecologists, and designers, all of whom had insights to share and learn from.
Additionally, EQR sponsored the raffle of a new DJI Phantom 4 drone, which (not rigged I swear) went to Kai Rosgen, Dave Rosgen’s wife. Mike Aust got to show Dave how to fly the drone—which was a nice role-reversal.
All in all, it was a great week for EQR in which we raised our profile in the industry and maybe learned a thing or two.
Takeaways:
Sediment Transport is one of the most complex consideration in stream restoration design, and yet, probably the most important. The science is still developing on the interaction of channel form and sediment transport. We still have a lot to learn.
There is a knowledge gap between owners and designers as to how to lay out a project for the highest efficiency. This is where EQR brings value to the table with our expertise in production management.
We have a great team with unlimited potential—I’ve seen our competition at home and elsewhere, and EQR is head and shoulders above the rest.
Looking forward, EQR is looking forward to the Mid Atlantic Stream Restoration Conference in September. EQR will be doing not one, not two, but three separate presentations—this one’s in our backyard and our chance to shine!
