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December 1, 2017 / Volume 5, Issue 33
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What Does Sustainability Mean Today?
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UA's Daily Wildcat student newspaper featured food sustainability in an article recently, highlighting the work of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) and the WRRC. Student journalist Hannah Dahl quoted Jeffrey Silvertooth, Associate Dean of Cooperative Extension and Economic Development in CALS, and Sharon Megdal, Director of the WRRC. According to Dahl, there is no universal definition of sustainability and many different views on how it can be achieved. CALS addresses sustainability questions by applying scientific research to real-world problems. "We're all in this together, in terms of how do we sustain a population over time in the desert, with limited resources, in a practical way," said Silvertooth.
One issue at the core of sustaining any population is the state's most valuable resource: water. "We have to engage in good water management so that we have the water supplies to support our existing economy and people and what's expected to be growing demands over time," said Megdal. Housed in CALS, the WRRC provides community outreach and education with a focus on water issues in the local and state regions.
Every step towards sustainability is a step in the right direction. With the help of thousands of dedicated students, faculty, and staff the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences is working toward building a more sustainable future every day.
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 WRRC Brown Bag - Camo, Hose Clamps, and Pixels: Arizona's Approach for Low-cost Intermittent Stream Monitoring
December 6, 2017
Time/Location: 12:00 p.m. - 1:15 p.m. / WRRC Sol Resnick Conference Room (350 N. Campbell Ave.)
Speaker: Meghan Smart, Environmental Scientist, ADEQ
If a picture is worth a thousand words, why not extrapolate from digital pixels and use that as a low cost, continuous, and unambiguous method to study intermittent streams? Arizona's 6,000 miles of intermittent streams are understudied because they are logistically difficult to sample and because perennial streams are historically thought of as 'more important'. The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) developed an intermittent stream monitoring program using time-lapse photography and a probabilistic approach to fill the large data gap.
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- January 17 - George Frisvold, Professor, Specialist AREC
- January 23 - Cynthia Wallace, USGS Research Geographer
- February 6 - Maria Dadgar, Executive Director of ITCA
- February 21 - Jacob Petersen-Perlman, Research Analyst WRRC and Sharon B. Megdal, Director WRRC
- February 22 -John Fleck, Author and Water Resources Program Director, University of New Mexico
- March 13 - Ben Wilder, Director, Desert Laboratory on Tumamoc Hill
- April 12 - Felicia Marcus, Chair, CA State Water Resources Control Board
Check out all of our upcoming
events and videos of previous events on our
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Friends of Sonoita Creek Presents -
Patagonia Lake State Park and Sonoita Creek State Natural Area
December 2, 2017
Time/Location:
10:00 a.m. / Cady Hall, Patagonia Library (346 Duquesne, Patagonia)
Speaker: Colt Alford, Manager of Patagonia Lake State Park
Friends of Sonoita Creek will host Colt Alford, Manager of Patagonia Lake State Park, Sonoita Creek State Natural Area, and San Rafael State Natural Area, who will speak on exciting new developments in the Park and the Natural Area. Our Arizona State Park system recently received a National Gold Medal as the best managed system in the country. Our local park is being upgraded in a number of ways. The birding area upstream from the lake is nationally recognized as an Important Birding Area (IBA). In addition to the park at the lake, the Sonoita Creek Natural Area comprises 10,000 acres of creek, springs, and desert that are open to hiking and wildlife viewing. Local volunteers play an important role in leading bird walks and boat tours, helping to maintain trails and fences, and working to protect and improve the birding area along the creek. The Friends of Sonoita Creek is proud to support these efforts.
Admission Is Free. Refreshments will be served.
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AZ Water Luncheon -
The Town of Marana's Water Reclamation Facility Phase 1 Expansion Project
December 7, 2017
Time/Location:
11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. / Hotel Tucson City Center (475 N. Granada, Tucson)
Speaker: Stephen Dean, Town of Marana
Stephen Dean of the Town of Marana will briefly describe and illustrate the Water Reclamation Facility (WRF) Master Plan, Design, and Construction Manager-At-Risk (CMAR) for the Town of Marana's WRF Phase 1 Expansion, which was implemented in order to help meet the overarching goals of the community.
Sponsorships allow up to four students to attend this luncheon at no charge, but
pre-registration is mandatory. Students interested in this opportunity are encouraged to contact Carol Johnson.
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Less than a Week Left to Enter the WRRC Photo Contest!
The deadline to submit photos to the WRRC photo contest is quickly approaching. Use your creativity and technical ability to express the many ways water transforms our state and the many ways our state transforms water. Capture anything from people and nature to business and agriculture. It's completely up to you. Just make sure your photo relates to water and it's in Arizona! Submission Deadline is Thursday, Dec. 7, 2017.
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Pre-proposals Due to WRRC for 104g National Competitive Grants
The WRRC is accepting pre-proposals for the
FY 2018 Water Resources Research National Competitive Grants Program (104g). Grants will support research on improving and enhancing the nation's water supply. Any investigator at an accredited institution of higher learning in the United States is eligible to apply. Proposals may be for projects of 1 to 3 years in duration and may request up to $250,000 in federal funds. Successful applicants must match each dollar of the federal grant with one dollar from non-federal sources. Submitting preproposals to the WRRC is the first step in the process of applying for 104g Program grants from the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the National Institutes for Water Resources. Pre-proposals must be submitted prior to 12:00 noon MST, Wednesday, February 14, 2018. Funds have not yet been appropriated for this program for FY 2018 and the Government's obligation under this program is contingent upon the availability of funds.
Contact WRRC Assistant Director Susanna Eden by
email or call 520-621-5670 with questions.
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Bureau of Reclamation Announces 2018 Funding Opportunities
The Bureau of Reclamation has released three funding opportunities for fiscal year 2018. Two opportunities are through its Drought Response Program, part of the Department of the Interior's WaterSMART program. These funding opportunities are available for entities to develop drought contingency plans and build long-term solutions to drought. The third funding opportunity is for Phase 1 of the Cooperative Watershed Management Program. Reclamation is seeking proposals for activities to develop a watershed group, complete watershed restoration planning activities, and design watershed management projects.
Deadline for proposals is January 31, 2018 at 4:00 p.m. (MST)
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Thank you to all of Arizona Project WET's volunteers!
It's the time of year to reflect on what we have to be thankful for. Here at Arizona Project WET, we are thankful and grateful for our volunteers. Without our volunteers, our programs could not happen. This year, the Arizona Water Festivals have had over 900 volunteers from across the state donate their time to deliver water education. Their commitment to training and teaching lessons has helped to educate over 13,000 4th grade students. We appreciate how much time and effort they have put in to making the huge success of their community's Water Festivals. As for Arizona Project WET, we will continue to deliver effective Arizona Water Festivals because of our supportive, hardworking volunteers!
Thank you to all of our volunteers across the state for your time and commitment to water education!
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Information for Students - 2018 Scholarships and Annual Conference Poster Abstracts
The Nevada Water Resources Association (NWRA) has announced scholarship opportunities for students attending a university or community college. The NWRA Scholarship will grant two $1,000 awards. The Clare Mahannah Scholarship will award one student $1,000. Qualified students must be pursuing a degree in water resources.
The deadline for submitting applications is Friday, December 8, 2017.
New this year, total prize money of $1,500 will be awarded to the top three graduate student posters and the top three undergraduate student posters during the 2018 Annual Conference February 27-March 1, 2018, in Las Vegas, NV. All presenters must register for the conference. Deadline for abstract submission is Friday, December 8, 2017.
For additional information, please contact Tina Tioplett at (775) 473-5473 or by email.
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Registration and Poster Abstract Submission is Open for January 9 AZ Water Research Conference
Registration is now open for the AZ Water Association Research Committee's 2018 Annual Symposium, Using Alternative Water Supplies in New Ways. This event will be held on January 9, 2018 from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm at the SRP PERA Club (1 East Continental Drive, Tempe). The Symposium brings together utility professionals, researchers, and industry experts from across the state to discuss the latest research innovations and technologies related to recycled water. Most importantly, the event provides the opportunity for students to showcase their research through presentations and a very popular poster presentation session.
Registration rates are very reasonable ($60 for AZ Water members; just $15 for students submitting a poster abstract). For more information and an agenda, please visit the conference website.
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WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH CENTER
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