IN THIS ISSUE: Jamie McEvoy, Webinar Recap, International State of the State Summit, APW, Seminar Recap, Joint Water Conference | | |
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The WRRC is thrilled to introduce Jamie McEvoy as its new Associate Director! McEvoy received her PhD in Geography and Development from the University of Arizona in 2013. She previously worked as an associate professor of geography at Montana State University with a teaching and research program focused on water governance, climate adaptation, and equity. She has published on topics including participatory water planning, ecological drought, flood risk communication, desalination, climate adaptation, and nature-based strategies. McEvoy looks forward to building relationships with interested partners across the state to address Arizona’s water issues and is excited about her new role in UArizona Extension and serving the land-grant mission of the University. She is also thrilled to be back in Tucson, where she met her husband over a decade ago. After enduring ten years of Montana winters, they are both eager to thaw out and enjoy the great diversity of culture, art, food, and landscapes that this region offers. Welcome to the WRRC team, Jamie!
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2024 Water Awareness Month Festival
Drop By the WRRC Table to Meet Our New Associate Director Jamie McEvoy!
Date: Saturday, Apr 6, 2024
Time: 10:00 am – 2:00 pm Arizona Time
Location: Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza, 1700 W Washington St, Phoenix, Arizona 85007
April is Water Awareness Month (WAM) in Arizona!
We invite you to be part of the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) Water Awareness Month 2024 Kick-off Festival. The goals of this event are to:
- Direct stakeholders towards the tools and resources necessary to give communities the ability to implement strong, effective water conservation programs.
- Call upon citizens and businesses throughout Arizona to become more aware of their water-use habits and share resources about how they can reasonably reduce their water use.
- Promote local and state government, as well as organizations’ water conservation public awareness programs through education and interactive booths.
Join us for a fun day of celebrating the importance of water in our daily lives! Featuring fun activities, giveaways, food, music, and useful information from a variety of organizations, schools, cities, and towns throughout the State!
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Law of the Rio Grande Annual Conference: Water Management Perspectives from the Basin States
Dates: Apr 11–12, 2024
Location: La Fonda on the Plaza 100 E. San Francisco St., Santa Fe, NM 87501
Join over 100 of your colleagues in Santa Fe!
Hear all points of view from New Mexico, Texas, and Colorado on managing and conserving the Rio Grande, with a featured presentation discussing issues from the Mexico border by United States Commissioner Maria-Elena Giner. Participants can Earn up to 12 Hours of MCLE Credit, Including One Hour of Ethics, or up to 12 Hours of Engineering Credit.
Register Here
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Upcoming WRRC Co-sponsored Events
Upcoming External Events
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World Water Day Webinar Features Reflections on Water for Peace
On March 22, the WRRC held a webinar on the United Nations’ 2024 World Water Day, during which speakers reflected on the need for increased collaboration for peace through water. The webinar featured insightful stories from Gwendena Lee-Gatewood, co-chair of the Indigenous Women’s Leadership Network (IWLN), Kash Siddiqi and Emily Brooks from Football for Peace, and WRRC Director Sharon B. Megdal. This year, the World Water Day campaign stated that “water can create peace or spark conflict.” Each speaker reacted to this sentiment with a unique perspective. Lee-Gatewood from the White Mountain Apache Reservation expressed how time spent in Vienna at the Women in Water Diplomacy Network event allowed her to engage with women diplomats from more than 35 different countries and share with them her perspective on the Colorado River water situation and Tribal engagement. Siddiqi spoke of witnessing children fight over spilled water from a truck and realizing that “without water there is no peace.” This realization sparked the new ten-year “Rehydrating the Earth” campaign of Football for Peace, a sports diplomacy organization. Megdal expressed her belief that maintaining partnerships and establishing respect in collaborations cultivates the best idea-sharing spaces for water solutions. The webinar ended with an interactive Q&A moderated by the WRRC’s incoming associate director, Jamie McEvoy, during which issues of water, poverty, and human-environmental water-use tradeoffs were discussed.
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WRRC Director Megdal Endorses Global Collaboration at International Summit
On March 28, WRRC Director Sharon B. Megdal participated in the first International State of the State Summit, which was co-organized by the Phoenix Committee on Foreign Relations and the Arizona Commerce Authority. The afternoon Summit was followed that evening by the 19th Annual State of the State event, at which Governor Katie Hobbs delivered a keynote address. Megdal joined Arizona State University professor of medicine and Mayo Clinic physician Dr. Steven J. Lester and Dr. Glen Goodman, clinical assistant professor and senior director for Latin America in ASU’s International Development Initiative, to speak about the involvement of Arizona’s universities in global education and development. In response to the questions posed by ASU Melikian Center director and faculty member Keith Brown, Megdal underscored the importance of collaboration and partnerships in identifying, developing, and implementing solutions to the major water and food production challenges faced across the globe. She pointed to how international partnerships involving the University of Arizona are taking innovative approaches to growing food, such as agrivoltaics, to other regions of the world. Research on the performance of efficient irrigation technologies in Arizona’s semi-arid environment is relevant to other semi-arid and arid regions. She highlighted the keen global interest in learning about the experiences of water users in the Colorado River Basin and the perspectives and practices of Native Nations relying on Colorado River water. Returning to the importance of collaboration, Megdal emphasized that inclusive engagement is necessary for identifying and implementing solutions that enable adaptation to reduced water supplies.
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First Local Water Festival a Huge Success — Volunteer at the Next One!
The first Tucson-local Water Festival of the season took place last Wednesday at Udall Park, and it was a huge success! Arizona Project WET (APW) had over 340 students from 15 classes come out for a fun-filled day of experiential water learning. See what reporter Joel Foster from KGUN-9 had to say about the event here. If you are interested in participating in the Water Festival fun, then good news — APW would love your support! The next Water Festival will take place on April 25 at James Kreigh Park, and the last of the season will be on May 8 at Lakeside Park. If you are interested in taking part in this awesome field trip adventure, then please register here, or reach out to Zakkai (zakkaim@arizona.edu) for more details.
Volunteer Info
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Tribal Water Settlements Focus of
Recent Seminar
In a UArizona College of Engineering seminar co-sponsored by the WRRC, Gary Gold, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Water and Science at the US Department of Interior, discussed Tribal water rights, highlighting the benefits of Tribal water settlements. Gold began by briefly describing the legal framework for Tribal water law in the United States. He then outlined the adjudication process for resolving water claims, a process that can involve years of battling in court. Gold pointed to cases, known as General Stream Adjudications, involving the Gila River and Little Colorado River, which have not yielded final judgements and have been ongoing for decades. Even when final judgements are made, Gold stated the process could leave Tribes with nothing more than “paper water rights.” Alternatively, settlements, which Gold described as negotiated agreements between Tribal Nations and non-Tribal water users, have several benefits over the adjudication process, including quantified water rights, authorization of funding for water infrastructure projects, and a sense of finality. Since the 1970s, negotiated settlements to resolve Tribal water rights issues have become the preferred federal policy. One major settlement examined during the seminar was the Navajo-San Juan Water Rights Settlement, which authorized funding for the Navajo Gallup Water Supply Project.
View the Recording
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Joint Water Resources Conference Accepting Abstracts Until April 29 – Student Travel Awards Available!
The Universities Council on Water Resources (UCOWR), the National Institutes of Water Resources (NIWR), and the American Water Resources Association (AWRA) are hosting a joint conference from September 30 – October 2, 2024, in St. Louis, Missouri. This year’s conference, “Celebrating the Past and Planning for the Future of Water,” is recognizing 60 years of progress towards improved water management. The event is accepting abstracts for fifteen-minute oral presentations, posters, panels, and shorter, five-minute “lightning” presentations. Suggested topics include water conservation strategies, forests and water, communicating water science, international water issues, water quality, and many others. The deadline for abstracts is Monday, April 29. Additionally, NIWR is sponsoring travel awards ranging from $1,200 to $2,500 for undergraduate and graduate students to attend the event. To be considered for the award, students must submit an abstract for either a poster or an oral presentation. Two students per NIWR region will be chosen at random to receive the award. Students can apply via the form linked below. The deadline to apply for a travel award is Friday, May 3, at 4:00 pm. The event will provide opportunities for expanding networks and knowledge sharing with water experts from across the country. Registration, lodging, and detailed abstract submission information, among other conference materials, can be found on the conference website linked below.
Conference Website
Student Travel Award Application Form
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WATER JOBS & OTHER OPPORTUNITIES | |
Please visit WRRC's website for a complete listing of water jobs and opportunities. | |
NOTICES, PUBLICATIONS & MEDIA | |
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From the WRRC
Call for Submissions: Special Issue in Agricultural Water Management Journal
The editors of Water Scarcity Solutions for Irrigated Agriculture in the Warming Western U.S. invite submissions to this special issue of the journal Agricultural Water Management. This collection calls for research-informed solutions that can relieve pressure on the West’s water resources while maintaining the viability of agriculture in the region while fostering a transition to sustainable practices. Contact Noah Silber-Coats (noahsc@nmsu.edu) with any questions. The Manuscript Submission Deadline is August 15, 2024, but articles are published as they are ready, so the issue deadline does not affect the publication date of individual contributions. More Info
Invitation to Participate in Cooperative Extension Listening Sessions
The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension needs your help! Extension is seeking public input to help guide future work throughout the state. Eight listening sessions will be held across the state, with food provided. Dates and locations are listed on the Extension website, with the first coming up on April 10. Six sessions will be open to the public and two are reserved for UArizona campus collaborators. These are regional events, and we hope that you will attend to share your thoughts and hear the perspectives of others. More Info
Other Sources
UN World Water Development Report 2024
The United Nations World Water Development Report 2024: Water for Prosperity and Peace highlights the wider significance of water for our lives and livelihoods. It explores water’s capacity to unite people and serve as a tool for peace, sustainable development, climate action, and regional integration. Read the Report
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