IN THIS ISSUE: Chile-Arizona, NVIS, TAAP, APW, UNESCO, New Publications
WRRC Co-Hosts Chile-Arizona
Water & Agriculture Webinar
On November 29, the WRRC partnered with the Agricultural Office of the Embassy of Chile to host a webinar titled Water and Agriculture: Chile-Arizona Experience. The panel discussion featured water experts, researchers, and key stakeholders from Chile and Arizona. Facilitated by Chile’s Agricultural Attaché in the US, Andrés Rodrigues, the webinar began with a presentation from Manuel Silva from Chile’s Ministry of Agriculture Water Policies Department, who provided context on the water situation in Chile. Next, WRRC Director Sharon B. Megdal offered insight into water challenges and successes in Arizona. Tom Davis with the Yuma County Water Users Association provided comments on how the megadrought has impacted the state’s agriculture. Subsequently, Channah Rock, professor and Extension specialist with the University of Arizona, talked about the role of water quality in agriculture sectors. The seminar ended with shorter segments on research initiatives at the University of Arizona, which included topics such as desert adaptation to climate change, innovative agriculture strategies, and desert soil composition. A recording of the event will be posted soon.


EXTERNAL EVENTS
Confluence: The Colorado River at the Compact’s Centennial

Date: Dec 6, 2022
Time: 8 am-5:30 pm Arizona Time
Location: University of Arizona, ENR2 Building, 1064 E. Lowell St., and via Zoom by request

This event features an array of Colorado River experts speaking about critical topics along 'America's Nile.' In addition to discussing current conditions and future options, there will be a celebration of the publication of the Colorado River Compact centennial volume, Cornerstone at the Confluence: Navigating the Colorado River Compact's Next Century. Refreshments will be served, books will be raffled, Cornerstone authors will be present, and a book reception will be held. The UA Press will have books available for purchase and signing by Cornerstone authors at a reception immediately after the symposium. The final draft agenda is linked HERE. The event is open to the public; however, in-person registration is closed, so please send requests to attend virtually to Amanda Leinberger at aleinberger@arizona.edu.

Image: Art by Patrick Kikut, commissioned for Cornerstone

Morris K. Udall Centennial Commemoration

Date: Dec 7, 2022
Time: 2:00-3:30 pm Arizona Time (4:00-5:30 pm EST)
Location: Webinar Only

The UArizona Udall Center invites you to join them for a
live-streamed event commemorating the centennial birthday of Morris K. Udall, who represented Arizona in Congress for over thirty years. The commemoration will recognize Mo's long-lasting legacy of national policy and the inspiration he has been for public servants. The program will feature remarks from Cindy McCain, former Arizona Senator Jon Kyl, and former Arizona Governor and Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt, followed by a moderated Udall Family Panel featuring Mo's children. 
 
NEWS
NVIS Fall 2022 Series Ends with Final Webinar
 
On November 30, the fourth webinar in the Native Voices in STEM Fall 2022 Series was hosted by the UArizona-Sloan Indigenous Graduate Partnership; the Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences; NSF-NRT Indigenous Food, Energy, Water Security, and Sovereignty; the Water Resources Research Center; and the Indigenous Resilience Center. In this webinar, titled An Indigenous Hydrogeochemist's Career Trajectory through Academia and Industry, Dr. Kato Tsosie Dee, a member of the Navajo Nation, shared his experiences and insights. Growing up in close proximity to the legacy of uranium mines in the Navajo Nation, he developed a passion for geosciences, watershed health, and environmental justice. Building on knowledge gained during his BS and MS in Geology from the University of Kansas, he became a hydrogeologist environmental consultant in Colorado and then a program director of the Colorado Mountain College Natural Resource Management program. Since then, he earned his PhD in Geochemistry from the Colorado School of Mines and now is an assistant professor in the School of Geosciences at the University of Oklahoma. His research focuses on how trace metals from abandoned mines are widespread in soil and hydrological systems and the implications of such pollution on environmental and human health. 
 
TAAP Meeting Held in El Paso
 
On November 15 and 16, the USGS held a meeting with their Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Program (TAAP) partners, the Water Resources Research Institutes (WRRI) of Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. The meeting was held at the International Boundary Water Commission (IBWC) in El Paso, Texas. The objectives of the meeting were better to align the USGS and WRRI goals/5-year plans and produce a document summarizing the individual projects that can be used to present the project to Congressional representatives. On the second day of the meeting, the IBWC Commissioner, Dr. Maria-Elena Giner, gave remarks and participated in discussing a tentative agenda for a binational meeting to be held in 2024 with Mexican partners. WRRC Director Sharon B. Megdal and post-doctoral researcher Mary-Belle Cruz Ayala were in attendance.
 
New APW Staff: Lance Tubinaghtewa

Please welcome the newest addition to the Arizona Project WET team, Lance Tubinaghtewa! Lance is from the Hopi village of Sitsomovi and belongs to Alwungwa, the Horn Clan. He likes to say he’s been a practicing 'conservationist' since birth, as per tradition, but has only been paid for it within the past seven years. Boots on the ground earthworks with the Ancestral Lands Conservation Corps have made up the bulk of his experience within the realm of conservation; however, the past three years have allowed Lance to evolve his capacity to facilitate educational materials and programming. His work repertoire stretches from national agencies like the National Park Service to more localized organizations like the Grand Canyon Trust. Lance is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts at Arizona State University and hopes to utilize his experiences for his home village and ensure the longevity of his people. If you can’t find Lance at the Project WET office, be sure to keep an eye out for him just off one of the many hiking trails here in Arizona, under a tree, and with a good book in hand. Welcome, Lance!
Upcoming UN Groundwater Summit in Paris

The United Nations Groundwater Summit will be held December 6­–8 at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France. WRRC Director Sharon B. Megdal will be in attendance, presenting as a rapporteur at the Transboundary Aquifers thematic session on groundwater. She will be joined by fellow rapporteur Joseph Fickett, a UArizona graduate student in Water, Society and Policy, research intern at the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, and member of the UNESCO Groundwater Youth Network. Fickett will also speak at the Engaging and Connecting Youth side event. Registration for in-person attendance is now closed, but registration for online participation is available free of charge. A provisional agenda has been posted, outlining the event schedule and providing information on session speakers.

Two New Publications from WRRC Staff
 
Two new publications have recently been released, featuring work from WRRC staff. Transboundary Aquifers – Challenges and the way forward, was published by the United Nations Educational Scientific Cultural Organization (UNESCO). This book includes the presentations of the 2021 UN Water Summit on Groundwater and provides examples of transboundary aquifer knowledge worldwide. In this volume, a binational group of scholars, practitioners, and consultants, including WRRC Director Sharon B. Megdal and post-doctoral researcher Mary-Belle Cruz Ayala, authored a paper titled “Reaching Groundwater Agreements on the Border Between Mexico and the United States: Science and Policy Fundamentals.” One of the main conclusions is that the existence of collaboration between the two countries “could lead to a framework agreement for groundwater resources that sets the stage for follow-on agreements that incorporate the local circumstances of the US-Mexico transboundary aquifers.” The full text of the book is available as a PDF.

WATER JOBS

Please visit WRRC's website for a complete listing of water jobs & opportunities.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
PUBLICATIONS & MEDIA
Bernat, R.F.A., and Megdal, S.B. (2022) Water Federalism in the United States of America, Oxford Research Encyclopedias, Environmental Science (Online) and The Oxford Encyclopedia of Water Resources Management and Policy (Printed book). Published online November 23, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780199389414.013.795

Megdal, S.B., Mumme, S., Salmón, R. Sánchez, Rosario, Tapia-Villaseñor, E.M. Cruz Ayala, M.-B., and Ibañez, O. (2022) Reaching Groundwater Agreements on the Border Between Mexico and the United States: Science and Policy Fundamentals, in Transboundary Aquifers – Challenges and the way forward, Rosario Sánchez, ed., UNESCO, Paris, France. pp. 46-51. ISBN 978-92-3-100563-3.
OTHER NOTICES
Growing Water Smart: Integrated Water and Land Use Planning Workshop
The Sonoran Institute and the Babbitt Center for Land and Water Policy are hosting their 4th Growing Water Smart workshop in Phoenix on March 6-8, 2023. They are now accepting applications from local governments and water providers interested in better addressing water resource management issues through land use plans and policies. There is no cost for selected teams. Applications are due on December 12, 2022. More Info
 
Confluence: The Colorado River at the Compact’s Centennial 
This event will be held at the UArizona on Tuesday, December 6, 2022, from 8 am – 5:30 pm and features an array of Colorado River experts speaking about critical topics along “America's Nile.” In addition to discussing current conditions and future options, they will celebrate the publication of the Colorado River Compact centennial volume, 
Cornerstone at the Confluence: Navigating the Colorado River Compact's Next Century. Spaces are limited and open to the public, and in-person attendance is preferred. Refreshments will be served, books will be raffled, Cornerstone authors will be present, and a book reception will be held. For those unable to attend in person, Zoom attendance will be permitted by request. Please email requests to Amanda Leinberger at aleinberger@arizona.edu. More Info
 
Call for Abstracts: 2023 UCOWR / NIWR Annual Water Resources Conference
Abstract submissions are open for the 2023 UCOWR/NIWR Water Resources Conference, which will be held June 13-15, 2023, at Colorado State University. Abstracts (300 words max) for oral, poster, panel, lightning, and participatory presentations should be submitted electronically. The deadline to submit abstracts is January 30, 2023. Notification of acceptance will be in late February. More Info
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