Summer Specialty Conference Healthy Forests=Healthy Waters

How valuable are forests--whether in the city, country, or wilderness-to the management of water resources? This is a hot topic and the AWRA Summer Specialty Conference on Healthy Forests=Healthy Waters will address the many issues associated with forest management for the protection of water supplies and aquatic communities. We are looking for oral and poster abstracts to be considered for presentation. Topics for the conference should address several key themes linking healthy forests and healthy waters, including:

• Defining the Land and Water Connection--Emerging tools, methods, and information for identifying forest characteristics important to water resources
• Making the Water and People Connection--Building a constituency, cooperating, and planning for water quality protection
• Managing for Sustainability--Forest conservation and land management approaches for long-term protection of water resources
• Creating the Water Economy--Market-based incentives, mitigation, payments for ecosystem services, & green infrastructure investment
• Learning by Example -- Cases studies from watersheds throughout the U.S. (and beyond)

The Call for Abstracts is your opportunity to join one of the most important water quality events of the year. The sessions will be relevant to water managers, aquatic biologists/ecologists, planners, engineers, forestland managers, economists, consultants, water purveyors and industrial users of water. There will be plenary sessions, oral sessions, a poster session, special panels and tracks on applied forest/water science, mitigation, land management, case studies, (see list of topics).You or your company/organization can also participate as a Conference Sponsor or Conference Exhibitor.

Abstract Submittal Deadline: February 8, 2013In addition to the two day conference on June 27-28, on Wednesday, June 26, attendees can join a special field trip to nearby Barkhamsted Reservoir, which provides water to Hartford and the surrounding region, and where Hartford Metropolitan District has launched forest management and source protection programs. The field trip will also include a lecture tour and reception at Great Mountain Forest, which hosts research on forest ecosystem management. These are places you cannot easily visit on your own and where there are great programs using sustainable forest practices to protect water resources for water supply and aquatic communities. Stops will also be made along the Connecticut River to learn of actions being taken to manage reservoir releases and environmental flows.