The following presentations were delivered at the 5th Annual Delaware River Watershed Forum as part of a series of breakout sessions.

Breakout Session 1: Watershed-wide PLANNING WITH THE DELAWARE RIVER BASIN RESTORATION PROGRAM

The Delaware River Basin Restoration Program, established by Congress in 2016, provides a coordinated strategy to identify, prioritize, and implement restoration projects for the entire watershed. While the program still needs federal funding, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has already brought together partners in the region to develop a shared set of priorities for conservation and restoration actions. In this session, participants heard from USFWS about the development of this program and contributed their expertise to the partnership to ensure program priorities are strategic, cost-effective, and community-driven.

FISH & WILDLIFE HABITAT RESTORATION AND CONSERVATION ACTIVITIES:

Moderator: Michael Slattery, Partnership Coordinator, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

IMPROVE and MAINTAIN WATER QUALITY

Moderator: Gregory Breese, Supervisory Fish and Wildlife Biologist, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT FOR FLOOD MITIGATION AND CONSERVATION

Moderator: Sheila Eyler, Project Leader, Mid-Atlantic Fish & Wildlife Conservation Office, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

  • Presentation
  • Jeff Skelding, Executive Director, Friends of the Upper Delaware River

PUBLIC ACCESS AND RECREATION

Moderator: Deborah Rocque, Deputy Regional Director, Northeast, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

  • Amanda John, Delaware and Pennsylvania Program Manager, National Parks Conservation Association

CROSS PROGRAM ACTIVITIES: OUTREACH, STRATEGIC PLANNING, MONITORING, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, AND REGIONAL SIGNIFICANCE

Moderator: Wendi Weber, Northeast Regional Director, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

  • Jennifer Adkins, Executive Director, Partnership for the Delaware Estuary
  • Matthew Ehrhart, Director of Watershed Restoration, Stroud Water Research Center
  • Peter Howell, Executive Vice President for Conservation Capital & Research Programs, Open Space Institute

Breakout Session Two: Planning in the Watershed

In this session, participants learned more about the Strategic Program and Cross Program Areas of the Delaware River Basin Restoration Program through the perspective of case studies. Participants heard about current projects in the watershed that illustrate the power of collaboration to achieve conservation results and brainstormed opportunities for strategic partnership and opportunities for leveraging existing work. 

FISH & WILDLIFE HABITAT RESTORATION AND CONSERVATION ACTIVITIES

Moderator: Rachel Dawson, Program Director, Delaware River, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation

Presentation

  • Tim Dillingham, Executive Director, American Littoral Society
  • Alan Hunt, Ph.D., Executive Director, Musconetcong Watershed Association
  • Jeff Larkin, Ph.D., Professor of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Indiana University of Pennsylvania

IMPROVE and MAINTAIN WATER QUALITY

Moderator: Paul B. Wilson, Ph.D., Director, Environmental Science Program, East Stroudsburg University

  • Sue Myerov, Program Director for Watersheds, Pennsylvania Environmental Council & Drew Shaw, Section Chief: Environmental Planning, Montgomery County Planning Commission
  • Angela Padeletti, Science Program Manager, Partnership for the Delaware Estuary
    • Presentation
  • Steve Chuckra, Vice President, Board of Directors, Lehigh River Stocking Association

WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT FOR FLOOD MITIGATION AND CONSERVATION

Moderator: Madeline Urbish, Director, Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed

  • Amy Shallcross, Manager, Water Resource Operations, Delaware River Basin Commission
  • Kelly Gutshall, President, LandStudies & Mark Gutshall, Founder and Vice President LandStudies

PUBLIC ACCESS AND RECREATION

Moderator: Patrick Starr, Executive Vice President, Pennsylvania Environmental Council

  • Heather Jacksy, Associate Planner, Sullivan County Planning Department
  • Christopher Strohler, Senior Conservation Planner, Wildlands Conservancy
  • Jason Zarnowski, Outreach and GIS Coordinator, Delaware Highlands Conservancy

CROSS PROGRAM ACTIVITIES: OUTREACH, STRATEGIC PLANNING, MONITORING, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, AND REGIONAL SIGNIFICANCE

Moderator: Nathan Boon, Program Officer, Watershed Protection, William Penn Foundation

  • Scott Haag Director, BioGeoInformatic Group, Academy of Natural Sciences
  • Jim Waltman, Executive Director, Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association

Breakout Session Three: Watershed Policy

In this session, participants learned about policy areas impacting the watershed and the complexities of competing needs as well as helped to identify opportunities for collective action to maximize benefits for the region.

CLEAN WATER ACT’S 45TH ANNIVERSARY: CURRENT & FUTURE OUTLOOK

Moderator: Samantha Lockhart, Director of National Campaigns, National Wildlife Federation

  • David Kinney, Mid-Atlantic Policy Director, Trout Unlimited
  • Jennifer Orr, Director, Compacts and Commissions Office, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
  • Megan DeSmedt, Director, Clean Water Campaign, Environment America

FROM FUNDING TO FLOW: HOT TOPICS FOR STATE POLICY

This session featured a question and answer-style panel discussion during which panelists were asked a series of questions related to their respective work on environmental conservation and water-related policy at the state level. 

Moderator: Peter Marx, Contractor for Federal Affairs, Choose Clean Water Coalition

  • Chris Klarich, Campaign Manager, Delaware Nature Society
  • Kelly Mooij, Vice President for Government Relations, New Jersey Audubon
  • Elizabeth Moran, Water and Natural Resources Associate, Environmental Advocates of New York
  • Ezra Thrush, Campaign Manager – Watershed Advocacy, PennFuture

GROWING CONSERVATION SUCCESS THROUGH THE FARM BILL

Moderator: Kyle Rorah, Government Affairs Representative, Ducks Unlimited

  • Beth Freiday, Partners Private Lands Coordinator & NRCS Liaison, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
  • Christine Hall, State Resources Conservationist, Natural Resources Conservation Services

BACK TO THE BASINS: BRINGING THE NATIONAL CONVERSATION ON INFRASTRUCTURE HOME

Moderator: Liz Deardorff, Clean Water Programs, Pennsylvania, American Rivers

 

 

 

COMMUNICATING THE VALUE OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION TO DECISION-MAKERS

Moderator: Rita Yelda, Outreach & Communications Manager, Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed, New Jersey Audubon

  • Kristin Magnotta, Regional Manager of Northeastern Pennsylvania, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (PA)
  • Drew Tompkins, Public Policy Coordinator, New Jersey League of Conservation Voters

Breakout Session four: Workshops

ADVOCACY AND LOBBYING FOR NON-PROFITS

  • Ronnie Pawelko, Elections Counsel, Bolder Advocacy Alliance for Justice

INCORPORATING DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION IN WATERSHED WORK

BUILDING LEADERS IN ORGANIZATIONS, ONE VOLUNTEER AT A TIME

  • Caroline Bott, Mid-Atlantic Leadership Development Manager, River Network

EPA Tools: WATER RESOURCES REGISTRY & NATIONAL STORMWATER CALCULATOR

  • Maureen Krudner, Green Infrastructure Coordinator, EPA Region 2
  • Ellen Bryson, Environmental Protection Specialist, EPA Region 3

TEACHING YOUR WATERSHED

  • Dale Rosselet, Vice President for Education, New Jersey Audubon

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