Using Fluvial Geomorphology to Improve Stream Restoration and Watershed Management
The River Management Society and Field Geology Services are pleased to offer a short course entitled “Using Fluvial Geomorphology to Improve Stream Restoration and Watershed Management.” The course will be held online September 12-13, 2022 with optional one-day field trips near Portland, ME, on September 14, Gorham, NH, on September 15, and Amherst, MA, on September 16. This course covers the basic principles of fluvial geomorphology and their use in watershed assessments and designing stream restoration projects. A brief course description is found below with more information on the RMS website. Feel free to call Dr. Field at 207-491-9541 or e-mail jfield@field-geology.com for further information.
Registration discounts are available for registering early (prior to August 24), for attending multiple field trips, and for RMS members (and those that join during registration). Please call or email regarding additional discounts for students and groups of 5 or more. We look forward to seeing you in September! Please pass this announcement to others that you think might be interested in this course.
Course Description
This 2-day virtual short course with three days of optional in-person field trips will provide an overview of fluvial geomorphology with a thorough discussion of key concepts such as the principles of equilibrium, channel classification methods, channel evolution, and sediment transport capacity. A number of case studies from New England and elsewhere in the country will demonstrate how an understanding of fluvial geomorphology can be used in watershed assessments to identify the underlying causal mechanisms for erosion and flooding problems that are responsible for significant infrastructure damage and environmental degradation. Additional case studies will be used to reveal common errors made in stream restoration projects when the basic principles of fluvial geomorphology are poorly understood. The course will conclude with a discussion of the appropriate settings and conditions within which to employ a variety of widely used stream restoration techniques. The field trips will be to degraded streams where restoration projects may be completed and to already completed stream restoration sites in order to illustrate the fluvial geomorphology concepts and stream restoration techniques discussed in the course.
The short course will consist of visual presentations, small group exercises, and hands-on activities that will provide participants with practical experiences and examples to recognize unstable channel reaches in a watershed and identify the most appropriate stream restoration techniques that will best address the identified instabilities, if present. The course is designed for government officials, environmental and engineering consultants, construction contractors, non-profit watershed groups, educators, and others dealing with flooding, erosion, nutrient loading, and habitat issues along rivers and streams.