Center for Watershed Protection

Watershed Restoration Institute
September 12- 17, 2004
IslandWood Retreat Center, Bainbridge Island, WA
Print program here!

Registration for the Watershed Restoration Institute is CLOSED!
If you had previously contacted us about your plans to register, but have been waiting for funding and paperwork approval, PLEASE contact Jennifer Zielinski (410-461-8323 ext 218 / jaz@cwp.org).

The 2004 Watershed Restoration Institute is an intensive six-day program developed by the Center for Watershed Protection, the Center for Water and Watershed Studies at the University of Washington, and River Network designed to equip local urban watershed leaders with the skills and tools to plan, design and implement effective restoration programs in their home watersheds. The Institute features both classroom time and hands-on field instruction covering watershed assessment and mapping techniques; watershed inventory and restoration strategies; and organizational development and management skills. While the focus of the Institute is on urban watershed issues, participants from primarily rural or agricultural watersheds are welcome to attend. See who's already signed up on our Roll Call page here.

Why the Institute Is Different	Cooperating Groups
Workshops and Highlights	Questions?
Who Should Attend?	Read about the 2003 WRI here!
Lodging and Meals	PRINTABLE PROGRAM
Getting There	Roll Call
Sponsorship Opportunities

Why the Institute Is Different

The Watershed Restoration Institute is more than just a conference! Our goal is to provide an intensive, interactive learning experience within a committed community of watershed advocates, leaving participants with skills that they can immediately begin using to make their own organizations more effective. Most of the sessions at the Institute will be interactive, with hands-on training both in the field and in the classroom. Lecturing will be kept to a minimum, and additional time will be allocated to focus on local issues in participants' home watersheds in small group settings. With approximately 80 participants expected, the Institute also presents a valuable networking opportunity.

The inclusive $1,800 tuition for the Watershed Restoration Institute includes the following:

More than 25 watershed leader programs specifically designed to provide watershed leaders with the tools and skills to implement watershed management practices.
More than $200 in take-home resources, including customized CDs, workbooks, CWP publications, and portions of the Urban Watershed Restoration Manual.
3.0 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for participation in the Institute. The CEU is a nationally recognized measure of participation in non-credit continuing education programs that meet established criteria for increasing competency. Three CEUs are equal to 30 Professional Development Hours.
All meals, snacks, and overnight accommodations at the IslandWood Retreat Center
Local watershed team-building - watershed organizations, municipalities, and private consultants are encouraged to enter the Institute together to maximize watershed-wide understanding.
Hands-on experience in the form of field trips, classroom exercises, and small group applications that focus on real-world watershed and stream settings.
Personal consultation. During "your watershed time," participants work one-on-one with an Institute staff member and in small peer groups to focus on individual local needs.
Programming geared towards different skill levels - participants will be divided into groups of similar skill level, and will be able to self-select from some elective courses.
Small class sessions from 20 to 40 people.
Substantial peer-to-peer networking in the form of small group sessions, meals, social events, field trips and other informal time together.
Aftercare - participants will receive six hours of "aftercare support" in the form of phone or e-mail consultations, technical resources, review, and basic troubleshooting.

Workshops and Highlights download program

The Watershed Restoration Institute incorporates a unique mix of interactive classroom sessions, hands-on field work, and individual time spent focusing on locally relevant issues to leave participants fully equipped to meet restoration challenges in their home watersheds. Participants should expect daily scheduled sessions from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The week's itinerary will also include lectures by outside experts, time for participants to discuss local watershed issues, and a fun night out in nearby Seattle.

Typical Day Schedule: · Breakfast · Lecture · Breakout Sessions · Lunch at IslandWood or Box Lunch · Interactive Instruction/Field Trip · Dinner · Fun Evening Trip/Activity

SUNDAY: Registration and introductory social at the IslandWood Retreat Center between 1-10 p.m.
MONDAY: Framework for Restoring Small Watersheds Programs will introduce participants to the watershed approach, mapping, setting watershed goals, and assessing local restoration capabilities. On Monday night, enjoy a guided nature walk through IslandWood’s beautiful 255-acre grounds.
TUESDAY: Stream and Upland Assessments Participants will be trained in urban stream assessment techniques, and learn how to use data from these assessments to support restoration efforts. The day’s activities will include preparation for subwatershed assessment, stormwater retrofitting, and stream repair field work. On Tuesday night, spend an evening out in Seattle.
WEDNESDAY: Stream and Upland Assessments in the Field Participants will apply Tuesday’s skills training by conducting a stream assessment and stormwater retrofit inventory out in the field. Evening activities include dynamic presentations by guest speakers.
THURSDAY: Watershed Skills Thursday’s programs focus on helping participants strengthen internal organizational skills, work more effectively with external groups, and improve the technical capacity of their organizations. A social event and bonfire at IslandWood round out the evening’s activities.
FRIDAY: Money Talks Friday morning’s programs contain practical information on funding restoration plans so that they can be implemented. The Institute concludes at 2 p.m.

Who Should Attend?

The Watershed Restoration Institute is geared towards anyone involved in local urban watershed restoration, including small watershed organizations, municipalities, and private sector consultants. Ideally, participants should either have some prior watershed management experience or have completed equivalent training. To maximize watershed-wide understanding, “Watershed Teams” that include a combination of watershed organizations, municipalities, and private consultants are strongly encouraged to apply.

Programs at the Institute are divided into sessions geared to varying skill levels, and many include outside field work.

View the Roll Call for the 2003 Watershed Restoration Institute in Reisterstown, MD here.

Lodging and Meals

All breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks at IslandWood are included with registration to the Institute. Founded in 1998, the IslandWood Retreat Center is a sustainably designed facility on a 255-acre campus. IslandWood’s comfortable yet rustic accommodations offer three separate lodges, with all rooms featuring private baths and 100% cotton linens. Each lodge features a cozy great room with fireplace. Data ports are located in every lodge room.

The IslandWood kitchen is committed to using the freshest local ingredients. Conference meals are served family style in IslandWood’s lodge-style dining room. IslandWood is surrounded by spectacular second-growth forests, several types of wetlands, and is adjacent to a saltwater estuary. The 255-acre site is also home to a stream, a four-acre pond, and abundant animal and plant life.

Getting There

Bainbridge Island is a 35-minute ferry ride from the downtown Seattle ferry dock. The ferry dock is approximately 20 minutes from SeaTac Airport. Ferries depart approximately every 50 minutes. For information on ferry fees and schedules, visit the Washington State DOT website at http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/schedules/current/index.cfm?route=sea-bi.

Detailed driving directions are available on the IslandWood website at http://www.islandwood.org.

Sponsorship Opportunities

There are a number of opportunities for interested corporations to be a part of this exciting initiative:

Consider underwriting scholarships for watershed leaders from your state or region to attend the Institute. While we expect all participants to invest in some portion of the tuition, non-profits and local Pacific Northwest governments can apply for scholarships.
Think about sponsoring an Institute program, bonfire, social event, or refreshment break. We'd be delighted to talk to you further about the benefits this type of sponsorship confers.

For more information on sponsorship opportunities, contact Jennifer Zielinski at jaz@cwp.org, or phone 410-461-8323.

Cooperating Groups

Founded in 1992, the Center for Watershed Protection is a nonprofit 501(c)3 corporation that provides local governments, activists, and watershed organizations around the country with the technical tools for protecting some of the nation’s most precious natural resources: our streams, lakes and rivers. The Center has developed and disseminated a multi-disciplinary strategy to watershed protection that includes conducting research, developing watershed management practices, encouraging watershed planning and implementation, fostering watershed learning, and building the capacity of local watershed organizations.

The Center for Water and Watershed Studies, University of Washington is a focal point for catalyzing and integrating new research and diverse perspectives on water resources from such disciplines as forestry, fisheries, geology, engineering, land-use planning, policy, and ecosystem science and engineering. The Center helps solve water resource problems by conducting research on the natural world, understanding the ecosystem responses to human actions, and exploring solutions to natural resource conflicts and management complexities.

River Network was founded in 1987 to help people understand, protect, and restore rivers and watersheds. Since then, River Network has helped citizens with all aspects of organizational development, building institutions with the capacity to succeed in achieving their goals. Through interaction with more than 650 organizational partners and periodic formal assessments, River Network keeps in touch with the needs of citizens working on freshwater issues.

Questions?

For more information contact Jennifer Zielinski at 410-461-8323 x218, email jaz@cwp.org.

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