Dam Busters 201

Join us for an overview of Boston College Prof. Noah Snyder's decades of research on dam removal in New England.

*Note: this is the 2nd Wednesday in March. It takes a village to remove a dam! From initial reconnaissance to post-project monitoring, learn how to assemble the right team of people to address project coordination, coordinating community engagement, shepherding the permitting process, working with consultants and experts, and other project management issues. We'll pay particular attention to the role of the Project Manager and talk about how the size of the team should "match" the size of the project. Understanding how to build a dam removal project team is a crucial preliminary step in this crucial work.

Massachusetts is a leader in wetlands restoration, including dam removals. The regulatory permitting system for working in rivers and wetlands is complex and was designed to limit development impacts. Efforts are now underway to streamline permitting for restoration while continuing to protect our invaluable natural resources. This presentation will provide updates and perspectives on progress in the regulatory space and state initiatives that support restoration projects.

Prof. Noah Snyder will give a series of field observations and GIS methods that practitioners can use to evaluate how a given river reach is likely to change in response to restoration projects. His examples are specifically geared to the formerly glaciated landscape of the northeastern U.S.

Local Conservation Commissions play a crucial role in the dam removal process. Learn from the experience of one town that has done multiple dam removals about how their Con Comm managed conservation interests while navigating competing interests from community members. Con Comms process can be invaluable in helping educate the community and create good outcomes.

Join us live in Pittsfield, MA at the Bel Air Dam to learn about this dam removal project.

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Learn about the effects of dam removal on stream channels from Dr. John Field of Field Geology Services.

Learn about various funding sources and offer insights on how to build a successful funding strategy. Speakers provided an overview of their funding programs, followed by a 40-minute Q&A to address specific questions.

What is community engagement and why do we do it? Learn the basics of community engagement and common sense strategies to help participants think beyond the public meeting and create a community engagement process that is appropriately sized for your project needs. We will provide ideas, awareness on how to engage, build trust, improve relationships and, ultimately, strengthen your work.

*Note: this is the 3rd Wednesday in July. Join us for a review of where the United States stands in removing dams across the country. Staff from American Rivers will share national statistics on dam removal projects as well as observations about progress towards AR's goal of removing 30,000 dams by 2050.

Engage with your dam removal peers about the successes and pitfalls of community engagement. Work with your peers to answer questions and trade resources with the goal of enhancing your community outreach for dam removal.

Join us in person at the Blackstone Visitor Center in Worcester for a workshop on community engagement for dam removal.