24th Annual Meeting, Holiday Inn, Yuma, AZ – March 17-19, 2011

Wetlands on the Edge: Challenges in Wetland and Riparian Restoration

The 24th Annual Meeting of the Arizona Riparian Council was held March 17-19, 2011 at the Holiday Inn, 1901 E. 18th St, Yuma, AZ.

On Thursday, March 17, a marsh bird identification workshop was conducted by Courtney Conway, U.S. Geological Survey. The meeting on Friday consisted of a morning plenary session followed by a panel discussion of the invited speakers.

  • Bill Werner, Contractor, Western Area Power Administration, provided a regional overview, history, and challenges over the past 30 years along the lower Colorado River
  • Charles Flynn, Executive Director, Yuma Crossings National Heritage Area, presented the challenges the City of Yuma has had regarding restoration and the Yuma Wetlands
  • Kevin Eatherly, Assistant Director, Yuma Crossings National Heritage Area, talked about the technical aspects of constructing the Yuma East Wetlands
  • Heidi Trathnigg, Fred Phillips Consulting, Flagstaff, presented the wetland and riparian restoration challenges on the lower Colorado River

Contributed presentations made up the afternoon technical session as well as poster viewing. The evening dinner was held at the the Holiday Inn at which we also viewed three short movies, Common Ground, Wild Versus Wall, and Power in the Pristine.

On Saturday, March 19, an early morning field trip was taken to sharpen the skills of the workshop participants. An additional trip was taken to visit restoration projects in the Yuma area.

Program

Green-backed Heron seen on Yuma field trip.
Green-backed Heron seen on Yuma field trip.
Participants on Yuma field trip.
Participants on Yuma field trip.
Yuma field trip site
Yuma field trip site
Pole plantings on restoration site at Yuma restoration site.
Pole plantings on restoration site at Yuma restoration site.
More pole plantings on Yuma restoration site.
More pole plantings on Yuma restoration site.
Signage at Yuma Wetlands at Herb Guenther Scenic Overlook.
Signage at Yuma Wetlands at Herb Guenther Scenic Overlook.
2011 field trip site
2011 Yuma field trip site
Yuma Crossings wetlands
Yuma Crossings wetlands