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Highlights of the 2010 River Management Society and National Association of Recreation Resource Planners Symposium The River Management Society joined with the National Association of Recreation Resource Planners (NARRP) to host their biennial symposium on river management. Recognizing resource protection as a core value, the symposium explored how scientists, planners, and managers are maintaining or restoring ecosystem sustainability while providing opportunities for high quality recreation experiences on rivers, lakes, and reservoirs. Participants at the symposium interacted with regional and national leaders in river conservation and recreation management through a diverse program. The symposium theme, “Bridging Conservation and Recreation” recognizes that resource professionals too often become narrowly focused in their specialties, and that effective long- term management usually requires broader cross-disciplinary solutions. The symposium provided opportunities for professionals to network and integrate their knowledge from many fields. Attendees left with renewed creativity and passion for natural resource management in watersheds. Feedback from Symposium Attendees Mary Donze, Missouri Division of State Parks “While all of the educational sessions I attended were wonderful, it was the networking that took place at the breaks and dinners that was the most valuable. It is amazing how many agencies are facing the same issues. The camaraderie that develops at the annual conference is truly inspiring. It is nice to take that home; knowing you have lots of fellow professionals to contact, when you need advice on an issue or problem. Meeting the student scholarship recipients was also a highlight of the conference. It is so gratifying to see such amazing young professionals entering the field." John Baas, Michael Brandman Associates “I enjoyed the plenary session on managing the Columbia Gorge. I was living in Washington and working for the Wenatchee National forest when the Gorge Commission was formed and it was hugely controversial. It was encouraging to see how far integrated recreation management and planning in the Gorge has progressed over the last 20 or so years. I attended a session on electronic/database tools to aid in analyzing social and economic data. A lot of what Terry Slider and others presented represent "canned outputs" that are quick and easy to generate, which I believe is the way of the future given expected budget shortfalls. And, I enjoyed listening to Bob Ratcliffe give his wrap up talk on megatrends. With all the challenges we will face over the next few decades it's reassuring to know there will be something for us to do (even though budget outlooks aren't great). “This conference had a very different feel than other NARRP conferences I have attended, and that is both good and bad. I talked with a lot of people I know in river management or planning positions, and was able to re-connect with people I used to work with in the 1980s and 90's. There was almost too much to do, too many places to go, and too many people to meet, in too short a timeframe. “Finally, I was able to meet with several of our scholarship recipients which is always fun, and one of them (Adam) is going to help write a chapter for the Best Practices book. All and all this was the best NARRP conference I've attended.” Floyd A. Thompson, USDA Forest Service “I most enjoyed the in-depth sessions on Visitor Use/Capacity and case studies from a few sites that are heavily involved. The field trips mid-week nicely break up the classroom sessions and also makes it a required part of the conference, so option to leave early, or arrive late is less likely. “The venue located on the river is a plus--keeping with theme of conference. I also liked the pre workshop on Wild and Scenic River CMP revisions and how to best meet intent of law. These mini training sessions make it very valuable to people who can only afford one conference per year and they want some real substance in training to help with their justification to attend whole session that also allows networking with other peers in the field. “The mixing and outreach we are doing with State park planners and other allied fields is also a real plus. “The venue in Breckenridge will offer a much needed chance to focus on sustainable recreation and tourism planning. It will also be a much needed display of partnerships with the private sector; including Outfitter and Guides--which was somewhat lacking in the Portland sessions. I think we need to have some industry partners in our sessions and in poster sessions that are served by our quality planning work.” Heather Ramsay, National Park Service “While those of us in the parks profession intuitively understand the connection between parks, recreation and health, and even have lots of anecdotal evidence to support the conclusion that well managed parks lead to healthier citizens and communities, we are often lacking the hard data to support this conclusion. Thus it was with eagerness that I attended Oregon State Parks' Prescription Rx PLAY session to hear about their work developing a defensible study, in partnership with Kaiser, Oregon State University, and Portland Metro Parks. The program will work will local doctors, who will write prescriptions for kids to participate in recreation programs at their local community center. Participants in the study will be tracked and monitored to determine the efficacy of the model. I'm looking forward to hearing the results - maybe at next year's conference!” Rick Just, Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation “I came away from the conference with a grab-bag of ideas from a variety of sessions. Often, as communication theory would tell us, they were concepts that I had heard before and even pondered, but that I really hadn’t internalized until that sixth or seventh exposure. I continue to be impressed with the work Terry Bergerson is doing through the Oregon SCORP as presented in the session Rx PLAY: Developing an Evidence-Based Physical Activity Program. Another SCORP I’m very familiar with is the one produced by Wisconsin, yet it wasn’t until this conference that I realized the simple genius of the work done there on recreation conflict. The SCORP-as-a-movie-production approach Jeff Prey took during the SCORP session kept it interesting as well as informative. “If you missed either of those sessions you’ll have a chance to learn more about the Oregon and Wisconsin SCORPS, as well as the excellent products produced by Georgia, Colorado and Virginia, as well as a national perspective on SCORPS from NPS during the SCORP Webinar on August 4, presented by NARRP. All NARRP members and SCORP planners nationwide will be invited to participate. Watch for details in your email box.” Scott Babcock, Colorado State Parks “The 2010 NARRP and River Management Symposium was a huge success by any standard. The conference was attended by more than 350 attendees eager to learn about Bridging Conservation and Recreation in a picturesque setting on the beautiful Columbia River. The agenda was especially impressive in terms of the breadth and depth of important topics discussed that were relevant to recreation resource planners. Of particular interest were sessions specifically devoted to recreation planning and management. Topic areas related to the application of management indicators and standards in planning efforts, innovative river management and conservation techniques, recent examples of measuring and monitoring visitor carrying capacity, and other captivating topic areas ensured there was something for everyone. The symposium’s final plenary session led by Jim Bedwell (USFS), Bob Ratcliffe (BLM), and Mary Coulombe (USCOE) stressed the looming challenges and potential opportunities that we, as outdoor recreation professionals must consider. Attendees left feeling empowered and inspired to apply their new found knowledge in their daily work, and eager for next year’s conference! Hope to see you in May 2011 NARRP conference in Breckenridge Colorado where we’ll explore “Connecting America to the Great Outdoors.” A reflective commentary on the 2010 Symposium Bridging the Gap by Jean Akers Bridging conservation and recreation seemed like a natural fit for a meeting of professionals engaged in environmental resources and their uses. As a park planner, this is part of my daily professional practice. The symposium focus was probably the primary reason that I paid additional attention to the NARRP newsletters that my park planning colleague kept forwarding to me. The symposium provided a sufficiently healthy range of topics to share and explore; the field trip activities offered more opportunities to broaden and share site-specific knowledge and experience. The willingness to share ideas across disciplines through a shared symposium demonstrates a commitment to work together in our professional realms as well. Sharing ideas with river management and recreation resource professionals required me to bridge the gap from my normal perspectives as landscape architect and planner in a local jurisdiction. The range of resource management responsibilities at our city and county level operates at a dramatically different scale than many of the projects shared in the concurrent sessions. At the local level, the management influence over land and river resources is highly fragmented and segregated not only between public and private ownerships but also among public entities and their separate departments and programs. Seeing the range of work across larger landscapes may help me envision the potential to unify local efforts and resource management. The symposium offered discussions and presentations that addressed technical resource topics, the art of public involvement and partnerships, and the most recent political implications for our profession. This last subject provided a new perspective and perhaps some fresh hope for those practicing in local jurisdictions.

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