2021

• Who: Nearshore restoration practitioners operating in coastal VA
• What: A knowledge exchange.  
• Where: Zoom
• Why: To meet a need for restoration related discussion expressed by members!
• When: 9:30am to 12:00pm on the mornings of Tuesday September 21 – Thursday September 23, 2021

Agenda below, program here.

Tuesday, September 21

9:30 Sign-on, and get ready to restore!

9:40 Welcome
We’ll cover workshop goals and run you through the three-day plan.

10:00 Funding/Financing Restoration
Supporting restoration projects on private and public lands remains a challenging top priority for practitioners.  How do we do it?  Here’s a look at a timely funding mechanism and an organization that partners to support restoration projects.  Q&A with speakers and breakout discussion to follow.

• Michael Barber, Floodplain Program Manager, Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Dam Safety and Floodplain Management
• Paula K. Worden, Education and Communications Manager, Resources Institute

10:55 Siting and Designing for Resilient Restoration
How do we design restoration projects for our ever-changing coast?  Where does it make sense to start a project, and what alternative methods are now being used? Q&A with speakers and breakout discussion to follow.

• Donna Milligan, Assistant Research Scientist, VIMS Shoreline Studies Program
• Becky Swerida, Reserve Biologist, Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in Maryland

12:00 Close
 

Wednesday, September 22

9:30 Welcome
Overview of what’s happened, and what’s ahead.

9:40 Ice Breaker
Because we love social capitol!  Connect with your restoration colleagues.
 
10:00 Restoration Science
Restoration’s “best available science” is currently focused on the conventional, though there are more holistic approaches to restoration.  But what do those look like?  How do we incorporate alternative sciences for the most effective results?  We’ll first take a look at a tool NOAA developed for shoreline planting – MAPTITE (Marsh Analysis and Planning Tool Incorporating Tides and Elevations).  Then, we’ll explore ways conventional tools and approaches like MAPTITE can be augmented by hearing how it’s being done on the Oregon coast.  Q&A with speakers and breakout discussion to follow.

• Alice Yeates, Stewardship Coordinator, South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve

10:55 Implementation and Construction: Restoration Projects in the Making
Implementing nature-based solutions is not reliant on natural tools and materials alone. Learn how technology is facilitating opportunities in the construction of nearshore restoration projects. Then, hear how to become a certified restoration practitioner! Q&A with speakers and breakout discussion to follow.

• Matt Campbell, Co-founder, Natrx
• Alexis Gibson, Program Director, Society for Ecological Restoration

12:00 Close
 

Thursday, September 23

9:30 Welcome
Overview of what’s happened, and what’s ahead.

9:40 Ice Breaker
Because we love social capitol!  Connect with your restoration colleagues.
 
10:00 Monitoring
How well do restoration projects perform?  How do you maintain them?  We’ll hear about a local framework for monitoring, and a protocol designed in the Mid Atlantic for engaging the community in this necessary part of restoration. Q&A with speakers and breakout discussion to follow.

• Mandy Bromilow, Fisheries Specialist, NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office
• Laura Kerr and Jon Miller, Stevens Institute of Technology
  , Coastal Engineering Research Group

11:00 Tools to Get you Restoration Ready
Now what?  Time to get out there!  Hear where you can turn to for locally-relevant and national resources to inform your next steps. Q&A with speakers and breakout discussion to follow.

• Cirse Gonzalez, Coastal Training Program Coordinator, Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in Virginia
• Elsa Schwartz, Senior Director of Restoration and Administration, Restore America’s Estuaries

12:00 Close

2019

• Who: Nearshore restoration practitioners operating in coastal VA
• What: A knowledge exchange.  
• Where: VIMS campus, Gloucester Point, VA
• Why: To meet a need for restoration related discussion expressed by members!