Key speakers
We were pleased to feature several key speakers at this year’s conference. Additional 2025 speakers will be announced once their confirmation details are finalized.
Paul Burns
Fisheries Biologist, USDA Forest Service
Pearls on a String: Recognizing the value intact wetlands and alluvial valleys have within the stream continuum
In recent years, the field of river and stream restoration has been shifting, with experts advocating for a more holistic, process-based approach. This perspective prioritizes the restoration of natural processes and functions over focusing solely on specific forms like single-thread meandering channels. By addressing the root causes of degradation and embracing dynamic systems, process-based restoration helps rivers and streams adapt and respond to future changes and disturbances. This shift also encourages us to think more broadly about the entire watershed, recognizing that the health of wetlands, alluvial valleys, and floodplains plays a crucial role in supporting a resilient and functional stream ecosystem.
Emerging research has highlighted that natural, pre-disturbance conditions in many low-gradient alluvial systems were often characterized by complex networks of interconnected channels and wetlands rather than one dominant channel. These conditions supported biodiversity and stream resilience in ways that the traditional single-thread restoration models commonly used today cannot achieve. By recognizing the interconnectedness of wetlands, alluvial valleys, and the stream network, restoration professionals can better understand and apply strategies that reflect the true complexity of natural stream systems, leading to more sustainable and ecologically beneficial outcomes for fish, wildlife, water, and people.
Paul Burns will speak on the morning of Wednesday, February 26th as the opening presentation in the Restoring Wetland And Stream Systems symposium.
About Paul Burns
Paul has worked for the Forest Service for nearly 34 years as a fishery biologist, with 4 years in Utah, 27 on the Siuslaw National Forest in Oregon, and most recently 2 years on US Forest Service Enterprise restoration group. He has a Bachelor of Science degree from UW-Stevens Point and a Master of Science degree from the University of Alaska Fairbanks in fisheries management. Partnerships, mentoring, and watershed restoration were the staples of Paul’s time on the Siuslaw. In 2004, the Siuslaw Basin Partnership won the Thiess International Riverprize that led to numerous trips to Sakhalin Island, Russia, to encourage restoration within their country. Paul also served on a Forest Service Restoration Assistance Team that visited National Forests throughout Oregon and Washington to provide review and assistance with complex restoration projects. During the last decade, Paul has focused on large floodplain and wetland restoration projects that bring alluvial valleys back to a Stage “0” condition.
Kristen Bouska
Research Ecologist, US Geological Survey
From Biophysical to Social-ecological Systems: Best practices for building social capacity in the science and practice of watershed conservation
The health and resilience of the Upper Mississippi River have changed over time in various ways. One particularly concerning trend is increasing amounts of discharge entering the river caused by ever-increasing extreme precipitation events. These events have implications for both human and natural communities. As is also true for nutrient reduction strategies, mitigating the impacts of extreme precipitation events on the Upper Mississippi River cannot be addressed by river management alone but rather necessitates large-scale investments in conservation across the watershed.
Research ecologist Kristen Bouska will share insights from three recent project experiences within the Upper Mississippi River watershed that centered on the importance of intentionally building in social processes. For example, broadening participation in the practice of conservation to include those impacted by conservation actions can improve design, enhance ownership of processes and outcomes, and motivate additional efforts. Within the applied sciences, there is growing recognition that co-production of science among scientists and decision-makers yields benefits beyond direct outputs of research, including understanding each other’s mental models. Intentional emphasis on social processes can result in feedbacks that advance our understanding and management of social-ecological systems in new ways.
Bouska will synthesize these experiences into ‘pearls of wisdom’ for building social capacity in both the science and practice of conservation.
Kristen Bouska will speak on the morning of Thursday, February 27th.
About Kristen Bouska
Kristen Bouska is a research ecologist with the USGS at the Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center in La Crosse, WI, working largely in support of the Long Term Resource Monitoring element of the Upper Mississippi River Restoration Program. In this role, Kristen leads and collaborates with partners to investigate applied research questions that inform the management and conservation of river ecosystems and their watersheds. She has a bachelor’s degree in biology from UW-La Crosse, a Master of Science degree in biology from Kansas State University, and a Ph.D. in environmental resources and policy from Southern Illinois University.