i. Legislative issues

Session Facilitator: Rob Sanford, University of Southern Maine

This session will discuss water-related issues that are currently or may potentially be before the state legislature in 2007. Discussions will focus on the following topics: public water supply protection, state water use planning, improving lake water quality, amending setback laws. Additional panelists will be added as session plans are finalized.

Presenters/Panelists:

• Andrews L. Tolman, Maine DHHS Drinking Water Program
• Jeff McNelly, Maine Water Utilities Association
• Maggie Shannon, Maine Congress of Lake Associations
• Jennifer Burns, Maine Audubon

Panelists:

• Representative Ted Koffman (D-Bar Harbor), Chair, Committee on Natural Resources
• Representative Robert S. Duchesne (D-Hudson), Committee on Natural Resources
• Andy Fisk, Director, Bureau of Land and Water Quality, Maine Dept. of Environmental Protection

ii. Volunteer Monitoring - developing a VRMP

Session Facilitator: Barbara Arter, BSA Environmental Consulting

This session will focus on volunteer monitoring in Maine and the next steps for development of a Volunteer River Monitoring Program (VRMP). Presentations and discussions will include some of the following topics: the current state of volunteer monitoring in Maine, how other states are working with volunteer monitors, what state needs are/are not currently being met, future state needs, the need for a centralized, coordinated, standardized VRMP program, improvement of coordination between volunteer monitoring groups, the needs of existing organizations, and support and development of existing monitoring efforts.

Presenters/Panelists:

• Ted Walsh (pdf presentation), NH DES Volunteer River Assessment Program
• Jeff Varricchione (pdf presentation), Maine Dept. of Environmental Protection
• Lili Pugh (pdf presentation), Sheepscot Valley Conservation Association
• Scott Williams (pdf presentation), Maine Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program

Additional Panelists:

• Forrest Bell, Presumpscot River Watch, Great Works River Watershed Coalition
• Tracey Gamache, Narraguagus/Pleasant River Watershed Coalitions
• Mark Whiting, Maine Dept. of Environmental Protection
• Nonny Ferriday, Bagaduce Watershed Association
• Biill MacDonald, Maine Rivers

iii. Water resources and climate change

Session Chair: Glenn Hodgkins, U.S. Geological Survey

You may have heard anecdotal stories of changing climate in Maine from friends and relatives, or noticed changes yourself. What do historical water-resources data tell us? What has changed — or not changed? This session will summarize some of the known changes to Maine’s lakes and rivers in the last 50 to 150 years. What do climate changes mean to water-resources managers? Two possible impacts will be discussed in this session: impacts on wetlands in Acadia National Park and on culverts in a New Hampshire city.

8:30am - 8:55am
Climate-related changes on northern New England rivers and lakes during the last century
Glenn A. Hodgkins, U.S. Geological Survey

9:00am - 9:25am
Preparing For Climate Change: A Small City’s Mid-century Culvert Drainage Needs
Michael H. Simpson, Environmental Studies Department, Antioch/New England Graduate School

9:30am - 9:55am
Analyzing Susceptibility of Wetlands to Changes in Water Availability Resulting from Potential Climate Change, Acadia National Park, Maine
Martha G. Nielsen, U.S. Geological Survey

iv. Landscape change

Session Chairs: Sarah Nelson, Mitchell Center for Environmental and Watershed Research, University of Maine and Kathleen Bell, Department of Resource Economics and Policy, University of Maine

Part One (morning): Changes in fish assemblages
This session will examine changes in fish assemblages at the landscape scale using historic data, proxy measures, and experience from other regions. Topics will include fish stocking, invasive species, and temporal changes in the abundance of several species and indicators. Water quality, landscape context, and human activities related to these changes in fish assemblages are discussed, as are management implications.

8:30am - 8:55am
Fisheries Then and Now: A 60-year comparison of lake fish assemblages in Maine
Peter Vaux, Mitchell Center for Environmental and Watershed Research, University of Maine

9:00am - 9:25am
A habitat on the brink? An assessment of the status of fishless lakes in Maine
Cynthia S. Loftin, USGS-Maine Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit

9:30am - 9:55am
Invasive Crayfish in Maine: Potential Impacts on Fish, Plants and Benthic Invertebrates
Karen A. Wilson, University of Southern Maine

Part Two (afternoon): Watershed management tools and assessment
This session features the development of science-based watershed planning and restoration tools. Connections between landscape change and water systems are explored to support the design and prioritization of restoration and lake and stream management activities. Topics addressed include riparian restoration, changes in physical properties of rivers, hydrogeomorphic lake classification, and management of chloride in northeastern lakes.

1:30pm - 1:55pm
Large recent increases in Cl in northeastern lakes as an indicator of regional development pressure
Steve Kahl, Plymouth State University, NH

2:00pm - 2:25pm
A hydrogeomorphic lake classification system for lake assessment and management
Katherine Webster, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Maine

3:00pm - 3:25pm
Monitoring Rates of Change in Maine Rivers
Aaron Corr, Parish Geomorphic, Ltd.

3:30pm - 3:55pm
Developing a watershed planning tool to prioritize riparian restoration activities
David D. Hart, Mitchell Center for Environmental and Watershed Research, University of Maine

v. Contaminants & Toxic metals

Session Chairs: John Peckenham, Mitchell Center for Environmental and Watershed Research, University of Maine and Bob Lent, U.S. Geological Survey

Session Speakers:
Please note that as of 1/3/07 the speaker order has not been finalized.

8:30am - 8:55am
An overview of arsenic in Maine ground water
Robert G. Marvinney, Maine Geological Survey

9:00am - 9:25am
An Update on a Public Health Research Program Regarding Arsenic in Maine Well Water
Andy Smith, Environmental & Occupational Health Program, Maine Center for Disease Control

9:30am - 9:55am
The Natural End of Landfill Leachate: Examples from Maine
Peter Garrett, Emery & Garrett Groundwater, Inc.

1:30pm - 1:55pm
Arsenic and Geochemical Characteristics of Groundwater from Domestic Wells in Greater Augusta, Maine
Yan Zheng, City University of New York & Earth Observatory of Columbia University

2:00pm - 2:25pm
Approximating the Fate of Arsenic from Drinking Water Supplies in Maine
John Peckenham, Mitchell Center for Environmental and Watershed Research, University of Maine

3:00pm - 3:25pm
Effects of Arsenic Valence and Well-Water Chemistry on Arsenic Removal Efficiencies of Household Water Treatment Systems
Charlie Culbertson, U.S. Geological Survey

3:25pm - 4:00pm
Discussion: Arsenic Research Gaps and Needs

vi. Sustainable water use

Session Chair: Bob Marvinney, Maine Geological Survey

1:30pm - 1:55pm
Robert Marvinney, Maine Geological Survey
Watershed-at-risk analysis as a guide for ground water management

2:00pm -2:25pm
Charlie Fitts, University of Southern Maine
Analyzing the sustainability of groundwater pumping in the Fryeburg sand and gravel aquifer

3:00pm -3:25pm
Shaleen Jain, University of Maine
Sustainable Water Resources Management in a Changing Climate

3:30pm -3:55pm
Brian Joyce, Stockholm Environment Institute
Managing for Water Supply and Ecological Flows

vii. Models for Municipal Planning

Session Facilitator: Brenda Zollitsch

This panel-style session will introduce participants to a number of modeling approaches that have been successfully used to aid municipal planning and assessment. The intended audience includes municipal employees, consultants, and environmental companies that work with municipalities. The session will be divided into two segments, each starting with the short presentation of a number of models, followed by panel discussion. The first half of the session will introduce three technical models - models for conducting impervious cover build-out analysis, determining the affect of different buffer widths on local water conditions, and assessing stratified-drift aquifers as potential large municipal water supplies. The second half of the session will showcase two successful Maine-based models for collaborative action, including the engagement of citizens in watershed survey work and the regionalization of municipal storm water management. Presentations will focus on outcomes, impacts and pros and cons for using the models. Attendees will leave the session with a better idea of what kinds of tools are available to municipalities and an understanding of which types of models will work best for the specific challenges they face.

Presenters/Panelists:

• Fred Dillon (pdf presentation), FB Environmental Associates
• John Lough (pdf presentation), Lakeport Hydrology
• Brenda Zollitsch, BASWG Facilitator and Ken Locke, BASWG Member & Stormwater Coordinator, City of Brewer
• Ethel Wilkerson (pdf presentation), Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences
• Zach Steele and Jane Disney (pdf presentation), MDI Water Quality Coalition

viii. Water Science Education — Linking water resources science with K-12 water education programs: What are we doing, what works, and how do we know?

Session Facilitators: Beth Owen, Maine Sea Grant and Laura Wilson, University of Maine Cooperative Extension

National and State learning standards call for students to apply their learning in science and mathematics to current and genuine problems that are relevant to their lives and communities. At the same time, federal, state, and private research organizations are increasingly focused on strengthening links between academic research and K-12 education. A new body of education research has begun to explore questions about how and why integration of academic science with K-12 science education affects student learning. Along with these developments, formal and informal water science education programs throughout New England have begun to design programs that link K-12 students and teachers with academic research and researchers, and to implement new program assessment tools to evaluate the efficacy of these linkages. The panelists in this session will briefly profile several of these programs and discuss their efforts to determine whether or not they have positively affected students’ science learning.

During the first part of this session, faculty and a graduate student from the University of Maine Center for Science and Mathematics Education Research will discuss strategies for designing and implementing effective program assessment tools, and describe one case study in Maine. K-12 water science educators from three organizations in New England will then briefly outline their programs, and describe successes and challenges they have encountered in designing appropriate evaluation tools. The session will close with a panel discussion among all participants, and a fifteen-minute question and answer period.

Presenters/Panelists:

• Molly Schauffler (pdf presentation), Steve Norton, and Medea Steinman (graduate student), UMaine Center for Science and Mathematics Education Research
• Sarah Kirn (pdf presentation), and Sarah Morriseau, Vital Signs Program, Gulf of Maine Research Institute
• Rex Turner, Director of Education, Maine Lakes Conservancy Institute
• Jurij Homziak, Executive Director, Lake Champlain Sea Grant Program