2020 National Watershed & Stormwater Conference Highlights

2020 National Watershed & Stormwater Conference Highlights

From April 14^th through April 16^th, the Center for Watershed Protection, Inc. hosted its fifth annual National Watershed & Stormwater Conference virtually. We had originally intended to host this year’s Conference in Austin, Texas; however, in the current situation, the Center made the ambitious and difficult decision to transition the Conference to a virtual format, with each Center staff member pitching in from their homes.

Even though we had to transition to a virtual format, we still wanted this year’s conference to highlight the water concerns associated with the Texas region. We were so lucky to have the City of Austin’s Watershed Protection Department (WPD) heavily involved in the planning of this year’s Conference. City of Austin WPD staff participated on the Advisory Committee, helped moderate sessions, and even put on many of their own presentations virtually.

Each year, this conference provides a forum for sharing fresh ideas on watershed and stormwater management principles and practices. We are so grateful to everyone who made this year’s event such a success—from the folks at the City of Austin’s Watershed Protection Department, to all of the excellent presenters, the attendees, our Advisory Committee, and of course to the wonderful staff here at the Center.

Here is a download of some of the highlights of the Conference!

Who was there?

Over 215 attendees from all across North America joined us virtually for this year’s National Watershed & Stormwater Conference. Attendees were affiliated with a variety of organizations: federal, state, and local government agencies, consulting firms, universities, and non-profits—just to name a few. This was the first year that the National Watershed & Stormwater Conference was held in an exclusively virtual format, and it was an overwhelming success!

What did we learn?

The 2020 National Watershed & Stormwater Conference was centered on a core of high-quality, interdisciplinary presentations and seminars that highlighted water resources and environmental management practices throughout the United States. We also incorporated supplemental activities like a Virtual Happy Hour for networking, a detailed discussion on best practices for working from home, and even a yoga session to get everyone moving and to regain our focus.

The presentations and workshops were slotted into the following tracks:

• Stream & Watershed Health
  • Stream Restoration
  • Chlorides & Water Quality
  • Watershed Forestry
• BMPs, GI, Monitoring, & Modeling
  • Smart Systems & Emerging Technologies
  • Stormwater Management
  • BMP Maintenance
  • BMP Design
  • Monitoring
• Climate Change & Resilience
  • Promoting Resiliency in Design
  • Stormwater Program & Design Resiliency
  • Climate Change & Planning for Resilience
• Community Outreach
  • Stormwater Outreach
  • Community Involvement
• Tools for Program Implementation
  • Stormwater Planning & Implementation
• Watershed Management & Regulatory Frameworks
  • The Green Economy
  • Planning for TMDLs & MS4s
  • Stormwater Planning & Permit Compliance

Katharine Hayhoe Presentation

If you’re interested in obtaining recordings of the technical content presented at the 2020 Conference, they are available for purchase by contacting Karen Titus at kmt@cwp.org or 443-392-7836.

In addition to the nearly 60 presentations and workshops, the 2020 Conference also featured the following extras:

• Opening Remarks from Mayor Steve Adler (Mayor of the City of Austin, Texas) and Mike Personett
  (City of Austin, Watershed Protection Department)
• Special Plenary session from Dr. Katharine Hayhoe (Professor in the Public Administration Program &
  Director of the South-Central Climate Science Center at Texas Tech University)
• Watershed & Stormwater Trivia Session, with technical trivia questions
• Sponsor Trivia Session, with questions about our sponsors
• Water Facts for Kids Lunch Break, with kid-friendly videos on water quality and environmental
  management
• Tips for Teleworking Lunch Break, with advice on being productive and staying sane while working
  from home
• Meditation & Yoga led by Heather Jefferson (Heart Warming Yoga and Haven on the Lake)
• Virtual Happy Hour with drinks, stories, and debuts from CWP pets and kids

What our attendees had to say

Overall:

• “I think the team did a great job, especially under the circumstances. I had 3 or 4 other events cancel or delay significantly, this was the only one that went virtual and it was a great success. You deserve all the credit and then any that’s left over.”
• “I never got a chance to thank you and the rest of the CWP team for adapting so quickly to changing conditions and putting on a great conference. Thanks for all your hard efforts. Although I missed seeing everyone, I thought it was a great conference and turned out better than expected. Great job!”
• “I really appreciate the work done to “pivot” (wasn’t that the term used yesterday) this conference, not just for the revenue but to preserve the valuable conversations that take place. Thank you.”
• “Congrats on a successful conference last week! I thought you all did a great job pulling something unique and interesting together in the face of immense challenges. I hope next year we will all be together in person, but the virtual conference was a second-best option.”
• “We look forward to Florida in person/virtually/whatever-it-takes! Our whole team was glad/excited to help out with this one! […] Thank you, CWP, for being such a facilitator in making this sharing happen!”

Plenary/Keynote Presentations:

• Opening & Closing Plenaries:
  • “Way to make the best out of the situation!”
  • “Mayor Steve Adler was fantastic!”
  • “Great start to the conference…good flow, great content, and the technology worked! It’s been my pleasure to be part of the team!”
• Dr. Katharine Hayhoe:
  • “Great use of stories and comparisons to easily communicate a sometimes-complicated topic.”
  • “Phenomenal speaker! Her passion is contagious.”

Networking and Sponsorship Opportunities:

• Virtual Happy Hour:
  • “Thanks for all the great thought-provoking discussion! I would definitely second the idea for an agriculture-based track for next year’s conference. Might pull in some more midwestern folks.”
• Meditation & Yoga:
  • “Thank you! Wonderfully relaxing!”
• Water Facts for Kids Lunch Break:
  • “My 2^nd grader like the videos and wanted to watch more!”

Presentations/Technical Content:

• “I am very happy to see some actual streambank erosion projects. Excellent stuff from both presenters.”
• “Phenomenal presentations!”
• “The research on the effectiveness of various paver maintenance methods was very useful and informative as we get these questions frequently.”
• “Great timekeeping to keep things on track and on time.”

How was the conference made possible?

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the 17 industry sponsors who helped make this year’s Conference such a tremendous success.

• Patron: Ecotone
• Gold: CBI Systems, K. Friese + Associates, and Cobbfendley
• Silver: Chesapeake Bay Trust, Stormwater Systems, Contech Engineered Solutions, GreenBlue Urban, Freese and Nichols, and Apex Companies
• Bronze: STV, Century Engineering, Paverguide, and Anderson Davis
• Supporting Sponsors: IECA, Black & Veatch, and Earth Treks

What’s planned for 2021?

Mark your calendars and pack your bags, because the 2021 National Watershed & Stormwater Conference will be held in St. Petersburg, Florida!

The 2021 Conference will be hosted at The Vinoy Renaissance St. Petersburg Resort & Golf Club from April 13^th to 15^th, 2021—so save the date! The 2021 Conference in St. Petersburg is currently planned to be an in-person-only event with “add-on” field trips/activities, so we look forward to seeing you there!