Sagehen Courses...

Codornices Creek	Cold Creek	Redwood Creek

About the course

This five-day introductory course emphasizes understanding geomorphic and ecological process as a sound basis for planning and designing river restoration, covering general principles and case studies from a wide range of environments. Incorporating insights
from recent research in fluvial geomorphology and ecology, the course emphasizes developing predictive connections between objectives and actions, learning from built restoration projects, and developing restoration strategies and innovative management
approaches to address underlying causes of channel or ecosystem change, rather than prescriptive approaches.

The course integrates perspectives from leading academic researchers to consulting practitioners in river restoration, and across that spectrum it draws on a range of approaches from state-of-the-art hydraulics and sediment transport, historical geomorphic-ecological process analysis, urban-infrastructure-focused approach, to resource-focused approaches. In addition to field techniques, the course uses spreadsheet models to calculate sediment transport and channel design based on this analysis, map and aerial photo analysis, and sequential problem solving in approaching restoration of fluvial processes. The course includes field trips to the Truckee River and streams in the Lake Tahoe Basin, and workshops on stream restoration problems faced by participants for discussion and ideas on analytical approaches and resources.

This course emphasizes integration of hydrology, hydraulics, sediment transport, geomorphology, aquatic ecology, fisheries, and riparian ecology, and includes field measurements, mapping, and interpretation. An advanced course focuses explicitly on
geomorphic, sediment transport, and riparian vegetation principles applied to channel design (URL below).

Text and Course Materials

Included in the course fee is the text, Tools in Fluvial Geomorphology (John Wiley & Sons 2003), lecture notes, and two CDs of spreadsheets for calculating sediment transport and channel dimensions, along with pdfs of relevant papers and reports.

Sample syllabus for 2011 course [Word doc - 25KB].

Photos from 2006 Summer Shortcourse in Lake Tahoe, California:

The course instructors.

The course is taught by leading researchers and practitioners, who are applied scientists focusing on bringing science together with practice to solve typical environmental problems. The course brings cutting-edge expertise and methods to bear on planning,
design, and evaluation of river restoration. Collectively, the instructors have broad experience on rivers in North America, Europe, and Asia, including analysis and project design in the Lake Tahoe basin and throughout California.

Principal instructors:

Peter Wilcock, Professor of Geography and Environmental Engineering at Johns Hopkins University, authority on sediment transport and integration of fluvial geomorphic analyses in river restoration design and planning, leader of the Stream Restoration program at the National Center of Earth-Surface Dynamics.
Matt Kondolf, Professor of Environmental Planning and Geography at UC Berkeley, with experience in planning and evaluating river restoration, sediment management in regulated rivers, and habitat needs for spawning by salmon and trout.
Don Erman, Professor of Ecology at University of California Berkeley and Davis (retired) conducted numerous influential studies of aquatic ecology on Sagehen Creek through the 1980s and 1990s, including studies with Ned Andrews (USGS) linking geomorphic processes with aquatic ecology.
Mike Limm, post-doctoral researcher at the University of Minnesota, received his PhD from UC Berkeley, focusing hydrologic and hydraulic controls on food webs, carbon and nutrient pathways, and the influence of food web composition on ecosystem processes.
Mitch Swanson, president of Swanson Hydrology and Geomorphology, a leading designer of stream restoration projects, who has conducted analyses of stream processes and implemented successful stream and meadow restoration projects throughout the Lake Tahoe basin, the Russian River, and elsewhere.
Scott McBain, principal of McBain and Trush, has led restoration efforts on large and small rivers in California and elsewhere in western North America, including the Trinity, San Joaquin, and Tuolumne, emphasizing restoration of geomorphic and ecological processes.
Mark Tompkins, civil engineer and geomorphologist with Newfields River Basin Services, has led major studies of sediment transport and channel geomorphology on the Klamath River and designed restoration projects on urban streams across the US, including Silver and Deer Creeks, California, Trinity River, Texas, and Four-Mile Run, Virginia.

Other instructors:

Phyllis Faber, riparian ecologist
Dave Shaw, Balance Hydrologics, Truckee, stream gauging/sediment sampling/surveying
Ken Adams, geologist, Desert Research Institute, geologic context of Tahoe region
Jonathan Long, US Forest Service, Tahoe basin restoration overview
Chad Gourley, Otis Bay Consultants, planning and design of restoration of Truckee River
Jim Litchfield, Fluid Concepts, design of Wingfield Park (Reno), other whitewater parks

Lodging, Fees & Registration.

The California course, now in its 18th successful year, is held at Sagehen Creek Field Station, 15 mi north of Lake Tahoe, and 45 minutes from the Reno airport. The station combines a beautiful natural setting with excellent research and teaching facilities, free
wireless internet, and excellent meals.

Sagehen Creek is steps away from the teaching facilities, and provides an excellent on-site laboratory to illustrate many of the concepts taught in the course. Participants can stay on-site ($30/night) or commute from hotels in Truckee (15 minutes). With on-site lodging, the total cost including lodging, all meals for five days, registration, course materials, text, and continuing education credit from University of California is an excellent value at only $2,130 inclusive for the week (when booked by 15 May).

Mail the completed registration form [Word doc - 32KB] and checks made out to "UC Regents" to:

Zan Rubin/Sue Retta
River Restoration
Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning
202 Wurster Hall
University of California
Berkeley CA 94720-2000

To pay by credit card, please see registration form.

For questions, please contact Zan Rubin/Sue Retta (river.restoration.sagehen@gmail.com).

Also available in 2012

Sediment Transport in Stream Assessment and Design
August 6-10, 2012
Intermountain Center for River Rehabilitation and
Restoration
Utah State University, Logan Utah
http://cnr.usu.edu/icrrr/

A course intended for participants who are familiar with basic principles of river geomorphology, building upon the foundation of the Sagehen course with more specialized focus on channel design. Principles of open channel flow and sediment transport combined with watershed-scale, hydrologic and sediment source analysis to place channel assessment and design in the appropriate context. Threshold and alluvial channel design methods are presented along with guidelines for assessing and incorporating uncertainty.