IRU attends the River Network’s 2024 River Rally Conference
Two of our IRU crew members flew out to beautiful Grand Rapids, Michigan this week for the River Rally, an annual conference by the @rivernetwork that "connects people saving rivers." From Hydropower Reform Coalition sessions, equity and justice in strategic communications, the Clean Water Act in action, we're excited to learn, network, and explore the work being done nationwide in river conservation. We will be bringing back what we've learned from our sessions and speakers into our work at IRU specifically through our Urban River Stewards Program, Tribal partnerships, and Wild & Scenic Rivers campaign. Thanks for having us! You can learn more at www.rivernetwork.org.
Here’s a recap of a few of the sessions we attended:
FERC Regulated Hydropower dams: Licensing, Impacts & Removal Session
FERC compliance - offers a way to shape operations, improve impacts but occurs only every 30-50 years, offers input from Tribes (which should have increased authority from sovereign nations), agencies, river stewards, communities, stakeholders
Improve Tribal authority
Types of hydropower - conventional or pumped storage open loop or closed loop
90,000 dams (over 30’ high / high hazard if it failed) = 2500 or 3% have hydropower, 1600 regulated by FERC
500,000+ estimated to be on US rivers, old, historic
459 hydropower plants up for relicensing in the next 10 years
Size doesn’t correlate to impact of dams
Impact: changes to flows impact fish, water quality, fish migration/blocking, shorelines, ESA protection, cultural preservation and recreation
Communication Strategy - mystic river case study
Ideas - cities change rivers
toolbox/branding for graphics - entryway/quick way to engage building an informed constituency = annual recap of stats, consistent blogs and articles
How to you show things when there is nothing to show - K-12 education/graphics/videos through grants.
Drainage /storm drains stenciling art with kids!
America the Beautiful for All Coalition - Biden/Harris
Conserve 30% of land water ocean by 2030
Implement just 40 - 40% of investments given to voices and communities who are typically underrepresented
250 orgs run by categories with a policy agenda
FEMA support
Reform the clean water act and funding as a result of the Sackett ruling via EPA
Remove dams - columbia / snake, restore fish/aquatic species
