The Growing & Evolving Field of Stream Restoration – From Mitigation to Resiliency – How Will the Industry Continue to Adapt?
J. George Athanasakes
Stantec Consulting Services Inc.
Louisville, KY
Stream restoration continues to grow in popularity across the United States and globally. The very practice of stream restoration relies on adaptive management to ultimately implement projects and set streams on the trajectory of sustainability. Interestingly, the profession in general and the funding sources used to pay for stream restoration are also undergoing an adaptive management process and continue to evolve. Historically mitigation and/or fisheries enhancement were the key drivers funding stream restoration projects. Now in many areas across the US, the need for resilient communities, water quality initiatives, and now corporate ESG goals have resulted in significant funding sources for stream restoration projects.
This talk will explore the ever-evolving field of stream restoration and the adaptive management that the profession is currently under from multiple perspectives. Specifically, the evolution of funding sources for restoration implementation will be discussed and examples of key drivers for funding stream restoration in different parts of the country and globally will be explored as well as the applicability of these funding approaches to other areas. The adaptive management of the profession will also be discussed. We have evolved from stream restoration in general using multiple approaches to the expanding world of Nature-based Solutions (NbS). Will this trajectory continue to pull the profession forward or cause us to reverse course in some respects? These questions will be explored from a practitioner’s perspective.
About George Athanasakes
George holds Bachelor’s of Science and Master’s of Engineering Degrees from the University of Louisville and has been working in the field of Ecosystem Restoration for over 30 years. His specialty is river/stream restoration and George helped to bring innovation to the field by leading the development of the RIVERMorph software, which is used throughout the United States and internationally. George serves as the leader of Stantec’s Ecosystem Restoration Program globally and has worked on hundreds of restoration projects throughout North America.