A tree-ring reconstruction of Animas River streamflow and its use in water management

Durango, CO - June 12, 2008

This half-day workshop was a follow-up to a workshop I presented in Durango in May 2007. The participants at that workshop showed a strong interest in a streamflow reconstruction for the Animas at Durango, so I developed the reconstruction in spring 2008, and returned to Durango to "deliver" this new product in person. The Mountain Studies Institute (MSI), based in Silverton and Durango, again served as co-sponsor of the workshop, with MSI director Koren Nydick coordinating the outreach and local logistics.

There were 12 participants from the Durango area, representing federal resource agencies, irrigation districts, private water consultancies, colleges, and tribes (see participant list). Half of them were had participated in the 2007 workshop. Most of the workshop was occupied by my presentation, which covered "Tree-Ring 101", the development of the new Animas reconstruction, and examples of how reconstructions are being used in water planning elsewhere in the West. The final part of the workshop was spent in a group discussion of potential applications of the new reconstruction, with each participant describing how they foresaw using the reconstruction, and any needs for additional data or information. (Link to Koren's discussion summary.)

There was consensus in that discussion, reinforced by feedback on the workshop evaluations, that it would be helpful to have a public outreach tool similar to the brochure I showed in the presentation, which was developed for the Rio Grande Water Conservation District. So I will work with Koren and hopefully the Southwestern Water Conservation district to make a brochure or fact sheet for the Animas basin.

Presentation:

Jeff Lukas: A tree-ring reconstruction of Animas River streamflow and its use in water management (PDF)

Streamflow reconstruction data:

Animas River at Durango (Excel)

Contact:

Jeff Lukas, University of Colorado & WWA