December 23, 2009

December Newsflash:

Happy Holidays!

May the season find you and your loved ones both happy and healthy! May fish and rivers will be thankful to you for your continuous interest and support!

Climate Change:

We hope that the current attention to the climate issues will help us promote the River Climate Action plan (www.RiverClimate.org).

MesoHABSIM Courses:

Due to increasing inquiries, we will offer our 2010 series of MesoHABSIM courses in the USA and in Europe. We are currently organizing a New England based MesoHABSIM course to be offered early this spring. The next course will take place at the end of May 2010, likely in British Columbia. You can preregister to be informed about the final details. Please stay tuned for final announcement in January.
For more information on Rushing River Institute Courses, or the SIMSTREAM 7 Habitat Modeling Software, visit us online at

Renewed Protection for Massachusettes;
Rushing Rivers Institute Advises on Safe Yield

Dr. Parasiewicz of Rushing Rivers Institute has been invited to sit upon the Water Resources Technical Subcommittee, which will assist the state in designing methodology and determining the safe yield for Massachusetts River Basins by August 2011. The Patrick Administration reconsidered disturbing changes it had announced in October to the state’s working definition of Safe Yield, in response to intense lobbying from scientific and environmental groups, including Rushing Rivers Institute. The administration has reaffirmed its consideration of ecological health, habitat, and hydrological factors in determining Safe Yield. The state has requested scientific assistance in determining proper standards for water withdrawal.
Recent advances in river science and technological tools have greatly improved our ability to understand fresh-water habitat, anticipate the stressors applied by development and Climate Change, and calculate sustainable management guidelines for our rivers and streams. Many of these advances have been developed by Dr. Parasiewicz, and other Massachusetts’ based scientists. The Massachusetts EEA’s Sustainable Water Resources Advisory Committee seems poised to take advantage of this wealth of scientific expertise. The subcommittee’s future task will be to “provide technical input into the multi-agency development of science-based streamflow criteria that characterize streams and alterations, requirements for each class type, and a description of how these standards would be applied; and to provide technical guidance on the sustainable allocation of water resources in Massachusetts.” Rushing River’s welcomes this opportunity to design better management regulations, and therefore improve the protection of our vital river resources.