A new CSIRO report has been released that will help ensure the delivery of maximum ecological benefits from water allocations in the Murray-Darling Basin. Funded by the National Water Commission, the report; Ecological Outcomes of Flow Regimes in the Murray-Darling Basin, provides information that will assist water managers to improve and justify delivery of environmental water to ‘icon sites’, including wetlands of international significance such as the Macquarie Marshes, Gwydir Wetlands and Narran Lakes. To find out more click here.
Tags: CSIRO, Ecological, Environmental flows, Environmental water, Flow Inundation Model, Flow regimes, Gwydir, Macquarie Marshes, Murray-Darling Basin, Research, Science
News | Siwan Lovett | 
21 June 2010 12:05 pm | 
Comments (1)
This week has been amazing with seven days in New Orleans on the mighty Mississippi River for the annual Special Libraries Association (SLA) conference.
For the last five years I have been attending the SLA conference and have visited some fascinating parts of the USA. However, this year was special. Since starting to work with ARRC I have found a new interest in the rivers of the world, and have now visited the 3rd largest. Just the Amazon and the Nile to go if I want to visit the top three!
SLA is a very large international information and knowledge management professional association with members from across the globe. Last year, during the SLA centennial, I was Chair of the Knowledge Management Division. The KM Division is the fastest growing Division, and is now one of the largest, even though we have only been in existence for 4 years. I also ran my Continuing Education course on evaluation using narrative techniques, which for the second year in a row was a great success. I will probably be running this again in 2011 in Philadelphia. If you are interested in qualitative evaluation the ARRC could run this course for you here in Australia – please let us know.
Nerida
PS I also managed to fit in a few days in New York – and despite my preconceived ideas about big cities, have found this to be a very pleasant place and will definitely be visiting again.
Last week I attended a workshop the Australian Government organised for natural resources management agencies, government and non-government, to share their insights into how to attract the corporate dollar. There were some excellent presentations from a range of small and large organisations about how they have built relationships and developed corporate partnerships. My take home messages from the event were that chasing the corporate dollar requries skill, a clarity of purpose and a commitment to tailoring your product to meet their needs. A summary of the conference outcomes can be found on our ‘New Information and Knowledge’ page.
Siwan
I read Billabong Boy in two nights, not wanting to put it down as it was a pleasure to read. Arron is honest about the opportunities and the challenges he has confronted in trying to keep a business going that focuses on ‘kids teaching kids’, in a natural resources management sector that is not ‘flush with cash’. Like the ARRC, Arron’s work is about supporting people, and I am inspired to read about what he has achieved. Arron has recieved a number of well-deserved rewards, but for me, what came through in the book was how much he valued the conversations with kids, and how much he acknowledges the importance of having friends and family to help him realise his dreams. I recommend this book as an inspiring read, and one that will lift your spirits and remind you about why you work in river restoration. You can read more about Billabong Boy in the Stories part of our website.
You can order Billabong Boy directly from the New Holland website.
Siwan
Siwan and I are taking a Dave Snowden course on 1 July 2010. I have done quite a few of Dave’s courses over the years, starting with a Storytelling Course back in the early 2000s. For Siwan this will be her first.
We have noticed that many of our research scientists are using Dave’s Cynefin framework in their work, Richard Stirzaker and Andrew Campbell being two of the most notable. This seminar will build on the Cynefin Framework, and provide a basic introduction to complexity theory in human systems by introducing participants to some core methods and approaches. It is based on Dave’s award winning work in this area, and is relevant for executives in the public and private sectors who need to understand the theory and application of new complexity-based approaches to strategy.
For those who are interested in undertaking this course, Dave will give a 15% discount to friends of the Australian River Restoration Centre. You can register here.
Nerida
