Our work

Supporting People – ARRC Yellow Awards

One of the most important things we do is to support those working in river restoration.  To this end, we created the ARRC Yellow Awards to acknowledge the importance of those people who have energy, enthusiasm and who take the time to share their knowledge with others.  To learn about those people who have received this fabulous award read more here.

Our Work Wish List

Support and funding for the reinvigoration of the  NRM Navigator and NRM Evidence Bases

Oh to have a large amount of funding to enable us to reinvigorate great knowledge sharing products like the NRM Navigator, and NRM Evidence Bases.  We would welcome any ideas on how we can secure funding for these products as we are finding that government funding guidelines tend not to cover knowledge sharing activities and support infrastructure.  If we could get these products back out and doing what they do best – sharing knowledge, fostering relationships and building networks, the ARRC could have a secure future.  If you have any input, ideas on how we can make this happen please get in touch with Siwan, Nerida or Phil.

Current Projects

Bringing back Native Fish RipRap (Murray Darling Basin Authority, May-June 2012)

Yes, I am delighted to say that RipRap is back!!  The Murray-Darling Basin Authority is funding the first of a new look RipRap on ‘Bringing Back Native Fish’.  This decision is really fantastic as RipRap is the publication that people remember most from my time at Land & Water Australia.  Stay tuned as I will be looking to have your support and interest if we are going to keep RipRap going once this first edition gets out….  :-)

Greening Australia Capitol Region Workshops (Greening Australia, 6-29 June 2012)

Working with the Jason Cummings and Lori Gould from the Greening Australia Capitol Region team, Siwan will be preparing three half day workshops focusing on different aspects of science communication, knowledge sharing and leadership.  Siwan will tailor these workshops to meet the needs of the team at Greening Australia, with practical ideas and approaches about how to get the most out of the relationships Greening Australia has with landholders, catchment management groups, government agencies and researchers.  The workshops will take place over three weeks in June.

Keynote speaker:  Healthy Waterways Alliance Symposium and Awards (Reef Catchments, 13-15 June 2012)

I am delighted to be heading up to Mackay in June to provide the keynote at the Healthy Waterways Alliance Symposium and Awards.  As we get closer to the time we will develop ideas for my presentation, however, it is likely that themes relating to uncertainty, leadership and sustaining yourself and your relationships will be covered.  To find out more about the conference follow this link.  Siwan

Community Engagement Forums – Developing a new Catchment and Estuary Management Plan for the Pumicestone Passage (Sunshine Coast Regional Council, November 2011-ongoing)

The Riverprize winning Sunshine Coast Regional Council is embarking on the development of Catchment and Estuary Management Plans for catchments in their region, with the first plan being for the beautiful, but threatened, Pumicestone Passage.  Siwan is working with Mick Smith, Peter Armstrong and the team to design community forums that enable people to reflect and acknowledge what has gone before, and to use this knowledge as the basis for the development of a new plan.  To date two meetings of the Pumicestone Passage community reference group have been held, with more planned in 2012 as the Catchment Action Plan is developed.

Completed Projects

Examination of Science and Knowledge Needs for the Basin Plan (Murray-Darling Basin Authority, December 2011-March 2012)

Siwan and Phil are worked with the  Information and Compliance section at the Authority to assess the state of existing knowledge and its accessibility, as well as identifying what new knowledge is needed to enable the Authority to fulfil its role in implementing the Basin Plan.  This interesting project involved literature searches, workshops and focus group discussions with people inside and outside the Authority.  The knowledge gathered will inform the development of a new Science and Knowledge Needs Strategy for the Basin.  Read what the Project Manager Nadeem Samnakay says about our work on this project.

Looking Back…… Thinking Forward – Sydney Catchment Forum (Sydney Metropolitan Catchment Management Authority, December 2011-March 2012)

The Sydney Metropolitan CMA’s 2012 Community Forum was a great success thanks to Siwan’s inspiring key note address “Connections that Count: People, Place and Passion” and her work in helping plan and facilitate the event. The event was attended by 90 environmental volunteers from across the whole Sydney region who enthusiastically participated in the day.  Siwan worked closely with our Forum planning team for several months to develop an integrated Forum program. Her presentation set the scene for  two interactive sessions that engaged 90 members of the community in priority setting, followed by the groups being facilitated to develop aspirational stories of action. Prior to the Forum Siwan also ran a short session for CMA staff with tips on how to facilitate groups and what to expect from the process.  Feedback from volunteer participants was enthusiastic:

“Well organised and enjoyable Forum. especially Siwan’s input.”   “I particularly enjoyed the different slant put forward by Dr Lovett.”  ”We worked hard!!! But it was excellent”  ”Particularly liked the talk by Dr Lovett. Very apt”   “This year was as good as could be”.

Testimonial from Nicola Dixon, Judy Christie and Jeanie Muspratt

We appreciated working with a  thorough and experienced professional and would wholeheartedly recommend Siwan to contribute to workshops where the aim is for participants to understand why they do what they do, and to leave feeling valued and empowered. With Siwan’s encouragement we are all striving to be happy ‘yellow’ people and will continue to spread this positive attitude among our environmental volunteering networks.

Keynote Speaker Australian Stream Management Conference 2012 – The Human Impact of Managing for Extremes (February 2012)

Siwan provided the keynote address at the Australian Stream Management Conference focusing on the impacts ‘managing for extremes’  has on people.  She examined the role of emotion in influencing decisions and provided some practice suggestions on how to work in ways to assist communities respond positively to change.  The presentation is available on the ARRC You Tube channel.

Trout Cod Research Story – Summarise key findings, edit and produce easy to access communication products for a range of audiences (Murray-Darling Basin Authority, July-December 2011)

We have the privilege of working with Will Trueman, the author of an amazingly detailed and in-depth 450 page book on Trout Cod in the Southern Murray-Darling Basin.  The book is fascinating and it is now available in a number of different formats – video, booklet and full chapter.  There is a dedicated website to True Tales – follow this link to enjoy what has been created.

Evaluation of Hawkesbury-Nepean River Recovery Program (Office of Hawkesbury-Nepean, July-August 2011)

This evaluation of the $77.4 million Hawkesbury-Nepean River Recovery Program will use both quantitative and qualitative evaluation techniques.  We are using social network analysis to review the relationships and connections that have been formed and maintained in each of the seven projects that make up the overall Program.  The social network analysis will be complemented by anecdote circles and one-to-one interviews with the different project teams and stakeholders involved.  This evaluation project will have Graham Durant-Law from Hyperedge working with us to provide an insightful evaluation using multiple lines of evidence.

Targeted workshop focusing on shared vision and strategy, Office of Hawkesbury-Nepean Stakeholder Committee 27 June 2011

Maree Abood and her team asked us to assist them facilitate a workshop with their newly formed Stakeholder Committee.  The Stakeholder Committee is made up of representatives from across the Hawkesbury-Nepean catchment, and this workshop focused on understanding why the committee exists, what is its central purpose, and what does the group need by way of resources and support to function effectively.  We had a great day with this committed group of people, who worked hard thinking about their role, their networks and their skills.  We also assisted them in thinking about the many different ways they could engage with their local community.  Read what Doug Rhodes of the Office of Hawkesbury Nepean had to say about the day.

Provision of advice on community engagement and knowledge sharing with the Border Rivers-Gwydir CMA 22 June 2o11

The Border Rivers-Gwydir CMA is about to embark on an extensive community consultation process as part of their review and updating of their Catchment Action Plan.  The team responsible for managing the consultation process wanted some tips, ideas and approaches to ensure that the community consultation process runs smoothly, is interesting and genuinely connects with their stakeholders.  We spent a day together running through the details of each consultation and how the sessions could be managed.  We also covered different facilitation techniques, how to handle angry or upset people,collating, managing and storing the knowledge gained through the sessions, and evaluating the success of the consultation process.  Testimonial

Anecdote Circles and Social Network Analysis with the Lachlan Catchment Management Authority 11 – 12, and  18 – 19 May 2011

We are continuing our great working relationship with the LCMA and delving further into how to ensure knowledge and information in the organisation is shared, managed and updated.  We will be using a social network analysis survey tool combined with anecdote circles to bring together two lines of evidence about knowledge management in the organisation.  Stay tuned for updates as we embark on this exciting project.  Testimonial

Knowledge and Adoption Strategy and Implementation, National Water Commission February-May 2011

We are working with the Raising National Water Standards team at the National Water Commission to develop knowledge and adoption strategies for a range of fascinating ecosystem science, groundwater, water planning and indigenous projects.  Over the next year there will be a number of events and activities that will enable you to access this great knowledge.
Knowledge Management and Sharing Workshops  March – April 2011
We have had the pleasure over the past few months of running workshops with the Sunshine Coast Regional Council, Sydney Metro Catchment Management Authority and Lachlan Catchment Management Authority.  Each of these workshops were tailored for the organisations we were working with.  To find out more about how we can meet your organisation’s needs, please contact us enquiries@arrc.com.au.
Connecting through Conversation Workshop, Melbourne, 21 February 2011
This workshop explored narrative techniques for organisational knowledge sharing with a focus on how storytelling and other narrative techniques can transform and enhance productivity and happiness in your organisation.

Keynote speaker Sustainable Living Festival, Melbourne, 20 February 2011

Siwan was asked by the Victoria Naturally Alliance to speak at the Sustainable Living Festival in Melbourne about the Power of Story.  To see Siwan’s presentation follow this link.

Session speaker on science and policy – Australian Society for Limnology Congress (3 December, 2010, Thredbo)

Siwan has been asked by the National Water Commission to deliver a presentation as part of their session at the upcoming Australian Society for Limnology annual conference.  Siwan’s presentation will focus on how to ensure science and research can be  understood and applied by intended end-users.

Connecting through Conversation / Communication and Creativity Workshops (November 15 – 16, 2010, Longreach)

Desert Channels Queensland asked us to run two one-day workshops in Longreach focusing on conversation (Day one), communication and creativity (Day two). We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and had a terrific time with great feedback from participants about how much they enjoyed the workshops.   Longreach Workshop Flyer and read whatJeff Poole and Mark Kleinschmidt thought about the workshop.

CSIRO Water for a Healthy Country – Stream Leaders Workshop (November 8 – 9, 2010, Canberra)

The transition from scientist to manager is often a difficult one to negotiate as there are a range of new skills that need to be developed while at the same time you need to keep in touch with your scientific expertise.  We are delighted to be working with Dr Ian Prosser and Dr Bill Young and their team of Stream Leaders to explore the elements of leadership, teamwork and building networks both internal and external to your organisation for support and insight.  If you are interested in the ARRC developing a similar workshop for your organisation please contact us.  Workshop testimonials.

Connecting through Conversation – narrative techniques for organisational knowledge sharing (October 20, 2010, Canberra)

We run workshops on this topic that focus on narrative techniques and their use in organisational and stakeholder engagement.  Our most recent workshop was held in October 2010, if you would like to know more about the works we covered please explore our webpages devoted to this topic.  Read what Clare Irwin has to say about this workshop.

Using remote sensing for water planning (August 2010)

Water planners need to know how much water is being used by different land use types at the catchment scale and what this means for their catchment water balance. Evapotranspiration (ET) is a fundamental component of the catchment water balance, with approximately 90% of total precipitation falling in Australia returning to the atmosphere through ET.  We have been working with the National Water Commission to produce two fact sheets on the use of remote sensing to measure ET. The first of these focuses on the use of remote sensing technology for improved irrigation water scheduling and management, while the second discusses how the technology can be used to improve water planning and management at the catchment and regional scale.  The two fact sheets were launched at the International Riversymposium in Perth, and are now available on the National Water Commission and ARRC webpages.

Using storytelling to share knowledge (August 2010, Canberra)

Using storytelling to share knowledge is increasingly being recognised by organisations of all types – private sector, government, non-government -  as a powerful way of influencing people and effecting change.  Siwan and Nerida are currently working with CSIRO Land & Water to develop stories out of the wealth of science that has been undertaken in water management and planning.  If you are interested in learning about how to use storytelling in your work, click here for more information.

Sharing ideas about ‘innovation’  (April 2010, Wellington)

Siwan and Nerida worked with the Central West Catchment Management Authority (CMA) in NSW to develop a culture of innovation, as well as developing an innovation strategy.  Questions asked included – When you are being ‘innovative’, what is it you are doing?, and How would you describe an ‘innovative’ organisation? A survey and workshops are being used to generate ideas, discussion and engage with key stakeholders on this exciting initiative.

Tailored knowledge leader training (April 2010, Canberra)

Our knowledge leader training is an excellent way to build the capacity of staff in your organisation to become adept knowledge managers and sharers of information.  Participants are trained in the use of a range of on-line free resources that are continually updated and supported by ongoing mentoring from the ARRC team.  The ARRC is able to tailor knowledge leader training so that ‘real life’ examples and problems from your organisation or region are included in the course.  If you would like to talk to us about a tailored knowledge leader workshop for your region please contact Siwan or Nerida.  Here what Sigrid Tijshas to say about this course.

Researchers into the region

A few years ago Land & Water Australia ran a series of ‘Researcher into the Region’ workshops.  These workshops were very successful as they combined the theory of research with the practice of on-ground experience.  The ARRC is now running ‘Researcher into the Region’ workshops for NRM Regional Bodies, or other organisations who would like a tailored, research workshop for their region.
The workshops run over one and a half days with the hosting organisation providing the venue, participants and catering.  The ARRC develops the workshop program, engages researchers to present on topics of interest to the region, facilitates the event, and provides workshop materials.  If you would like one of these workshops in your region, please contact Siwan.

How can ARRC help you?

The ARRC builds on the success of Land & Water Australia’s National Riparian Lands R&D Program, which ran for thirteen years and significantly improved our understanding of Australian river function, and the management actions that can protect, enhance and restore riverine environments.

The ARRC:

• acts as a clearing house for rivers information by bringing together ‘the best’ river materials and information;
• provides an efficient, effective way to share knowledge about all aspects of river and riparian management or restoration;
• develops communication products (CDs, guidelines, manuals etc.) that describe practical methods to achieve particular outcomes;
• puts people in touch with experts who can provide specific advice;
• organises training, workshops and conferences so people can learn about the latest research and share their experiences; and
• establishes domestic and international exchange programs to keep new ideas flowing into and between communities across Australia.

The ARRC offers a range of free and commercial services including event coordination, workshop organisation and facilitation, publishing and editing, database management, knowledge management, and research into river management and people issues.  The ARRC draws together consortiums of experts to undertake work in response to client needs.

To find out more email enquiries@arrc.com.au.