Dam Busters 201

Join us for an overview of Boston College Prof. Noah Snyder's decades of research on dam removal in New England.

*Note: this is the 2nd Wednesday in March. It takes a village to remove a dam! From initial reconnaissance to post-project monitoring, learn how to assemble the right team of people to address project coordination, coordinating community engagement, shepherding the permitting process, working with consultants and experts, and other project management issues. We'll pay particular attention to the role of the Project Manager and talk about how the size of the team should "match" the size of the project. Understanding how to build a dam removal project team is a crucial preliminary step in this crucial work.

Community Engagement 101: Back to Basics. What is community engagement and why do we do it? Learn the basics of community engagement, and best practices. Walk through developing stakeholder maps, outreach strategies, and methods for integrating community feedback into your approach for dam removal.

Engage with your dam removal peers about the successes and pitfalls of community engagement. Work with your peers to answer questions and trade resources with the goal of enhancing your community outreach for dam removal.

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Learn about the effects of dam removal on stream channels from Dr. John Field of Field Geology Services.

*Note: this session is 1.5 hours! This session will cover various funding sources and offer insights on how to build a successful funding strategy. Speakers will provide an overview of their funding programs, followed by a 40-minute Q&A to address your specific questions.

*Note: this is the 3rd Wednesday in July. Join us for a review of where the United States stands in removing dams across the country. Staff from American Rivers will share national statistics on dam removal projects as well as observations about progress towards AR's goal of removing 30,000 dams by 2050.

Local Conservation Commissions play a crucial role in the dam removal process. Learn from the experience of one town that has done multiple dam removals about how their Con Comm managed conservation interests while navigating competing interests from community members. Con Comms process can be invaluable in helping educate the community and create good outcomes.