How the River Flows

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Latest Episodes:

Building Sustainably: Ask for Wood Jul 22, 2021

This episode features a conversation with Pat Layton, director of Clemson Wood Utilization + Design Institute, Bruce Lindsey, Regional Director - Southeast US, Wood Products Council, and Scott Davis, Partnership Coordinator of Keeping Forests. Co-host Sam Cook is the Executive Director of Forest Assets for North Carolina State University in the College of Natural Resources, and he also serves as the Vice President of the Natural Resources Foundation.

Sam, Pat, and Bruce discuss the evolving technology of wood and timber in construction and expanding wood markets. They touch on the benefits of implementing wood building construction tactics directly into the design process and how this simple consideration creates a more streamlined and sustainable project. They also talk about finding market opportunities for private landowners to help in the overall management and health of US forests. Sam also speaks with Scott Davis, who summarizes the stories we’ve covered in this season of the podcast. Produced by Lee Schneider. Music by Chuck Leavell. Executive Producer: Judy A. Takats

To Save a Forest, Use it: A Conversation with Dr. Jennie Stevens, Yvonne Knight Carter, and Brian Brashaw Jul 08, 2021

In this episode, John Mulcahy, Vice President of Sustainability at Georgia-Pacific, speaks with Dr. Jennie Stephens, CEO of the Center for Heirs' Property Preservation, and Yvonne Knight Carter, a landowner and Board Chair of the Center for Heirs' Property Preservation. John also speaks with Brian Brashaw, Assistant Director for the Wood Innovations Program at the USDA Forest Service.

Dr. Stevens heads the Center for Heirs' Property Preservation, which helps ensure low wealth landowners have access to the tools needed to protect and sustainably use their family land. Knight Carter helps the Center forge alliances and collaborations with conservationists, funders, foresters, and community economic development organizations and is a direct recipient of the Center’s services. They emphasize the importance of getting resources to communities that have had limited access to forest protection, which benefits the environment and landowners alike.

Brian talks about USFS's efforts in using market-based approaches to support forest management and rural economies and the importance of both hardwood and softwood markets. Produced by Lee Schneider. Music by Chuck Leavell. Executive Producer: Judy A. Takats

the politics of collaboration Jun 24, 2021

This episode features an entertaining conversation with Vicki Taylor, Executive Coordinator of the Catawba Wateree Initiative, and Tracy Freeman, Director of Government Relations for the Ohio chapter of The Nature Conservancy. Judy A. Takats facilitates. Vicki helps businesses, nonprofits, and community leaders improve their leadership and strategic planning, while Tracy develops and implements policy strategies with government decision-makers to protect our lands and waters. They discuss the importance of collaborations, including some of the more challenging negotiations, along with the ins and outs of compromise and communication. They also touch on the importance of connecting with people individually to find common ground, discover where people's strengths lie and uncover their personal motivations to conserve land and water. Produced by Lee Schneider. Music by Chuck Leavell. Executive Producer: Judy A. Takats.

State and Federal Funding Sources for Water Protection Jun 10, 2021

In this episode, Holly Welch speaks with Kara Goodwin and James Kilgo about innovative funding options available for Source Water Protection, a proactive approach to safeguard drinking water quality, and the areas through which water travels. Goodwin works with regional, state, and local partners at the EPA to integrate Source Water Protection across environmental programs. Kilgo is a water protection specialist with the South Carolina Rural Water Association, with experience working with water utilities, forest landowners, and watershed-based planning. They discuss the current fiscal challenges facing water utilities and the growing urbanization of forest lands, explaining emerging funds that support greener infrastructure and partnerships to facilitate those projects, including the Clean Water State Revolving Fund. Music by Chuck Leavell. Produced by Lee Schneider. Executive Producer: Judy A. Takats.

Links to a list of funding sources mentioned in the episode are below, provided by the Southeastern Partnership for Forests and Water.

Five General Funding Hubs and Publications

1. Resources for Funding Source Water Protection - https://www.epa.gov/sourcewaterprotection/resources-funding-source-water-protection

2. Environmental Protection Agency Source Water Protection Funding Website - https://www.epa.gov/sourcewaterprotection/source-water-protection-funding

3. Water Finance Clearinghouse (online search tool) - https://ofmpub.epa.gov/apex/wfc/f?p=WFC%3A12

4. Environmental Finance Center - http://efcnetwork.org/

5, The Nature Conservancy Water Funds Research & Field Guide - https://waterfundstoolbox.org/getting-started/key-readings

Eleven Other Funding Links

!, EPA Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) - https://www.epa.gov/drinkingwatersrf

2. Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) - https://www.epa.gov/cwsrf

3. NRCS Funding Programs including RCPP - http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/programs/financial

4. US Forest Service Funding Programs - Forest Legacy Grant Program - https://www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/private-land/forest-legacy/program

5. Landscape Scale Restoration Grant Program - https://www.fs.fed.us/managing-land/private-land/landscape-scale-restoration

6. USDA Conservation Funding Programs - https://www.fsa.usda.gov/programs-and-services/conservation-programs/index

7. US Endowment for Forestry and Communities Funding RFP’s - https://www.usendowment.org/grant-rfps/

8. The Conservation Fund - https://www.conservationfund.org/our-work

9. Network for Landscape Conservation Catalyst Fund - http://landscapeconservation.org/catalyst-fund/

10. Sustainable Forestry Initiative - Conservation Grants: https://www.forests.org/conservationgrants/

11. Community Grants - https://www.forests.org/communitygrants/

Economics of Source Water Protection May 27, 2021

Doctors Travis Warziniack and Justin Baker discuss the economics of payment for ecosystem services with host Leo Viana of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative. Their conversation highlights how ecosystem services support local economies and positively connect the built environment and nature. Dr. Warziniack’s work has entailed the valuation of ecosystem services related to water resources and watershed health. Dr. Baker’s work focuses on economic modeling and policy analysis of forest land use and water resource systems.

Music by Chuck Leavell. Produced by Lee Schneider. Executive Producer: Judy A. Takats.

The Triple-Bottom Line - Making a Case for Local Investment in Source Water Protection: A conversation with Dr. Bob Morgan and Dr. James McCarty May 13, 2021

In this episode, Andres Villegas talks with Dr. Bob Morgan and Dr. James McCarty about source water protection and the benefits of local investment. Both have extensive experience in Source Water Protection at the Beaver Water District, a water utility in northwest Arkansas serving over 350,000 people. They discuss the problem with development and urbanization regarding water filtration and the importance of our forests in naturally filtering the water supply and keeping water treatment costs down. They also highlight the benefits of working together across interests to develop the Source Water Protection Fund, which generates around $750,000 yearly.

Dr. James McCarty is an Environmental Quality Manager for Beaver Water District, managing the district’s Source Water Protection Program, whose goal is to maintain the quality of Beaver Lake, the source of drinking water for one in seven Arkansas residents.

Dr. Bob Morgan is a retired engineer with substantial experience in watershed management, including previously managing Beaver Water District’s Source Water Protection Program and participating in numerous committees and councils for the American Water Works Association.

Produced by Lee Schneider. Music by Chuck Leavell. Executive Producer: Judy A. Takats.

Can Water Fees Save Forests? Raven Lawson thinks so. Apr 29, 2021

In this episode, Robert Farris talks to Raven Lawson about establishing watershed protection fees and the interconnectedness of forest management in keeping water supplies safe and thriving. Raven Lawson is the Watershed Protection Manager at Central Arkansas Water and is responsible for protecting and managing nearly 25,000 acres of watershed land and water resources owned by the utility. She offers her insight into watershed protection, the value of linking up with local citizenry and civic organizations, and how they have lent their expertise and new ideas to the water and forest community at large, including the employment of a dog that sniffs for water leaks in their system. Robert Farris is the Ecosystem Services Program Manager for the Georgia Forestry Foundation and former Director of the Georgia Forestry Commission.

Produced by Lee Schneider. Music by Chuck Leavell.

Easing into Watershed Protection with Taxes and Bonds featuring Lon Shell, Frank Davis, and Phillip Covington Apr 15, 2021

In this episode, Leslie Bobby of Southern Regional Extension Forestry talks to Frank Davis and Commissioner Lon Shell, important water management players in the Hill Country region of Texas, an area marked by considerable growth and development in recent years.

They discuss how communities around San Antonio are using taxes and those around Austin are using bonds to ensure they have clean water for generations to come.

Frank Davis is the Chief Conservation Officer at Hill Country Conservancy, working with rural landowners and other public partners to finance and implement conservation projects benefiting water, wildlife and sustainable agricultural production. Lon Shell is a Hays County Commissioner overseeing county policy, departmental budgets, and tax rates. They discuss their success in implementing fair taxes and bonds, collaborating across sectors, and the bipartisan support for initiatives supporting clean water for future generations. Phillip Covington is the Special Projects Manager for the City of San Antonio’s Edwards Aquifer Protection Program. He is responsible for the purchase of properties and conservation easements over the recharge and contributing zones of the Edwards Aquifer as well as for the annual monitoring of nearly 100 conservation easements.

Produced by Lee Schneider. Music by Chuck Leavell.Executive Producer: Judy A. Takats.

Keeping Forests - Audacious Goals Require Different Thinking Apr 01, 2021

How the River Flows highlights how our region’s communities are banding together to conserve the 245 million acres of existing forests. Each episode will take a close look at the relationship between healthy forests and clean drinking water. We talk to the experts on the ground who share their best ideas for conserving local forests to ensure a lasting, clean supply of drinking water for future generations. Included in these discussions will be issues surrounding taxes and compensation, infrastructure, and voter initiatives. You’ll learn how these innovations are financed, managed and how your local community can join the effort in protecting our precious southern forests and the many benefits that they provide.

In this episode,

Judy A. Takats talks with Ken Arney, Regional Forester for the Southern Region of the U.S. Forest Service, Dr. Anne Murray Allen, an experienced executive in building effective collaborations in cross-sector work, and Scott Davis, who worked extensively in conservation at The Nature Conservancy.

Produced by Lee Schneider. Music by Chuck Leavell. Executive Producer: Judy A. Takats.

What We've Learned About Long-Term Investments in Water: A Conversation with Margaret Walls Mar 16, 2021

Kevin McIntyre speaks with Dr. Margaret A. Walls, an economist and a senior fellow at Resources for the Future and a specialist in conservation and ecosystem services. Her research is rooted in finding cost-effective remedies and building resilience in the aftermath of natural disasters like floods and wildfires. She explains the meaning behind ecosystem services and the specific societal values we get from nature, such as how forests naturally reduce flooding and how responsibly managed forests leads to better water quality. Dr. Walls also explains payment for watershed services and how providing landowner incentives and creating a market is a win-win situation for everyone for both water consumers and landowners alike. Produced by Lee Schneider. Music by Chuck Leavell.

Music by Chuck Levell. Produced by Red Cup Agency. Executive Producer: Judy A. Takats.

Links and Resources:

Keeping Forests

Margaret A. Walls

An abstract for Dr. Walls' paper, Evaluating Payments for Watershed Services Programs in the United States

Read on ResearchGate