WaterWired

G. Tracy Mehan III Book Review: 'The Source: How Rivers Made America and America Remade Its Rivers' by Martin Doyle

G. Tracy Mehan III, Executive Director for Government Affairs at AWWA, is back with another excellent book review: The Source: How Rivers Made America and America Remade Its Rivers by Martin Doyle of Duke University'sNicholas School of the Environment. 

Tracy sent his review, which will appear in a forthcoming 2019 issue of The Environmental Forum (Environmental Law Institute):

Download GTM_The_Source_review

Having just spent six days near the banks of the Missouri River the topic resonates with me. 

The first few sentences should whet your appetite:

Your reviewer grew up in St. Louis near the confluence of great rivers; imbibed the lore of Lewis & Clark, Father Marquette,and Mark Twain; participated in sandbagging operations during floods; and worked on legal and policy matters on the Missouri and Mississippi.

One of my mother’s ancestors set the record for the fastest steamboat run from St. Louis to Fort Benton, Montana, before the Flood Control Act of 1944 and the Pick-Sloan plan basically rendered the Missouri a human artifact, with dams, reservoirs, and exaggerated promises of prosperity. The Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Reclamation, “in defiance of common sense, economics, and even simple hydrology,” created “an instance where both agencies managed to win,” as described by Marc Reisner in his classic Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water. See myreview, “A Classic a Quarter Century Later” (May/June 2011).

In my salad days, I would break the winter doldrums by eagle-watching at the big lock and dam at Clarksville, north of St. Louis. It is designed to control the Mississippi River, T. S. Eliot’s “strong brown god-sullen, untamed, intractable.” In winter, the Missouri-Illinois stretch of the river has the largest collection of eagles outside of Alaska. When every pond, creek, and small river freezes over, they come to the big dams to feed on the fish coming through the spillways. It was not unusual to see 200 eagles of all ages and sizes congregating for the feast.

And the ending seals the deal:

The final chapter, on “The Restoration Economy,” illustrates the opportunities to restore the physical, chemical, and biological integrity of rivers and streams and provide environmental amenities for which people, wealthy ones anyway, are willing to pay. These strike the right concluding notes for The Source, an excellent book indeed. The question is, Can we implement these restorative activities sufficiently and at scale to return more value and function to America’s 250,000 rivers over 3 million miles?

We look forward to hearing more from Martin Doyle on these matters.

From reading Tracy's exceptional review I think it's safe to say that his last sentence is spot-on.

You might want to read my review of Mississippi River Tragedies by Christine A. Klein and Sandra B. Zellmer. 

Here is a piece they wrote about the Missouri River that I posted on my blog.

Enjoy!

“I started out thinking of America as highways and state lines. As I got to know it better, I began to think of it as rivers.” — Charles Kuralt

Pubs from the National Judicial College: 1) 'Hydrologic Modeling Bench Book' 2) 'Water Science in the Courtroom'

The following publications are from the National Judicial College's Dividing the Waters (DTW) program. There are more publications but these two are freely available and caught my eye because of their science/engineering focus. Adjudicating Groundwater is another useful topic but it is not freely downloadable from the NJC website (unless you are a judge).

Thanks to Lara B. Fowler for informing me of these pubs.  When I worked in Reno I must have woalked pat the NJC building on the UNR campus a thousand times without ever checking it out.  

The blurbs are from the NJC website.

1) Hydrologic Modeling Bench Book

The bench book describes the kinds of water cases in which hydrologic models often appear, explains why the use of these models is often essential and how the models are constructed (including their data requirements), and reviews various means, both technical and legal, of assessing the models’ quality. The benchbook also reviews some of the literature on model building and testing, describes proposed guidelines on a number of the features of model construction and testing, and presents techniques for case management in the context of handling complex models. Finally, by way of illustration it recaps four cases in which models played a central role: the Arkansas River Compact altercation (Kansas v. Colorado); the Republican River Compact dispute (Kansas v. Nebraska and Colorado); a case from South Platte (In the Matter of the Ap­plication for Water rights of Park County Sportsmen’s Ranch, et al. v. Colorado State Engineer); and a case from the Rio Grande (Rules Governing New Withdrawals of Ground Water in Water Division 3).

Download DTW_Hydrologic_Modeling_Benchbook

2) Water Science in the Courtroom

This publication reflects the new Dividing the Waters Board of Advisors’ first project to advise the Program. The Board of Advisors includes leading water law attorneys from across the country who advocate for Dividing the Waters within the water law community and advise the Program on issues identified by the Conveners. After a spirited discussion at its first meeting, the Board developed this set of recommendations on judicial management of water case science, use of scientific tools, and application of scientific uncertainty in judgments. It also recommended that Dividing the Waters continue its programs on science, focused on the fundamentals, judicial practice, and the questions judges need to ask scientists.

Download DTW-Water-Science-in-the-Courtroom-2013

Enjoy!

"Do you want to make a point or do you want to make a difference?" - @tomfriedman on @smerconish

Two Evenings with Neil deGrasse Tyson

Mary Frances and I treated ourselves to two nights - about 4.5 hours on 28 and 29 November - listening to
lectures by famed astrophysicist Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson. It was a remarkable experience. As if you did not know Tyson is an excellent lecturer with a well-developed sense of humor and a style that puts you at ease. He is an accomplished storyteller. And did I say smart? 

This won't be a review - just my few stream-of-consciousness (really?) thoughts on the event.

The Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in dpwntown Portland was the venue. It holds about 2800 people. It was close to full on Wednesday and looked to be just about full on Thursday. Both crowds were enthusiastic.

Yes, he did start each talk with a playful dig at those who feel Pluto should be a planet (after an introduction via 'Fly Me to the Moon'). 

He spoke on a different topic each night: 1) Adventures in Science Literacy (28 November); and 2) The Cosmic Perspective (29 November). Brief descriptions are on the event website:

“Adventures in Science Literacy”
The joys of knowing how the universe works and the disasters that can unfold when you do not. In this illustrated talk, examples of each will be drawn from across time and cultures, culminating in a commentary on the state of science in America today.

“The Cosmic Perspective”
There is no view of the world as emotionally potent as the one granted by a cosmic perspective. It’s one that sees Earth as a planet in a vast empty universe. It profoundly influences what we think and feel about science, culture, politics, and life itself.

 He promoted a few books (this is one of his PowerPoints):

We bought signed cooies of Astrophysics for People in a Hurry and his most recent (written with Avis Lang),  Accessory to War: The Unspoken Alliance Between Astrophysics and the Military. I don't fault him for doing a little sales pitch; he did not spend a lot of time on his books.

He gave a few fascinating examples on each topic. He spoke of his encounters with the US justice system - three calls for jury duty, but released each time during voir dire. In one case involving a person alleged to have sold 3000 milligrams of cocaine to an undercover police officer he questioned why '3000 milligrams' was used instead of '3 grams' (about a tenth of an ounce). Thisfirst case resonated with me since I use similar examples in the water resources field.

He said he felt it could prejudice the jury, since '3000' would sound like a lot to many people. He was excused. In another his excuse came about because he said that eyewitness accounts are not as reliable as most people believe. He used his debunking of many 'flying saucer' cases as examples. Excused again!

He made an interesting correlation between the iconic 1968 Earthrise photo by Apollo 8 and the rise of the environmental movement and laws that arose in the late 1960s and early 1970s. 

All in all, money and time very well spent. We enjoyed it and it appeared that our fellow attendees did as well.

Fans will be glad to hear that the TV series Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey will premier in March 2019... 

One minor complaint: he spent a lot of time running from center stage to the podium at stage left to change slides. Duhhhh.....

I would be remiss if I did not mention the sexual impropriety allegations against him by three women. Here is the Guardian article and Tyson's Facebook post on the issue.

"Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity." - Martin Luther King, Jr., 1963 (tnx Neil deGrasse Tyson)

From UCL Press - New Open-Access Book: 'Citizen Science - Innovation in Open Science, Society and Policy'

UCL Press is performing a great public service by offering an open-access (as a PDF) book, Citizen Science - Innovation in Open Science, Society and Policy edited by Susanne Hecker, Muki Haklay, Anne Bowser, Zen Makuch, Johannes Vogel and Aletta Bonn. 

Download Citizen_Science

You can also purchase the book in hardcover or paper.

Here is the blurb on the book's website:

Citizen science, the active participation of the public in scientific research projects, is a rapidly expanding field in open science and open innovation. It provides an integrated model of public knowledge production and engagement with science. As a growing worldwide phenomenon, it is invigorated by evolving new technologies that connect people easily and effectively with the scientific community. Catalysed by citizens’ wishes to be actively involved in scientific processes, as a result of recent societal trends, it also offers contributions to the rise in tertiary education. In addition, citizen science provides a valuable tool for citizens to play a more active role in sustainable development.

Citizen Science: Innovation in Open Science, Society and Policy identifies and explains the role of citizen science within innovation in science and society, and as a vibrant and productive science-policy interface. The scope of this volume is global, geared towards identifying solutions and lessons to be applied across science, practice and policy. The chapters consider the role of citizen science in the context of the wider agenda of open science and open innovation, and discusses progress towards responsible research and innovation, two of the most critical aspects of science today.

 Check out the ToC:

1 Innovation in open science, society and policy – setting the agenda for citizen science
Susanne Hecker, Muki Haklay, Anne Bowser, Zen Makuch, Johannes Vogel and Aletta Bonn

PART I Innovation in citizen science – setting the scene
2 Ten principles of citizen science
Lucy Danielle Robinson, Jade Lauren Cawthray, Sarah Elizabeth West, Aletta Bonn and Janice Ansine 3 Scientific impacts and innovations of citizen science
Jennifer L. Shirk and Rick Bonney
4 Participatory citizen science
Muki Haklay
5 Technology infrastructure for citizen science
Peter Brenton, Stephanie von Gavel, Ella Vogel and Marie-Elise Lecoq
6 Evaluating citizen science: Towards an open framework
Barbara Kieslinger, Teresa Schäfer, Florian Heigl, Daniel Dörler, Anett Richter and Aletta Bonn

PART II Innovation in science with and for society
7 Watching or being watched: Enhancing productive discussion between the citizen sciences, the social sciences, and the humanities
Dana Mahr, Claudia Göbel, Alan Irwin and Katrin Vohland
8 The value of indigenous and local knowledge as citizen science
Finn Danielsen, Neil D. Burgess, Indiana Coronado, Martin Enghoff, Sune Holt, Per M. Jensen, Michael K. Poulsen and Ricardo M. Rueda
9 Citizen engagement and collective intelligence for participatory digital social innovation
Jasminko Novak, Mathias Becker, François Grey and Rosy Mondardini
10 Creative collaboration in citizen science and the evolution of ThinkCamps
Margaret Gold and Erinma Ochu
11 Integrating citizen science into university
Daniel Wyler and Muki Haklay

PART IIA Case studies
12 Citizen science on the Chinese mainland
Chunming Li
13 The European citizen science landscape – a snapshot
Susanne Hecker, Lisa Garbe and Aletta Bonn
14 Stakeholder engagement in water quality research: A case study based on the Citclops and MONOCLE projects
Luigi Ceccaroni and Jaume Piera
15 Global mosquito alert
John R.B. Palmer, Martin Brocklehurst, Elizabeth Tyson, Anne Bowser, Eleonore Pauwels and Frederic Bartumeus

PART III Innovation at the science-policy interface
16 Citizen science for policy formulation and implementation
Susana Nascimento, Jose Miguel Rubio Iglesias, Roger Owen, Sven Schade and Lea Shanley
17 Citizen science and Responsible Research and Innovation
Melanie Smallman
18 Conservation outcomes of citizen science
Heidi L. Ballard, Tina B. Phillips and Lucy Robinson 

19 Capacity building in citizen science
Anett Richter, Daniel Dörler, Susanne Hecker, Florian Heigl, Lisa Pettibone, Fermin Serrano Sanz, Katrin Vohland and Aletta Bonn
20 Citizen science in environmental protection agencies
Roger P. Owen and Alison J. Parker

PART IV Innovation in technology and environmental monitoring
21 Citizen science technologies and new opportunities for participation
Suvodeep Mazumdar, Luigi Ceccaroni, Jaume Piera, Franz Hölker, Arne J. Berre, Robert Arlinghaus and Anne Bowser
22 Maximising the impact and reuse of citizen science data
Jamie Williams, Colin Chapman, Didier Guy Leibovici, Grégoire Loïs, Andreas Matheus, Alessandro Oggioni, Sven Schade, Linda See and Paul Pieter Lodewijk van Genuchten
23 Enhancing national environmental monitoring through local citizen science
Hester Volten, Jeroen Devilee, Arnoud Apituley, Linda Carton, Michel Grothe, Christoph Keller, Frank Kresin, Anne LandZandstra, Erik Noordijk, Edith van Putten, Jeroen Rietjens, Frans Snik, Erik Tielemans, Jan Vonk, Marita Voogt and Joost Wesseling
24 Citizen science to monitor light pollution – a useful tool for studying human impacts on the environment
Sibylle Schroer, Christopher C.M. Kyba, Roy van Grunsven, Irene Celino, Oscar Corcho and Franz Hölker

PART V Innovation in science communication and education
25 Science for everybody? Bridging the socio-economic gap in urban biodiversity monitoring 369 Taru Peltola and Isabelle Arpin
26 Learning and developing science capital through citizen science
Richard Edwards, Sarah Kirn, Thomas Hillman, Laure Kloetzer, Katherine Mathieson, Diarmuid McDonnell and Tina Phillips
27 Children and citizen science
Karen E. Makuch and Miriam R. Aczel
28 Turning students into citizen scientists
John Harlin, Laure Kloetzer, Dan Patton, Chris Leonhard and Leysin American School high school students
29 Citizen science and the role of natural history museums
Andrea Sforzi, John Tweddle, Johannes Vogel, Grégoire Lois, Wolfgang Wägele, Poppy Lakeman-Fraser, Zen Makuch and Katrin Vohland
30 Stories can change the world – citizen science communication in practice
Susanne Hecker, Monique Luckas, Miriam Brandt, Heidy Kikillus, Ilona Marenbach, Bernard Schiele, Andrea Sieber, Arnold J.H. van Vliet, Ulrich Walz and Wolfgang Wende

Conclusions
31 Citizen science to foster innovation in open science, society and policy
Aletta Bonn, Susanne Hecker, Anne Bowser, Zen Makuch, Johannes Vogel and Muki Haklay

I'm in!

Enjoy!

"It is well for people who think to change their minds occasionally in order to keep them clean. For those who do not think, it is best at least to rearrange their prejudices once in a while." - Luther Burbank

Valuing Statistical Lives - On Halloween, No Less. G. Tracy Mehan III's Book Review: 'Pricing Lives: Guideposts for a Safer Society'

G. Tracy Mehan III is back for another review! This is about a book, Pricing Lives: Guideposts for a Safer Society by W. Kip Viscusi of the Vanderbilt University Law School.

Tracy sent the following email with his review, which will appear in the January-February 2019 issue of The Environmental Forum (Environmental Law Institute):

The book outlines the development of VSL (mortality risk) for purposes of regulatory benefit-cost analysis and its adoption by federal agencies.  It then describes potential application of the approach for corporate product development, wrongful death actions and other purposes.

Download GTMIII_Pricing_Lives_Review

 The first few paragraphs:

In W. Kip Viscusi’s new book on the value of a statistical life — the mortality risk that any benefit-cost analysis should utilize — he describes the triumph of this tool in the federal regulatory arena. Pricing Lives: Guideposts for a Safer Society then goes on to show even greater societal benefits that can be had by broader adoption of this method, one he has pioneered throughout his career. 

VSL is now standard practice, “the norm for benefit assessment,” within federal regulatory agencies such as the Department of Transportation and the Environmental Protection Agency, which operate under Executive Orders, in place since the Reagan administration governing the promulgation of regulations, and mandating the use of benefit-cost analysis except where existing statutes do not allow its application. “The current U.S. emphasis in selecting VSL levels is on the labor market evidence regarding wage-risk tradeoffs for dangerous jobs,” writes Viscusi.

The ascendancy of the VSL in regulatory benefitcost analysis is, in large part, due to Viscusi’s scholarship. His object now is to consolidate these gains and broaden its use to federal programs, not just regulations; corporate safety decisions; court awards for punitive damages in wrongful death cases; and regulatory penalties presently capped, by statute, at unrealistically low levels. Viscusi’s work in this field has contributed to greater efficiency, safety and equity for his fellow citizens. Much more can be done, he believes to incentivize and enhance the nation’s health and safety. But first a few basics.

Fascinating! Suitable for Halloween, too!

Enjoy!

"Age at death is a random variable." - Dr. Chester Kisiel, my statistical hydrology professor at the University of Arizona