Adapting Water Policies for a Changing Climate

River health depends on a wide array of processes that require dynamic interaction between the water and land through which it flows. The areas of dynamic connection and interaction provide a frame of reference from which to conserve, restore and manage rivers. As a changing climate brings more intense storms and higher temperatures, fragmentation and disruption of river processes by infrastructure poses a threat to both aquatic life and public safety.  Recent major storms in the Northeast US have demonstrated the lose-lose outcomes for rivers and communities that result when society doesn’t give rivers enough room. This talk will highlight opportunities to update water policies at state, regional and national scales to better protect rivers’ ecological integrity and the provision of ecosystem services. Enabling conditions for good decisions before and after storm events will be explored, along with examples of innovative partnerships that are improving planning and outcomes for people and nature.