2025 Conference Presentations
Click on speaker’s name below for presentation.
Tuesday, April 22
8:15-9:00 Coffee & Welcome
Margo & Craig Hill, Spokane Tribe of Indians
Opening Prayer & Land Acknowledgement
9:00-10:15 Plenary Session
Welcome & Opening Remarks
- Dan Maguire, Spokane River Forum Board President
- Mayor Lisa Brown, City of Spokane
Keynote Speaker
10:30-12:00 Concurrent Sessions
Habitat Protection & Restoration in Hangman Creek
Moderator: Chad Atkins, Washington State Department of Ecology
- Jim Tuck, Trout Unlimited
Grouse Creek Ranch Project Assessment Report - Mike Crabtree, Inland Northwest Land Conservancy
Protecting Land on Hangman Creek - Dan Ross, Spokane Conservation District
Restoring Habitat and Water Quality in Hangman Creek - Bruce Kinkead, Coeur d’Alene Tribe
Restoration Work in Hangman Creek
Sustainability in Action
Moderator: Meghan Lunney, Avista
- Aiyana James, Coeur d’Alene Tribe
Climate Resilience Program Coordination - Calvin Fisher, Spokane Tribe of Indians
Climate Change Adaption Plan - Tirrell Black, City of Spokane
Comprehensive Planning for Climate Resilience and Sustainability - Justyce Brant, The Lands Council
Urban Forestry in Spokane
Cleaning Up the Spokane River
Moderator: Jule Schultz, Spokane Riverkeeper
- Jill Reeves, Spokane Regional Solid Waste
Waste Ambassadors Program - Jason Ruffing, City of Spokane Code Enforcement
Scope and Scale of Clean Up Challenges - Gary Schmidt, SNAP
Outreach and Making Contacts Along the River - Liv Kindl, Spokane Riverkeeper
Finding a New Way Forward for Litter Prevention and Removal
12:45-1:30 Plenary Session
Awards & Recognition
- Jeremy Jenkins, Spokane Aquifer Joint Board & Spokane River Forum Board
SAJB Ty Wick Award - Special Recognition by the Spokane River Board of Directors
Featured Speaker
1:45-3:15 Concurrent Sessions
Next Generation Fishery Showcase
Moderator: Casey Flanagan, Spokane Tribe of Indians
- Danny Garrett, Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife
Fish Community Changes in Lake Spokane (Long Lake) 2001-2024 - Sam Owens, Coeur d’Alene Tribe of Indians
Hangman Redband: Population, Connectivity in a Highly Degraded Watershed - Rick Raymondi, Spokane Tribe of Indians
Assessment of Hatchery Origin Summer-Run Chinook Salmon in the Spokane River Watershed
Toxics in the Watershed
Moderator: Rob Lindsay, Spokane River Forum Board Member
- Tanya Williams, Washington State Department of Ecology
Toxics 101 and Regional Strategic Planning - Annie Simpson, Washington State Department of Ecology
The Spokane River Toxics Advisory Committee, the PCB TMDL, and Future Activities - Joshua Villa, Spokane County; Angie Tagnani, City of Spokane
Working Together to Protect Our River… and Our Sewer - Rob Lindsay, Spokane River Forum Board Member
Spokane River Regional Task Force: A History and Lessons Learned
Stormwater and Wastewater Manangement
Moderator: Dan Maguire, TC Energy
- Jonathan Adams, City of Spokane
Cochran Basin and Stormwater Management in City of Spokane - Chris Bosley, City of Coeur d’Alene
City of Coeur d’Alene Stormwater Projects - Pete Stayton, South Fork Sewer District
Pilot Results Page Treatment System (South Fork, Coeur d’Alene River) - Keri St. John, Idaho Department of Environment Quality
Central Treatment Plant System (South Fork,
Coeur d’Alene River)
3:30-5:00 Concurrent Sessions
Addressing “Forever” Chemicals: PFAs in Drinking Water
Moderator: Marlene Feist, City of Spokane
- John Hancock, West Plains Water Coalition
PFAs and the People - Chad Pritchard, Eastern Washington University
West Plains PFAs Fate & Transport Study: Spokane River - Bri Brinkman, Washington State Department of Ecology
Ecology Technical Administration - Marlene Feist, City of Spokane
Update from Director of Public Works
Water Quality & Emerging Contaminants
Moderator: Caroline Keever, Upper Columbia United Tribes
- Mary Engels, University of Idaho
Stormwater, 6-PPD-q and Crayfish - Raylene Gennett, City of Spokane
CSO & NLT: How Far We have Come with Cleaner Water for the River - Katelyn Scott, Spokane Riverkeeper
CSO & Tertiary Treatment Implementation
Science on the River
Moderator: Camille McNeely, Eastern
Washington University
- Madeleine Mathews, Gonzaga University; Ian Townley, Saint George’s School
Examining Temporal Water Quality in Spokane River Tributaries - Grace Schneider, Tucker Holmes & Cynthia Reck, Gonzaga University Undergraduate Students
What’s Up with the Water Around Here? - Kaitlin Abell, Eastern Washington University Graduate Student
Invertebrate Populations in the Little Spokane
and Beyond - Susan Stiger, Citizen Scientist & Professional Engineer
Coeur d’Alene Bay Watchers Program - Lindsey Beacham, University of Idaho
Update on Idaho Water Resourses Research Institute
Wednesday, April 23
9:00-10:15 Plenary Session
Featured Speaker
- Hannah Haemmerli, Washington State University
Water Governance: from Conflict to Collaboration - Robin Fox, National Weather Service
2025 Water Forecast - Kristen Zimmer, Water Wise Program, City of Spokane
Water Conservation Updates
10:30-12:00 Concurrent Sessions
Aquifer Modeling for Water Quality and Quantity
Moderator: John Porcello, GSI Water Solutions
- John Porcello, GSI Water Solutions
Use of an Aquifer Model for Groundwater Supply and Management - Marcia Davis, City of Spokane
The River, The Aquifer, and Groundwater Planning - Jeremy Jenkins, Spokane Aquifer Joint Board
SAJB Model Updating - Suzanne Scheidt, Idaho Washington Aquifer Collaborative
Collaborative Efforts for Modeling and Outreach
Coeur d’Alene Watershed Projects
Moderator: Jamie Brunner, Idaho Dept of Environmental Quality
- Craig Cooper, Idaho Dept of Environmental Quality
Coeur d’Alene Lake Conceptual Model Report - Angelo Vitale, Coeur d’Alene Tribe
Wetland Restoration on Lower St. Joe Creek - Cathy Gidley, Trout Unlimited Idaho
Pritchard Creek Stream Restoration Project - Doug Evans, Bureau of Land Management
Restoration in Cougar Bay
Nonpoint Source Pollution Reduction & Restoration Efforts
Moderator: Marnie Keas-Miller, Washington State Department of Ecology
- Tighe Stuart, Washington State Department of Ecology
DO TMDL 10-Year Assessment Report - Mitch Redfern, Washington State Department of Ecology
Nonpoint Source Implementation in Hangman Creek - Randy Baker, Spokane Conservation District
Riparian Retoration in Hangman Creek - Brian Muegge, Salmon Safe
Headwaters to Harvest: Inland NW Farmers Promoting Watershed Health through Salmon-Safe Certification
12:45-1:15 Plenary Session
Featured Speaker
David Brooks, Executive Director Trout Unlimited Montana
Montana’s Stream Access Law
1:30-3:00 Concurrent Sessions
Habitat Protection and Restoration in the Spokane River Watershed
Moderator: Lindsay Chutas, Haley & Aldrich
- Derek Vilar, Spokane County
Newman Lake Aeration System - Jade McKeen, Spokane Conservation District; Lindsay Chutas, Haley & Aldrich
Newman Lake Water Quality - Kat Hall, Lands Council; Sue Niezgoda, Gonzaga University
Beaver Dam Analogs - Emma Greenwood, Spokane Tribe of Indians
Waikiki Springs Fish Passage
New Developments in Spokane River Access, Restoration and Promotion
Moderator: Juliet Sinisterra, University District Development Association
- Rick Romero & Mike Terell, Spokane Urban River Experience
Coordinated Projects through the City of Spokane’s Urban Core - Ken Van Voorhis, SPVV Landscape Architects
Iron Bridge River Gateway Project - Juliet Sinisterra, University District Development Association
Nature Positive Infrastructure Planning
Audubon & Manito
What We Talk About When We Talk About Access: Reflections on Plenary Talk by David Brooks
Moderator: Greg Gordon, Gonzaga University
- Walt Edelen, Spokane Conservation District
- Andy Dunau, Spokane River Forum
- Nick Hamad, City of Spokane