Mark your calendars for the 25th Annual River Restoration Symposium, happening February 1–5!

Join for an inspiring week of knowledge sharing, learning, and time with colleagues and community.

Calls for abstracts and sessions will begin in June — stay tuned!

Symposium Information 2027 – River Restoration NW

Schedule

Join for the full week! February 1–5, 2027

• Short Courses on Monday, February 1

• 3-Day Plenary Sessions on Tuesday–Thursday, February 2–4

• Field Trip on Friday, February 5

Attendance Options

In-person: Skamania Lodge in Stevenson, WA

Virtual Livestream: Full 3-Day Plenary Sessions

Symposium Themes

Project Failures: Lessons Learned – Failure is an inherent part of innovation, yet it is often underreported. Projects that fall short of expectations can provide some of the most valuable insights for improving future work.  What unexpected outcomes have forced you to rethink your approach? Were there overlooked processes, site conditions, or assumptions that altered project trajectories? How can we create space within our field to openly share failures and integrate those lessons into better design, monitoring, and adaptive management practices

Creative Funding Sources & Solutions – Funding remains one of the greatest barriers to implementing and monitoring restoration efforts. As funding opportunities become more scarce and competition increases, practitioners are called upon to find innovative ways to finance restoration implementation and monitoring. What unconventional funding mechanisms have you leveraged? How can partnerships, community investment, or cross-sector collaboration unlock new opportunities? Are there models that successfully integrate restoration funding with broader social, economic, or climate resilience goals?

Estuary Restoration – Estuaries are among the most productive yet heavily altered ecosystems, serving as critical transition zones for fish, wildlife, and human communities. How do we design projects that align with natural water level fluctuations and sediment regimes? What can we learn from historical estuary extents to guide present-day recovery? Where are the priority habitats and emerging hotspots for restoration activity across the region? We want to hear about your spruce swamps!

Water Management and Irrigation as a Restoration Tool – Drought and climate variability make water a less reliable resource year-after-year. Water management and agricultural production can be used to support ecological function. Where and how can we effectively apply managed aquifer recharge? Are there projects where irrigation system improvements have increased in-stream flows?

Restoration under Invasion: Adapting to Invasive Species – Invasive species are a major concern in many restoration projects and one of the leading threats to juvenile salmonids. What strategies have proven effective in managing persistent invaders like reed canary grass? How do invasive aquatic species, from mussels to predatory fish, influence restoration success? Can restoration design itself be used as a tool to resist or outcompete aquatic invasive species like small mouth bass and brook trout?

Restoration for Risk Management: Wildfire & Flood Risk – As climate change intensifies disturbance regimes, restoration is increasingly being called upon to reduce risk to both ecosystems and human communities. Wildfires and floods are reshaping river systems in ways that challenge conventional design and management approaches. How do post-wildfire changes in sediment supply, hydrology, and wood dynamics affect restoration priorities? In what ways can restoration projects align with flood risk reduction frameworks such as FEMA Public Assistance or mitigation programs? What regulatory or policy shifts are needed to better integrate restoration into risk management strategies?