The Utton Center at the University of New Mexico School of Law and the Bureau of Reclamation hosted a conference in Albuquerque, NM September 14-15, 2011. The focus of the conference was on the social and institutional aspects of restoration and to look for opportunities to improve practices and overcome obstacles associated with law, policy, finance, governance, assessment of progress, and organization. Facilitated breakout groups provided an opportunity for discussion and the small groups’ findings were reported to the larger group in plenary sessions. The major presentations were videotaped and they are posted below. The Utton Center summarized the proceedings and the report is posted here.

Conference materials:

• Andrea K. Gerlak,and T. Heikkila, Comparing Collaborative Mechanisms in Large-Scale Ecosystem Governance, Natural Resources Journal 46 (2006).
• Gerlak, Andrea K., Today’s Pragmatic Water Policy: Restoration, Collaboration, and Adaptive Management Along U.S. Rivers (2008). Society and Natural Resources, 21:538–545.
• Robert Adler,  An Ecosystem Perspective on Collaboration for the Colorado River, 8 Nevada Law Journal 1031 (2008).
• Betsy A. Cody et al., California Drought: Hydrological and Regulatory Water Supply Issues, Congressional Research Service (2009)
• Betsy A. Cody et al., San Joaquin River Restoration Settlement (2007).
• Betsy A. Cody and Nicole T. Carter, 35 Years of Water Policy: The 1973 National Water Commission and Present Challenges, Congressional Research Service (2009).
• Anthony Willardson, Director, Western Water Resources Infrastructure Strategies: Identifying, Prioritizing, and Financing Needs., Western States Water Council (2011).
• J.J.F. Shah., C.N. Dahm, S.P. Gloss, and E.S. Bernhardt. 2007. River and riparian restoration in the Southwest: Results of the National River Restoration Science Synthesis Project. Restoration Ecology 15:550-562.

  Professor Dahm recommends two websites as representative of successful restoration processes:
  Kissimmee River Restoration Project
  Healthy Waterways Initiative (SE Queensland)

• Reed D. Benson, New Adventures of the Old Bureau: Modern-Day Reclamation Statutes and Congress' Unfinished Business,  48 Harvard Journal on Legislation 137 (2011).
• Bureau of Reclamation River Restoration Programs: A Summary of 16 Programs and Shared Institutional Challenges (September 2011)

Powerpoint presentations:

• Overview of Program, Professor Denise Fort, Director, Utton Transboundary Resources Center, UNM School of Law
• Governance Arrangements for Large Scale River Restoration, Rodney J. Wittler, Ph.D., P.E., Regional Science Liaison, Mid Pacific Region, US Bureau of Reclamation
• Evaluating Governance Arrangements for Large Scale River Restoration, Andrea Gerlak, Ph.D., Director of Academic Development, International Studies Association and Senior Policy Associate, Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy, University of Arizona
• Progress Toward Restoration: Institutional Challenges of Ecosystem Complexity and Response Time, Curt Brown, Ph.D., Director, Research and Development, US Bureau of Reclamation
• Ecosystem Complexity and Response Time: What Are the Institutional Challenges?, Robert Adler, Chair, Quinnet College of Law, University of Utah
• Support and Investment in River Restoration, Mark McKinstry, Ph.D., Biological Scientist, Office of Adaptive Management, Upper Colorado Region, US Bureau of Reclamation
• Support and Investment in River Restoration: Funding Mechanisms in Federal Legislation, Betsy Cody, Specialist in Natural Resources Policy, Resources, Science, and Industry Division, Congressional Research Service 
• River Restoration Conference Presentation, Tony Willardson, Executive Director, Western States Water Council
• Organizing Science in Large Scale River Restoration Programs, Michael Newsom, Research, Monitoring and Evaluation Program Coordinator, Pacific Northwest Region, US Bureau of Reclamation
• Organizing Science in Large Scale River Restoration Programs, Cliff Dahm, Ph.D., Lead Scientist, Delta Stewardship Council; Professor of Biology, University of New Mexico
• Stream Restoration Technical Perspectives, Tim Randle, Group Manager, River Hydraulics and Sedimentation, US Bureau of Reclamation