Distinguished Project Award

Fish Passage 2020 Distinguished Project Award Winner

LIFEDrawaPL - ACTIVE PROTECTION OF WATER-CROWFOOTS HABITATS AND RESTORATION OF WILDLIFE CORRIDOR IN THE RIVER DRAWA BASIN IN POLAND

Presented to: Aleksandra Stodulna (RDEP - Regional Director of Environment Protection in Szczecin), Beata Gąsiorowska, Małgorzata Ćwiklińska, Aneta Radecka, Mariola Wróbel (PhD, West Pomeranian University of Technology), Artur Furdyna (external water ecology consultant), Mariusz Raczyński ( PhD RDEP Szczecin), Wojciech Wójcik (external IT service), Paweł Bilski (Steering Committee – PhD, Director of Drawieński National Park), Piotr Dębowski (Steering Committee – PhD prof. Institute of Inland Fisheries- migratory fish expert), Robert Czerniawski (PhD Steering Committee – prof. Szczecin University), and Józef Jeleński (Steering Committee- Eng. expert of riverbed morphology restoration).

Click on these links to view a project summary and presentation.


We will re-open the webform at a later date to solicit nominations the Fish Passage 2021 Distinguished Project Award. For information on the nomination form and criteria, please see below.

The Fisheries Engineering and Science Project Award Task Group is seeking submissions for projects that use innovation and technical excellence to achieve ecological gain for fish passage, river connectivity and improved habitat for endangered and native species.

An ideal project for the award would be one that exemplifies success and inspires greater application of fish passage restoration. It does not need to be a newly implemented project, in fact, projects that have had enough time to demonstrate effectiveness will more likely meet the evaluation criteria listed below and have the highest chance of being selected. Projects that have been shared widely in professional papers or conference presentations are encouraged. Self-nomination is encouraged.

Award Selection Evaluation Criteria

Each nominated project will be evaluated with the following criteria:

  • Monitoring and evaluation - Monitoring report / findings and data are required for submittal. Telemetry, fish trapping, physical observations counts, or other monitoring techniques should be used as the basis of the findings. The monitoring report should describe methods and analysis of both pre and post construction.
  • Ecological gain for passage and habitat for endangered and native species
  • Innovation and technical excellence
  • Stakeholder collaboration and community based support
  • Education and public involvement
  • Effective application of resources (financial and matching)
  • Implementation according to design intent and adaptive to field conditions
  • Inspirational value

The project award task group will use these criteria to score and rank the projects following a matrix with higher weightings for the performance effectiveness criteria. Priority will be given to projects that have demonstrated effectiveness and fulfilment of restoration goals, as illuminated by a well-designed monitoring plan and system.

Project Nomination Submission

When it becomes available follow the application form field prompts. Nominations must be submitted before December 31, 2019. Submissions should detail how implementation, monitoring, evaluation and financial resources were implemented and used, and the effect on education, public involvement, inspirational value, effective application of resources (financial and matching), stakeholder collaboration and community based support. The project description on the nomination form should minimally include:

  • Watershed location and ecological zone of improvements
  • Extents of species and ecological zones benefited
  • Summary of the stakeholders involved and the collaboration process that was used across diverse groups (federal, state, local, non-profit, communities)
  • Synopsis of research, planning, design, and implementation.
  • Monitoring plan & report with supporting data (including any reports, peer-reviewed papers, etc.)
  • Description of ecological success to date and probable trajectory
  • Project cost (if possible)
  • Time and resources to monitor and evaluate if the project is meeting its stated goals

Selection & Notification

The winning project(s) will be selected by the EWRI-AFS Joint Committee on Fisheries Engineering and Science and notified by about mid-January 2020 or soon thereafter. The awarded project(s) and leaders will receive official recognition, tokens of appreciation, and presentation of the award at the Fish Passage 2020 conference in Lisbon, Portugal. The winning project will also be listed on the Fish Passage Conference website and will have the opportunity to present their work through the ASCE-EWRI/AFS-BES Joint Committee on Fisheries Engineering and Science Webinar Series in late 2020. It is requested that at least one representative of the winning project be present to receive the award at the conference banquet and give a short presentation of the project during the conference.

Past Winners

  • 2019 – gap year in conference

  • 2018 - Fish Passage Research and Development at Low-head Barriers in South-east Asia, presented to: Dr. Lee Baumgartner (Charles Sturt University); Dr. Craig Boys (Port Stephens Fisheries Institute); Prof. Chris Barlow (Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research); Dr. Joanne Miller (Charles Sturt University); Khampheng Homsombath (Living Aquatic Resources Research Centre); Douangkham Singhanouvong (Living Aquatic Resources Research Centre); Dr. Wayne Robinson (Charles Sturt University); Garry Thorncraft (National University of Laos); Dr. Oudom Phonekhampheng (National University of Laos); Thonglom Phommavong (National University of Laos); Phousone Vorsane (National University of Laos); Tim Marsden (Australasian Fish Passage Services); Dr. Nathan Ning (Charles Sturt University); Dr. Ivor Stuart (Kingfisher Research); Jarrod McPherson (Charles Sturt University); Brett Kelly (AWMA Solutions); Dr. Brett Pflugrath (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory); Thavone Phommavong (Pak Peung Village)

  • 2017 – Soda Springs Dam Fish Passage, North Umpqua River, Oregon USA, presented to: Rich Grost, Scott Schevenius, Eric Hansen, Tim Hemstreet, Mark Sturtevant, Steve Albertelli, Monte Garrett, and the North Umpqua Hydropower Project Crew (PacificCorp); Clint Smith (MWH Americas); Dirk Pedersen (Stillwater Sciences); George Gilmour (Meridian Environmental); Resource Coordination Committee (BLM, ODEQ, ODFW, OWRD, NMFS, USFS, USFWS)

  • 2016 -- Habitat Restoration for Diadromous Fish in the River Mondego, presented to: Pedro Raposo de Almeida (Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre (MARE), Department of Biology, School of Sciences and Technology, University of Évora, Portugal); Isabel Domingos (Foundation of the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisboa, Portugal); Luís Simão (Mora Freshwater Aquarium, Parque Ecológico do Gameiro, Mora, Portugal); Maria Felisbina Quadrado (Portuguese Environmental Agency, Amadora, Portugal); Gonçalo Carrasqueira (Forest and Nature Conservation Institute, Lisboa, Portugal); Yorgos Stratoudakis (Portuguese Sea and Atmosphere Institute (IPMA), Lisboa, Portugal); Nuno Portal (EDP, Gestão da Produção de Energia, S.A., Porto, Portugal); Cristina Rosa (Diretorate General for Natural Resources, Safety and Maritime Services (DGRM), Lisboa, Portugal); Fernando Lopes (Sea Lamprey Brotherhood, Penacova, Portugal); Fernanda Veiga (City Council of Penacova, Penacova, Portugal); Mário Magalhães Maia, City Council of Vila Nova de Poiares, Vila Nova de Poiares, Portugal); João Pardal (City Council of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal)

  • 2015 -- Salto de San Fernando: Problems and Solutions, presented to: GEA-ecohydraulics (ETSIIAA Palencia), SSF S.L. (Town Hall and private associates), Duero Basin Authority (CHD-Water Public Domain Control Service), State Fisheries Section (Salamanca), Fishermen Associations (Peña de la Cruz de Béjar)

  • 2014 -- Acushnet River Fish Passage Restoration, presented to: NOAA Restoration Center, EA Engineering, Science and Technology, Inc., US Fish and Wildlife Service, Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, Buzzards Bay Coalition, US Geological Survey, The New Bedford Harbor Trustee Council, and the Town of Acushnet.

  • 2013 -- Development and Application of the Uniform Acceleration Bypass Weir for Downstream Passage at Dams and Water Intakes, presented to: Alex Haro, Theodore Castro-Santos, and John Noreika (Conte Anadromous Fish Research Laboratory, U. S. Geological Survey); George Hecker and Steve Amaral (Alden Research Laboratory); Robert Stira (Firstlight Power Resources); and Lynn Reese (U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, Walla Walla District)

Questions

Please contact Jon Mann, the chair of the EWRI-AFS Joint Committee on Fisheries Engineering and Science Project Award Task Committee, at Jonathon.Mann@wildlife.ca.gov

Nominating Procedure

This webform is now closed. Thank you to all those who submitted a nomination for the Fish Passage 2020 Distinguished Project Award.