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2023 Annual Business Meeting
November 3, 2023 @ 8:00 am - November 5, 2023 @ 5:00 pm CDT
The Reservoir Fisheries Habitat Partnership (RFHP) held its 13th Annual Meeting in Morristown, Tennessee. Thanks to Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency for hosting!
The complete briefing book, business meeting minutes, and meeting photos and videos are available if you are logged in and have access to that membership level.
November 4
November 5
It Don't Come Easy
Noreen Clough awarded me the unofficial "Red Tape Worm" award for getting a permit to do fish habitat work on Elephant Butte Reservoir. It took three years and a final push by a supporter at the Bureau of Reclamation. But I don't think even she could have foreseen how difficult it can be to take a project from grant writing through permitting and closure. This presentation will briefly describe some of the challenges an organization might face from getting permission from the water manager to jumping through the regulatory hoops. Luckily the grant amounts have increased over the years and it can be worth the effort to run the gauntlet, but it isn't getting easier. It has become clear to me that we could do better as a community sharing resources to help each other through the hard parts. We need to figure out what the best role is for volunteers, non-profits, local, state and Federal agencies. Examples will include latest experiences from the projects at Carlsbad, New Mexico and Cochiti Lake, New Mexico, including having to work on tribal lands.
Download the complete agenda here: Meeting-Agenda_2023
Schedule at a Glance
- Thursday – November 2, 2023
- arrive at hotel
- limited transportation arrangements can be made via TWRA personnel – car pooling from airport
- dinner on your own
- Friday – November 3, 2023
- workshop – TVA
- lunch (provided by RFHP)
- field trip and/or habitat build
- dinner on your own
- Saturday – November 4, 2023
- business meeting AM
- lunch (provided by RFHP)
- technical sessions PM
- banquet
- Sunday – November 5, 2023
- technical sessions AM
- noon – adjourn – lunch on your own
The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) will be hosting a workshop consisting of their experts in the fields of:
- River and reservoir operations – operation of dams and water with multiple stakeholders interests in mind.
- 26 a permitting – requirements and how to of applying for permits, allowing fish habitat to be placed in aquatic environments.
- Shoreline stabilization – methods and techniques for shoreline stabilization across different types of waterbodies.
- Aquatic plants – identification, treatment, and solutions for dealing with common non-native, native, and invasive aquatic plants.
Each presenter will be giving information pertaining to their areas of expertise with time for questions and discussion.
A networking event will occur Friday, November 3 after the workshop. Please indicate your interest during your registration, and we will accommodate as many as possible.
Please ensure you have your fishing license for Tennessee. TWRA offers a 3-day license (as well as others) which can include trout if desired. Purchase your license here: https://gooutdoorstennessee.com/ViewPackage.aspx?pid=17&lrtid=2&annual=0