#112, Ryan Smith, Rethinking Dam Operations

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In this conversation, Dr. Todd Votteler, Principal of Collaborative Water Resolution and Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water and the Texas Water Journal, talks with Ryan Smith, Director of Water and Science for The Nature Conservancy in Texas, about the Sustainable Rivers Program and its work to improve river health through changes in dam operations.

Ryan is a freshwater ecologist with more than 25 years of professional experience in freshwater conservation. He leads a team implementing statewide freshwater conservation strategies, including water-efficient and regenerative agriculture, environmental water transactions, environmental flows, watershed protection and restoration, and groundwater and surface water management and policy. Ryan is The Nature Conservancy’s Texas lead for the Sustainable Rivers Program, a partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to improve the health and life of rivers by changing the Corps’ dam operations.

Before moving to Texas, Ryan worked for The Nature Conservancy’s global water team and regional science teams, where he supported freshwater projects across the U.S., Mexico, and Central America. He has a Master of Science in fisheries and wildlife sciences from Virginia Tech and a Bachelor of Science in fisheries and wildlife biology from Colorado State University.

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