Following is a synopsis of a presentation at the Internation Symposium of River Science. Attended by 300 people from 10 countries, we were unaware of this meeting, held in California last Oct. 6 through 9.
Ms. Marcus points out lack of communication as a source of failure to restore rivers.
Let me tell you, the Santa Fe River is not dying because of a lack of communication, it is dying because the State of Florida does not want to offend polluters and abusers. They opine that the river is not worth spending money on to save.
Sad but true.
Read the original and complete article here in California Water Blog.
Comments by OSFR historian Jim Tatum.
jim.tatum@oursantaferiver.org
– A river is like a life: once taken,
it cannot be brought back © Jim Tatum
Felicia Marcus
River Restoration and Protection: Is the Glass Half-Full or is it Half-Empty? Can we rise to the occasion?
Tuesday 7 October 2025
Sound science is essential to good policy but is not enough to guarantee it. Sound science and scientists play a crucial but underappreciated role in the policy arena. While underappreciation of the value of the science can stem from political judgments or a lack of caring, it more frequently can stem from a failure to communicate. Scientists and policymakers frequently talk about or at each other. To integrate good science more successfully into policy requires that they communicate with each other. Based upon a multi-decadal career in and out of government policymaking positions, advocacy, and non-profit institutions, Felicia will talk about what it takes to make the difference in the policy/political world and how important the work of the watershed science community is in making that difference. She will discuss the importance of this moment in history–where threats to river protection seem heightened with many rivers on the knife’s edge in polarized times, but where there are also rays of hope for a long overdue paradigm shift. As she’s learned, it takes more than technical skill to have an impact in an inherently political world.
