Geosyntec professionals Bob Anderson (Washington) and Jay Griffin (California) will present and Ben Martich (Alaska) and Sean Ragain (Oregon) will moderate sessions at the Alaska Forum on the Environment at the Dena'ina Convention Center in downtown Anchorage on February 12-16, 2018.

Bob Anderson"s presentation, "Groundwater Resources and Watershed Interactions," will discuss how water and salmon are valuable resources that are impacted by a number of factors. Jay Griffin"s presentation, entitled "Critical Aspects of Waste Containment: Barrier Design, Liquid Management, and Construction," will discuss considerations relevant for Alaskan industries. Other Geosyntec staff attending the Forum are Eric Nesbit (North Carolina), Greg Corcoran (California), and Sam Fox, Olga Stewart (Alaska).

The Alaska Forum on the Environment is a gathering of environmental professionals from government agencies, non-profit and for-profit businesses, community leaders, Alaskan youth, conservationists, biologists and community elders. The diversity of attendees sets this conference apart from other conferences in Alaska. The 2018 event will be the 20th year providing an educational foundation for Alaskans and an opportunity to interact with others on environmental issues and challenges.

The Alaska Forum on the Environment offers a broad range of plenary sessions with nationally recognized keynote speakers. There are over 100 technical training sessions organized by subjects including: climate change, emergency response, marine debris, environmental regulations, fish and wildlife populations, rural issues, energy, military issues, business issues, pollution prevention, contaminants, and others

Geosyntec Participation

Presentation Title: Groundwater Resources and Watershed Interactions
Session Title: Groundwater, Salmon & Resource Development: Watershed Interactions and Long-Term Salmon Monitoring
Presenter: Bob Anderson
Date: Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2018
Time: 10:30 – 11:45 a.m.
Description:
Water and salmon are valuable resources that are impacted by a number of factors. In this session, first learn how groundwater interacts with various components of Pacific Northwest and Alaska watersheds and the effects of groundwater resource development. How is groundwater part of a sustainable watershed, and how is it affected by land use and climate change? The next presentation will discuss efforts to sample juvenile Chinook salmon to analyze potential long-term bioaccumulation of heavy metals resulting from activities at the Pogo Gold Mine in Interior Alaska. Pogo Mine is located along the Goodpaster River, a major tributary of the Tanana River, which supports populations of anadromous fish. Data collected during nineteen years of sampling are used with other testing to investigate trends and analyze potential long-term ecological impacts from mine operations.

Session Title: Roots of Change: Plant-Based Remediation & Community Research for Cleanup Projects in Rural Alaska
Moderator: Ben Martich
Date: Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2018
Time: 2:00 – 3:15 p.m.
Description:
A research project is underway in Kaltag, Alaska, investigating the cleanup of diesel-contaminated soil using native plants and microbes naturally present in the soil (phytoremediation) and to explore ways to engage the community in cleanup projects in order to foster greater local control and build local capacity. Phytoremediation offers an inexpensive and low-maintenance treatment option and, if demonstrated effective through field studies such as this one, phytoremediation could revolutionize how contaminated soil is treated in rural Alaskan communities and other sites.

Presentation Title: Critical Aspects of Waste Containment: Barrier Design, Liquid Management, and Construction
Session Title: A Trio of Presentations on Water Quality Issues
Presenter: Jay Griffin
Moderator: Ben Martich
Date: Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018
Time: 9:00 – 10:15 a.m.
Description:
Regan McMorris will present 'Identifying and Treating Aquatic Toxicity from Mine Water Runoff' to detail the design and performance of laboratory studies for the toxicity identification evaluation/toxicity reduction evaluation (TIE/TRE) process / Jay Griffin will present, 'Critical Aspects of Waste Containment: Barrier Design, Liquid Management and Construction' that are relevant for Alaskan industries / Amber Bethe will present 'Southeast Alaska Lakes Survey 2017' to highlight water and sediment quality, habitat, and biological indicators in Southeast Alaska lakes.

Session Title: A Trio of Presentations on Tools and Resources for Managing and Improving Alaska's Environment
Moderator: Ben Martich
Date: Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018
Time: 10:30 – 11:45 a.m.
Description:
Cindy Hartmann-Moore will present 'ShoreZone Imaging and Mapping Alaska - 77,000 Kilometers of Imagery and Mapping Data' to detail a coastal marine habitat mapping system with geomorphic and biological attributes in a searchable geospatial dataset / Nicole Johnson will present 'Tribal Air Monitoring Support (TAMS) Center Services and Update 2017' to highlight various support services available to villages / Melissa Sikes will present 'Streambank Restoration Techniques for Improving Fish Habitat' to exhibit successful streambank restoration projects in the Tanana Valley and proven construction techniques for streambank protection.

Session Title: A Trio of Presentations on Land and Water Restoration and Rehabilitation
Moderator: Sean Ragain
Date: Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018
Time: 2:00 – 3:15 p.m.
Description:
Susan Bishop will present 'Thirty Years of Land Rehabilitation on the North Slope – What Have We Learned?' to detail establishment of self-sustaining native plants to rehabilitate disturbed sites in northern Alaska / Patrick Tomco will present 'Herbicide Attenuation and Microbial Community Effects in Alaska Soils, Biotic/Abiotic Treatment and Insights into Plant Mobility' to highlight how conditions in high latitude regions affect the degradation rate of agrochemicals in the environment / Mingchu Zhang will present 'Woody Biochar in Alaska-How Can It Be Utilized?' to explain biochar and its possible applications as a soil or water amendment, absorbent, and filter.

More Information

Learn more about the event: http://www.akforum.org/.
For consultation regarding site assessment or water quality, contact Ben Martich at BMartich@Geosyntec.com.
Learn more about Bob: https://www.geosyntec.com/people/robert-anderson
Learn more about Jay: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jay-griffin-41636b22/
Learn more about Sean: https://www.geosyntec.com/people/sean-ragain