A Rare Opportunity to Talk Live with
Legendary "Water Wizard"
Bill Zeedyk |
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Dear ERA members,
Few people have spent a lifetime protecting wildlife, managing forests and restoring watersheds. At 90 years old, Bill Zeedyk has a wealth of knowledge, expertise and first-hand experience and he is sharing this with us in a rare, live conversation. Join us tomorrow, Tuesday, February 17 at 7:30 pm ET, for a very special final session of the Thinking Like Water Film & Live Conversation Series, featuring ecological restoration pioneer Bill Zeedyk, whose work is explored in depth throughout the five-part docuseries, |
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Why This Conversation Matters Bill's extensive experience restoring degraded streams, floodplains, and watersheds across much of the U.S., especially the Southwest, is invaluable. He uses low-tech, low-cost, and low-risk approaches grounded in close observation of natural processes and he has trained landowners, communities and professionals how to replicate these approaches in their regions. As a forester, a wildlife biologist and an ecological / watershed restoration pioneer, Bill has been healing the land and waterways by "letting the water do the work."
His work speaks for itself:
Don't miss this rare opportunity to learn from a master practitioner and a true pioneer of land and water restoration. |
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Conservation Scientist
Shantini Ramakrishnan to Join Bill Zeedyk in this Conversation |
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Shantini Ramakrishnan is a conservation scientist and educator strengthening community leadership in landscape restoration across northern New Mexico since 2012. Her work empowers local people to care for their own lands through science-based, place-rooted education and hands-on restoration.
As Program Manager of the Conservation Science Center at the New Mexico Forest & Watershed Restoration Institute at Highlands University, she builds pathways for youth and community members to engage in land stewardship through outdoor learning and STEM education.
Following the Hermit’s Peak / Calf Canyon Fire, Shantini co-led post-fire restoration efforts, adapting low-tech, process-based methods for burn-scarred landscapes through landowner workshops and community trainings. Previously at Rio Mora National Wildlife Refuge, she partnered with Bill Zeedyk and others to install hundreds of rock structures that improve water and soil capture in semi-arid ecosystems.
Her experience spans habitat restoration, protected land management, and community engagement. She is a co-author of multiple scientific publications and recipient of the 2024 Highlands Spirit Award.
Her work is sure to inspire what’s possible at the community scale. Join us for a rich conversation informed by research, practice, and lived experience. |
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Thinking Like Water - Episode 5:
Watershed Wide: Putting It All Together
Film Screening at 6:00 PM ET
(or watch it on your own) |
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Episode 5 is the finale of the 5-part series and introduces new restoration approaches born from local wisdom.
We step into real watersheds shaped by the work of Bill Zeedyk and those he has mentored to witness: - A river re-wilding through a town center with Lea Knutson of the Hermit’s Peak Watershed Alliance
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Induced meandering on a wildlife refuge with Craig Sponholtz of Watershed Artisans
- Large-scale watershed restoration across 95,000 acres of canyons, tributaries, rivers, uplands and roads with Josh Miner of Fort Union Ranch
Key Takeaways
- Where there’s a will, there’s a way: how to coax an ephemeral river, with only temporary water flow, back to its perennial nature
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Why fan shaped deposits of sediment -- called "alluvial fans" -- are important in watershed recovery
- Advanced insights on how to “read the landscape” from Bill Zeedyk
- How community-scale restoration can transform entire watersheds
Be Part of This Special Evening
This final session is both a culmination and a celebration—of water, land, community, and the people who have devoted their lives to learning how landscapes heal.
If you’ve been meaning to join the series—or if you want to hear directly from one of the true elders of restoration practice—this is the night not to miss.
Recordings of speakers from the entire series will also be made available to all registrants. Join us tomorrow —Tuesday, February 17 at 7:30 PM ET for these live conversations and at 6:00 PM ET for the screening of Episode 5 on Zoom or watch it on your own. |
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We look forward to seeing you there! |
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Louise Mitchell Outreach Programs Manager |
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