2027 Confluence Symposium
Learn. Connect. Coordinate.
Hear from watershed partners, researchers, agencies, and community leaders about the issues and opportunities shaping the Weber River watershed. Topics will include:
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Agriculture, Restoration & Science
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Great Salt Lake
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Watershed Success Stories
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Funding Round Robin
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Drought & Water Conservation
Throughout the day, attendees will have opportunities to learn, share ideas, find collaborators, and connect with resources and funding opportunities to support work across the watershed.
Photo Credit: Rick Smith
January 12, 2027 | 8:00 AM–5:00 PM
Weber State University | Shepherd Union Ballroom
Join the Weber River Partnership for our Annual Confluence Symposium, a full day of learning, connection, and collaboration focused on the Weber River watershed.
The Confluence Symposium brings together landowners, farmers and agricultural partners, water managers, local governments, state and federal agencies, Tribes, nonprofits, conservation organizations, researchers, educators, students, businesses, community members, and anyone who cares about the future of the Weber River watershed. Whether you work directly in water and watershed management or simply want to better understand the challenges and opportunities facing our region, you are invited.
Registration & Tickets
We want the Confluence Symposium to be accessible to everyone interested in the Weber River watershed. Choose the ticket option that best fits your circumstances.
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$35 Individual Ticket — A lower-cost option for individual attendees.
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$100 Professional/Organization Ticket — For professionals and those attending on behalf of a business, agency, nonprofit, or other organization.
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$200 Sponsorship Ticket — For those who would like to provide additional support for the symposium and help make participation accessible to others.
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Pay What You Can — $0 or more— We want the Confluence Symposium to be accessible to everyone, regardless of their financial circumstances. Choose an amount that works for you, including $0. Registration fees are waived for the groups listed below, and members of these groups are also welcome to contribute what they can to support the event and the Weber River Partnership’s ongoing work. When registering, please select the group you belong to or are affiliated with from the dropdown menu.
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Symposium Speakers
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Students (please bring your student ID to check-in)
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Poster Presenters (once confirmed)
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Table Hosts
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Homeowners & Residents
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Conservation District Members
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Other
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All tickets include the full-day symposium, catered breakfast and lunch, beverages, snacks, presentations, discussions, networking opportunities, and access to the partner and resource area.
Register for the 2027 Confluence Symposium:
Share Your Work: Poster Session
Have a project, research, class project, internship experience, or other work related to water, watersheds, conservation, agriculture, recreation, or the Weber River watershed?
We invite students, early-career professionals, researchers, and community members to share their work through our poster session. This is a great opportunity to practice communicating your work, connect with professionals in the watershed community, and introduce your ideas to potential collaborators and employers.
Students and emerging professionals are especially encouraged to participate.
Jobs, Internships & Career Connections
Looking for your next opportunity? The Confluence Symposium will also include a Jobs & Internships Board where organizations can share current or upcoming positions, internships, fellowships, seasonal work, and volunteer opportunities related to water, conservation, natural resources, agriculture, environmental work, and the Weber River watershed.
Employers and organizations: Bring printed copies of your job or internship announcements to post on the board and help connect students, early-career professionals, and other attendees with opportunities in the field.
Students and job seekers: Be sure to stop by the board throughout the day to explore opportunities and connect with organizations working across the watershed.
TABLING: Connect with Watershed Partners
A partner and resource area will be available throughout the symposium, giving organizations, agencies, nonprofits, researchers, and other partners a place to share information about their work, programs, resources, and upcoming opportunities.
Tables will be incorporated into networking and break periods throughout the day, so organizations do not need to staff a table for the entire event. More information about table participation will be available to registered partners.
Interested in setting up a table? Please fill out this form:
Funding Round Robin
One of the day's opportunities will be a Funding Round Robin, designed to help watershed partners better understand the funding landscape and make connections that can move projects forward.
Funding is often one of the biggest barriers to getting good watershed ideas from concept to implementation. The Round Robin will give participants an opportunity to hear directly from funders and funding experts about what types of projects they support, what makes a project competitive, potential match or partnership requirements, and how organizations can connect funding opportunities with watershed priorities.
Location & Parking
The Shepherd Union Ballroom is located on the 3rd floor of the Weber State University Shepherd Union Building.
Parking Options
1. Park & Ride for Free
Park at the Dee Events Center and take the electric UTA Wildcat Shuttle to campus for free. The shuttle runs approximately every 10 minutes, and the ride to the Shepherd Union Building (Weber State Central) takes about 5 minutes.
2. Covered Pay Lot
A covered pay lot is available on campus near the Shepherd Union Building.
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$3 for the first hour
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$1 for each additional hour or portion thereof
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$11 daily maximum
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Pay when you exit
3. Visitor Permit - W Lot
This permit is valid for one business day in all W lots, Davis campus, and at the Dee Events Center for $4 per day. Purchase your visitor permit HERE.
We look forward to bringing the Weber River watershed community together for a day of learning, collaboration, and connection.
AgENDA
January 12, 2027 | 9:00 AM–5:00 PM
Weber State University | Shepherd Union Ballroom
Partner and resource tables, along with posters, will be available during designated breaks throughout the day for networking and connecting with presenters and organizations.
8:00–9:00 AM | Breakfast, Registration & Networking
Enjoy coffee and light snacks, get settled, and connect with other attendees. Posters and tables will begin opening during this time.
9:00–9:15 AM | Welcome & Weber River Partnership Update
Jessica Reynolds
Watershed Coordinator, Weber River Partnership
Welcome and Introduction
9:15–10:00 AM | Keynote
TBD
10:00–10:15 AM | Break
10:15 AM–12:00 PM | Drought & Water Conservation
Water Supply Panel- Water Resources & Groundwater
Darren Hess
Assistant General Manager / COO, Weber Basin Water Conservancy District
&
Andy Garland
General Manager, Mountain Regional Water Special Service District
Cloud seeding & Emerging Water Supply Technologies
Max Jones & Jared Smith
Rainmaker Technology Corporation
Hill Air Force Base Water Resilience STUDY
Marisa Weinberg
Great Salt Lake Sentinel Landscape Coordinator
&
Easton Hopkins
Project Engineer, Hansen, Allen & Luce (HAL)
Tools NOT Rules: Transforming Landscapes for Water Conservation
Cynthia Bee
Director of Community Engagement, Utah Waterways
12:00–1:00 PM | Lunch & Networking
Enjoy a catered lunch and take time to visit posters and tables, connect with speakers, and meet other watershed partners.
1:00–2:00 PM | Agriculture, Restoration & Conservation
Phragmites TreatmenT
Kayla Garcia
Upstream Phragmites Mitigation Coordinator, Utah Association of Conservation Districts
Virtual Fencing
Chris Argyle
Farmer, Argyle Acres
Conservation Grazing Approaches
Zakary Copeland
Owner & Operator, Idaho Goat Grazing
2:00–2:15 PM | Break
2:15–3:15 PM | Funding Round Robin
Hear directly from funding program representatives about available programs, eligible projects, application considerations, and opportunities to combine funding and partnerships.
Clean Water Act Section 319 & Non-point Source POllution Funding
Paul Burnett
Nonpoint Source Program Coordinator, Utah Division of Water Quality
Watershed Restoration Initiative (WRI)
Tyler Thompson
Watershed Program Director, Utah Department of Natural Resources
Invasive Species Management (ISM) Grants
Aaron Eager
State Noxious Weed Program Manager, Utah Department of Agriculture and Food
Utah Community Recreation Outdoor Recreation for Youth Engagement (UCORE)
Rebekah Rawlings
Youth Engagement Grants Administrator, Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation
Outdoor Recreation and Mitigation Grant (ORMG) & Utah Boating Recreation Grant (UBRG)
Jorge Vazquez
Motorized Recreation Grant Analyst, Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation
Land & Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) & Federal Recreation Grants
Evan Beitsch
Federal Grants Coordinator, Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation
Federal Grants & Private Lands Conservation Funding
Destiny Allgood
Wildlife Biologist, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Partners for Fish and Wildlife
NRCS Conservation Funding
Kenny Oswald
Weber River Area District Conservationist, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
3:15–3:30 PM | Break
3:30–5:00 PM | Watershed Success Stories & Restoration
Hear from partners who are putting watershed ideas into practice, building collaborations, and testing approaches that can inform future work across the Weber River watershed.
Great Salt Lake Commissioner Report
Hannah Freeze
Great Salt Lake Commissioner, Office of the Great Salt Lake Commissioner
cONSERVATION dISTRICT Invasive Species Management
Parker Wayment
Zone Resource Coordinator, Utah Department of Agriculture and Food
Upper Weber Watershed Project
Jess Kirby
Director of County Lands and Natural Resources, Summit County
&
Bobby Cochran
Senior Lead for Strategy, Policy, and Delivery, World Resources Institute
&
Dano Jauregui
District Ranger, USFS Uinta-Wasatch-Cache
Ogden Valley Watershed Action Group
Les Vierra
Water Resources Engineer, Ogden Valley Watershed Action Group
Agricultural Lands, Water-Intensive Crops, & Great Salt Lake
Winona Wood
Ph.D. Student, Utah State University
5:00 PM | Symposium Concludes
Past Confluence Presentations
2026 Confluence Symposium Presentation Recordings
Please see below for all the recorded presentations from Confluence 2026.
Weber River Partnership would like to extend a huge thank you to all presenters for sharing their expertise and insights. We also sincerely thank Weber State University and their CATS team for their outstanding work in recording and editing these materials.
KEYNOTE: State Water Plan
Stephanie McGinnis
Utah Division of Water Resources
Weber Basin Water Supply Review and Outlook
Darren Hess
Weber Basin Water Conservancy District
Wings over Weber - Snow Surveys in the Watershed
Scott McGettigan
Utah Division of Water Resources
Multi-year climate, mediated through groundwater, controls spring runoff
Dr. Paul Brooks
University of Utah
Liquid Capital: How Water Governs Northern Utah's Economy
Dr. Marek Matyjasik
Weber State University
Treating Phragmites in Great Salt Lake and its Wetlands
Keith Hambrecht
Utah Division of Forestry, Fire, and State Lands
Agricultural Innovation and Saving Water - Producing Sheep Wool Pellets in Croydon
Albert Wilde
Wild Valley Farms
Wuda Ogwa: Restoration of the Bear River Massacre Site
Brad Parry
Northwest Band of Shoshone
The Great Salt Lake Sentinel Landscape: A Critical Partnership for the Weber River Watershed
Marisa Weinberg
Great Salt Lake Sentinel Landscapes
Ogden City Natural Resource Protection
Phil Suiter
Ogden City
2025 Confluence Symposium Presentation Recordings
Please see below for all the recorded presentations from Confluence 2025.
Weber River Partnership would like to extend a huge thank you to all presenters for sharing their expertise and insights. We also sincerely thank Ogden Eccles Conference Center AV staff for their outstanding work in recording and editing these materials.
Watershed Council Update
Candice Hasenyager, Director - Utah Division of Water Resources
Weber Basin Water Supply Review and Outlook
Darren Hess, Asst. General Manager
Weber Basin Water Conservancy District
Weber Basin Groundwater Status
Dr. Marek Matyjasik, Professor
Weber State University
Weber Basin Surface Water Monitoring and Measuring
Eileen Lukens, Research Engineer
Eryn Turney, Research Associate
Utah State University
USU Extension's Water Quality Initiatives
Sarah Erwin, USU Extension's Water Quality Initiatives
Climate Change in Weber Basin
Glenn Merrill, Senior Hydrologist
National Weather Service
Weber Basin Fisheries Review
Tanner Cox, Senior Project Manager
Trout Unlimited
Clint Brunson, Walk-In Access Manager
Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
Agricultural Water Optimization - Update
Hannah Freeze, Program Manager
Department of Agriculture and Food
On-Farm Water Use
Matt Peterson, Owner
Ogden Bay Produce
Moving Water to Great Salt Lake
Marcelle Shoop, Executive Director
Great Salt Lake Watershed Enhancement Trust
Saved Water Applications
Michael Drake, Deputy State Engineer
Utah Division of Water Rights
Saving Land in the Weber River Watershed
Robyn Lyons, Conservation Manager
Dominic Snyder, Conservation Specialist
Summit Land Conservancy
Stream Restoration in the Weber
Rose Smith, Stream Ecologist
Sageland Collaborative
Scott Catton, Upper Weber River Project Manager
Trout Unlimited
Ogden City Water Conservation
Matt Haack, Water Conservation Coordinator
Ogden City