2027 Confluence Symposium
January 12, 2027 | 9:00 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.
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.
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. Pay what you can tickets are available starting at $0.
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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 — Choose an amount that works for you.
Speakers: Registration fees are waived for confirmed symposium speakers. Please use the registration code sent to you by email. If you cannot locate your code, email us at weberpartnership@gmail.com.
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: Student & Community 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. W Lot
Park in the W Lot for $4 per day. Purchase a W Lot parking pass at the Information Booth between the roundabouts on Dixon Drive, available 7:00 AM–4:00 PM.
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 will be available throughout the day, with designated breaks for networking and visiting tables.
8:00–9:00 AM | Breakfast, Registration & Networking
Enjoy coffee and bagels, get settled, and connect with other attendees. Partner and resource 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
Geoffrey McQuilkin
Executive Director, Mono Lake Committee
Lessons from Mono Lake: From Protection to Implementation
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 Resiliency STUDY
HAL Engineers
TBD
Utah Waterways: 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 partner and resource 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
Zachary Copeland
Owner & Operator, Idaho Goat Grazing
Agricultural Water Rights
Kent Wilkerson
Weber and Ogden River Commissioner, Utah Division of Water Rights
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, including EQIP & RCPP
Kenny Oswald
Weber River Area District Conservationist, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
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.
Ogden Valley Watershed Action Group
Les Vierra
Water Resources Engineer, Ogden Valley Watershed Action Group
UTAH Resilience Fund
Marisa Weinberg, Josh Cohn, or Natasha Collins
TBD
Great Salt Lake Commissioner Report
Hannah Freeze
Great Salt Lake Commissioner, Office of the Great Salt Lake Commissioner
Invasive Species Management
Parker Wayment
Zone Resource Coordinator, Utah Department of Agriculture and Food
Agricultural Lands, Water-Intensive Crops, & Great Salt Lake
Winona Wood
Ph.D. Student, Utah State University