MNDOT ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP CONFERENCE SPONSORED BY: MNDOT OFFICE OF ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP FACILITATED BY: CENTER FOR TRANSPORTATION STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA COLLEGE OF CONTINUING AND PROFESSIONAL STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA RISK, RESILIENCE, AND RESPONSE APRIL 23, 2019
Welcome to the 2019 Environmental Stewardship Conference Risk, Resilience, and Response April 23, 2019 Continuing Education and Conference Center University of Minnesota, Saint Paul Sponsored by: Office of Environmental Stewardship Minnesota Department of Transportation Facilitated by: Center for Transportation Studies and College of Continuing and Professional Studies University of Minnesota Conference Planning Committee Scott Bradley, Lucas Bistodeau, Jon Solberg, David Hanson, David Larson, Phil Forst, Federal Highway Administration Kory Andersen, Tina Markeson, Sarma Straumanis, Gary Reihl, Stephanie Atwood Hatzenbuhler, Dwayne Stenlund, Nicole Bartelt, Terri Johnson, Andi Moffatt, WSB Beth Kunkel, Kimley-Horn
7:30 8:00 a.m. 8:00 8:15 a.m. 8:15 8:30 a.m. 8:30 9:00 a.m. 9:00 9:25 a.m. Registration and Continental Breakfast Room 135 Welcome Opening Remarks Conference Overview Scott Bradley, Assistant Office Director, Office of Environmental Stewardship, Commissioner s Message Margaret Anderson Kelliher, Commissioner, Awards Scott Bradley, Assistant Office Director, Office of Environmental Stewardship, Break and Transition to Breakout Sessions 9:25 10:25 a.m. Session 1: Ethics Jim Cownie, BREAKOUT SESSIONS Risk Resilience Response Room 135AC Room 155 Room 135BD Moderator: Tina Markeson, Jim Cownie is Deputy Chief Counsel for the Minnesota Department of Transportation. Cownie is a member of the Construction Law Section of the Minnesota State Bar Association, and a member of the Contract Law Committee of the Transportation Research Board (which is part of the National Academies of Science, Engineering & Medicine). Cownie is a frequent speaker for construction and engineering groups. He earned his J.D. and B.A. from the University of Minnesota. 2019 Environmental Stewardship Conference: Risk, Resilience, and Response April 23, 2019 Session 2: Community Partnership Programs Jessica Oh, Tony Wotzka, Moderator: David Larson, s Highway Sponsorship and Community Landscape Partnership Programs support and encourage businesses and civic organizations to enhance aesthetics and environmental sustainability of state roadsides through landscaping, art, pollinator habitat and maintenance. Learn how to partner with these programs for improved community outcomes that support a vibrant and sustainable Minnesota. Session 3: Tribal Perspectives on Environmental Issues Levi Brown, Moderator: Teresa Martin, Bringing his 12 years of experience as the Director of Resource Management of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, Mr. Brown will lead an interactive presentation on environmental topics such as the tribal government perspective on sovereignty, self-determination, and consultation. It will examine tribal response when working with cultural resources and historic preservation, current endeavors with vegetation and cultural plants, and the importance of natural resources to tribes.
10:30 11:30 a.m. Session 4: Trees & Construction Activities: When Damage to Roots Precludes Preservation Dr. Gary Johnson, University of Minnesota Risk Resilience Response Room 155 Room 135AC Room 135BD Moderator: Dave Hanson, In Minnesota, the average lifespan of boulevard trees is around 35 years, which coincidentally lines up with the average time span between street, sidewalk, and buried utilities being installed, improved, or repaired. Most healthy trees in good condition can tolerate many of the changes associated with construction activities, but extensive root loss is often the tipping point between survival and slow death, acceptable and unacceptable risks, and choices to preserve or preemptively remove. This session will focus on that tipping point and making the decision whether to protect and preserve or remove. Session 5: Complex Aquatics Nicole Bartelt, Peter Leete, DNR Andrew Shinnefield, Nick Bradley, WSB Jen Holmstadt, WSB Moderator: Kory Andersen, This session will encompass a wide variety of complex hydraulics and slope vulnerability themes. Water can be risky business, but we can build in resiliency through planning and design tools, such as Environmental Management plans (Green Sheets), the new MN Guide for Stream Connectivity and Aquatic Organism Passage Through Culverts, and slope failure analysis and modeling. Session 6: Emergency Response with NEPA (Panel) Lynnette Roshell, Phil Forst, FHWA Chris Smith, Abbi Ginsberg, FHWA Moderator: Deb Moynihan, After a catastrophic disaster strikes, the desire to clean up and reconstruct quickly makes it tempting to circumvent the environmental process. This panel will cover how Minnesota s two new Emergency Relief (ER) agreements restructure the ER program with clearer expectations and a more predictable path through project delivery while fulfilling environmental obligations and retaining eligibility for ER funds. 11:30 a.m. 12:30 p.m. Lunch
Program at a Glance continued 12:30 1:30 p.m. 1:30 2:00 p.m. Risk Resilience Response Room 135AC Room 135BD Room 155 Session 7: NEPA is Transportation Decision Making Dave Scott, FHWA Moderator: Scott Bradley, All federal actions must be evaluated for effects under the 1970 National Environmental Policy Act. To avoid wasting time and effort, Project Managers should utilize the NEPA process for defining (scoping) their projects. NEPA facilitates public involvement, identifies and assesses reasonable alternatives, and provides for transparent decision making. NEPA attempts to identify and resolve future issues; it is not meant for justifying decisions already made. Break Room 135 2:00-2:30 p.m. Awards Continued 2:30 3:30 p.m. Session 8: History of Environmental Risk on Alternative Delivery Projects: Changing Risk to Resilience Jon Chiglo, WSB Moderator: Andi Moffatt, WSB Topics will cover early alternative delivery projects (TH 52) where there was less consideration for environmental risk to recent projects, and where environmental risk is a main player in the successful delivery of resilient projects. Closing Plenary Session Risks We ll Live With and Risks We Won t Steve Woods, Executive Director Freshwater Society Moderator: Scott Bradley, Session 9: Project Response and Coordination Claudia Dumont, Teresa Martin, Kirk Allen, Renee Barnes, Moderator: Stephanie Atwood, How does a project at a complex site begin to address the many concerns that arise? This panel discussion will be a case study of the complexities and lessons learned from the restoration of a historic WPA stone bridge at Lake Mille Lacs and the role that coordination played. Some of the many challenges the project faced include working with multiple agencies, synchronizing numerous consultant schedules, and protecting environmental and cultural resources. It s natural to think of our design standards as norms the community has agreed to live by. What if we viewed them as the acceptable risks (compromises) they are between things like total safety, excessive time, and higher costs? Using mostly water problems no surprise there Steve will highlight a few risks we re still learning to navigate and communicate to nontechnical audiences. 3:30 5:00 p.m. Reception and Networking
Continuing Education and Conference Center Upper Level Floor Plan AICP Certification Maintenance Credits Certification Maintenance credit has been requested for all of the conference concurrent sessions. Approved sessions will be listed on the AICP website. Professional Development Hours (PDHs) Attendees of this conference may receive up to 5.50 professional development hours. A PDH form is available in the conference folder. Session 1 qualifies for one hour of ethics-related training for the Minnesota Board of Architecture, Engineering, Land Surveying, Landscape Architecture, Geoscience and Interior Design (AELSLAGID). Wi-Fi To connect to the University s extensive Wi-Fi network while on campus: Select UofM Guest from the Wi-Fi network options and agree to the terms of use.
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