Dr. Elli Papangelakis, Assistant Professor, Fairley Gadsby Research Chair in Fluvial Geomorphology, McMaster University
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Urban river management is a challenging balancing act: on the one hand, there is a need to protect property and infrastructure from flooding and erosion. On the other hand, there is increasing recognition that protecting the natural environment and conserving aquatic and riparian habitats provides a myriad of ecological and social benefits. River restoration has become an increasingly common practice to achieve these often opposing goals. This talk will provide a brief history of urban river management and outline the latest scientific developments in modern river restoration strategies with many local examples from Southern Ontario watersheds.
Dr. Elli Papangelakis is an assistant professor and the Fairley Gadsby Research Chair in fluvial goemorphology. She leads a dynamic research group at McMaster University focusing on better understanding the effects of urbanization on river systems and how we can better rehabilitate degraded aquatic ecosystems.
Photo: Emily Wassmansdorf