Chuck Fritz, Executive Director It is hard for me to fathom, but it’s been over 22 years since the inaugural International Water Institute Chair, George “Bud” Sinner convinced me to become the Executive Director. My decision to accept was in no small part due to the fact that Bud was the former ND Governor who…
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Phillip Oswald, Monitoring and Education Specialist A day in the life of a water quality monitor is a balance of planning and reacting. Under normal conditions, we sample every 10-14 days. However, I have to be ready to sample the very next day if there is a big rain event. The International Water Institute (IWI)…
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Asher Kingery, Project Specialist Over the years I have shortened how I introduce myself to others as simply a ‘river person.’ It’s short and easy to say but it leaves people confused and wondering what I do…..perfect! Now they are ready to hear stories and learn more about what that self-made term means, and they…
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Danni Halvorson, Education and Monitoring Director The following pieces of advice are an attempt to provide some guidance to those seeking employment and/or while working in a natural resources field. All considerations are opinion based on 20+ years of working as a Natural Resource Professional in the Red River Basin. Consideration #1 – All jobs…
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By: Mark Deutschman I had just agreed to join the staff of the International Water Institute (IWI) on a part-time basis after 30 plus years in private consulting. The voice of the Executive Director, Chuck Fritz, on the other end of the phone line asked, “What are we going to call you, Mark?” I replied…
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By: Austin Braget Hello everyone and welcome to our first blog posting of 2019! This entry focuses on the IWI map portal, where you can find it, and what you can do with it. On the IWI website, https://iwinst.org/, scroll down on the main page until you see the IWI Map Portal image and click…
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By: Andy Ulven, with contributions from the Education team With hundreds of canoes now launched annually, reports of River of Dreams canoe sightings are becoming more commonplace, averaging several per week during ice-free months. From discoveries reported near the original launch site, to those popping up after years of silence hundreds of miles downstream, checking these…
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By: Austin Braget, with contributions from the GIS team We are back with another set of interesting imagery finds from around the Red River Basin. This one has a number of features we had a difficult time identifying. The first two images (below) show the typical moisture patterns of fields with subsurface tile drainage. We look…
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The IWI revived its River of Dreams (ROD) program in 2016, and it has generated some of my most memorable work experiences to date. In the spring of 2018, ROD reached 18 schools, 31 classrooms, and over 600 students throughout the Red River Basin. Every year I find I am more impressed with our students’…
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By: Austin Braget, with contributions from the GIS team Here at the International Water Institute, the GIS group has been quite busy working on hydro-conditioning for our Prioritize, Targaret, Measure Application (PTMApp). We have been scouring the landscape of the Red River Basin, and during our work, we have come across a few interesting features…
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