Guiding River Stewardship with Science

Helping you understand rivers so you can make confident decisions about river management

To live sustainably with rivers, we must first understand them. Riverscape Science and Stewardship assesses and monitors riverscapes with care, then translates that knowledge into simple, actionable guidance. From helping all the things that live in and around rivers to building infrastructure or making planning decisions, Riverscape Science and Stewardship helps you tackle uncertainty and move forward with clarity.

Dan Scott, PhD, LG

Riverscape Science and Stewardship is Dan Scott. I’m a fluvial geomorphologist who studies how wood, rocks, water, and living things come together to shape rivers. I then convey that understanding to my clients to help them make decisions about river engineering, habitat restoration and stewardship, and planning. I give clients the scientific understanding they need to navigate the considerable uncertainty posed by dynamic riverscapes and empower them to make decisions that can accomodate the full spectrum of how a river may evolve in the future.

In addition to leading Riverscape Science and Stewardship, I’m a Research Scientist at Colorado State University. My academic research follows questions I’m asked in consulting and goes beyond to address the knowledge gaps I see limiting river stewardship. Projects include studies on how rivers split themselves around bifurcations, how in-stream wood influences geomorphic change, the dynamics of floodplain connectivity, and how wood gets to, moves through, and deposits within river networks.

Services

  • Assessment of existing and future geomorphic conditions to guide riverscape habitat enhancement, engineering design, and planning

    • Wood Regime

    • Sediment Regime

    • Channel Migration

    • Riparian Vegetation

    • Geomorphic History, Context, and Anticipated Future Evolution

  • Process-based monitoring of river restoration to guide adaptive management and optimize future restoration

  • Geomorphic hazard/risk assessments to guide planning and engineering design.

  • Outreach and teaching to co-develop geomorphic understanding with the broader communities interested in the riverscape.