WEBVTT 00:02.735 --> 00:03.410 DR QUINN MCCOLLY: So, why is this important? 00:03.440 --> 00:05.760 Well, freshwater inflows are a critical input to 00:05.760 --> 00:07.400 high-functioning bays and estuarine systems. 00:07.730 --> 00:11.165 Human extraction and impoundment upstream diminishes these flows, 00:11.165 --> 00:13.640 and this is exacerbated by the fact that 00:13.640 --> 00:16.610 during the drought human needs persist. 00:16.610 --> 00:16.800 Right. 00:16.820 --> 00:20.000 We still impound and make extractions upstream in 00:20.000 --> 00:23.450 the years when flows are diminished down to a trickle. 00:24.470 --> 00:28.440 As many of you may or may not know, water is pretty expensive. 00:28.440 --> 00:31.010 Inexpensive water in the state, 00:31.010 --> 00:35.699 particularly if it's Ag Water or duck water is about $30 an acre-foot. 00:35.699 --> 00:39.190 The problem is if you buy duck water or Ag 00:39.190 --> 00:41.510 water in a year like the year we just had, 00:41.900 --> 00:44.430 they will not make second-crop water available. 00:44.450 --> 00:47.810 You will not be able to take water for the environment at 00:47.810 --> 00:51.560 the time when the environment most critically needs the help. 00:52.850 --> 00:56.070 To circumvent that, we have started to execute 00:56.070 --> 00:58.350 farm water contracts for the environment. 00:58.350 --> 01:01.490 So, we come to the table representing the environment 01:01.730 --> 01:03.680 and are treated or expect to be treated 01:03.830 --> 01:06.050 in the same fashion that a municipal user 01:06.050 --> 01:08.360 would be or an industrial user would be. 01:08.630 --> 01:11.209 The downside of that is we generally pay 01:11.750 --> 01:15.350 quadruple to quintuple duck water rates. 01:16.250 --> 01:18.860 The benefit of that is in a year like this, 01:19.130 --> 01:22.576 we bought 200-acre feet of farm water. 01:22.576 --> 01:27.319 We bought 292 feet of farm water that flowed 01:27.319 --> 01:29.280 down through the Highland Lakes, hopefully, 01:29.280 --> 01:32.420 provided some riverine benefits on the way to 01:32.420 --> 01:35.320 give us 200-acre feet at our diversion point. 01:35.320 --> 01:39.020 And we will we were able to put 200-acre feet of water on 01:39.020 --> 01:42.242 the ground at the Mad Island Marsh Preserve in July. 01:42.242 --> 01:44.220 At the height of the drought, 01:44.220 --> 01:46.910 I was able to visit the site and it was literally 01:47.090 --> 01:50.870 teeming with life where that environmental water was on the ground. 01:51.080 --> 01:53.960 And then that water, the boards get pulled and it can 01:53.960 --> 01:57.320 flow into the bay for some salinity regulation. 01:58.670 --> 01:59.825 There's no way possible. 01:59.825 --> 02:02.930 And this is a lot of the work that Paul has been thinking through, 02:03.860 --> 02:05.960 that I can ever buy enough water to affect 02:05.960 --> 02:08.300 salinity across an entire bay. 02:08.300 --> 02:13.130 Hopefully, I can buy enough water and deploy it at 02:13.130 --> 02:18.020 the right place at the right time to provide some refugia 02:18.169 --> 02:21.770 so that we may see natural systems rebound more quickly 02:21.770 --> 02:23.900 than they would have if left to their own devices. 02:24.770 --> 02:27.440 This project, we're doing in concert with TNC. 02:27.440 --> 02:29.360 Obviously, it's their property down there. 02:29.600 --> 02:32.045 Ducks has helped us along the way. 02:32.045 --> 02:34.460 And I'm happy to report that this has really 02:34.940 --> 02:36.650 created a blossoming relationship 02:36.650 --> 02:38.540 with the Texas Water Development Board, 02:38.540 --> 02:41.089 Kemmy, Kevin, Melissa, the whole team. 02:41.089 --> 02:43.490 They have been really helpful. 02:43.730 --> 02:47.600 They've loaned us a couple of ISL signs 02:47.600 --> 02:49.280 so that we can actually track salinity. 02:49.280 --> 02:51.680 And we're on the precipice of collecting 02:51.680 --> 02:53.990 the data to see if we can actually 02:53.990 --> 02:58.970 see the salinity change as a result of us releasing that freshwater. 02:59.120 --> 03:02.700 And then hopefully we'll be able to get an idea of how far out we're 03:02.700 --> 03:05.570 maybe effecting that change and then really begin to understand 03:05.570 --> 03:08.300 the relationship between the volumes of water and what we 03:08.300 --> 03:12.270 can hope to achieve in terms of providing that refugia. 03:12.830 --> 03:15.500 There is actually a video out that was produced 03:15.500 --> 03:16.770 by the Water Development Board. 03:16.770 --> 03:20.456 It may be in their press room, newsroom. 03:20.456 --> 03:24.120 But I'm sure they can tell you where it is at the end of this call. 03:24.120 --> 03:26.490 But I would encourage that you see it. 03:26.490 --> 03:31.220 Water Development Board videographer came out, (INAUDIBLE) came out. 03:31.400 --> 03:35.120 Kevin was there, TNC was there, water trade was there. 03:35.120 --> 03:37.430 And it really kind of walks you through what it looks like. 03:37.610 --> 03:38.810 Really a well-done piece. 03:38.840 --> 03:40.380 I was happy to be a part of that. 03:40.380 --> 03:42.660 So, how does Texas Water Trade work? 03:42.680 --> 03:48.890 Well, I cannot be a subject matter expert in every kind of microclimate. 03:48.890 --> 03:51.320 Texas is a vast place. 03:51.650 --> 03:57.080 We work in West Texas, we work in Galveston, Matagorda. 03:57.350 --> 03:59.600 We are expanding our footprint along the coast. 03:59.600 --> 04:04.925 We are working in Hill Country to relocate drinking water. 04:04.925 --> 04:09.650 Well, hopefully down dip at Jacob's Well to mitigate 04:09.860 --> 04:12.020 some of the streamflow impacts that occur when they 04:12.020 --> 04:17.290 turn that pump on because it's diminishing flows into 04:17.290 --> 04:19.220 Cypress Creek that then feed into Jacob's Well. 04:19.220 --> 04:22.055 So, we work in a lot of places in the state. 04:22.055 --> 04:26.195 Understanding that I can't be an expert everywhere or about everything, 04:26.195 --> 04:29.330 we have the Texas Water market makers program. 04:29.630 --> 04:35.839 We put an RFP out, we take proposals, we evaluate them and basically, 04:36.380 --> 04:37.940 like in the case of Galveston Bay, 04:38.180 --> 04:40.960 Galveston Bay Foundation does excellent work. 04:40.960 --> 04:43.550 Bob over there really runs a tight ship. 04:44.120 --> 04:46.670 But historically they've done a lot of conservation 04:46.850 --> 04:49.940 through preservation or through acquisition. 04:50.240 --> 04:53.239 They knew that the water piece was important 04:53.239 --> 04:55.279 but they didn't necessarily have 04:55.460 --> 04:59.390 the in house expertise to begin to incorporate that in their portfolio. 04:59.390 --> 05:03.360 So, they submitted a proposal to be a water market maker. 05:03.660 --> 05:06.630 The selectees get a commitment from us to 05:06.630 --> 05:09.120 provide two years of material support, 05:09.120 --> 05:11.844 help them develop a community of practice. 05:11.844 --> 05:14.490 Funding is needed, technical support, 05:14.730 --> 05:17.729 representation at local meetings, council meetings. 05:17.729 --> 05:21.000 Galveston Bay Council, for example, we help them figure out 05:22.440 --> 05:25.290 how much the water should cost, where it could come from. 05:25.470 --> 05:27.029 If we need to get a permit amendment, 05:27.029 --> 05:28.770 we can get them connected with appropriate 05:28.770 --> 05:33.180 legal expertise and also financing strategies to get them there. 05:33.180 --> 05:36.120 In addition to the water market makers program, 05:36.480 --> 05:38.609 we also have a Texas flows fund. 05:38.609 --> 05:42.450 You do not have to be in the market makers program to apply for this. 05:42.990 --> 05:45.960 We expect that most people who are in the market 05:45.960 --> 05:48.779 makers program would but it's actually 05:48.779 --> 05:52.890 a bucket of money that is dedicated to buy environmental 05:52.890 --> 05:55.270 water for various organizations. 05:55.270 --> 05:57.779 So, you come in as a market maker, 05:57.930 --> 06:00.740 we figure out how much water you need, where can we source it? 06:00.740 --> 06:01.800 How can we deliver it? 06:02.040 --> 06:03.270 How much is it going to cost? 06:03.450 --> 06:05.279 And then we'll give you the money to buy 06:05.279 --> 06:08.380 the water to get your project off the ground. 06:08.380 --> 06:12.810 This is really, I think one of the things I like about 06:12.810 --> 06:16.215 it is that it is conservation in partnership. 06:16.215 --> 06:20.400 For example, Galveston Bay Foundation, TNC and TWT, 06:20.400 --> 06:25.020 we all worked together in a joint grant application 06:25.020 --> 06:26.700 to the Knobloch Family Foundation. 06:26.700 --> 06:30.029 And we have worked together to get this environmental 06:30.029 --> 06:32.835 water where it needs to be. 06:32.835 --> 06:36.960 Not just the parties that are kind of primary drivers 06:36.960 --> 06:40.589 of the work but we need other conservation groups, 06:40.589 --> 06:44.190 landowners, water sellers, foundations, academic partnerships. 06:44.940 --> 06:47.940 It is really a community of practitioners 06:47.940 --> 06:50.745 that enable this work to happen. 06:50.745 --> 06:54.224 And I think that that may be the best approach. 06:54.224 --> 06:56.760 The environmental problems we face are 06:56.760 --> 06:59.430 so daunting that they are too much 06:59.430 --> 07:04.110 for any individual or any individual organization to handle alone. 07:04.350 --> 07:07.670 And it's by establishing these teams of teams, 07:07.670 --> 07:10.140 by bridging gaps between disciplines 07:10.230 --> 07:13.140 and working together that we can really come up with results, 07:13.290 --> 07:15.150 I think that are greater than any one of our 07:15.150 --> 07:18.010 groups could put together on their own. 07:18.010 --> 07:20.610 So, for our case study today we'll talk a little 07:20.610 --> 07:23.190 bit about what's happening in Galveston Bay. 07:23.700 --> 07:26.115 We have two projects going in Galveston Bay. 07:26.115 --> 07:28.980 One on the east side where we are procuring water 07:29.190 --> 07:31.770 from the Chamber's Liberty Navigation District. 07:31.950 --> 07:35.010 And then one on the West Bay where we are working towards 07:35.010 --> 07:38.100 procuring water from the Gulf Coast Water Authority. 07:39.180 --> 07:41.730 Here is the West Bay project site. 07:42.360 --> 07:43.994 This is Halls Bayou. 07:43.994 --> 07:46.920 It's just southwest of Bayou Vista. 07:46.920 --> 07:48.870 The property is pretty large. 07:48.870 --> 07:52.275 They own outright, I think they own in fee about 15,000 acres. 07:52.275 --> 07:58.020 And they have another 10,000 acres under their control via leases. 07:58.020 --> 08:01.980 And on the map there you see a lot of yellow and green. 08:01.980 --> 08:04.980 But the red area is where we think the primary 08:04.980 --> 08:07.480 impact area of our water is going to be. 08:07.480 --> 08:10.785 So, this water is going to come through Gulf Coast Water Authority, 08:10.785 --> 08:12.614 a lot of what we do on the coast. 08:12.614 --> 08:15.607 Luckily, we've got kind of legacy irrigation infrastructure. 08:15.607 --> 08:19.650 So, we're able to utilize existing levees and canal systems 08:19.800 --> 08:22.270 to divert and deliver water where we want it to go. 08:22.270 --> 08:26.680 That big blue area in the middle is an onsite 08:26.680 --> 08:28.680 reservoir and we have control of the water. 08:28.680 --> 08:32.070 From there, we can pull boards and that water will 08:32.070 --> 08:34.920 flow down through that light baby blue area. 08:34.920 --> 08:36.832 I don't know if you can see my mouse there, 08:36.832 --> 08:40.230 into the red area where we expect to be the primary zone of impact. 08:40.530 --> 08:44.580 And then you will notice four red rectangles. 08:44.880 --> 08:47.452 Those rectangles moved from the northeast to the southwest. 08:47.865 --> 08:52.780 We have used NRCS soil mapping information to kind of say, 08:52.780 --> 08:56.160 the soil type at the northeast mimics that at 08:56.160 --> 08:58.542 the northwest or (INAUDIBLE) the southwest. 08:58.542 --> 09:01.590 So, the idea is we are going to set up 09:01.590 --> 09:04.860 a monitoring station at the control 09:04.860 --> 09:08.579 site to the Northeast and then the treatment site to the Southwest. 09:08.579 --> 09:13.710 And we want to see what kind of ecological uplift 09:13.710 --> 09:17.309 we are providing via the delivery of water. 09:17.520 --> 09:21.490 We have money ready to deploy to buy up to 1,000-acre-feet 09:21.490 --> 09:23.550 from Gulf Coast Water Authority. 09:23.550 --> 09:26.310 It's interesting to note, 09:26.310 --> 09:30.329 on the east side of the bay I'm paying $30 an acre-foot. 09:30.329 --> 09:33.810 When we get into competition with the industrial complex, 09:33.810 --> 09:37.530 we are price takers, we are not price makers. 09:37.800 --> 09:43.386 Water over there on the west side costs closer to $135 an acre-foot. 09:43.386 --> 09:46.050 So, your money doesn't go quite as far. 09:46.050 --> 09:48.870 But we have funds on hand to buy 1,000-acre feet of water. 09:49.920 --> 09:52.679 We're going to use salinity meters, I already have them deployed. 09:52.679 --> 09:56.700 I've got salinity onset Hobo salinity meters deployed 09:56.940 --> 10:01.059 in a string down those various treatment plots 10:01.059 --> 10:04.020 so that we can track the salinity gradient as that 10:04.020 --> 10:07.160 freshwater pulses moves through the system. 10:07.160 --> 10:10.400 Ideally, I think with my next tranche of funding, 10:10.580 --> 10:13.220 I'm going to try to elevate the monitoring 10:13.220 --> 10:15.770 piece to allow for telemetry. 10:15.770 --> 10:19.940 So, I can incorporate adaptive management from my 10:19.940 --> 10:23.060 telephone or anywhere else that I want to work. 10:23.060 --> 10:27.110 So, when we see certain salinity triggers hit, we can pick up the phone, 10:27.260 --> 10:30.545 make the water call, send a pulse down through the system. 10:30.545 --> 10:34.670 The way it is now, I have to go out in the field which isn't bad. 10:34.670 --> 10:36.010 I enjoy it. 10:36.010 --> 10:40.370 But it's starting to get to if you want to be scaled, 10:40.640 --> 10:42.890 you either need a larger workforce or you need 10:42.890 --> 10:44.960 to be able to rely on remote sensing. 10:45.140 --> 10:47.610 And that's kind of where we're trying to take this. 10:47.610 --> 10:50.150 So, how do we do it? 10:50.150 --> 10:55.319 During my graduate work, I was working on nonlinear 10:55.319 --> 10:58.802 modeling systems to think about pricing water. 10:58.802 --> 11:00.920 Random forests, neural networks. 11:00.920 --> 11:04.189 I was working with Dr Philip to sew on this. 11:04.189 --> 11:07.280 And part of that, particularly when I was thinking through 11:07.309 --> 11:09.890 ecosystem services marketplaces, I thought, 11:09.890 --> 11:13.190 if you want to understand the ecosystem 11:13.190 --> 11:15.920 services afforded us by a forest, 11:15.920 --> 11:19.700 let's say, we need to know what the composition of that forest is. 11:19.700 --> 11:23.464 I can send somebody out there to count the trees 11:23.464 --> 11:27.770 but wouldn't it be cool if I could use object detection, 11:27.770 --> 11:31.429 object classification to just fly a drone through the forest, 11:31.670 --> 11:35.819 run the video footage through an AI object detection 11:35.819 --> 11:38.369 system and have it count the trees for me? 11:38.369 --> 11:38.660 Right. 11:38.990 --> 11:43.689 And that idea has been kind of niggling and pulling in my mind. 11:43.689 --> 11:47.450 So, as we began to roll out this water piece, 11:48.290 --> 11:52.230 we were thinking in terms of how are we going to monitor for, 11:52.230 --> 11:55.400 to track if we are actually impacting 11:55.400 --> 11:57.540 the land in a measurable, meaningful way. 11:57.540 --> 12:00.530 One thing I think we're going to do for coastal carbon 12:00.740 --> 12:03.590 is measure carbon sequestration rates pre and post, 12:03.590 --> 12:05.480 in both treatment and control sites. 12:05.750 --> 12:07.190 After a couple of years of data, 12:07.190 --> 12:12.710 I should be able to model what the carbon sequestration 12:12.710 --> 12:17.497 rates become by the addition of freshwater if there's anything. 12:17.497 --> 12:21.070 The hypothesis is more water should equal more vegetative 12:21.070 --> 12:24.059 biomass should equal more rootstock. 12:24.059 --> 12:29.179 So, if we can prove to landowners that they are sequestering 12:29.179 --> 12:31.550 additional carbon by participating in these programs, 12:31.700 --> 12:33.559 it might be another care route to dangle 12:33.740 --> 12:35.194 to get more landowner participation. 12:35.194 --> 12:36.530 But we'll see. 12:37.309 --> 12:41.960 What I was really interested in is seeing if I can show that the bird 12:41.960 --> 12:46.410 use changes based on the addition of the environmental water. 12:46.410 --> 12:49.040 So, I've got a network of game cameras set up. 12:49.040 --> 12:53.900 I've got about 26 of them, roughly, let's see, eight to 24 of them. 12:54.140 --> 12:58.486 There's three cameras at each site both for control and treatment. 12:58.486 --> 13:02.809 I've got them synchronized to take pictures every 10 minutes to make 13:02.809 --> 13:06.470 sure that we're not duplicating any bird count in any given moment. 13:06.470 --> 13:06.740 Right. 13:07.010 --> 13:10.190 For birds in picture A, and you see a bird in picture B, 13:10.340 --> 13:13.290 they clearly must be separate birds. 13:13.290 --> 13:15.470 So, we're taking a lot of pictures. 13:15.470 --> 13:17.870 I think we're taking 60,000 pictures a month. 13:18.200 --> 13:22.220 And I've set up a dashboard that uses object detection. 13:22.220 --> 13:25.040 And we'll get into that to actually count the birds for us. 13:25.309 --> 13:28.350 And we also procured some micro song meters 13:28.350 --> 13:31.059 from the ornithology lab up at Cornell. 13:31.059 --> 13:35.210 The recorder kicks on when it hears a song 13:35.360 --> 13:36.980 and then it stays on for an hour. 13:37.160 --> 13:39.530 I can process those audio files in a similar 13:39.530 --> 13:42.410 fashion whereby the audio goes 13:42.410 --> 13:46.790 through and I can actually identify species and count the individuals. 13:47.480 --> 13:50.450 Also, we have salinity meters as I mentioned deployed along the sites. 13:52.059 --> 13:53.300 We've got the game cameras out. 13:53.320 --> 13:55.179 We're taking about 100,000 pictures a month. 13:55.450 --> 13:57.495 And then I put together this little time-lapse. 13:57.495 --> 13:59.679 So, here's what it looks like when you string 13:59.679 --> 14:12.545 together some of these pictures in a row. 14:12.545 --> 14:25.020 For me to collect this much data I cannot live in the marsh. 14:25.170 --> 14:28.668 You know, it ain't easy being green but I'm no friend with the frog. 14:28.668 --> 14:31.860 So, this is a way for us to get super large amounts 14:31.860 --> 14:35.100 of data at very cost-efficient ways. 14:35.370 --> 14:38.790 And also I think, if we can accumulate enough of these 14:38.790 --> 14:42.630 pictures with proper species identification and store 14:42.630 --> 14:47.460 them in a repository we can end up then being the bird 14:47.460 --> 14:50.400 identification library for the coastal band anyway. 14:51.720 --> 14:55.102 I did set up this to play but it's not very 14:55.102 --> 14:59.035 loud but let's see if you can hear it. 14:59.035 --> 15:05.500 Sadly, you get some wind noise quite a bit. 15:05.530 --> 15:07.210 My next iteration is going to have some 15:07.210 --> 15:08.920 buffers on his mics to prevent that. 15:10.130 --> 15:13.304 But it's pretty cool to sit in and kind of eavesdrop on nature. 15:13.304 --> 15:16.340 Sadly, sorry, the audio on that just didn't come through 15:16.340 --> 15:18.278 loud enough but I'm happy to share it offline. 15:18.278 --> 15:18.596 OK. 15:18.596 --> 15:21.582 Let's see how I skipped to the next thing here. 15:21.582 --> 15:22.145 OK. 15:22.145 --> 15:23.840 So, here's what we're doing. 15:24.050 --> 15:25.520 Here's what the dashboard looks like. 15:26.780 --> 15:34.130 Every frame is analyzed by the dashboard and it can identify 15:34.130 --> 15:36.890 if there is something there or there is not something there. 15:36.890 --> 15:39.530 So, we're trying to optimize the efficiency 15:39.710 --> 15:41.525 of accuracy in abundance numbers. 15:41.525 --> 15:46.310 This way when I then compare pre and post 15:46.310 --> 15:48.890 data from treatment and control sites, 15:49.130 --> 15:52.790 I should be able to demonstrate if there's a statistical difference 15:53.030 --> 15:56.807 in the use of the wetted lands versus the nonwetted lands. 15:56.807 --> 15:59.810 I know that just kind of like if we use 15:59.810 --> 16:02.390 artificial structure to attract fish, 16:02.810 --> 16:07.160 you know, are we helping abundance or are we acting as an aggregator? 16:07.400 --> 16:09.020 I'm kind of thinking my way through that. 16:09.020 --> 16:12.500 But if more groups are congregating together, 16:12.860 --> 16:17.620 there probably is an increased chance for higher recruitment. 16:18.170 --> 16:20.520 But I'm still kind of working my way through that. 16:20.520 --> 16:25.460 On the East Bay, this is Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge. 16:26.060 --> 16:28.910 In this case, we've got 5,000 acre feet of water. 16:29.060 --> 16:30.830 We've already got an under contract. 16:31.040 --> 16:33.500 And in this case, we're really trying to give ourselves 16:33.770 --> 16:37.250 ecological flexibility when it comes to the management. 16:37.250 --> 16:40.520 So, we can call for this water in any fashion 16:40.520 --> 16:42.935 we choose over the next four years. 16:42.935 --> 16:45.230 So, we could take it all in one year. 16:45.680 --> 16:48.275 We just called for 2,000 acre feet of water. 16:48.275 --> 16:51.740 But part of that is because we're about to enter into 16:51.740 --> 16:54.080 the scaled up effort where I'm going to have access, 16:54.350 --> 16:57.910 it looks like to 2,000 acre feet a year, 16:57.910 --> 16:59.477 every year for the next 10 years. 16:59.477 --> 17:01.550 So, we don't mind being a little more aggressive 17:01.550 --> 17:03.410 with the execution of this contract. 17:03.410 --> 17:06.530 Again, relying on the old legacy infrastructure, 17:06.530 --> 17:08.159 there was a lot of rice production in the area. 17:08.159 --> 17:10.430 So, we're using these moist soil units 17:10.700 --> 17:13.790 as artificial personal reservoirs. 17:13.790 --> 17:17.440 And then we can pull the boards or punch 17:17.440 --> 17:19.700 of cut into there and then drain it 17:20.210 --> 17:24.560 through the Bayou as salinity levels indicate that we think we want to. 17:25.310 --> 17:28.160 Although now we're starting to scale up so that 17:28.160 --> 17:30.260 the volumes of water are getting bigger, 17:30.500 --> 17:33.230 the land coverage will be getting bigger. 17:33.230 --> 17:37.280 We have permission now to operate on Anahuac. 17:37.280 --> 17:39.725 I have to fill out a special use permit. 17:39.725 --> 17:43.160 And we will be executing similar data gathering 17:43.160 --> 17:46.390 for the birds on site at that location. 17:46.400 --> 17:47.900 I'm super excited about that. 17:48.230 --> 17:50.240 Eventually, I'd like to see this go up and down 17:50.240 --> 17:54.320 the coast as environmental conditions dictate. 17:55.190 --> 17:58.490 And looking to scale this up soon and it looks 17:58.490 --> 18:01.092 like that's really right on the horizon. 18:01.092 --> 18:03.100 Other places, we work with LCRA. 18:03.100 --> 18:05.660 I mentioned that farm water contracts for the environment. 18:05.900 --> 18:10.460 We were really pleased for them to be willing to engage us 18:10.640 --> 18:13.220 and execute farm water contracts for the environment. 18:13.430 --> 18:15.050 I thought it was a watershed moment 18:15.050 --> 18:18.200 and I think that we can see that continue. 18:18.890 --> 18:20.935 Hill Country protect Jacob's Well. 18:20.935 --> 18:23.450 We just executed in West Texas, 18:23.450 --> 18:26.060 the first ever at least from a nonprofit standpoint. 18:26.960 --> 18:29.510 We cost-shared an irrigation efficiency 18:29.510 --> 18:32.180 improvement project where the largest 18:32.180 --> 18:35.892 pecan producer in the state was going to put some land into flood. 18:35.892 --> 18:38.180 We said, hey wait, why don't you consider 18:38.180 --> 18:40.070 using high-efficiency sprinklers? 18:40.460 --> 18:46.700 We will cost share it with you provided you agree to forbear 18:46.700 --> 18:49.000 the use of that water and leave it in the aquifer. 18:49.000 --> 18:51.650 So, a forbearance agreement to protect groundwater 18:51.650 --> 18:55.145 in place for the first time I think in the state. 18:55.145 --> 18:59.020 This can be viewed as a round or a pardon me, 18:59.020 --> 19:01.410 drinking water supply protection fund. 19:01.410 --> 19:05.270 And ideally, if we could get rademakers or water utilities 19:05.510 --> 19:08.300 or groundwater districts that are charging 19:08.359 --> 19:11.150 pump fees to peel off some of that revenue, 19:11.450 --> 19:13.670 put it into our source water protection fund, 19:13.940 --> 19:16.820 use that fund to enable your irrigation efficiency 19:16.820 --> 19:19.160 improvements with the provision that 19:19.160 --> 19:21.530 you can only access this fund if you are willing 19:21.530 --> 19:22.980 to enter into forbearance agreements. 19:22.980 --> 19:25.220 I think then in arid parts of the state, 19:25.369 --> 19:29.480 we might be able to kind of monetize or incentivize 19:30.109 --> 19:32.660 the movement towards more conservation 19:32.840 --> 19:33.379 and it can be self-funding, self-fulfilling. 19:35.330 --> 19:39.320 This coastal work while the corporate offset money is nice 19:39.320 --> 19:44.740 and it has been an exciting development and I think it can scale. 19:44.740 --> 19:47.510 Ultimately, the people that benefit from 19:47.510 --> 19:49.260 this water are coastal communities. 19:49.260 --> 19:53.600 So, I would like to see us approach municipalities, 19:53.600 --> 19:56.300 county commissioners about the possibility 19:56.300 --> 19:57.800 of peeling off some of their 19:57.800 --> 20:02.020 hotel occupancy tax to pay for these environmental flows because, 20:02.020 --> 20:05.150 well, healthy environments, I think tacitly 20:05.150 --> 20:07.149 make healthy people and happy people. 20:07.149 --> 20:09.930 But we can draw a line between the tourism industry, 20:09.930 --> 20:13.300 the birdwatching groups, the recreational anglers. 20:13.450 --> 20:17.619 And if we can prove up that the environmental flows help sustain 20:17.619 --> 20:20.750 and enhance those opportunities which lead to tourism dollars, 20:20.750 --> 20:23.380 there's no reason why these coastal municipalities 20:23.590 --> 20:26.109 shouldn't be buying their own environmental water. 20:26.590 --> 20:28.900 My next step from the bird stuff, 20:28.900 --> 20:33.909 I'm about to work in conjunction with A&M to develop passive lidar 20:33.909 --> 20:37.030 that we can deploy underwater to begin to attract 20:37.030 --> 20:39.450 the aquatic response to freshwater inflows. 20:39.450 --> 20:41.859 I would really like to be able to draw 20:41.859 --> 20:44.200 linkages to the fish hatch and then 20:44.200 --> 20:46.630 I can begin to potentially approach 20:46.630 --> 20:48.820 the commercial fishery if I can correlate 20:48.820 --> 20:50.830 that to bank limits to show to them 20:50.830 --> 20:52.510 the commercial value of these freshwater 20:52.510 --> 20:57.130 inflows and get them to hopefully help pay to foot the bill. 20:58.150 --> 21:00.190 That's really I think all I had today. 21:01.030 --> 21:02.507 I'll turn off screen share. 21:02.507 --> 21:06.060 We've got some time I think for questions or discussions. 21:06.070 --> 21:11.390 I'm happy to take some or just open the floor for discussion. 21:11.390 --> 21:13.110 However, you normally run these games. 21:13.110 --> 21:15.168 It is totally up to you. 21:15.168 --> 21:16.991 SPEAKER: Thank you, Quinn. 21:16.991 --> 21:18.380 That's a great presentation. 21:18.410 --> 21:18.560 Yeah. 21:18.560 --> 21:21.680 If anybody has a question, feel free to raise 21:21.680 --> 21:24.667 your hand or drop something in the chat. 21:24.667 --> 21:28.430 I'd be more than happy to read it out for you. 21:28.430 --> 21:30.760 It looks like we already have somebody with their hand raised. 21:30.760 --> 21:36.780 Dave, (INAUDIBLE). 21:36.780 --> 21:39.080 SPEAKER: It's David Brad's, been on mute. 21:39.840 --> 21:40.660 SPEAKER: Oh, I'm sorry. 21:40.660 --> 21:42.286 SPEAKER: No, that's quite alright. 21:42.286 --> 21:43.332 Two David's. 21:43.332 --> 21:47.330 Quinn, this was very exciting to hear all the work you're doing. 21:47.330 --> 21:52.490 It's nice to see it coming to fruition after the last couple of years. 21:52.820 --> 21:57.650 I had a couple of questions on, just curious about the water depths, 21:57.740 --> 22:00.860 kind of the West Bay versus the East Bay sites. 22:00.860 --> 22:04.640 Just from the photos, the West Bay site looked like it was 22:05.960 --> 22:10.850 a drier environment and then the East Bay had more open water. 22:10.850 --> 22:14.875 But that may have just been the perspective from those locations. 22:14.875 --> 22:19.859 DR QUINN MCCOLLY: Sorry, I hit David's name when I was supposed to hit mine. 22:19.859 --> 22:22.190 So, Kevin, whatever I did can you please try to undo it? 22:22.190 --> 22:22.875 If I muted him. 22:22.875 --> 22:23.092 Alright. 22:23.092 --> 22:24.449 I don't know what I did. 22:24.449 --> 22:27.210 But yeah, good point. 22:27.210 --> 22:27.885 And interesting. 22:27.885 --> 22:30.869 The East Bay, it appears that it's going 22:30.869 --> 22:35.080 to be more of fill the impoundment or 22:35.080 --> 22:37.990 wet the impoundment and a foot let's say, 22:37.990 --> 22:40.050 leave it and then drain as needed. 22:40.050 --> 22:42.900 But if we're in breeding season we probably won't drain it all 22:42.900 --> 22:47.550 the way because it could disrupt some nesting activities. 22:47.550 --> 22:53.070 The West Bay side is kind of more of a rambling marsh complex. 22:53.070 --> 22:56.310 They own it all the way from, I don't know, 22:56.310 --> 22:58.950 20 feet up at the street level all 22:58.950 --> 23:01.909 the way down to where it becomes marsh. 23:01.909 --> 23:09.000 So, that has a lot more title interaction that is directly 23:09.000 --> 23:11.880 interfacing right there with the open water. 23:11.880 --> 23:13.480 It goes right up to the open water. 23:13.480 --> 23:17.430 So, in that case, I think on the west side the water is going 23:17.430 --> 23:20.180 to kind of trickle through the system and over the landscape. 23:20.180 --> 23:23.369 And in the case of the East Bay, because we've got these 23:23.369 --> 23:27.510 really clearly defined previously existing impoundments, 23:28.140 --> 23:31.680 it'll be, we fill a depth maybe it was a foot or two feet. 23:32.100 --> 23:34.763 I think in preliminary discussions with the folks 23:34.763 --> 23:37.619 in Anahuac if we can get them three feet deep, 23:37.890 --> 23:41.220 we begin to put enough weight on there that it actually 23:41.220 --> 23:45.180 will help stave off the influence of invasives. 23:45.570 --> 23:50.280 One thing we're really managing for is that when we put this water out, 23:50.609 --> 23:53.160 it can create another, you know, 23:53.400 --> 23:55.469 it's the law of unforeseen consequences. 23:55.469 --> 23:57.750 We can often help invasives. 23:57.750 --> 24:00.200 And then we've got to manage for another issue. 24:00.200 --> 24:03.240 So, we're feeling our way through that right now. 24:03.810 --> 24:06.180 I think they've got a couple of impoundments we're going to be using. 24:06.390 --> 24:09.129 I wouldn't mind trying water at a couple of different depths. 24:09.129 --> 24:11.093 But that water, we're going to wet the land, 24:11.093 --> 24:12.590 put it on the impoundment hold it. 24:12.590 --> 24:15.150 And then if we see salinity levels begin to spike, 24:15.480 --> 24:17.010 that's when we'll just drain them. 24:17.010 --> 24:18.480 And then I'll make another water call to 24:18.480 --> 24:21.240 refill them as we're able to do that. 24:21.420 --> 24:24.869 And the West Bay is more of like a broadcast trickle approach 24:24.869 --> 24:26.955 kind of over the landscape through the system. 24:26.955 --> 24:27.449 SPEAKER: Yeah, exciting. 24:27.449 --> 24:30.666 And it may interesting to see the results 24:30.666 --> 24:32.575 just by comparing the two sides. 24:32.575 --> 24:35.430 DR QUINN MCCOLLY: Yeah, it's landscape-scale ecology and I mean, 24:35.430 --> 24:37.350 we're running landscape-scale experiments now. 24:37.710 --> 24:39.896 I'm really excited to see how this shakes out. 24:39.896 --> 24:40.165 SPEAKER: Yeah. 24:40.165 --> 24:42.960 Are y'all doing any tracking of the vegetation just to see 24:42.960 --> 24:46.935 if there is already different vegetative responses? 24:46.935 --> 24:48.180 DR QUINN MCCOLLY: Excellent question. 24:48.230 --> 24:49.859 Yeah, we're flying drones. 24:49.859 --> 24:53.455 I'm taking drone footage at pre, 24:53.455 --> 24:59.469 rather than have the drone fly in a pattern and take a lot of pictures. 24:59.469 --> 25:03.840 I encounter problems sometimes when these 25:03.840 --> 25:06.550 pressure waves come in off the ocean. 25:06.550 --> 25:10.220 I get variable altitude which can then affect the analysis. 25:10.220 --> 25:15.090 So, we've switched to taking randomly selected point samples. 25:15.420 --> 25:17.220 We've run the drone footage pre, 25:17.220 --> 25:20.720 we will then run it post and then we will compare the differences. 25:20.720 --> 25:25.572 So, that is in the process but it'll be a slower return on data. 25:25.572 --> 25:26.004 SPEAKER: Yeah. 25:26.004 --> 25:26.436 OK. 25:26.436 --> 25:26.868 Great. 25:26.868 --> 25:27.973 Thank you, Quinn. 25:27.973 --> 25:28.218 DR QUINN MCCOLLY: Yes, sir. 25:28.218 --> 25:29.040 Thanks for being here. 25:29.040 --> 25:30.804 It's good to see you. 25:31.536 --> 25:31.780 SPEAKER: Yeah. 25:31.780 --> 25:32.024 SPEAKER: Alright. 25:32.024 --> 25:36.412 Next up, we have a question from Carter. 25:36.412 --> 25:37.975 SPEAKER: Hey, Quinn. 25:37.975 --> 25:41.850 Thanks for the invite, really enjoyed it. 25:43.470 --> 25:46.080 My question is a sort of a follow-up to the last one. 25:47.190 --> 25:53.480 It seems like when things are dry and salinities are going 25:53.480 --> 25:58.910 up also correlates pretty highly with the times where 25:58.910 --> 26:04.100 you'd want to have water in the inland freshwater areas as 26:04.100 --> 26:06.419 well either on the moist soil unit or something else. 26:06.419 --> 26:10.609 So, how do you balance those two needs knowing that, 26:10.760 --> 26:12.260 you know, we want to get it out to the estuary? 26:12.740 --> 26:14.600 But given that, how dry it is, 26:14.600 --> 26:16.399 we also kind of want to keep it on the landscape 26:16.399 --> 26:22.100 as one of the few inland freshwater sources available at the time. 26:22.550 --> 26:24.050 What's the balance there? 26:24.050 --> 26:27.619 Have you had problems with landowners that 26:27.619 --> 26:29.150 get the water or partners that get 26:29.150 --> 26:31.130 the water that are then reluctant to let go 26:31.130 --> 26:33.824 of it when they might need it the most? 26:33.824 --> 26:37.540 DR QUINN MCCOLLY: Yeah, that's why we follow the rule of life and marriage. 26:37.560 --> 26:37.890 Right. 26:37.890 --> 26:39.432 It's all about balance and compromise. 26:39.432 --> 26:42.450 Yeah, it's contractually, we put it in there 26:42.450 --> 26:43.905 that the landowners have to pull the plug. 26:43.905 --> 26:46.650 But we also give them the provision that we will replace 26:46.650 --> 26:48.680 that water to the extent that we are able, 26:48.680 --> 26:50.970 I mean, we're trying to be good partners. 26:51.359 --> 26:53.490 But at full disclosure, Carter is with 26:53.490 --> 26:55.270 the International Crane Foundation 26:55.270 --> 26:59.320 who is actually our most recent addition to the market makers program. 26:59.320 --> 27:02.250 So, Carter, I'm going to spin it back on you and say, 27:02.250 --> 27:03.850 that's up to you to decide. 27:05.010 --> 27:08.130 I can't be an expert in every micro geography 27:08.130 --> 27:12.045 and knowing how vast and varied Texas is, 27:12.045 --> 27:14.970 those are decisions I think we'll make in concert. 27:15.900 --> 27:21.119 But I would kind of give you the more votes in the equation. 27:22.109 --> 27:26.800 You know, metering is great. 27:26.800 --> 27:30.410 It triggers are good for contracts. 27:30.710 --> 27:34.850 But if we know that there is a looming tropical depression. 27:34.850 --> 27:38.180 If we hit a salinity number that normally 27:38.180 --> 27:40.310 would cause us to trigger a release, 27:41.300 --> 27:44.109 we need to be able to employ common sense at the same time. 27:44.119 --> 27:44.520 Right. 27:44.520 --> 27:48.650 And leaning on our subject matter experts and the institutional 27:48.650 --> 27:53.630 knowledge that you and ICF or GBF or whoever we partner with, 27:55.070 --> 27:57.619 I'm a big believer in process and we have 27:57.619 --> 27:59.060 the right butts in the right seats. 27:59.270 --> 28:05.869 And I'm willing to trust to a quorum of experts to make these decisions. 28:05.869 --> 28:07.460 And we generally do it as a team. 28:07.460 --> 28:09.830 So, there's no hard and fast rule. 28:09.830 --> 28:12.530 We manage for the maximum ecological uplift 28:12.890 --> 28:14.830 without totally alienating partners. 28:14.840 --> 28:17.359 I guess is now I sound like a politician, 28:17.359 --> 28:19.400 but it's the most honest answer I can give you. 28:19.400 --> 28:21.230 I mean, we'll do it together. 28:21.230 --> 28:21.710 SPEAKER: Yep. 28:21.710 --> 28:22.490 Fair enough. 28:23.960 --> 28:24.275 Thanks, Quinn. 28:24.590 --> 28:25.220 DR QUINN MCCOLLY: Yes, sir. 28:33.600 --> 28:35.226 SPEAKER: Does anybody have any more questions 28:35.226 --> 28:41.026 you'd like to discuss or talk about? 28:41.026 --> 28:43.388 Bring up. 28:43.388 --> 28:47.730 SPEAKER: We have a question in the chat. 28:47.730 --> 28:50.124 DR QUINN MCCOLLY: Yeah, the self-sustaining question. 28:50.124 --> 28:54.510 SPEAKER: Do you see the possibility or is it your goal that the projects 28:54.510 --> 28:56.940 become financially self-sustained in the future? 28:56.940 --> 29:00.180 Or will it stay relied on funding supports 29:00.180 --> 29:02.725 from outside sources or partners? 29:02.725 --> 29:03.920 DR QUINN MCCOLLY: Great question. 29:04.940 --> 29:08.420 I don't think that these, we could probably do 29:08.420 --> 29:11.030 small-scale projects with foundation money, 29:11.030 --> 29:13.355 grant money, philanthropic money. 29:13.355 --> 29:18.140 But if you want to operate at scale, I look at the money that 29:18.140 --> 29:22.610 we get to prove these concepts simply as seed money. 29:23.120 --> 29:28.010 They are giving you a chance to prove that this can work or cannot work. 29:30.710 --> 29:34.700 With that money, we need to spin it up to scale 29:34.700 --> 29:36.810 and find ways that it can be self-supporting. 29:36.810 --> 29:40.700 I think that that's our best chance for long-term success 29:40.700 --> 29:44.885 and our best chance for long-term ecological impact. 29:44.885 --> 29:49.850 To date luckily, it looks like it's starting to work. 29:50.990 --> 29:53.330 I think part of that and you know the monitoring 29:53.330 --> 29:54.830 piece isn't always really sexy. 29:54.840 --> 29:58.280 You know it's really fun to get the money and start 29:58.280 --> 29:59.900 the project and put a shovel in the ground. 29:59.900 --> 30:03.320 But I think it's really vital that we show our funders 30:03.320 --> 30:04.970 what their money is actually getting them. 30:05.450 --> 30:11.660 Not only does it encourage those funding streams to continue but it's 30:11.660 --> 30:15.470 very important for us to diversify our portfolio of funders. 30:15.470 --> 30:18.890 And for us to be able to show people 30:19.040 --> 30:21.154 why these investments are important, 30:21.154 --> 30:23.500 we need to have some data to back it up. 30:23.500 --> 30:29.060 And I think once we start thinking about county level 30:29.450 --> 30:32.180 or municipalities or county level decision makers, 30:32.420 --> 30:34.340 there are governmental agencies that have 30:34.340 --> 30:36.790 access to buckets of money that I don't. 30:36.790 --> 30:40.910 So, I can use this seed money to prove up a concept 30:41.060 --> 30:43.310 to take to those decision makers and say, look, 30:44.390 --> 30:47.990 this benefits you and your constituents and your 30:47.990 --> 30:50.540 community and is a worthwhile investment. 30:50.720 --> 30:54.140 Because if I can get that level of buy-in then I think 30:54.140 --> 30:57.200 we can really get this thing to be self-perpetuating. 30:57.200 --> 31:00.380 But I look at a lot of the money that 31:00.380 --> 31:04.370 we get as this is seed money to get 31:04.370 --> 31:07.340 out there and see if they can work and show people how it can work. 31:07.700 --> 31:11.792 And then our obligation is to take the next step to scale. 31:11.792 --> 31:12.848 SPEAKER: Alright. 31:12.848 --> 31:18.730 We got somebody else with their hand up. 31:19.010 --> 31:20.532 Peyton, do you want to hop on. 31:20.532 --> 31:24.140 SPEAKER: Hi, thanks for the presentation. 31:24.800 --> 31:30.320 I have a question regarding kind of the longer-term plan and desire 31:30.680 --> 31:35.570 for regulating salinity spikes in these estuarine environments. 31:35.570 --> 31:38.540 Assuming the program's successful or expand and a lot of 31:38.540 --> 31:41.400 the initiatives that you've discussed really take off. 31:41.400 --> 31:47.240 Is there an overarching desire to minimize salinity 31:47.240 --> 31:50.060 variability in these estuarine environments? 31:50.060 --> 31:53.150 And is that going to eventually be coupled with some sort 31:53.150 --> 31:55.670 of analysis to look at the ecological benefit of 31:55.670 --> 32:01.400 that natural capacity for variability in driving ecosystem 32:01.400 --> 32:03.335 service development in these environments? 32:03.335 --> 32:06.146 DR QUINN MCCOLLY: Man, that's a great question. 32:06.146 --> 32:09.085 I have another diplomatic answer. 32:09.085 --> 32:09.910 It probably depends. 32:09.920 --> 32:15.710 I mean, we can manage for what would be a natural regime. 32:16.030 --> 32:16.430 Right. 32:18.230 --> 32:22.950 But I think at this point, the whole earth is a managed system. 32:23.670 --> 32:27.360 We have lost our ability to recreate a pristine environment. 32:27.360 --> 32:30.960 And based on impoundments and extractions, 32:31.230 --> 32:36.600 we will never fully get back to a historic paradigm, 32:37.590 --> 32:41.780 pre-industrial ages or whatever date you want to put on that. 32:41.780 --> 32:45.960 Now, we have to co-manage, I think with human needs. 32:45.960 --> 32:46.350 Right. 32:46.350 --> 32:49.185 If we talked to Jenny Pollack, I think it was on the call. 32:49.185 --> 32:53.490 There may be instances where we want to regulate variability 32:53.490 --> 32:57.000 based on our aquaculture because people need to eat. 32:57.000 --> 32:57.600 Right. 32:57.600 --> 33:01.620 There may be other systems where we have 33:01.620 --> 33:04.460 the luxury of only managing four 33:04.460 --> 33:12.310 to try to get some semblance of that historical ecological picture. 33:12.310 --> 33:18.410 There are as many answers as there are stakeholders. 33:18.420 --> 33:19.070 Right. 33:19.070 --> 33:21.970 I like to try to kind of follow, 33:21.970 --> 33:25.140 let's shoot for doing what's best for the most. 33:25.440 --> 33:29.265 If we can satisfy the needs of nature and the most stakeholders. 33:29.265 --> 33:31.380 It's kind of like the Mick Jagger corollary, 33:31.380 --> 33:34.320 you may not get what you want but you might get what you need. 33:35.460 --> 33:36.600 I mean, that's the secret sauce. 33:36.600 --> 33:36.855 Right. 33:36.855 --> 33:41.430 The delicate balance of how do we meet the needs of nature 33:41.430 --> 33:46.440 and the oyster man who may for sometimes want more 33:46.440 --> 33:48.540 salinity than we would give them if we're forcing people 33:48.540 --> 33:50.410 to take freshwater in the face of a hurricane. 33:50.430 --> 33:52.720 You know, that is really the trick. 33:52.720 --> 33:58.110 And I think that I'll never write a definitive guidebook on that. 33:58.290 --> 34:00.360 I think we can only hope to improve our 34:00.360 --> 34:01.980 guidebooks of adaptive management. 34:02.790 --> 34:05.430 You know, the only constant is change and we have to be willing 34:05.640 --> 34:09.802 to work with our partners both from a naturalist 34:09.802 --> 34:13.646 perspective and economic perspective like governmental 34:13.646 --> 34:18.353 perspective and find out what everybody can live with. 34:18.353 --> 34:19.756 SPEAKER: Thanks. 34:19.756 --> 34:21.780 DR QUINN MCCOLLY: That's a hard question. 34:21.790 --> 34:25.428 That was a very good question. 34:25.428 --> 34:27.306 SPEAKER: Alright, go ahead. 34:27.306 --> 34:30.087 SPEAKER: Hey. 34:30.087 --> 34:36.800 Quinn, I've got a question for you. 34:36.800 --> 34:40.030 So, I know that you're using instrumentation 34:40.030 --> 34:43.870 to measure the salinity and in things. 34:44.140 --> 34:51.610 Have you thought about a numerical model to model the change 34:51.610 --> 34:55.428 in that freshwater pulse down the marshes and so on? 34:55.428 --> 34:57.934 DR QUINN MCCOLLY: How did I know this would come from you, Haven? 34:57.934 --> 35:01.270 Haven, I remember distinctly a conversation I had 35:01.270 --> 35:03.190 with you at your desk, when you said, you know, 35:03.190 --> 35:04.930 I wasn't sure that we were going to actually be able 35:04.930 --> 35:07.710 to see it this far out and by golly, it's there. 35:07.710 --> 35:10.870 So, we're going to get real data. 35:11.110 --> 35:16.570 And if you want to have a conversation about using that or it 35:16.570 --> 35:19.390 might even be fun to kind of ground truth a model against it. 35:20.350 --> 35:27.300 I think that the spatial scales where we're deploying these Hobo 35:27.300 --> 35:33.350 salinity meters are not as long as what you are looking at. 35:33.350 --> 35:37.030 I would be more than happy to use Texas Water Development 35:37.030 --> 35:39.594 Board equipment and put it wherever you want. 35:39.594 --> 35:44.840 For using the onset meters, we're putting them kind of near 35:44.840 --> 35:47.410 shore where I can go get them without losing all this gear. 35:48.370 --> 35:52.330 And if we see a response at the close scale then 35:52.330 --> 35:54.210 we'll start putting them out spatially. 35:54.210 --> 35:55.690 Right And then we can. 35:55.700 --> 35:59.020 But yes, I thought about it. 35:59.140 --> 36:01.390 Luckily, I'm in a position where I can collect real data. 36:01.390 --> 36:03.250 But I would love to share with you and we could 36:03.250 --> 36:05.129 think through what that can look like. 36:05.129 --> 36:05.689 SPEAKER: Excellent. 36:05.689 --> 36:06.250 Yeah. 36:06.270 --> 36:08.270 No, I didn't want to put you on the spot. 36:08.280 --> 36:11.219 I do think that your expertise and your 36:11.219 --> 36:13.680 background that you have with finance, 36:13.980 --> 36:17.969 it just makes you perfectly suited to doing what you're doing with this. 36:18.270 --> 36:20.925 And I think this is an excellent program. 36:20.925 --> 36:22.816 And you've done a great job. 36:22.816 --> 36:24.950 So, yeah, looking forward to having those 36:24.950 --> 36:27.600 kinds of conversations in the future. 36:27.600 --> 36:31.369 But the modelling with this is difficult because 36:31.369 --> 36:34.020 you know when it's not just open water 36:34.350 --> 36:36.856 that when it's in marshes and really complex 36:36.856 --> 36:41.150 systems then we have to try and scale. 36:41.150 --> 36:44.540 So, but yeah, I'm very interested in the future. 36:44.540 --> 36:45.360 DR QUINN MCCOLLY: Thank you so much. 36:45.360 --> 36:48.819 And it's funny, the board specialized you get the more niche, 36:48.819 --> 36:52.100 the smaller the slot becomes and you just kind of hope for the best. 36:52.100 --> 36:55.490 I wouldn't mention too I haven't, we're in talks with Debbie Rod, 36:55.490 --> 36:57.825 a technology company that has these little boxes, 36:57.825 --> 37:00.360 it's about as big as Rubik's Cube. 37:00.360 --> 37:04.010 Shoots passive lidar can detect water changes to the millimetre 37:04.010 --> 37:07.770 level and can also adjust for precip and has some title stuff. 37:08.070 --> 37:10.299 I think we might be putting one of those in on a pilot. 37:10.299 --> 37:12.060 I'm thinking I'm going to try to put it where 37:12.060 --> 37:13.420 I also have those salinity meters. 37:13.420 --> 37:17.910 it'd be really cool if I could start to use that water ebb 37:17.910 --> 37:24.960 and flow and understand it from a depth perspective. 37:25.110 --> 37:27.090 If I can begin to correlate that to salinity 37:27.090 --> 37:29.160 then that could be a poor man's kind 37:29.160 --> 37:31.230 of back of the envelope salinity calculation 37:31.410 --> 37:33.435 that I could, again use remotely. 37:33.435 --> 37:38.290 But that water data might help enhance those modelling efforts. 37:38.290 --> 37:41.550 So, I'll see you down in Puerto here pretty soon. 37:41.550 --> 37:48.605 We'll talk through this. 37:48.605 --> 37:59.795 SPEAKER: Somebody else have any more questions? 37:59.795 --> 38:12.270 That might have been it? 38:12.270 --> 38:12.890 DR QUINN MCCOLLY: Nope. 38:12.890 --> 38:13.820 One more. 38:13.820 --> 38:15.110 SPEAKER: Go ahead, David. 38:15.110 --> 38:19.325 SPEAKER: As long as everybody's been quiet, I'll go ahead and jump in. 38:19.325 --> 38:20.090 I'm just curious. 38:21.080 --> 38:22.790 I know you're monitoring salinity at the site. 38:22.790 --> 38:26.530 Are there any other water quality parameters, such as temperature and, 38:26.530 --> 38:31.772 I know DO is kind of difficult because the membranes get foul but. 38:31.772 --> 38:32.484 DR QUINN MCCOLLY: Yeah, yeah. 38:32.484 --> 38:33.380 Good question. 38:33.380 --> 38:35.359 Galveston Bay, no. 38:35.359 --> 38:38.900 However, luckily, we have gotten the generous cooperation of 38:38.900 --> 38:42.752 the board down at the (INAUDIBLE) and Marsh preserve site. 38:42.752 --> 38:44.945 So, actually I'll let Kevin answer this one. 38:44.945 --> 38:45.300 SPEAKER: Yeah. 38:45.300 --> 38:48.390 So, those sites, there two sides on the other side and 38:48.390 --> 38:51.460 the southern site and we are measuring dissolved oxygen, 38:51.460 --> 38:54.885 temperature and pH in addition to salinity. 38:54.885 --> 38:55.322 SPEAKER: OK. 38:55.322 --> 38:59.440 And is that a continuous monitoring or kind of grab samples? 38:59.440 --> 39:02.382 SPEAKER: No, it's continuous. 39:02.382 --> 39:06.684 SPEAKER: OK, great. 39:06.684 --> 39:09.222 Great. 39:09.222 --> 39:17.960 DR QUINN MCCOLLY: I don't know if Paul's tuned in or if he's kind of passively logged in. 39:17.960 --> 39:20.900 But Paul, if you're on, what do you think? 39:20.900 --> 39:22.670 I mean, this is focus flows. 39:22.670 --> 39:26.830 We're trying to roll it out and scale it up and down the coast. 39:26.830 --> 39:28.920 SPEAKER: Yeah, I'm actually here. 39:28.920 --> 39:31.260 And Gwenn, thanks a lot for everything. 39:31.260 --> 39:36.297 It's great to see you, Texas Water Trade's so successful. 39:36.297 --> 39:38.940 We've got so many good projects going on. 39:40.380 --> 39:43.469 At the end of the day, I really think that what really, 39:43.469 --> 39:48.840 really matters is the climatic gradient across the coastline. 39:49.739 --> 39:54.930 I think maybe if it's an area that already has very 39:54.930 --> 39:58.650 high flows and plenty of over-banking flows, 39:59.150 --> 40:02.630 it's not going to really matter because the volumes are so small. 40:02.630 --> 40:07.260 But when you get to the middle and lower part 40:07.260 --> 40:10.500 of the coast where the opposite is true, 40:10.680 --> 40:14.010 where we did literally draw the environment up and destroy it, 40:14.880 --> 40:16.860 that's where it's going to be super critical. 40:16.860 --> 40:23.623 And again, one of the concepts is that, 40:23.623 --> 40:33.910 if we can keep from killing the bay then when conditions 40:33.910 --> 40:38.044 return to give a little bit below average 40:38.044 --> 40:41.950 in order to recover more quickly. 40:41.950 --> 40:49.620 So, if you think about a desert, for example, why is a desert a desert? 40:49.630 --> 40:52.520 Well, it's a desert because it never rains. 40:52.520 --> 40:56.350 And even when we have droughts, 40:56.350 --> 40:58.900 areas that are temperate that have lots 40:58.900 --> 41:05.150 of tall trees or water-loving plants, 41:05.989 --> 41:10.130 they do recover as long as the drought is 41:10.130 --> 41:12.530 not so long that it kills everything. 41:12.530 --> 41:14.280 There's something to recover. 41:14.280 --> 41:19.460 So, that's the real key here, is trying to keep things around. 41:19.460 --> 41:24.130 So, the base can recover from droughts naturally. 41:24.710 --> 41:26.489 But I also believe it is possible. 41:26.489 --> 41:28.610 I think we've proved it over the years 41:28.610 --> 41:33.025 and the (INAUDIBLE) said he can kill a bay. 41:33.025 --> 41:37.700 We can start with so much that will fundamentally change its nature 41:37.700 --> 41:43.540 and it won't support the native complement of species. 41:43.540 --> 41:46.404 DR QUINN MCCOLLY: Thank you, Paul. 41:46.404 --> 41:46.668 Alright. 41:46.668 --> 41:48.788 Then maybe I can pop in and see what I've done there. 41:48.788 --> 41:51.980 And we can talk about what can be done down in your neck of the woods. 41:51.989 --> 41:53.100 We'd love to work down there. 41:53.310 --> 41:54.450 You know, I call Jason. 41:54.719 --> 41:58.620 Interestingly, his inflows are not impounded. 41:58.680 --> 41:58.930 Right. 41:58.930 --> 42:02.630 So, there's kind of naturally occurring already over there. 42:02.630 --> 42:05.480 So, they don't necessarily have the need for a project 42:05.480 --> 42:09.739 but maybe somewhere between him and up in like Matagorda, 42:09.750 --> 42:11.690 you and I can talk about what we could do. 42:11.940 --> 42:13.760 We have to talk about Townsend by you, too. 42:13.770 --> 42:18.049 That's James Dodson and that's Carter has been on these calls. 42:18.049 --> 42:19.500 So, I'll catch up with you offline. 42:19.500 --> 42:21.198 And we can have that conversation. 42:21.198 --> 42:21.657 SPEAKER: Alright. 42:21.657 --> 42:22.662 Thanks again. 42:22.662 --> 42:24.357 DR QUINN MCCOLLY: Thank you, sir. 42:24.357 --> 42:29.040 SPEAKER: So, Quinn, you had a site and they're mentioning how many 42:29.040 --> 42:33.360 partners it takes in order to do this type of project. 42:33.780 --> 42:38.489 And it is, I think, extremely true for this. 42:38.489 --> 42:40.310 So, just a comment when you said, you know, 42:40.320 --> 42:42.800 this is things that Paul's been worked on. 42:42.810 --> 42:45.150 I worked on some of this kind of stuff on the math 42:45.150 --> 42:48.300 side when I was at Paul's lab five years ago. 42:48.660 --> 42:52.379 And to kind of see this idea come to fruition. 42:52.379 --> 42:55.680 And it's a way of when you write a piece of science 42:55.680 --> 42:58.370 and then someone takes that and builds on and builds on it. 42:58.370 --> 43:00.255 But then this is more than just science, 43:00.255 --> 43:05.020 this is policy, economics, psychology. 43:05.020 --> 43:08.670 And to see all these things kind of come together, 43:08.670 --> 43:10.200 it's a monumental task. 43:10.500 --> 43:15.060 And so I just wanted to throw you a comment and a compliment on that. 43:15.900 --> 43:18.120 You know, when Quinn had that site about that, 43:18.120 --> 43:22.800 this takes so many of these organizations to make this work. 43:23.070 --> 43:24.510 That is absolutely true. 43:24.780 --> 43:29.190 And being able to negotiate all that and to get 43:29.190 --> 43:31.890 this to work for the greater good, essentially. 43:32.610 --> 43:35.393 And so I think it's something to really be proud of. 43:35.393 --> 43:39.476 It's so it's a really great, great work that you're doing there. 43:40.058 --> 43:41.130 DR QUINN MCCOLLY: Garren, you're too kind. 43:41.160 --> 43:42.219 Thank you so much. 43:42.219 --> 43:44.840 (INAUDIBLE) of the Great Springs Project yesterday 43:44.850 --> 43:46.770 was speaking and he goes, here's the trick. 43:47.460 --> 43:50.130 You don't need everyone to want to work with you. 43:50.310 --> 43:53.610 You just have to avoid creating people that say, 43:53.610 --> 43:55.290 I don't want that project to happen. 43:55.530 --> 43:55.820 Right. 43:55.830 --> 44:00.809 Like, it is very interesting exchange. 44:00.809 --> 44:01.739 Right. 44:01.739 --> 44:06.759 Between people that often have conflicting objectives. 44:06.759 --> 44:09.979 It's kind of like finding the Venn diagram of where's 44:09.979 --> 44:14.029 the spot that we can find some measure of commonality. 44:14.029 --> 44:18.239 But at our core, I think that our similarities outweigh our differences. 44:18.250 --> 44:19.950 So, let's think about those. 44:19.980 --> 44:20.330 Right. 44:20.340 --> 44:21.540 But thank you so much. 44:21.540 --> 44:24.330 I mean, everything's a team effort and it's work you've done 44:24.330 --> 44:27.476 and Paul's done and David's done and Dr Paul's done, I mean. 44:28.041 --> 44:33.780 SPEAKER: It's the beauty of that idea that a small amount of water that 44:34.320 --> 44:37.620 doesn't cost a lot of money can create a lot of good. 44:38.190 --> 44:44.100 And I think that that nugget is really something that hits on, 44:44.880 --> 44:46.350 you know, across the board. 44:46.350 --> 44:46.980 So. 44:46.980 --> 44:50.085 SPEAKER: It looks like we have another question. 44:50.085 --> 44:54.180 Peyton, if you want to hop on. 44:54.180 --> 44:55.350 SPEAKER: Thanks again. 44:55.350 --> 44:58.370 Without prompting too much of a legal easily answer, 44:58.370 --> 45:02.130 I'm curious about the challenges you may face 45:02.130 --> 45:05.969 in securing the water that you're purchasing from 45:05.969 --> 45:08.664 a water rights perspective for this water. 45:08.664 --> 45:13.260 So, we'll use being in stream flows to bay and SRA systems. 45:13.590 --> 45:16.860 A lot of this water, it was not originally authorized 45:16.860 --> 45:18.530 for that in terms of its beneficial use. 45:18.530 --> 45:20.250 So, I know you mentioned earlier that 45:20.250 --> 45:22.350 you got your own team of lawyers that 45:22.350 --> 45:25.720 help navigate perhaps needed permit amendments or things like that. 45:25.720 --> 45:28.090 But I know the rules say at the moment, you know, 45:28.110 --> 45:29.670 that water can't be specifically 45:29.670 --> 45:32.910 and solely authorized for instream environmental 45:32.910 --> 45:36.450 flow uses and bay an estuary inflow. 45:36.450 --> 45:40.060 So, you have to get water that has multiple authorizations 45:40.060 --> 45:43.700 but you're only using it for a single purpose in the end. 45:43.700 --> 45:45.270 So, has that been challenging? 45:45.270 --> 45:51.360 Do you kind of confront that on different landscapes between 45:51.360 --> 45:53.640 the different sources of water that you buy from? 45:53.640 --> 45:58.160 DR QUINN MCCOLLY: Well, I think the ledges said that environmental use is beneficial use. 45:58.160 --> 46:04.824 So, like many duck for wildlife use, duck water, Ag water. 46:04.824 --> 46:09.090 We don't typically buy Ag water and try to end around the process. 46:09.810 --> 46:13.113 But duck water is certainly wildlife use. 46:13.113 --> 46:15.540 The amendment process is an onerous. 46:15.540 --> 46:17.160 It's a no-notice process. 46:17.460 --> 46:20.100 A lot of the river authorities we deal with already have 46:20.100 --> 46:22.920 it in there as a provision, a couple of do not. 46:22.920 --> 46:28.810 So, then the challenge is you don't want to appear 46:28.810 --> 46:33.400 to raise the spectre of an obligation 46:33.400 --> 46:35.170 on their behalf to the environment 46:35.170 --> 46:36.560 if they go through the amending process. 46:36.560 --> 46:39.219 But the amendment process is not that big of a deal. 46:39.219 --> 46:42.385 It's five or six grand to get all the ducks in a row. 46:42.385 --> 46:44.380 But they have to file it. 46:45.370 --> 46:48.340 But we're happy to go through that on their behalf. 46:48.530 --> 46:51.489 What's most important is a lot of times even with groundwater users, 46:52.000 --> 46:57.340 again, they have this fear of we're going to a use it or lose it. 46:57.700 --> 47:01.180 And if I lease it to you for these purposes, 47:01.180 --> 47:04.480 does it count as used because I don't want to lose it. 47:04.480 --> 47:07.300 Although I think going through the sunset process, 47:07.300 --> 47:14.750 they just actually threw out the ability of TCQ to reclaim, 47:14.750 --> 47:16.810 claw back any water right that hadn't 47:16.810 --> 47:18.486 been executed in the last 10 years. 47:18.486 --> 47:22.276 So, that's going to be a real morass to navigate. 47:22.276 --> 47:26.830 But you know, a lot of it is just about building trust and building 47:26.830 --> 47:29.860 relationships with these individuals that are key decision makers. 47:30.190 --> 47:33.020 And you just keep showing up and you do what you say you're going to do. 47:33.020 --> 47:36.310 The amendment process isn't that terrible. 47:36.400 --> 47:40.350 What would really be great is if they would say, 47:40.350 --> 47:43.960 now that the ledge has authorized this use as beneficial use, 47:44.290 --> 47:46.630 every permit that's already been issued automatically 47:46.630 --> 47:47.860 has it in its four corners. 47:48.310 --> 47:51.280 That would prevent every bright holder from 47:51.280 --> 47:53.200 having to go through this process to 47:53.200 --> 47:56.650 get their permit amendment amended for use 47:56.650 --> 47:57.850 that's already been deemed illegal. 47:57.850 --> 48:00.130 That seems like an incredible administrative 48:00.130 --> 48:04.757 barrier that doesn't need to be there. 48:04.757 --> 48:06.576 SPEAKER: Thanks. 48:06.576 --> 48:08.394 SPEAKER: Alright. 48:08.394 --> 48:15.630 You're pretty close to an hour here now. 48:15.630 --> 48:17.730 So, does anybody have any more questions they'd 48:17.730 --> 48:22.930 like to get to before we close out? 48:22.930 --> 48:25.969 Alright. 48:25.969 --> 48:28.604 Thank you, Quinn. 48:28.604 --> 48:30.840 DR QUINN MCCOLLY: Thank you for having me. 48:30.850 --> 48:32.190 I really appreciate you guys. 48:32.190 --> 48:32.490 SPEAKER: Yeah. 48:32.490 --> 48:35.910 And Quinn, I just wanted to say, thank you so much for sharing 48:35.910 --> 48:39.180 your time with us today but also your insights about some of 48:39.180 --> 48:42.239 the challenges and opportunities that you and your team face 48:42.239 --> 48:45.090 in doing this important work to secure environmental flows. 48:45.090 --> 48:49.739 And I just really appreciate your vision for scaling up some of these 48:49.739 --> 48:53.489 projects for landscape-scale conservation across the coast. 48:53.790 --> 48:57.799 It's really exciting work and definitely gives me hope for the future. 48:57.799 --> 49:00.510 So, please keep up the good work. 49:00.510 --> 49:05.160 And we're happy and proud to support all 49:05.160 --> 49:06.750 your efforts with scientific monitoring. 49:06.750 --> 49:09.300 So, I also want to say thank you to everyone in 49:09.300 --> 49:11.460 the audience who attended the event today. 49:12.000 --> 49:14.910 We appreciate your attention and we hope you enjoyed it. 49:14.910 --> 49:17.880 And we'll aim to host these estuary science 49:17.880 --> 49:20.710 exchange events two, three times of year. 49:20.710 --> 49:25.110 So, if you have any ideas for topics that you'd like to discuss, 49:25.500 --> 49:26.310 please let us know. 49:26.310 --> 49:27.480 We're definitely open. 49:27.480 --> 49:31.340 And we look forward to sharing that future fellowship with you all. 49:31.340 --> 49:34.455 So, I hope everyone has a wonderful rest of your day. 49:34.455 --> 49:35.940 And we'll see you soon. 49:36.150 --> 49:37.140 Take care everyone. 49:38.430 --> 49:38.748 Bye. 49:38.748 --> 49:39.384 SPEAKER: Bye, bye. 49:39.384 --> 49:40.020 Thank you.