Minding the Gap: Using Stepping-Stones to Restore Aquatic Connectivity is a free lecture hosted by the Wood River Land Trust and The Sun Valley Community School’s Green Team. We invite you to connect global environmental ideas with local solutions. Discover how our valley’s efforts ripple far beyond our own backyard.

Restoration efforts on the Columbia River began small—in scope, scale, and budget—but have grown dramatically larger and more complex over the last several decades. Criteria favored large projects but gave little guidance on their distribution along the lower river. Scientists began to wonder if these projects connected to provide a migration corridor. Were they ‘Minding the Gap’? In 2019, a new landscape framework was developed that assessed and reduced habitat gaps.  Join us to learn how scientists have worked to bridge that gap—and what it means for species across entire river systems.

Dr. Castro provides national and international training on stream restoration, river science, geomorphology, and public speaking for scientists. She retired after 24 years with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, which were preceded by 10 years of work for the Natural Resources Conservation Service. She’s currently the co-founder and Technical Director of Portland State University’s River Restoration Professional Certificate Program and a member of the Columbia Estuary Ecosystem Restoration Program’s Expert Regional Technical Group.