1. Module 1: Welcome and Overview
Iowa’s River Restoration Toolbox Level 1 / Base Training

2. Getting to Know You Introduce instructors and team leaders
Participant names, organizations, goals

3. Goals of the River Restoration Toolbox
Bridge gaps between stable natural stream systems and engineering practices
Offer practical solutions that enrich recreation, aesthetics, ecology, economy
Create a system that leads stream restoration and stability projects to be reviewable, biddable, buildable, and reliable
Respect needs for infrastructure protection
Draw from the best of the various methodologies already being applied
“Iowise” it (made Iowan, and wiser, with review by a statewide advisory team)

4. The Toolbox Offers Consistent / efficient field assessment
Computations that visually flag key drivers of instability
A decision tool that ranks potential solutions to address key drivers of instability.
A practice guide with dozens of techniques that enhance both stability and habitat
Peace of mind: Accepted/vetted design range tables and descriptions for applying each technique in Iowa
Soft practices, such as floodplain restoration and riparian buffering, with implications for urban planning

5. Level 1 Short Course Objectives
The participant will:
Learn field and desktop techniques sufficient to populate Toolbox data collection questionnaire
Know river facets, features, stream types, and functions
Understand hydrology / hydraulics sufficient to foster communication among project managers, designers, biologists, and reviewers
Be able to interpret Toolbox results, with a conceptual understanding of each key driver of instability

6. Level 1 Short Course Objectives (cont.)
The participant will:
Learn about alternatives to walls, revetments, dams, etc.
Develop comfort with applying techniques to site conditions, and knowing when more study and analysis is needed (i.e. why do you suppose there’s a Level 2?)
Understand accepted design ranges of practices / techniques

7. Level 1 Short Course Limitations
The toolbox cannot apply techniques to a site for you
Must spend time with each practice and technique to understand dimensions, angles, material sizing, etc.
Experience with practices and monitoring yields successively better results