March 26, 2024

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Dr. Stevens presents SSI's recent findings on springs-dependent species in Nevada. In arid, mesic, and subaqueous (underwater) settings alike, springs are renowned as hotspots of biological diversity. Springs-dependent species (SDS) are organisms that require springs habitat for at least one life stage. Some SDSs, such as many hydrobiid springsnails (more than 150 species in North America) and desert pupfish (Cyprinodontidae) occur only in springs sources and outflows, while some dragonflies, aquatic true bugs, tiger and diving beetles, crane and shore flies, amphibians, fish, and other vertebrates require springs for spawning and/or larval rearing habitat, or for over-wintering (e.g., Florida manatees) or winter dormancy (e.g., some turtles). Dr. Stevens discusses the extraordinarily tight "packing" of animal species into spring habitats and the rarity of truly springs-dependent animal species.

July 31, 2024

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Program Manager Jeri Ledbetter demonstrates the array of tools in our relational database, SpringsOnline. Please feel free to contact us with any questions! Email to jeri@springstewardship.org.

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Springs are the most biologically and socio-culturally important points in natural landscapes. The Springs Stewardship Institute’s director, Dr. Larry Stevens, presents monthly, hour-long seminars talking about the extraordinary multi-dimensionality of springs. For the past five decades Dr. Stevens has studied spring ecosystems and socio-cultural ecology, and integrates scientific, social, and artistic perspectives on the world’s springs. For those with general interest, as well as those with a more technical background, this lecture series provides a unique, first-time overview of a topic that will deeply change the way we think about humans and nature. here

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 All of us have some knowledge of the background concepts that shape our worldview; however, identifying and clarifying those concepts is important for developing an integrated understanding of what we see and understand. Based on his experiences presenting to many audiences, SSI’s director Dr. Larry Stevens, describes and discusses the historical figures whose thoughts in the physical and cultural disciplines underpin our understanding of spring ecosystems. This lecture is designed for those with casual as well as more informed interest in the history and integration of concepts and perceptions that shape our understanding of the world around us. 

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Water emerging from springs is derived from aquifers that influence groundwater geochemistry. Springs Stewardship Institute director, Dr. Larry Stevens, describes and discusses how groundwater accumulates and changes in its passage through the Earth’s crust, and how different types of springs develop. This seminar lays the foundation for understanding the hydrogeology and physical attributes of spring ecosystems, as well as the diversity of spring types that occur globally. Designed for those with general interest, as well as those with a more technical background, this lecture integrates geology, time, climate, and surface processes that structure spring ecosystem form and function and relate those processes to spring life and human well-being.ext goes here

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Springs support an enormously productive and diverse assemblage of obligatory and facultative aquatic, wetland, and riparian plant species and assemblages. In this lecture, Springs Stewardship Institute director Dr. Larry Stevens presents recent findings on the natural history and ecology of springs vegetation. He describes the extraordinarily tight “packing” of plant species into spring habitats and use SSI’s recently assembled inventory data to explain the anomalous rarity of truly springs-dependent plant species. This seminar lays the foundation for understanding differences among spring types, the role of vegetation in shaping habitat diversity, and how springs function as “keystone ecosystems” – small but ecologically highly interactive patches of habitat that influence the health of adjacent uplands and populations. This talk is designed for those with general interests as well as those with a more technical background, and integrates SSI’s prior lectures on the physical dimensions of springs in relation to hydrogeology, time, climate, and surface processes in relation to biological, evolutionary, and socio-cultural characteristics of these remarkable, important, and overlooked ecosystems.

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During this webinar, Dr. Stevens presents recent findings on the natural history and ecology of springs fauna. He discusses the extraordinarily tight "packing" of animal species into spring habitats and the rarity of truly springs-dependent animal species. This session lays the foundation for understanding differences among spring types, the role of fauna in shaping habitat diversity, and how springs function as “keystone ecosystems” – small but ecologically highly interactive patches of habitat that influence the health of adjacent uplands and populations.

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For those with general interest, as well as those with a more technical background, this lecture series provides a unique, first-time overview of a topic that deeply changes the way we think about humans and nature.

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In this seventh lecture on spring ecosystem ecology, SSI director Larry Stevens presents information on human use of springs. Analysis of the paleohydrology of the Olduvai Gorge has revealed that our earliest ancestors occupied springs more than 2 million years ago, and humans have used springs intensively throughout the habitable world ever since. Dr. Stevens discusses perspectives of indigenous cultures, various religions, and the roles of springs in history and modern times. The lecture concludes with recommendations on practices to mitigate contemporary conservation challenges and improve the sustainability of groundwater supplies and spring ecosystem stewardship.   

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In this eighth lecture on spring ecosystem ecology, SSI director Dr. Larry Stevens discusses the role of springs in ancient and contemporary art. Two contemporary artists who focus on springs join him - Rosalyn Driscoll and Bremner Benedict. Topics range from indigenous depiction to the architecture of springs conveyance as drinking water, to fountain design, and to to springs in art and architecture. The panel discusses how springs have been depicted in movies, and how modern exploration of concepts and the emergence of springs influence their perceptions and work. This lecture provides insights into human perception about springs and should be of interest to beginners as well as advanced students of art.

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In this lecture SSI director Dr. Larry Stevens discusses springs information management (IM) with SSI program manager Jeri Ledbetter MGIS. Topics range from early IM, traditional indigenous knowledge, sources and forms of historic and contemporary data, information storage and retrieval, the need for both ease of access and security of data, as well as reporting, and the tremendous advantage of a relational framework, allowing users to investigate basic relationships, and ask novel questions. They describe SSI’s data portal, Springs Online (https://www.springsdata.org) and how it is being used by some of the more than 1,500 springs managers and researchers around the western USA. Lastly, they describe future opportunities, needed breakthroughs, and legacy options for long-term integrated springs information management.

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The socio-economics of springs is remarkably vast and expansive. For example, Americans drink more than 50 million bottles of water per day, many of which are labeled as “spring water”. This amounts to a multi-billion dollar industry, one that is rapidly expanding globally. In this seminar SSI director Dr. Larry Stevens presents information on multi-cultural uses and valuation of springs, and will discuss the topic with several economists. Contemporary efforts to understand springs resource economics have principally focused on “willingness-to-pay” metrics that, while providing insight into cultural financial values, generally fail to incorporate the crucial roles springs play in subsistence economies, life styles, and larger-community scaling. The focus of the lecture looks towards achieving a more holistic understanding of the roles and values of springs in diverse human cultural settings, as well as future research and conservation opportunities.

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As a form of environmental reconciliation, improving springs stewardship involves ecological triage - understanding the type, condition, and urgency of action needed to manage individual spring ecosystems. In this eleventh lecture on springs in 2023, SSI director Dr. Larry Stevens presents a conceptual and hands-on approach to better springs management. He discusses the inventory, assessment, planning, implementation, and monitoring-feedback issues, and presents several case studies related to increasing the ecological functionality of spring ecosystems. Designed for ease of understanding by the public and experts alike, Dr. Stevens approaches this topic with nearly two decades of on-the-ground experience and a keen eye to the important take-away lessons that guide SSI’s work.

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In this final 2023 lecture on springs ecosystem ecology and stewardship, SSI director Dr. Larry Stevens reviewed the highlights of the lecture series, and provide the audience with an integrated overview of spring ecosystem ecology and management. With the assistance of the audience, he will discuss some of the many remaining questions about springs, the gaps in our present state of knowledge, and the path forward for improving ecosystem science, stewardship, and environmental justice.

February 5, 2022

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In this webinar, Larry presented the incredible molluscan and invertebrate diversity at springs in Clark County, the complex zoological background, the significance of rare, endemic species, as well as those non-natives that pose a threat to endangered species and other spring invertebrates, and a brief overview on how to enter this data into Springs Online.

February 23, 2022

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Andrea Hazelton presented a 90-minute webinar on the springs flora of Clark County, Nevada for a small group of Friends of Nevada Wilderness field staff and volunteers. Friends of Nevada Wilderness and Springs Stewardship Institute are collaborating on a 5-year effort to inventory springs in Clark County, Nevada. The presentation covers some basic principles of botany; provides tips for recognizing several trees, shrubs, graminoids and herbs commonly found at springs in Clark County; includes a discussion of what information Friends of Nevada Wilderness field crews should write on their data sheets; and presents a variety of print and online resources for learning more about botany and developing beginner plant identification skills.

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This one-day online symposium was part of an EPA-funded collaboration lead by the Nevada Division of Natural Heritage and involving the Desert Research Institute, the Nature Conservancy, and the Museum of Northern Arizona Springs Stewardship Institute. Our presenters addressed the state of knowledge on Nevada's springs and wetlands ecosystems, and associated species. The symposium concluded with a panel discussion that examined the current state of Nevada’s springs and wetlands in the context of climate change and future management needs.

February 4, 2021

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September 29, 2020

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Watch this extraordinary presentation by Jeff Jenness at the Wildlife Society 2020 Virtual Conference.

Jenness, J.S., L. Stevens, J. Ledbetter, A. Mendoza, A. Hazelton, and B. Mann.  2020.  Springs Online: A Long-Term Database of Springs and Spring-Dependent Species, and Its Application in the Springsnail Conservation Strategy.  The Wildlife Society 2020 Virtual Conference. 

December 3, 2019

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Springs ecosystems are extraordinarily important, globally abundant, and geomorphologically and bio-culturally productive, but they are highly imperiled by human activities, creating a largely unrecognized global conservation crisis. In large part, this crisis has arisen because of disagreement about how to classify the diversity of springs types.

In this webinar Dr. Larry Stevens, Director of the Museum of Northern Arizona’s Springs Stewardship Institute in Flagstaff will review the historical discussion on springs classification, present a well-illustrated conceptual springs ecosystem model that clarifies the central role of geomorphology in springs ecosystem function and typology. He will present an illustrated dichotomous key to 17 terrestrial (non-marine) springs ecosystem types and subtypes, and describe those types. In addition, he will discuss the role of co-occurring microhabitats in springs biodiversity.

This presentation present information and foster improved communication about springs classification. The webinar should stimulate conversation among anyone interested in springs, including members of the public, hydrogeologists, ecologists, conservation biologists, water resource managers, and water policy makers. Join us for an adventure into the extraordinary world of springs to learn about our efforts to improve classification and enhance scientific understanding and stewardship of these remarkable ecosystems.