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Denielle Perry obtained her Ph.D. in Geography at the University of Oregon, USA. She conducts research on development impacts on, and protection policy options for, riverine ecosystems. She conducts fieldwork across North and South America, Europe, and China. She is an Assistant Professor in the School of Earth and Sustainability at Northern Arizona and the Co-chair of the international Durable River Protections Coalition. She has published/produced over 20 scientific papers, book chapters, datasets, films, and policy resolutions on the conservation of rivers, impacts of water resource developments on Indigenous peoples and riverine ecosystems, and water resource governance broadly.
As demand for water in the arid southwest increases, pressure is mounting on many aquatic and riparian species that rely on riverine habitat for survival. Some of these riverine areas are managed as private, state, or federal lands with differing levels of mandated protections; however, few efforts have explored the potential of filling gaps in riverine protection afforded by designation under the protection of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (WSRA) of 1968. Here, we examine how inclusion of eligible rivers, specifically the Nationwide Rivers Inventory (NRI), could fill gaps in protection for a species of high conservation need. A gap analysis overlapping the predicted species range with human disturbances and the level of protection identifies where sufficient protections for a species exist and where there are shortcomings, that is, gaps, potentially addressed by elevating NRI reaches to WSRA protection. This study uses the narrow-headed garter snake as an indicator species for riverine ecosystem health of free-flowing perennial reaches within the Arizona/New Mexico Mountains EPA Level III ecoregion. Over a quarter of NRI-eligible reaches within the ecoregion are within the protection gap for the narrow-headed garter snake. If designated Wild and Scenic, these reaches could offer needed protection for this species.
James Major; Denielle Perry; Clare Aslan; Ryan McManamay. Identifying gaps in protected areas to expand integrated riverine ecosystem conservation. Conservation Science and Practice 2021, e470 .
AMA StyleJames Major, Denielle Perry, Clare Aslan, Ryan McManamay. Identifying gaps in protected areas to expand integrated riverine ecosystem conservation. Conservation Science and Practice. 2021; ():e470.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJames Major; Denielle Perry; Clare Aslan; Ryan McManamay. 2021. "Identifying gaps in protected areas to expand integrated riverine ecosystem conservation." Conservation Science and Practice , no. : e470.
Freshwater ecosystems are poorly represented in global networks of protected areas. This situation underscores an urgent need for the creation, application, and expansion of durable (long-term and enforceable) protection mechanisms for free-flowing rivers that go beyond conventional protected area planning. To address this need, we must first understand where and what types of protections exist that explicitly maintain the free-flowing integrity of rivers, as well as the efficacy of such policy types. Through policy analysis and an in-depth literature review, our study identifies three main policy mechanisms used for such protections: (1) River Conservation Systems; (2) Executive Decrees and Laws; and (3) Rights of Rivers. We found that globally only eight counties have national river conservation systems while seven countries have used executive decrees and similar policies to halt dam construction, and Rights of Rivers movements are quickly growing in importance, relative to other protection types. Despite the current extent of protection policies being insufficient to tackle the freshwater and biodiversity crises facing the world’s rivers, they do provide useful frameworks to guide the creation and expansion of protections. Ultimately, as countries act on global calls for protections, policy mechanisms must be tailored to their individual social and ecological geographies.
Denielle Perry; Ian Harrison; Stephannie Fernandes; Sarah Burnham; Alana Nichols. Global Analysis of Durable Policies for Free-Flowing River Protections. Sustainability 2021, 13, 2347 .
AMA StyleDenielle Perry, Ian Harrison, Stephannie Fernandes, Sarah Burnham, Alana Nichols. Global Analysis of Durable Policies for Free-Flowing River Protections. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (4):2347.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDenielle Perry; Ian Harrison; Stephannie Fernandes; Sarah Burnham; Alana Nichols. 2021. "Global Analysis of Durable Policies for Free-Flowing River Protections." Sustainability 13, no. 4: 2347.
Water in the Colorado River, USA, is known to be a highly over-allocated resource, yet managers and decision makers rarely consider one of the most important contributions to the existing water in the river, i.e. groundwater. This oversight may result from the contrasting results of base-flow studies conducted on the amount of streamflow into the Colorado River sourced from groundwater. Some studies rule out the significance of groundwater contribution, while others show groundwater contributing the majority of flow to the river. This study uses new and extant instrumented data (not indirect methods) to quantify the groundwater base-flow contribution to surface flow. The precipitation, streamflow, and base flow of 10 remote subbasins of the Colorado Plateau in southern Utah and northern Arizona were examined in detail. These tributaries have an annual average base-flow discharge of 0.45 km3/year (367,000 acre-feet per year) with an average base-flow fraction of 72% summing to more than 3% of the mean flow of the Colorado River at Phantom Ranch. The groundwater storage trend of the Colorado River Basin when measured with remote sensing is declining; however, when utilizing instrumented data, the average annual base-flow trend in the study area remains constant. This trend suggests that base-flow signatures in streams may have a delayed response from the decline observed in groundwater storage from remote sensing. The simple extant data measurement methods employed in this study can be applied to the entire drainage basin, revealing the quantity of base flow throughout the basin to better inform water resource management.
Riley K. Swanson; Abraham E. Springer; David K. Kreamer; Benjamin W. Tobin; Denielle M. Perry. Quantifying the base flow of the Colorado River: its importance in sustaining perennial flow in northern Arizona and southern Utah (USA). Hydrogeology Journal 2020, 29, 723 -736.
AMA StyleRiley K. Swanson, Abraham E. Springer, David K. Kreamer, Benjamin W. Tobin, Denielle M. Perry. Quantifying the base flow of the Colorado River: its importance in sustaining perennial flow in northern Arizona and southern Utah (USA). Hydrogeology Journal. 2020; 29 (2):723-736.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRiley K. Swanson; Abraham E. Springer; David K. Kreamer; Benjamin W. Tobin; Denielle M. Perry. 2020. "Quantifying the base flow of the Colorado River: its importance in sustaining perennial flow in northern Arizona and southern Utah (USA)." Hydrogeology Journal 29, no. 2: 723-736.
Recent decades have produced a river of field data linking hydrologic alteration to fish populations in hundreds of U.S. river systems. Adverse impact thresholds and relationships between flow alteration and fish populations are key for advancing environmental flow conservation and environmental flow regulations in U.S. waterways. Prior work has established relationships in individual rivers and fine scale basins, but not for large basins or at national scale. As a first step toward establishing consistent fish-flow relationships and adverse impact thresholds in every US waterway, we analyze a nation-wide aggregated dataset from McManamay et al., 2017 containing co-located estimates of altered hydrologic metrics (HMs) for flow and native fish richness. In each medium sized river system (HUC4) we (1) identify the hydrologic metrics that most powerfully explain observed impacts on native fish richness, (2) estimate an adverse resource impact threshold defining excessive flow alteration, and (3) attribute the main causes of observed flow alteration. Strong empirical relationships between hydrologic metrics and native fish richness are thus established for most HUC4 basins in the continental U.S., and can be used as guidelines for science-based management. However, the findings underline a major aquatic ecology data gap in the western U.S. where a lack of statistically adequate field observations currently prevent clear results, and this gap will hinder science-based management of those river basins until it is filled.
Robert George; Ryan McManamay; Denielle Perry; John Sabo; Benjamin L. Ruddell. Indicators of hydro-ecological alteration for the rivers of the United States. Ecological Indicators 2020, 120, 106908 .
AMA StyleRobert George, Ryan McManamay, Denielle Perry, John Sabo, Benjamin L. Ruddell. Indicators of hydro-ecological alteration for the rivers of the United States. Ecological Indicators. 2020; 120 ():106908.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRobert George; Ryan McManamay; Denielle Perry; John Sabo; Benjamin L. Ruddell. 2020. "Indicators of hydro-ecological alteration for the rivers of the United States." Ecological Indicators 120, no. : 106908.
The confluence of the Little Colorado and Colorado Rivers is an Indigenous socio‐ecological landscape, revolving in large part around water resources. Substantial surface and groundwater use within the Little Colorado River (LCR) basin threatens the water sources of the confluence, springs in the LCR basin, and specifically the Hopi Sipapuni —a sacred site of cultural emergence. To address concerns about diminished flows of sacred springs, we engaged in praxis through collaborative, reciprocal, community‐based research processes. Through the lens of anticolonial theory, we ask: Can federal policies be employed in an anticolonial pursuit of water and sacred site protection? How do Indigenous grassroots organizers envision protection and work to re‐Indigenize water management? Semi‐structured interviews with Indigenous community organizers and federal land managers were coupled with policy analysis of the National Historic Preservation Act/Traditional Cultural Properties, the ongoing LCR Adjudication, and the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. Findings point to multifaceted, complex, and contradictory themes that elucidate the continued influence of colonization on water governance and the degree to which protection solutions can be anticolonial. Criteria were generated for anticolonial protective pathways that highlight the centrality of reciprocal relationships, Indigenous Knowledges, and meaningful inclusion. While details about protection pathways for the confluence and Sipapuni are many, the salient finding is that the struggle for water protection in the LCR is the struggle for protection of inherent Indigenous rights.
Rachel Ellis; Denielle Perry. A Confluence of Anticolonial Pathways for Indigenous Sacred Site Protection. Journal of Contemporary Water Research & Education 2020, 169, 8 -26.
AMA StyleRachel Ellis, Denielle Perry. A Confluence of Anticolonial Pathways for Indigenous Sacred Site Protection. Journal of Contemporary Water Research & Education. 2020; 169 (1):8-26.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRachel Ellis; Denielle Perry. 2020. "A Confluence of Anticolonial Pathways for Indigenous Sacred Site Protection." Journal of Contemporary Water Research & Education 169, no. 1: 8-26.
During the last 50 years, construction of dams in the western United States declined. This is partly because of increasing recognition of diverse and unintended social-ecological consequences of dams. Today, resource managers are recognizing the wide array of tradeoffs and are including a more diverse group of stakeholders in decision making for individual dams. Yet decisions at the regional scale maintain a focus on a limited number of resources and objectives, leading to inefficient and inequitable outcomes. Social-ecological changes compounded by climate change challenge this management paradigm. Increasing water demands for humans and the environment and renewed interest in hydropower present opportunities for operations that include climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies while considering tradeoffs and equitable responses at the regional scale.
Lucas S Bair; Charles B Yackulic; John C Schmidt; Denielle M Perry; Christine J Kirchhoff; Karletta Chief; Benedict J Colombi. Incorporating social-ecological considerations into basin-wide responses to climate change in the Colorado River Basin. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability 2019, 37, 14 -19.
AMA StyleLucas S Bair, Charles B Yackulic, John C Schmidt, Denielle M Perry, Christine J Kirchhoff, Karletta Chief, Benedict J Colombi. Incorporating social-ecological considerations into basin-wide responses to climate change in the Colorado River Basin. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability. 2019; 37 ():14-19.
Chicago/Turabian StyleLucas S Bair; Charles B Yackulic; John C Schmidt; Denielle M Perry; Christine J Kirchhoff; Karletta Chief; Benedict J Colombi. 2019. "Incorporating social-ecological considerations into basin-wide responses to climate change in the Colorado River Basin." Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability 37, no. : 14-19.
Denielle Perry. [Re]framing the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act for Ecosystem Based Resilience and Adaptation. 2017, 1 .
AMA StyleDenielle Perry. [Re]framing the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act for Ecosystem Based Resilience and Adaptation. . 2017; ():1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDenielle Perry. 2017. "[Re]framing the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act for Ecosystem Based Resilience and Adaptation." , no. : 1.
At the turn of the 21st century, protectionist policies in Latin America were largely abandoned for an agenda that promoted free trade and regional integration. Central America especially experienced an increase in international, interstate, and intraregional economic integration through trade liberalization. In 2004, such integration was on the agenda of every Central American administration, the U.S. Congress, and Mexico. The Plan Puebla-Panama (PPP) and the Central America Integrated Electricity System (SIEPAC), in particular, aimed to facilitate the success of free trade by increasing energy production and transmission on a unifi ed regional power grid (Mesoamerica, 2011). Meanwhile, for the United States, a free trade agreement (FTA) with Central America would bring it a step closer to realizing a hemispheric trade bloc while securing market access for its products. Isthmus states considered the potential for a Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) with the United States, their largest trading partner, as an opportunity to enter the global market on a united front. A decade and a half on, CAFTA, PPP, and SIEPAC are interwoven, complimentary initiatives that exemplify a shift towards increased free trade and development throughout the region. As such, to understand one, the other must be examined.
Denielle M. Perry; Kate A. Berry. Central American integration through infrastructure development: A case study of Costa Rican hydropower. Regions and Cohesion 2016, 6, 96 -115.
AMA StyleDenielle M. Perry, Kate A. Berry. Central American integration through infrastructure development: A case study of Costa Rican hydropower. Regions and Cohesion. 2016; 6 (1):96-115.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDenielle M. Perry; Kate A. Berry. 2016. "Central American integration through infrastructure development: A case study of Costa Rican hydropower." Regions and Cohesion 6, no. 1: 96-115.
At the turn of the 21st century, protectionist policies in Latin America were largely abandoned for an agenda that promoted free trade and regional integration. Central America especially experienced an increase in international, interstate, and intraregional economic integration through trade liberalization. In 2004, such integration was on the agenda of every Central American administration, the U.S. Congress, and Mexico. The Plan Puebla-Panama (PPP) and the Central America Integrated Electricity System (SIEPAC), in particular, aimed to facilitate the success of free trade by increasing energy production and transmission on a unifi ed regional power grid (Mesoamerica, 2011). Meanwhile, for the United States, a free trade agreement (FTA) with Central America would bring it a step closer to realizing a hemispheric trade bloc while securing market access for its products. Isthmus states considered the potential for a Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) with the United States, their largest trading partner, as an opportunity to enter the global market on a united front. A decade and a half on, CAFTA, PPP, and SIEPAC are interwoven, complimentary initiatives that exemplify a shift towards increased free trade and development throughout the region. As such, to understand one, the other must be examined.
Denielle M. Perry; Kate A. Berry. Central American integration through infrastructure development: A case study of Costa Rican hydropower. Regions and Cohesion 2016, 6, 96 -115.
AMA StyleDenielle M. Perry, Kate A. Berry. Central American integration through infrastructure development: A case study of Costa Rican hydropower. Regions and Cohesion. 2016; 6 (1):96-115.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDenielle M. Perry; Kate A. Berry. 2016. "Central American integration through infrastructure development: A case study of Costa Rican hydropower." Regions and Cohesion 6, no. 1: 96-115.