[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/ahssymposium.org\/2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/Charlie-E-05-20-24.jpg” title_text=”Charlie E 05-20-24″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Charlie Ester retired in May as the Director of Water Supply and Planning at the Salt River Project (SRP) after a 43-year rewarding career. SRP is a water and power utility founded in 1903 which serves major portions of the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Water Supply and Planning group is ground zero for assuring a reliable and sustainable water supply to SRP’s 250,000 acre water service territory in central Maricopa County. The group is responsible for weather forecasting in support of power and water operations, watershed monitoring, water resource measurement, runoff forecasting, reservoir operations planning, flood emergency reservoir operations, drought preparedness, and data archiving and analytics. Additionally, perhaps less visible but of equal importance, the group is responsible for aquifer management, including recharge activities, within the SRP service area and maintains a system of over 270 water supply wells which augment the surface water supply during times of shortage. During Charlie’s career he served as chair of the Oak Creek Watershed Council, was a member of the Healthy Headwaters Alliance leadership team, and promoted SRP’s watershed stewardship role by expanding monitoring efforts, supporting targeted research, and engaging with the Forest Service and other collaborators on forest and watershed restoration efforts. Charlie is a 1983 Hydrology graduate of the University of Arizona. <\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row disabled_on=”off|off|off” _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” max_width=”1254px” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” header_2_text_align=”center” header_2_text_color=”#7fabcb” header_2_font_size=”78px” header_3_font=”|600|||||||” header_3_text_align=”center” header_3_text_color=”#7fabcb” header_3_font_size=”29px” custom_margin=”32px||||false|false” header_2_font_size_tablet=”61px” header_2_font_size_phone=”41px” header_2_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Plenary Panel<\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n
Working towards desired conditions: 25 years of 4FRI – where are we now?<\/h3>\n
Panelists will be announced soon.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_3,2_3″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”|15px||15px|false|false” border_radii=”on|14px|14px|14px|14px” border_width_all=”5px” border_color_all=”#247E99″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/ahssymposium.org\/2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/Marylou.jpg” title_text=”Marylou” align=”center” _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” width=”70%” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” header_3_font_size=”26px” custom_margin=”||8px||false|false” custom_padding=”||0px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Most of my career was spent in the field as an -ologist, collecting data, supervising field crews, designing and implementing projects and completing environmental analyses. My career spans 25 years working in the western US for multiple agencies including the Forest Service, Bureau of Reclamation and Bureau of Land Management. I\u2019ve spent the last three years as the Monitoring Coordinator for 4FRI in Flagstaff but I\u2019ve worked as a Forester with the BLM in Butte MT, as a Biologist in the Lower Colorado River Multi Species Program BOR, Boulder City NV, was the Operations Lead on Hungry Horse, Glacier Vier, and Spotted Bear Districts, Flathead NF, MT, and an Ecologist at Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, Kanab, UT and with the Cordova District, Chugach NF, AK. I hold a Masters in Range Ecology from Colorado State, a Bachelors in Forestry from UMass Amherst, and an Associates in Forestry from Paul Smiths College.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” max_width=”1254px” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text content_tablet=”<\/p>\n ” content_phone=”<\/p>\n ” content_last_edited=”on|desktop” _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” header_2_text_align=”center” header_2_text_color=”#7fabcb” header_2_font_size=”78px” header_3_font=”|600|||||||” header_3_text_align=”center” header_3_text_color=”#7fabcb” header_3_font_size=”29px” custom_margin=”23px||24px||false|false” header_2_font_size_tablet=”61px” header_2_font_size_phone=”41px” header_2_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” header_2_text_color=”#7fabcb” header_3_font=”|600|||||||” header_3_text_align=”center” header_3_text_color=”#7fabcb” header_3_font_size=”29px” custom_margin=”||9px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Thirty Days Below the Rim<\/span><\/i>\u00a0is Arizona author Jon Fuller’s sixth book. Written in the style of a daily trip log and based on Jon’s journals from his own nine Grand Canyon trips, Jon’s talk will describe exactly what’s it’s like to row your own raft through Grand Canyon. The author joins a crew of fourteen adventurers on a month-long whitewater rafting trip. Both poignant and humorous, the story describes the rapids, the wilderness, and the unique characters he encounters along the way. On a deeper level, the journey is a quest for peace in a world mired in political and social turmoil. If a Grand Canyon rafting trip is on your bucket list, this talk and book is for you.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_5,3_5″ use_custom_gutter=”on” gutter_width=”1″ make_equal=”on” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” width=”73%” width_tablet=”75%” width_phone=”83%” width_last_edited=”on|desktop” max_width=”2560px” custom_padding=”42px|||8px||” custom_padding_tablet=”42px|||8px||” custom_padding_phone=”0px||0px|0px|false|false” border_radii=”on|30px|30px|30px|30px” border_width_all=”11px” border_color_all=”#184d68″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”2_5″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” background_enable_color=”off” custom_padding=”30px|30px|30px|30px|false|false” custom_padding_tablet=”||50px||false|false” custom_padding_phone=”20px|20px|30px|20px|false|false” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” border_radii=”on|30px|30px|30px|30px” border_color_all=”#7fabcb” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/ahssymposium.org\/2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/Jon-Fuller-bio-pic-1-rotated.jpg” alt=”Dr. Marty Ralph” title_text=”Jon Fuller bio pic (1)” _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” width=”94.1%” module_alignment=”left” custom_margin=”0px|700px|0px||false|false” custom_padding=”|0px|||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” background_enable_color=”off” custom_padding=”30px|30px|30px|30px|false|false” custom_padding_tablet=”||50px||false|false” custom_padding_phone=”20px|20px|30px|20px|false|false” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” border_radii=”on|30px|30px|30px|30px” border_color_all=”#7fabcb” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text module_class=”speackerscont” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”24px” text_line_height=”1.3em” header_line_height=”1.2em” header_2_font_size=”43px” header_2_line_height=”1.1em” header_3_font=”|300|||||||” header_3_font_size=”33px” header_3_line_height=”1.2em” custom_margin=”0px|||0px|false|false” custom_padding=”|||0px||” text_font_size_tablet=”21px” text_font_size_phone=”19px” text_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” header_2_font_size_tablet=”41px” header_2_font_size_phone=”33px” header_2_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” header_3_font_size_tablet=”31px” header_3_font_size_phone=”26px” header_3_font_size_last_edited=”on|tablet” custom_css_free_form=”.speackerscont h3 {|| margin-bottom:15px;||}” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Jon Fuller is the Founder of JE Fuller\/ Hydrology & Geomorphology, Inc. His specialties include applied fluvial geomorphology, sediment transport, erosion hazard analysis, alluvial fan flooding, and arid land hydrology.\u00a0 Jon earned a B.S. in Geology from Calvin College and a M.S. in Geomorphology from the University of Arizona. He is a Registered Engineer (Civil), and Professional Geologist. After a 44-year career, Jon is (almost) retired, and now spends most of his time long-distance hiking, whitewater rafting, biking, and writing about rivers and Arizona history.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/ahssymposium.org\/2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/speackers_10.jpg” title_text=”speackers_10″ align=”center” disabled_on=”off|off|off” _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”42px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Keynote Speaker Reflections on a 43-year SRP Water Resource Management Career Charlie Ester, recently retired, will explore his 43-year career at the very center of SRP\u2019s water resource operations and planning. He will share a variety of humorous stories, learning events, moments of extreme anxiety, and insights learned from over 4-decades of service. This […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":63,"featured_media":0,"parent":590,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"\r\n Our Thursday program features a distinguished slate of keynote and lunch speakers.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Office of the Governor<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Patrick Adams is dedicated to the mission of ensuring that Arizona has a secure, reliable water future. He joins the Governor\u2019s Office from the Arizona Municipal Water Users Association (AMWUA) where he served as Water Policy Advisor, providing policy expertise on behalf of Arizona\u2019s largest municipal water providers. Patrick was responsible for the legislative and water resource policy programs and represented AMWUA across all levels of government. Before joining AMWUA, Patrick was an environmental scientist at ADEQ, where he administered and enforced the state\u2019s Aquifer Protection Permit Program and Recycled Water regulations. Patrick is a graduate of Utah State University where he received a bachelor\u2019s in environmental studies from the Quinney College of Natural Resources and a bachelor\u2019s degree in Economics from the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n He will be giving an update on key water policy developments and ongoing issues taking place throughout the state of Arizona.<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Water Infrastructure and Finance Authority<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Ted Cooke is a board member for WIFA, the state agency tasked with helping Arizona secure clean and reliable water supplies into the future. Ted recently retired as general manager of CAP. He worked on Colorado River issues for over two decades with CAP\u2019s neighbors and partners in other states, along with the federal government, to find innovative and collaborative solutions in the face of a millennial megadrought and shortage conditions. Prior to his time at CAP, Ted was involved in the development, financing, operations, maintenance, and management of over 20 commercial-scale solar and geothermal power plants. He has a BS in physics from Loyola Marymount University, an MBA in operations management and management science from UCLA, and a DBA in management from California Coast University.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Ted will be speaking on WIFA\u2019s role in meeting Arizona\u2019s water supply needs \u2014 its background, changes in responsibilities under SB1740, governance, funds, projects, and strategic framework.<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Our Thursday lunch speakers will be discussing atmospheric rivers in California and Arizona.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Director, Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Dr. Ralph is a meteorologist focused on atmospheric rivers, the origins of floods, and predictions for water management and flood control. After 21 years at NOAA, he created the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes at UC San Diego. He\u2019s published over 150 peer-reviewed articles and has developed programs on practical applications for new science and technologies. A leading expert on atmospheric rivers, he provides input to policy makers on western weather and water extremes. He is a leader in Forecast-Informed Reservoir Operations (FIRO), working closely with water managers. Dr. Ralph is a Fellow of the American Meteorological Society and has received awards from several organizations.\u00a0He has a BS in meteorology from UA and a PhD in atmospheric sciences from UCLA.<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Staff Scientist \/ Meteorologist, Surface Water Department, Salt River Project<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Bohumil Svoma has published 29 peer-reviewed research articles in the fields of climatology and meteorology. His current research interests focus on improving the predictability of Arizona precipitation and streamflow from sub-seasonal through decadal time scales. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Dr. Svoma\u2019s operational duties include watershed monitoring and weather forecasting, focusing on watershed precipitation in the winter and on Phoenix-area temperature and thunderstorm activity in the summer. Before joining SRP, Dr. Svoma was an assistant professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of Missouri from 2013\u20132017. He received his PhD in geographical sciences at ASU in 2011 and his BS degrees in mathematics and geographical sciences from ASU in 2007.<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":["post-1058","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ahssymposium.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1058","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ahssymposium.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ahssymposium.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ahssymposium.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/63"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ahssymposium.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1058"}],"version-history":[{"count":33,"href":"https:\/\/ahssymposium.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1058\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4709,"href":"https:\/\/ahssymposium.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1058\/revisions\/4709"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ahssymposium.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/590"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ahssymposium.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1058"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Moderator: MaryLou Zimmerman<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Lunch Speaker<\/h2>\n
Lunch Speaker<\/h2>\n
Lunch Speaker<\/h2>\n
Our Thursday lunch speaker will be discussing:<\/h3>\n
Thirty Days Below the Rim: A Grand Canyon Whitewater Rafting Adventure<\/h3>\n
Jon Fuller <\/strong><\/h2>\n
Founder of JE Fuller\/ Hydrology & Geomorphology, Inc<\/h3>\n
Meet Our Speakers<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Keynote Speakers<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Patrick J. Adams<\/h4>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/ahssymposium.org\/2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/adams.jpg\")
<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nTheodore C. Cooke<\/h4>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/ahssymposium.org\/2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/cooke-768x1024.jpg\")
<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nLunch Speakers<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Dr. F. Martin (\"Marty\") Ralph<\/h4>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
![\"Dr.](\"https:\/\/ahssymposium.org\/2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/martyRalph500.jpg\")
<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nDr. Bohumil Svoma<\/h4>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/ahssymposium.org\/2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/boSvoma500.jpg\")
<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n