Kenneth S. Lubinski

Research interests:  applying science to river restoration and management decisions, defining river ecosystem health, development of river ecosystem report cards, engaging the public in river management, river ecosystem services, development of conceptual models within adaptive management approaches, multiple river system comparisons.   

Accomplishments:  Dr. Lubinski authored the first ecological conceptual model for the Upper Mississippi River. In 1994, he organized an international conference on large rivers in La Crosse, Wisconsin, where for the first time ecological principles for large river management were drafted. He was the principle scientist during the development of the Long-Term Resource Monitoring Program for the Upper Mississippi River System, which has continually tracked the condition of the river since 1987. In 1999, he was the senior editor and contributor for the synthesis “Ecological Status and Trends of the Upper Mississippi River: 1998”. That report included the first ecological report card developed for the river. In 2001, he was Invitedd by the Mekong River Commission to provide a week-long series of lectures in Cambodia, Viet Nam, Laos, and Thailand on the application of science to river management. In 2003, Dr. Lubinski co-chaired the expert Science Panel convened by the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers to guide its recommendations for future ecosystem restoration of the Upper Mississippi River, and he is currently participating on the follow-up panel. In 2009, he was elected to the Board of Directors of the International Society of River Science.