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Dave is also the author of Applied River Morphology and Watershed Assessment of River Stability and Sediment Supply (WARSSS) and over 70 reports and articles in research journals, symposia, and federal agency manuals. He graduated from the forestry program at Humboldt State University and began as a forester on the Canyon Ranger District of the Clearwater National Forest.
Dave Rosgen, PhD, PH
Wildland Hydrolgoy
Fort Collins, CO
Dave is a Professional Hydrologist and Geomorphologist with field experience in river work spanning 49 years, 20 of which were with the U.S. Forest Service. He resigned from the Forest Service in protest after his supervisors and the Denver Water Board decided not to require instream flows to the Two Forks Dam, a decision Rosgen felt would dry up donor streams.
Dave and his projects have been featured in Time, Science, 5280, National Geographic, The Denver Post, and The New York Times.
Scope & Content
>>Oral history interview with Dave Rosgen, Denver, CO, May 24, 2022
>> In this interview, Dave Rosgen recounts his storied career as part of the first generation of wildland hydrologists hired by the Forest Service in the 1960s.
He started as a smokejumper in McCall, Idaho, in 1961. He transferred to the Kaniksu National Forest in Sandpoint, Idaho, where he was converted into a 1315 hydrologist position. He is still revered within the community of wildland hydrologists, and many of his measurement and assessment methods have become standard practices to this day. Dave developed a stream classification system, the BANCS streambank erosion model, the FLOWSED/POWERSED sediment transport models, the WARSSS methodology for cumulative watershed assessment, and a geomorphologic approach to Natural Channel Design restoration methodology.
Dave has designed and implemented over 70 large-scale river restoration projects. He was shocked by the lack of almost any measures taken to prevent erosion and protect the waterways of the forest.
PASTE LINK BELOW INTO BROWSER TO VIEW INTERVIEW
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TXrqzYXHI92_EJ_hLFU9b-nZypK9u0XW/view?usp=sharing
2026 Rosgen Short Courses & Workshops
Level I – Applied Fluvial Morphology
• March 9-13, 2026, Asheville, NC
• November 2 – 6, 2026 Asheville, NC
• Instructor: Dave Rosgen, PhD, PH
• REGISTRATION FEE: $2,500
Includes materials, books & breaks – no meals.
The Applied Fluvial Geomorphology course combines lecture and field applications to familiarize students with the fundamentals of river behavior and the general principles of fluvial geomorphology.
Applications of these principles are presented using a stream classification system.
Register Here
Level II – River Morphology & Applications
• March 16 – 20, 2026, Asheville, NC
• Instructor: Dave Rosgen, PhD, PH
• REGISTRATION FEE: $2,500
Includes materials, books & breaks – no meals.
The River Morphology & Applications course trains students to conduct a geomorphic characterization and delineate stream types using the stream classification method as published in Applied River Morphology (Rosgen, 1996)
Register Here
Level III – River Assessment and Monitoring
• April 13 – 23, 2026 Asheville, NC
• Instructor: Dave Rosgen, PhD, PH
• REGISTRATION FEE: $3,800
Includes materials, books & breaks – no meals
The River Assessment & Monitoring course includes “hands-on” techniques for field measurements, data analysis and interpretations, and the use of replicate studies for verification and time-trend analysis.
Register Here
Dave utilizes his extensive experience to conduct short courses in watershed management, river morphology, restoration, and wildland hydrology applications.