TY - JOUR T1 - Water research and management in semiarid environments: Closing symposium address JF - Journal of Soil and Water Conservation SP - 532 LP - 534 VL - 50 IS - 5 AU - Kenneth G. Renard Y1 - 1995/09/01 UR - http://www.jswconline.org/content/50/5/532.abstract N2 - To those of you who have taken the time to prepare papers for this special symposium, I must add thanks, you did an outstanding job. The resulting collection of papers appearing in this special issue of the Journal of Soil and Water Conservation is an exceptional and lasting tribute. I do have the following specific comments about the symposium: 1. Instrumentation has always held a special spot with me. I recall discussions with Fred Blaisdell and Bill Ree (way back when) who, in essence, stated that “the most valuable thing that we leave our successors is good data and not the computer models that we have all become so over-whelmed with.” If we leave the best possible data, our successors will postulate hypotheses that we have not yet thought of, and which the data we leave will assist in the validation of. Young hydrologists need to work in the field observing flow phenomenon as a supplement to their analytical work. 2. Partnering between Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) [formerly called the Soil Conservation Service (SCS)] and the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) continues to be a priority topic as well it should be. I am pleased to see … ER -