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Researchers, Policymakers and Industry Experts Discuss Water Resource Management Strategies
Oct. 8, 2008
NOTE TO MEDIA: Space at the venue is limited. Please confirm your intent to cover this event in advance by contacting University Communications at (208) 885-6567.
Written by Tania Thompson
MOSCOW, Idaho – The need for careful management of precious water resources is not new. A half-century ago, University of Idaho alumnus and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ezra Taft Benson wrote in the forward to the 1955 Yearbook of Agriculture that, “I have little need to remind you that water has become one of our major national concerns."
Fifty-three years later, the need for sustainable water resources management is at a critical juncture and is the focus of the University of Idaho’s second President’s Sustainability Symposium. The two-day gathering in Boise on Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 20 and 21, will focus on water resources management issues in Idaho and the West.
"One of the roles of higher education should be to address issues that are of critical importance to our state and nation,” said Steven Daley-Laursen, University of Idaho president. “The 2008 President's Sustainability Symposium brings together the nation's water resources community in a forum to discuss the future of our water resources infrastructure. I am pleased that the University of Idaho is able to take a leadership role in addressing this issue and playing a role in developing sustainable water resources for future generations.”
Symposium attendees and presenters include water resource managers and policymakers, and researchers and scientists. Keynote speakers include:
Jorg Imberger, Centre for Water Research, Western Australia, who will speak about “Life in a Changing Climate”;
David Tuthill, director of the Idaho Water Resources Department, who will speak about “The Importance of Water to Idaho's Economic Engine”;
Sen. Michael Crapo, who will speak about “The Needed Investment in Water Resources Infrastructure”;
Doug Plasencia, vice president with the Michael Baker Corporation, who will speak about “Linking Ecosystem Sustainability and Water Resources Infrastructure.”
Panel discussion topics include:
“Sustainable Water Resources Management in an Uncertain Future,” moderated by Gerald Sehlke, president-elect, American Water Resources Association;
“Water Resources Institutional Infrastructure and Collaboration: An Assessment of the Nez Perce Agreement Process,” moderated by John Freemuth, professor of public policy, Boise State University;
“The Role of Higher Education in Addressing Sustainable Water Resource Infrastructure,” moderated by Jack McIver, vice president for research, University of Idaho.
"Our predecessors did an admirable job of developing the nation's water resources infrastructure to allow our society to grow and flourish over the last century,” said John Tracy, director of the university’s Idaho Water Resources Research Institute.
“We now are at a critical juncture where we need to reinvest in this infrastructure to meet both the societal and ecosystem needs for the rest of the 21st century," he said.
"The University of Idaho symposium is an effort to help further the conversation on what infrastructure needs to be put in place, and how it can be financed, constructed and managed to best meet society's needs for the rest of the century."
The keynote address by Jorg Imberger on Monday, Oct. 20, at 7 p.m., is at the Egyptian Theatre, 700 W. Main in Boise. All remaining sessions on Tuesday, Oct. 21, take place in the ballroom of the Grove Hotel, 245 S. Capitol in Boise. All events are free and open to the public, but pre-registration is required due to limited seating. For more information or to register, call (208) 364-6157 or visit online www.uiweb.uidaho.edu/sustainability.
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About the University of Idaho
Founded in 1889, the University of Idaho is the state’s flagship higher-education institution and its principal graduate education and research university, bringing insight and innovation to the state, the nation and the world. University researchers attract nearly $100 million in research grants and contracts each year; the University of Idaho is the only institution in the state to earn the prestigious Carnegie Foundation ranking for high research activity. The university’s student population includes first-generation college students and ethnically diverse scholars. Offering more than 150 degree options in 10 colleges, the university combines the strengths of a large university with the intimacy of small learning communities. For information, visit www.uidaho.edu.
Media Contact: Tania Thompson, University Communications, (208) 885-6567, taniat@uidaho.edu
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