Keynote and General Session Speakers
Keynote Address
Sandra Postel directs the independent Global Water Policy Project and lectures, writes, and consults on international water issues. She also is Freshwater Fellow of the National Geographic Society, where she is lead water expert for the Society’s freshwater initiative. Postel is the author of several acclaimed books, including
Last Oasis: Facing Water Scarcity, which appears in eight languages and was the basis for a 1997 PBS documentary, and of
Pillar of Sand: Can the Irrigation Miracle Last?, which has been selected for course use at more than 130 colleges and universities. She also is coauthor, with Brian Richter, of R
ivers for Life: Managing Water for People and Nature and has authored more than 100 articles for popular and scholarly publications, including
Science, Natural History, Foreign Policy, The American Prospect, Ecological Applications, Scientific American, The New York Times, and
The Washington Post.
From 2000 to 2008, Postel served as visiting senior lecturer at Mount Holyoke College, and, later in that term, as director of the college’s Center for the Environment. She is currently a fellow of the California-based Post Carbon Institute and an advisor to American Rivers. A 1995 Pew Scholar in Conservation and the Environment, Postel has been awarded two honorary Doctor of Science degrees and, in 2002, was named one of the "Scientific American 50" for her contributions to water policy.
General Session Speakers
George Ice |
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Julio Betancourt |
General Session 1 (Water)
A National View of Water and Watersheds
George G. Ice, PhD., C.F., R.P.F., P.H., Principal Scientist, National Council for Air and Stream Improvement, Inc.
The amount and quality of water coming from America’s watersheds is a vital resource for this nation’s health and economy. Water scarcities create competition between users, and aquatic communities are dependent on adequate flows and water quality conditions. Forest watersheds play an important role in our nation’s water resources because forests only occur where there is adequate precipitation. Dr. Ice will review trends in streamflow, water quality, and watershed conditions across the United States. He will conclude by describing progress in addressing the water quality issues of the 20th Century and emerging watershed issues for the 21st Century.
Climate Variability and Change in the American West: Science Issues and Management Challenges
Julio Betancourt, Senior Scientist, U.S. Geological Survey and Adjunct Professor, University of Arizona
Decadal-to-multidecadal (D2M) natural climate variability and anthropogenic climate change introduce considerable uncertainty in water planning and ecosystem management. D2M variability can synchronize fluctuations in resource availability within and across regions, and resets ecosystems at regional scales. Resource managers have barely addressed the challenges posed by D2M variability, which makes it that much harder to reckon the impacts of climate change. Adaptation to climate change will require retooling these traditional methods and developing alternative ones that are better suited for managing and governing resources and ecosystems under a nonstationary climate.
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Butch Blazer |
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Patty Limerick |
General Session 2 (Community and Culture)
Butch Blazer, New Mexico State Forester
Patty Limerick, Faculty Director and Chair, Center of the American West, University of Colorado
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Robin W. Kimmerer |
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Bob Izlar |
General Session 3 (Culture and Utilization)
Guten Tag Ya'll: The Role of Southern Forest-Based Culture in Promoting International Trade
Bob Izlar, Director, Center for Forest Business, Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia
Using Georgia as a case study, Izlar will address the role southern forests, and the communities that use them, play in international trade. Sense of place and the interconnectedness of forest based communities and their culture will be examined.
“Helping Forests Walk”: Indigenous Perspectives on Forest Use
Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer, Professor of Environmental and Forest Biology, Director, Center for Native Peoples and the Environment, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
Traditional ecological knowledge is increasingly recognized as a valuable source of models for ecosystem management, conservation and ecological restoration. This broad body of indigenous knowledge also offers important insights on cultural relationships to forested landscapes. Dr. Kimmerer will explore the contributions of traditional ecological knowledge in expanding our concepts of forest management, ecosystem services and sustainable use.
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