It’s a power lineup of international water experts.
Organized by the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies, In Deep: A Conversation About Water features a roster of eight academics from New York, B.C., Arizona, Alberta, California, Idaho and Norway, all of whom are top experts in their fields of water-related study.
Taking place at The Banff Centre this Saturday (Oct. 3), the full-day event will include presentations ranging from global perspectives on water issues to specific topics concerning the Rocky Mountains and the Columbia River Basin.
“Water is earth’s greatest resource and our existence is contingent on water,” said Pamela Marks, marketing and communications specialist with the Whyte Museum. “Aiming to be relevant, responsive and respectful of an issue that’s important to the Bow Valley community and our international visitors alike, the Whyte Museum chose water as our summer theme.
“It seemed a necessity to invite leading academics in the field to discuss its importance.”
The event is being hosted by The Banff Centre because it has an excellent conference centre and all the required space and equipment, she said.
Speakers were selected under the guidance of Dr. Henry Vaux Jr., emeritus professor of resource economics at the University of California. The chair of the Rosenberg International Forum on Water Policy, and the author of several books, including Legacy in Time: Three Generations of Mountain Photography in the Canadian West, Vaux will moderate the event.
Speakers include outspoken and respected Dr. David Schindler, Killam Memorial Chair and University of Alberta professor of ecology who will address the topic of Western Canada’s freshwaters in a changing climate, and Gordon Christie, associate professor at the University of British Columbia’s Peter A. Allard School of Law, whose presentation will focus on the waters of northern Canada from an Indigenous perspective.
As well, University of Calgary Faculty of Law professor Nigel Banks, who is also adjunct professor of the University of Tromsř in Norway, will discuss the stakes of Canadians in the Columbia River. The event also features three other perspectives on the Columbia River, and the transboundary treaty that defines how Canada and the U.S. share this essential resource.
The idea for the symposium grew from brainstorming discussions among the members of the Whyte’s programming team, Marks said.
“Our main exhibition this summer, Water Eau, Mînî Wasser, Acqua, Tubig H2O, encouraged reflection and conversations around the global challenges that arise in relation to this precious natural resource,” Marks said. “The exhibition provided the thematic foundation from which the museum enhanced its public programming – that included lectures, film screenings, dramatic performances and this full-day symposium, In Deep: A Conversation About Water.”
While the event is now sold out, the Whyte Museum plans to record audio of the program to be made available on its website soon afterward.
“We hope the project will increase recognition of the global challenges that arise in relation to water, a precious natural resource, and to continue the conversation on a topic that is relevant to all of us,” Marks said.
Visit whyte.org to learn more.
