A Watershed Moment: The American West in the Age of Limits
DATE: Thursday, November 21 2024
TIME: 12:15 pm - 1:30 pm MST
LOCATION: College of Law and Virtual Event
A Wallace Stegner Center Green Bag
ABOUT THE EVENT:
The American West has long been seen as a place of rugged landscapes presenting endless opportunities. But the land is more fragile and resources more finite than popular perceptions admit.
We are presenting a volume of essays, A Watershed Moment, that explores tensions between a culture of economic growth and personal freedom and the ecological, economic, and social constraints set by community values and the land itself. The book examines practical approaches to land use, land management, and community planning rooted in philosophical views on justice, quality of life, and sustainability in the American West.The result is a compelling vision of place-based, policy-oriented sustainability across the West.
Our presentations focus on what the management of water resources demonstrates about how communities and environmental systems are dealing with the implications of growth, development, and climate change.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS:
Talk Title: Optimism about Facing Limits
Evelyn Brister, Professor of Philosophy, Rochester Institute of Technology
Evelyn Brister is Professor of Philosophy at Rochester Institute of Technology and a faculty affiliate in Public Policy and Environmental Science. Her research examines ethical and political issues in land management and conservation science.
Talk Title: A New Glen Canyon Emerges as Lake Powell Dries
Seth Arens, Research scientist, Western Water Assessment/CIRES, University of Colorado/University of Utah
Seth Arens has worked as a research scientist for Western Water Assessment since 2015. Seth has a diverse background in science, including research experience in ecosystem and plant physiological ecology, snow hydrology and atmospheric science.
Talk Title: Human-Driven Changes and Solutions at the Great Salt Lake
Bonnie Baxter, Professor of Biology, Westminster University
Bonnie K. Baxter, Ph.D. is Professor of Biology and Director of Great Salt Lake Institute at Westminster University, which focuses on collaborative research and community connections. Dr. Baxter’s research focuses on the lake’s extreme microbiology, especially the foundation of the ecosystem-the algae and cyanobacteria that feed the brine shrimp and flies.
Talk Title: Science, Art, and the Future of the American West
Robert Frodeman, Independent scholar living in Hoback, Wyoming
Robert Frodeman is a retired Professor of Philosophy who writes on environmental philosophy and public policy, the philosophy of science and technology, and the future of the university. Founding Director of the Center for the Study of Interdisciplinarity at the University of North Texas, Frodeman is the author or editor of 16 books and has lectured at and consulted for universities and science agencies worldwide.
This event is sponsored by the University of Utah Press and the Cultural Vision Fund.
For questions about this event email events@law.utah.edu.
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