Agenda summary: SEJ Eleventh Annual Conference
Hosted by Portland State University, October 17-21, 2001
Note: This agenda is not complete. Please check back often; details will be added as speakers confirm.
DRAFT: All Information Subject to Change
Pre-Conference Ice-Breaker
Come share your stories and meet your peers. The connections you make here will last throughout the conference and beyond. New members especially welcome.
Facilitator: Jane Braxton Little,	freelance journalist
Location: Elowah Room, Doubletree Portland Downtown, 310 SW Lincoln St., Portland
Thursday, October 18:
Logistics: Tour buses will pick up passengers from both SEJ conference hotels: Portland Downtown Doubletree, 310 SW Lincoln St., Portland and The Days Inn, 1414 SW 6th Ave., Portland. Continental breakfast provided prior to morning departures. Buses will begin loading at the Doubletree a half hour before scheduled departure time. Buses will leave the Doubletree Hotel promptly, at times listed below, then stop at The Days Inn to load additional passengers. All will return to hotels by about 5:00 p.m.
Evening logistics: Hotels are only a short walk from PSU campus. Check with hotel desk or conference welcome letter for recommended route. For those who need transportation, shuttle buses will make continuous loops between Doubletree Hotel, Days Inn and PSU beginning at 6:00 p.m. Final shuttle will leave PSU for hotels at 10:30 p.m.
Smith Center: SW Park Avenue between SW Harrison and SW Montgomery Sts.
Hoffman Hall: SW Eleventh Avenue at SW Harrison St.
Day Tours:
Advance registration is required for all tours on Thursday, Oct. 18. Tour fees are listed below. Attendance size on each tour is strictly limited. Departure times vary; all tours will return about 5:00 p.m.
Forests 1: Ecology and Politics of Northwest Forests
$25 fee (6:30 a.m. departure, lunch provided)
Explore the ecology of the region's ancient forests from below… and above! This tour includes a ride with scientists in the world's only canopy crane in a temperate forest. You'll learn about the intricate workings of these forests, including hot new research on carbon cycling in old growth and its implications for global climate change. You'll also discuss the politics of logging on the Northwest's national forests with some of the region's most important players.
Tour Leaders:
1. Orna Izakson, Environmental Reporter,
Eugene Weekly
2. Lance Robertson, freelancer; former Environmental Reporter, Eugene Register-Guard
1. Susan Jane M. Brown, Executive Director, Gifford Pinchot Task Force
2. Dr. Jerry F. Franklin, Professor, Ecosystem Sciences Division, Forest Resources, University of Washington
3. David Shaw, Site Director, Wind River Canopy Crane Research Facility (WRCCRF), University of Washington
4. Susan L. Ustin, Professor of Resource Science, Center for Spatial Technologies and Remote Sensing (CSTARS), Department of Land, Air, and Water Resources, University of California, Davis
5. Dave Werntz, Director of Scientific Programs, Northwest Ecosystem Alliance
6. Chris West, Vice President, American Forest Resource Council
Pacific Frontier
Get away for a day with the other 71 percent of the planet. Visit Oregon's rugged, rocky coast and its fishing communities, tide pools, barking seals and driftwood beaches. You'll meet salty folks who know the issues, from the legacy of Navy-funded ocean research, to the latest controversies surrounding beach closures, nutrient runoff, collapsing fish stocks, killer algae, hurricanes, sea-level rise, coastal sprawl, oil spills, and marine reserves.
1. David Helvarg, television producer and author "Blue Frontier-Saving America's Living Seas"
2. Richard Hill, Science Writer, The Oregonian
1. Lt. Chris Haley, Coast Guard PIO
2. Peter Huhtala, Campaign Coordinator, Pacific Marine Conservation Council
3. Roy W. Lowe, Project Leader, Oregon Coast National Wildlife Refuge Complex
4. Dr. Elliott A. Norse, President, Marine Conservation Biology Institute
5. Dick Russell, author, "Eye of the Whale: From Baja to Siberia with the World's Largest Mammal"
6. Bruce Sutherland, science and technical specialist, Lower Columbia River Estuary Program
Mount St. Helens: Comeback from a Cataclysm
It's been 21 years since a huge eruption blew the top off Mount St. Helens. Today, Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument is one of the Northwest's top tourist attractions. It provides a unique opportunity for scientists and visitors to see how nature recovers on its own. There's just one problem, finding enough money to keep these spectacular facilities open. On this tour we'll get a firsthand look of the blast zone with a scientist who's spent two decades studying how plants and animals recover. We'll follow that with a panel discussion on user fees, recreation impacts and budget shortfalls on public lands. Please bring warm clothing and/or rain gear and prepare for some light hiking.
1. Scott Miller, Environmental Reporter, KING-TV, Seattle
2. Erik Robinson, Reporter, Vancouver Columbian
1. Denny Bschor, Director of Recreation, Heritage, and Wilderness, USDA Forest Service
2. Christine Colasurdo, freelance journalist and author "Return to Spirit Lake: Journey through a Lost Landscape"
3. Courtney Cuff, Pacific Region Director, National Parks Conservation Association
4. Peter Frenzen, Monument Scientist, USDA Forest Service, Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument
5. Scott Silver, founder and Executive Director, Wild Wilderness
Salmon 1: Dams, Hatcheries and Treaty Rights
Visit a huge hydroelectric dam, a tribal fishing site and a federal hatchery in the spectacular Columbia River Gorge. See firsthand the clash between the West's insatiable need for power and shipping versus the fate of endangered species and the sovereign treaty rights of Native American tribes to fish for salmon. Hear the pros and cons of hatchery reform, dam modification and breaching four dams upstream on Idaho's Snake River.
1. Rocky Barker, Environment Reporter, Idaho Statesman
2. Jonathan Brinckman, Environment Reporter, The Oregonian
1. Conservationists - Jeff Curtis, Western Conservation Director, Trout Unlimited
2. Hatchery Reform - Speros Doulos, Hatchery Manager, Little White Salmon Fish Hatchery
3. Industry - Bruce Lovelin, Executive Director, Columbia River Alliance
4. Tribes - Don Sampson, Executive Director, Columbia Inter-tribal Fish Commission
5. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Witt Anderson, fishery biologist, Northwestern Division
Sprawl 1: Fencing in Sprawl: A Tale of Two States
[NOTE: The departure time for this tour has changed from the original time printed in the conference brochure.]
Compare Oregon and Washington, two states that have taken different statewide approaches in land-use law to protect farmland and forests by containing development. In between, visit the spectacular and controversial Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, shared by both states, a mosaic of public and private land that has become a hotbed of property rights disputes.
1. Nick Budnick, Willamette Week
2. Kathie Durbin, Special Projects Reporter, Vancouver Columbian
1. Richard Benner, Metro legal counsel, Metropolitan Portland Service District; former Director, Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development; and, former Executive Director, Columbia River Gorge Commission
2. Martha Bennett, Executive Director, Columbia River Gorge Commission
3. David Bragdon, Presiding Officer, Metro Council, Metropolitan Portland Service District
4. Mike Burton, Executive Officer, Metropolitan Portland Service District
5. Richard Carson, Director, Clark County Community Development
6. Anita Gahimer, Executive Director, Port of Skamania County
7. Kevin Gorman, Executive Director, Friends of the Columbia Gorge
8. Dave Hunnicutt, legal counsel, Oregonians in Action
9. John Karpinski, environmental attorney
10. Mary Kyle McCurdy, staff attorney, 1000 Friends of Oregon
11. Alison Mielke, past Executive Director, Friends of Clark County
12. Joyce Reinig, Gorge Commissioner from Hood River County, OR
13. Kelly Ross, lobbyist, Home Builders Association of Metro Portland
The Changing Face of Farms
$10 fee (12:30 p.m. departure, snack provided)
Changing trends in agriculture are explored in the Willamette Valley, where traditional food-cropping of berries and vegetables for canneries and freezing plants is drastically on the decline. Stops include a farm just outside the Portland greenbelt that has managed to survive by networking with urban consumers through u-pick and direct marketing; a nursery that grows ornamentals instead of food and is part of an industry that now ranks as the top-grossing sector of Oregon agriculture; and, finally, a vineyard, which has helped launch the boom in Oregon wines that's seen the state gain international prominence and is now working on ways to help ease environmental impacts on salmon. Yes, samples will be available.
1. Hal Bernton, Natural Resources Reporter, Seattle Times
2. James Bruggers, Courier-Journal, Louisville, KY
1. Jeff Boden, West End Farms, Hillsboro, OR
2. Mark Bradbury, General Manager, Hines Nursery, Forest Grove, OR
3. Lindsey Woodward, Ponzi Vineyards, Beaverton, OR
Note: Forests 2, Salmon 2 and Sprawl 2 will all be a part of Saturday afternoon's expanded mini-tour program.
Evening Events at Portland State University: The PSU Campus is a short walk from the Doubletree and Days Inn, but for those who prefer transportation a shuttle bus will run continuously to and from PSU, beginning at 5:30 p.m. Final shuttle departs PSU at 10:30 p.m.
Northwest Research Poster Session
Want to catch-up on new invasive species policy? Want to know the environmental changes since Lewis and Clark paddled past Portland almost 200 years ago? Need to connect to recent high tech environmental informational resources? Is the difference between wild and hatchery salmon important? Just how is Northwest hydropower connected to the California energy crisis? Scientists from Portland State University and other research institutions across the Northwest will be on hand to discuss some of the leading environmental research in the region. Come and chat informally during cocktail hour and/or sign up for more in-depth interviews. The posters will remain on display throughout the conference, and several scientists will be around to discuss their research during conference breaks.
Organizer: Dick Dewey, Environmental Professional Programs,	Portland State University	School of Extended Studies
Location: Vanport room, flowing into the Smith Center Ballroom, 3rd floor
Opening Reception and Buffet Dinner
Welcome and a brief talk, with Q-and-A to follow, on the transformation of environment news from niche journalism to necessary part of the daily and Sunday report. While viewing the subject broadly, Sandy will refer to The Oregonian's efforts in this context to make things specific and concrete.
Introductions: Christy George, 2001 SEJ Conference Chair, and Oregon Public Broadcasting
Speaker: Sandra Mims Rowe, Editor, The Oregonian
Location: Smith Center Ballroom, 3rd floor
Welcome to the Wild Northwest
9:00 - 10:30 p.m.
From violent volcanoes to vast clearcuts, raging rivers to nuclear waste dumps, hippies and yuppies to survivalists and anarchists, the Northwest corner of North America is anything but dull. A modern leader of the first people to inhabit the Portland area challenges us to consider the historical perspective of current environmental conflicts. Award-winning Northwest photographers Gary Braasch and Trygve Steen dazzle us with exceptional images from wildly varied corners of this breathtaking region. Finally, Steve Amen, host of Oregon Public Broadcasting's Oregon Field Guide, takes us on a video tour of some of the environmental hot spots that we'll be hearing so much about throughout the rest of the conference. Our host is Jack Hamann, Seattle-based veteran documentary producer for CNN and PBS.
Location: Hoffman Hall
Friday, October 19:
All events are in the Smith Center unless indicated otherwise.
Logistics:
The PSU Campus is a short walk from the Doubletree and Days Inn, but for those who prefer transportation a shuttle bus will run continuously to and from PSU, beginning at 7:30 a.m. The final shuttle will depart PSU at 10:30 p.m.
From Double Tree Hotel to PSU campus:
Exit the Double Tree Hotel and cross Lincoln at the crosswalk. Continue walking north on the pedestrian walkway between the office and apartment buildings.
Continue north to the fountain. Turn left and walk west past the big silver and glass building to 4th Street. Cross 4th at Hall and continue walking west passing 5th, 6th and Broadway. After crossing Broadway, turn right to Smith Center. Follow the signs.
For more information, there is a great campus map on the PSU website. Click on "about PSU" to pick up the campus map. The best one to print is the line drawing map of the campus directory.
From Days Inn to PSU campus:
Exit Days Inn through their lobby. Walk south on 6th Ave, crossing Clay Street, and proceed another block to Market Street. Walk west on Market Street one block to Broadway.
The first campus building is Lincoln Hall. Smith Center is two buildings further south with entrances on all sides of the building.
All Day:
Registration and sign-up for Saturday mini-tours, Sunday nature photography workshop and members-only small-group sessions
Location: Main Lobby Area, Smith Center, 2nd floor
Interview Room
SEJ Photo Gallery and Reading Room
Location: Littman Gallery, Smith Center, 2nd Floor
Literature Display Tables
Browse for environmental information, news and opinions from a variety of sources.
Location: Smith Center, 2nd Floor Lounge, and Rooms 296 and 298
The Big Tent: Environmental Exposition
11:00 a.m. - 7:30 p.m.
PSU campus: 10th Avenue and Harrison Street
(also open Saturday, October 20, 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.)
SEJ's 2001 Environmental Exposition offers an in-depth look at some of the latest developments in fields as diverse as alternative-fuel vehicles, sustainable-building supplies, environmental science, technology and policy issues. Innovations will be highlighted by exhibitors in "The Big Tent," located on the PSU campus along the pathway between the Smith Center and Hoffmann Hall. The tent will be open from 11:00 a.m. Friday, with a cocktail reception, hors d'oeuvres, and special presentations from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Sign up inside "The Big Tent" on Friday for Saturday test drive of the latest in automotive environmental technology. Look for sign-up sheet in the Green Car Group booth, near the entrance to the Environmental Exposition. Ride-and-drive session will take place beginning at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday. Among the vehicles available for driving will be examples of neighborhood electric vehicles, which will be street-legal in Oregon beginning January 1, 2002.
7:00 - 8:30 a.m.
Location: Smith Ballroom Alcove
Emcee: Christy George, 2001 SEJ Conference Chair, and Oregon Public Broadcasting
1. Roy Koch, PSU Director of Environmental Sciences and Resources
2. Gary Withers, PSU Vice President for University Relations
Opening Plenary
8:45 - 10:15 a.m.
Business, Environment and Defense: Can Technology Save the Planet?
Is there a technological fix to every problem that plagues the planet? In a closed-loop biosphere with finite limits to growth, is it always possible to engineer our way out of complex systems-wide crises? High-tech entrepreneurs may offset environmental impacts of their industries, like increasing waste streams, by their unprecedented charitable giving. But the bigger question is whether the next new thing - higher-speed computing, robotics, nanotech and biotech - can cleanse pollution, increase crop yields, reduce global warming and stave off extinction? And, in a business climate that now includes terrorism, will the high-tech industry continue to design products for a more sustainable world or return to its roots as a tool of the military?
Moderator: TBA
1. Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA), former Senior Vice President RealNetworks, Inc., maker of RealAudio, RealPlayer and RealJukebox (invited)
2. Michel Gelobter, Executive Director, Redefining Progress
3. Dr. Allen Hammond, senior scientist, World Resources Institute
4. Jan Hauser, principal architect, Sun Microsystems, and developer of computing technology to map planetary biodiversity
5. Steve Kirsch, CEO, Propel, Inc.
6. Rachel Shimshak, Director, Renewable Northwest Project
10:15 - 10:30 a.m.
Concurrent Sessions 1
THE FUTURE:
High Tech Trash: How to Cover America's Newest Toxic Waste Crisis
With more than 20 million computers becoming obsolete every year, the U.S. is awash in a growing tidal wave of computer junk -- much of it containing high levels of lead, mercury, arsenic and other toxins. Who should pay the massive bill to get rid of all this stuff? Cities? Consumers? Industry? At least 21 states are debating bills to ban monitors from landfills, charge "bottle bill'' fees on computers and other ways to address the problem. Chances are, you will be assigned this story sometime soon. Hear the latest in politics, economics and science on one of the hottest emerging issues on environment beat.
Moderator: Paul Rogers, Environment Writer, San Jose Mercury News
1. Heather Bowman, Manager of Environmental Affairs, Electronic Industries Alliance
2. Jerry Powell, Editor, E-Scrap News and Resource Recycling
3. Ted Smith, Executive Director, Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition
THE GLOBE:
Sitting In: Rising Civil Disobedience in the Environmental Movement
Environmental activists are pushing the boundaries of civil protest all over the country. In this session, we'll explore how different folks set boundaries and how they defend that limit. At one end of the spectrum, the shadowy members of the Earth Liberation Front claim it is defensible to burn down luxury homes in Long Island, NY and in Arizona desert suburbs, and torch forestry labs here in the Pacific Northwest. Closer to the mainstream, forest activists in California, Oregon, and Washington suspend themselves in treetops for weeks at a time to block previously-permitted timber sales. Logging companies are appalled that the "lawbreakers" aren't hauled off immediately. If envelope-pushing protest hasn't come to your town yet, it won't be long before it does.
Moderator: Tom Banse, Regional Correspondent, Public Radio Olympia Bureau
1. Donald Fontenot, Cascadia Forest Alliance
2. Bill Pickell, Washington Contract Loggers
3. Craig Rosebraugh, North American ELF (Earth Liberation Front) Press Office
Room: Browsing Lounge
THE LAND:
Faded Jewels: The Future of Our National Parks
National Parks such as Yosemite, Yellowstone, Mount Rainier and Crater Lake are probably the best known of America's public lands, but their popularity carries big challenges. Many parks have been besieged not only by people, but also by urban sprawl, poaching, air pollution and deteriorating facilities built decades ago. Both park managers and critics now wonder how America's beloved parks -- spread through every state except Delaware -- will survive the coming century.
Moderator: Michael Milstein, Reporter, The Oregonian
2. Charles Lundy, Superintendent, Crater Lake National Park
3. John Reynolds, Pacific West Regional Director, National Park Service
Room: Cascade Room
THE NATION:
Power to the People?: Is the Initiative Process Out of Control?
This panel will explore the initiative process as a political phenomenon with growing influence, particularly in the West, and often involving environmental-related issues. We'll also discuss the intricacies of covering initiative campaigns, which differ from traditional candidate campaigns in subtle but very significant aspects.
Moderator: Bill Lunch, Oregon Public Broadcasting Political Analyst, and Political Science Professor at Oregon State University
1. Richard Ellis, Professor and Chair, Dept. of Politics, Willamette University
2. Jeff Mapes, Senior Political Reporter, The Oregonian
3. Lloyd Marbet, Initiative Activist and Chairman, The Coalition for Initiative Rights (of Oregon)
THE PACIFIC RIM:
Native American Sovereignty and the Environment: What They Wouldn't Teach You in School
Throughout the Americas, tribal nations are expressing sovereignty in new and sometimes startling ways. In the United States, headlines blaze about land claims, tribal casino openings and water rights. But dynamic, rich stories often fade into legalese or miss the point entirely, because few journalists understand the complicated relationship between the United States and tribes. Experts in the media coverage and legal complexities of Native American issues will help you understand the basics that will unlock important stories that have never been told in the mainstream media.
Moderator: Kara Briggs, Environmental Reporter, The Oregonian, and former President, Native American Journalists Association
1. Carol Craig, Public Information Manager,	Yakama Nation Fisheries
2. Suzan Shown Harjo, Cheyenne, President, Morningstar Foundation, Washington, D.C.; columnist, Indian Country Today and nationally published poet
3. Bob Miller, Choctow, Professor of Law at the law school of Lewis Clark University in Portland, and author, numerous legal analyses of federal Indian law
4. Roberta Ulrich, journalist, and author - "Empty Nets: Indians, Dams and the Columbia River," a book about the Columbia River tribes' fight for salmon.
THE ECONOMY:
Balancing the Books: Does Environmental Protection Really Promote Economic Growth?
Can free markets promote environmental goals as well as regulatory approaches? Our panelists will discuss the economic ramifications of environmentalism.
Moderator: Rob Eure, Reporter, Wall Street Journal
1. John Charles, Environmental Policy Director, Cascade Policy Institute, a Portland-based free market think tank
2. Byron Kennard, Executive Director, The Center for Small Business and the Environment, Washington, D.C.
3. Ed Whitelaw, President, ECONorthwest; Professor of Economics, University of Oregon
THE CRAFT:
Using GIS As a Source for Your Story
Sure, GIS can be used to help you tell your story, but this powerful research tool can also be used as a source, helping you generate story ideas and figure out what questions to ask. We'll talk with two GIS experts who are on the front lines of two of this year's hottest environmental stories -- Roadless forest areas and drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Preserve -- and learn where to find GIS data on the web, and how to use it in your reporting. This will include a hands-on workshop in the PSU lab.
Moderator: Ed Hunt, Tidepool News Service Editor, Ecotrust
1. Dirk Bryant, Director,	Global Forest Watch, World Resources Institute
2. Michelle Dailey, GIS Analyst, Ecotrust
3. David Pray, GIS Analyst, Alaska Conservation Alliance GIS Support Center
4. Jeanne Rebstock, ESRI Conservation Group
5. Steven Sander Ross, Institute for Analytical Journalism
Rooms: Lab 437, Newberger Hall on Friday Oct 19 between 11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:00 to 2:00 p.m.. We have reserved a 20 computer plus one instructor station.
THE LAB:
Tracking Disease: Exploring Possible Links Between Illness and Environmental Factors
The need to track asthma, the most common chronic disease among children in the nation - it has doubled since 1980 and could double again in the next 20 years - has prompted a national effort to track chronic diseases. At the same time, advances in microbiology and genetics are shedding new light on such difficult subjects as cancer clusters and the connection between environmental exposure and disease.
Moderator: Neil Owen Strassman, Reporter, Ft. Worth Star Telegram
1. Dr. Lynn Goldman,
John Bloomberg School of Public Health
2. Jim O'Hara,	Executive Director,	Health-Track
3. Raymond Neutra, environmental epidemiologist, California Department of Health Services
Lunch and Plenary Session
12:00 - 2:00 p.m.
The Bush Agenda
Hear about policy shifts on environmental issues since the Clinton
Moderator: Natalie Pawelski, CNN
1. Gale Norton, Secretary of the Interior (confirmed)
2. Christine Todd Whitman, EPA Administrator (confirmed)
Media Panel:
1. Charles Alexander, former Environment Editor, TIME Magazine
2. Deborah Schoch, Environmental Writer, Los Angeles Times
3. John Heilprin, National Environment Reporter, The Associated Press
4. Tim Wheeler, Assistant State News Editor, Baltimore Sun
Location: Smith Center Ballroom
Reporting on Consumption: (Not) Bringing It All Back Home
Coverage of "Sustainability" has focused almost entirely on large economic actors -- the enterprise, the community, the nation. But every day Americans make billions of small economic decisions that affect the ultimate sustainability of our society, and the environmental consequences of these go largely unexplored by the media. This panel will discuss the challenges to journalists who want to examine these consumer choices, and discuss creative and engaging ways to bring issues of personal consumption and big-picture sustainability into news and feature reporting.
Moderator: Peter Thomson, freelance journalist; former Senior Correspondent & Special Projects Editor, National Public Radio's "Living on Earth"
1. Michelle Cole, Consumption and Values reporter, The Oregonian
2. Jeanne Roy, co-founder and Director of Education, Northwest Earth Institute
3. Peter Santucci,	Managing Editor,	Washington CEO magazine
The Breaking Point: A Critical Exploration of Some of the Worst-Case Scenarios in a Warmer World
The general picture of global warming continues to sharpen. Rising levels of heat-trapping gases, mainstream scientists say, are the most likely cause of rising temperatures in the atmosphere and oceans and are likely to produce more warming through this century. It all seems rather clear, smooth, and logical. But increasingly, scientists looking ahead with computer models or back in time studying ancient climate shifts envision some disturbing scenarios that are the antithesis of smooth and clearcut. The incremental rise in greenhouse gases, some say, could cause abrupt shifts in ocean currents or polar ice, or lead to large new releases of additional warming gases that had been in cold storage in the seas or permafrost or other repositories. The result could be destructive changes, particularly in regional climates, in a matter of decades. But the scariest scenarios are also the least understood, and it is nearly impossible to measure the likelihood that they might occur. A panel of top climate and ocean scientists examines the science of abrupt climate shifts, the difficulty in determining how to weigh such risks, and the challenge this poses to policymakers, the public -- and journalists.
Moderator: Janet Raloff, Senior Editor, Science News
1. Dr. Christina L. Hulbe, Assistant Professor, Geology Department, Portland State University
2. Dr. Anthony Janetos, Senior Vice President, World Resources Institute
3. Dr. Jonathan T. Overpeck, Director, Institute for the Study of Planet Earth, University of Arizona
4. Dr. John Michael Wallace, Professor of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Washington, Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and the Oceans (JISAO)
Wildfires: Man, Nature and Journalists - Better Coverage of the Burning Issues
Complex environmental, political and social issues surround this "hot" topic, making it difficult for journalists to provide balance and depth to their stories. In this session, you'll hear from some of the leading experts in the field of fire sciences and forest ecology, as well as an experienced journalist who has worked on both sides of the fire line. Topics to be discussed, include the fire/human interface, ecology of forests and their interaction with fire, and how to provide better coverage of wildfires. The session will help you understand the issues and provide you with new information you can use to improve your coverage.
Moderator: Jeff Burnside, "EcoWatch," WTVJ-TV, Miami
1. Greg Aplet, forest ecologist, The Wilderness Society
2. Jack Cohen, Project Manager, Wildland-Urban Interface Research Project
3. Judd Slivka, Environmental Writer, The Arizona Republic
Laws Without Teeth? Is it Possible to Enforce the Nation's Environmental Laws?
The Bush Administration wants to shift more authority to the states to enforce federal environmental laws, but are state governments willing or able to play environmental cop? Join a panel of environmental reporters to discuss the issues, the possible sources and the yardsticks that can be used to measure a state's relative enforcement success. Will states stop playing hardball without a federal backstop? Or is devolution the solution to pollution?
Moderator: Randall Edwards, Reporter,
capitolwire.com
1. John Heilprin, National Environmental Writer, The Associated Press
Culture Renewed: The Return of Aboriginal Whaling in the Pacific Northwest
Despite numerous court challenges and the glare of the world's media, the Makah Nation has revived their whaling traditions after a 70-year hiatus. Arguments over the International Whaling Commission, Japanese market interests, Treaty Rights, and Aboriginal subsistence rights continue to swirl around the Makah whaling canoe as they are again on the water this fall to take what they claim is rightfully theirs.
Moderator: David Wiwchar, Managing Editor & Southern Region Reporter, Ha-Shilth-Sa - Canada's Oldest First Nations Newspaper, Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council
1. Tom Happynook, hereditary whaling Chief, Huu-ay-aht Nation, Vancouver Island, BC; and founder and President of the World Council of Whalers
3. Paul Watson, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
Keeping the Lights On: Who'll Be the Next California?
California's wild ride on energy issues began when it deregulated the industry. So far two dozen other states are in the deregulation line, waiting to take the plunge even if they're having second thoughts. What's your home state up to -- and would it fare any better? Ask a federal power administrator, an executive with the nation's largest electricity trader and a sustainable energy guru in this give-and-take on power problems.
Moderator: Amy Gahran, independent writer, editor, and publisher, and former Managing Editor of E Source and Energy User News
1. Hal Harvey, Director, Energy Foundation
2. Paul Kaufman, Vice President, Government Affairs, Enron
3. Steven Wright, Director, Bonneville Power Administration
Getting the Right Play for Your Story
How do environment stories find the right display or airing? Is there really a conflict between mainstream news values and stories from the environment realm? Why do some stories make it to Page One, or lead off the newscast, while others -- perhaps more important -- get buried or scuttled?
Moderator: Len Reed, Environment Team Leader, The Oregonian
1. Frank Allen, President, Institutes for Journalism & Natural Resources; former Environment Editor, The Wall Street Journal
2. Frank Clifford, Environment, Science & Medicine Editor, Los Angeles Times
3. Andrea Otanez, Environment, Energy & Science Editor, The Seattle Times
SEJ Membership Meeting
SEJ members are urged to attend their annual membership meeting. Eligible voters will cast old-fashioned pen-and-ink ballots (no chads) to fill seats on the board of directors, hear about exciting new SEJ programs to be unveiled for 2002 and learn who's won SEJ's 2001 David Stolberg Award for Meritorious Volunteer Service. Meeting will also include brief progress reports and open discussion on any new business or concerns members may wish to share.
Location: Cascade Room
Environmental Exposition Reception
SEJ is proud to offer conference attendees an in-depth look at some of the latest developments, achievements and new environmental concepts in fields as diverse as alternative fuel vehicles, sustainable-building supplies, environmental science, technology and policy issues. In addition to SEJ providing hors d'oeuvres and cash bar, exhibitors will be offering an additional selection of food and drink at their booths.
Location: In "The Big Tent," located on the PSU campus along the pathway between the Smith Center and Hoffmann Hall
We'll hear from renowned primatologist and conservation biologist Russell Mittermeier, President of Conservation International, about the next mass extinction. With eye-opening slides from across the globe, he'll show us what we stand to lose, and some current efforts to prevent the looming tide of extinction.
Introduction: Paul Rogers, Environment Writer, San Jose Mercury News
Speaker: Russell Mittermeier, President, Conservation International
Saturday, October 20:
The PSU Campus is a short walk from the Doubletree and Days Inn, but for those who prefer transportation a shuttle bus will run continuously to and from PSU, beginning at 7:30 a.m. The last pick-up at PSU at 4:45 p.m. will shuttle to the reception at the World Forestry Center. The shuttle will make continuous hourly loops between the Doubletree, Days Inn and the World Forestry Center until 7:30 p.m., when the last shuttle will depart for the hotels.
Location: Littman Gallery
SEJ's 2001 Environmental Exposition offers an in-depth look at some of the latest developments in fields as diverse as alternative-fuel vehicles, sustainable-building supplies, environmental science, technology and policy issues. Innovations will be highlighted by exhibitors in "The Big Tent," located on the PSU campus along the pathway between the Smith Center and Hoffmann Hall.
Environmental Automotive Ride & Drive
On Saturday at 9:30 a.m., automotive exhibitors will also offer special opportunities to ride and drive the latest advanced technology vehicles, including neighborhood electric vehicles, which will be street-legal in Oregon beginning January 1, 2002. Sign up on Friday if you can; walk-ins will be accommodated if possible.
Beat Breakfast
Speakers: TBA
Location: Smith Center Ballroom, concurrent with Small-Group Session, Mentoring Program Breakfast Roundtable - room TBA
Small-Group Session
7:45 – 9:15 a.m.
Mentoring Program Breakfast Roundtable
SEJ's Mentoring Program matches experienced professionals with students and journalists who are new to the environmental beat. Mentors provide one-on-one advice, writing critiques, and other assistance. The roundtable discussion will focus on reviewing this year's mentoring program to improve upon it for future years.
Location: 294, concurrent with Beat Breakfast in Smith Center Ballroom
Last Wilderness
The shared border between Alaska and British Columbia encompasses one of the largest and most spectacular stretches of wilderness in North America, including five major river systems pouring through the Coast Mountain Range - the Unuk, Stikine, Whiting, Taku, and Tatshenshini-Alsek. This session will explore efforts to ensure that resource development - mining, logging, and fishing - remains sustainable and protects the wild nature of this panhandle region.
Moderator: Larry Pynn, Environmental Reporter, Vancouver Sun
1. Kerry Howard, Coastal Program Coordinator, Division of Governmental Coordination, Governor's Office, State of Alaska
2. Gary Livingstone, President and Chief Executive Officer, The Mining Association of British Columbia
3. Chris Zimmer, U.S. Field Coordinator, Transboundary Watershed Alliance
Around the World in Ten Days
Chemicals used in industrialized nations are spreading around the world, many of them winding up in remote regions, where they threaten the health of people and wildlife. Some of these pollutants, such as PCBs and DDT, can spread from Asia to North America in a matter of days. How are these chemicals spreading so far and so fast? What impact are they having on human health and ecosystems? What are nations doing to stop it? Join a discussion of this global phenomenon, with some emphasis on the Arctic realm.
Moderator: Marla Cone, Environment Reporter & Pew Fellow, Los Angeles Times
1. Leonard Barrie, chief scientist, Atmospheric Chemistry, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
2. Clifton Curtis, Director,	Global Toxics Initiative,	World Wildlife Fund, USA
Fighting Back: The Western Wise Use Movement
Our Wise Use panelists cover the gamut from frontline trench warfare with environmentalists practiced by Chuck Cushman of the American Land Rights Association, to special use advocacy practiced by Don Amador of the Blue Ribbon Coalition, to think-tank development of national natural resource policy practiced by Terry Anderson of the Political Economy Research Center. Their interests and experiences range from local conflicts here in the Northwest, to multi-state issues and on to national policies embraced by the Bush Administration.
Moderator: Brodie Farquhar, Environment Reporter, Casper Star-Tribune
1. Don Amador, representative,	BlueRibbon Coalition, Inc.
2. Terry Anderson, Executive Director, Political Economy Research Center
3. Charles Cushman, Executive Director, American Land Rights Association
God and Nature: The Rise of Religious Involvement in the Environment
Church leaders in Boston stage a protest against gas-guzzling SUVs. Catholic bishops in the Northwest release an unprecedented pastoral letter urging protection of the Columbia River. Around the country, people profess their religious faith before testifying on behalf of forests and rivers. What has been the effect of religious involvement in the environment? What are the barriers? Misunderstandings? Victories?
Moderator: Michelle Cole,	Reporter,	The Oregonian
1. Frank Fromherz, Archdiocese, Oregon's Office of Justice and Peace
2. Jeff Hammarlund, Senior Research Fellow and Adjunct Associate Professor, Mark Hatfield School of Government, Portland State University
3. Peter Illyn, founder, Christians for Environmental Stewardship
4. Shelley Means, Environmental Justice Associate, Washington Association of Churches
5. John Pitney, Pastor, First United Methodist Church
The Chinese Century: What Will the World's Most Populous Nation Do with the Environment?
Water, air, global warming -- the most populous nation of the world is working overtime to provide a better environment to its people, and to abide by the international protocols it has agreed to sign. For the Chinese government, air quality is a national priority, but people in China are also discussing projects like the immense diversion of water called the North-South Water Transfer, the building of dams on the Three Gorges River, industrial waste, and other environmental issues.
Moderator: Jacques A. Rivard,	Environment Reporter,	Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
1. Liu Jianqiang, Tsinghua University Center for International Communications Studies, School of Humanities and Social Sciences
2. Ma Jun, Representative, South China Morning Post
3. Jennifer L. Turner, Senior Project Associate, Environmental Change and Security Project, Woodrow Wilson Center
4. Li Xiguang, Director, Tsinghua University	Center for International Communications Studies
Consumer Clout: How Purchasing Power Can Influence the Environment
Headlines tell the story: "Environmentalists Claim Victory, Call Off Swordfish Ban." "Eco-Certified Lumber Builds a Corporate Following." "McDonalds Reduces Fast Food Packaging, Environmentalists call off Boycott." With environmentalists increasingly teaming with consumers to persuade corporations to adopt more eco-friendly practices, we'll give you an insider look at the power consumers really have in setting green policy. Learn what strategies environmental groups use to steer corporate decisions, and how corporations are responding. And find out if working-class people are getting caught in the crossfire.
Moderator: Robert Mazurek,	Research Writer,	Monterey Bay Aquarium, SeaFood Watch
1. Susan Boa, Project Manager, Seaweb
2. Hank Cauley, Executive Director, Forest Stewardship Council-U.S.
3. Pat Chandler, Manager of Community Affairs, The Home Depot
4. Zeke Grader, Executive Director, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations
Science Writing Workshop: Selling the Story with Science
Tired of the "he-said, she-said" back-and-forth between industry and environmentalists? If so, chances are your editors and readers have also grown weary of that formula. Join several top-notch science writers in a panel co-sponsored by the National Association of Science Writers to discuss how to cut through the spin and go straight to the science by using journal articles, independent scientists, science-meeting presentations, and more, to substitute facts for opinions. A group of science writers tell how they bring science to bear in their work and how you can find sources, get key information, and locate journal articles to report the science behind the issues.
Moderator: Linda Roach, freelance writer
2. Michael Milstein, Reporter, The Oregonian
3. Carol Kaesuk Yoon, The New York Times
Earth Abides -- But Where Does That Leave the Rest of Us?
A panel of science fiction and fantasy authors will discuss how the human race may, or may not, learn to co-exist peacefully with our environment in the years to come.
Moderator: Jeffrey Shaffer, Radio Commentator, Oregon Public Broadcasting and Columnist, The Christian Science Monitor
1. Steve Perry, author
2. Irene Radford, author
3. Robert Sheckley, author/producer
Peril in Paradise: The Ecological Crisis on Pacific Islands
Rather than tropical paradises, Hawaii and other Pacific Islands are actually zones of mass extinction, their beaches and forests overrun by invasive species. Little media attention has been given to these archipelagos of the "living dead." This session will present an overview of key facts and issues, explaining the threat to biodiversity on Pacific Islands, how it got this way, what's being done about it and how to find the local angle for your mainland editor/news director.
Moderator: William Allen,	Science Writer,	St Louis Post-Dispatch
1. Ed Guerrant, Conservation Director, Berry Botanic Garden
2. Paul Henson, Field Supervisor, Pacific Islands Fish and Wildlife Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
3. Bill Steiner, Director, Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center, Biological Resources Division, U.S. Geological Survey
Drilling the Midnight Wilderness: Oil and Gas Exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
The coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge may contain the greatest untapped oil field in America. The plain is also a key habitat of one of America's last great wildernesses. Proposals to drill for oil there have been shot down before by environmental coalitions and popular support for the wilderness, but now the refuge's suspected reserves are a major component of President Bush's energy plan. With new calls for energy self-sufficiency and security since the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, the battle over the refuge continues to grow.
Moderator: Rich Mauer, Special Projects Editor, Anchorage Daily News
1. Ken Boyd, former Director of the Alaska Division of Oil and Gas and currently consultant to Arctic Power, the organization lobbying to open ANWR
2. Pam Miller, independent consultant on Alaska environmental issues, former Chair of the Alaska Coalition and former Alaska Program Director of the Wilderness Society
Will Both the Environment and Environmental News Become Casualties of Terrorism, Too?
Environmental journalists are wondering if their beat will become another casualty of terrorist attacks on America. We will explore emerging environmental stories and themes - from chemical and biological terrorism to rethinking urban planning.
Moderator: Mike Dunne, Environmental Reporter, The (Baton Rouge) Advocate
1. Dan Fagin, New York Newsday
2. Michael R. Skeels, PhD, MPH Oregon State Public Health Laboratory
Our Nuclear Legacy: Cleaning Up After the Arms Race
Successes and failures in the nation's nuclear waste cleanup program, with emphasis on the riskiest and most expensive cleanup challenges at Hanford.
Moderator: Karen Dorn Steele, Environmental/Special Projects Reporter, The Spokesman-Review
1. Robert Alvarez, Institute for Policy Studies; former senior policy adviser to Energy Secretary
2. Keith Klein, Hanford Site Manager, U.S. Department of Energy
3. David Mears, Senior Assistant Attorney General, Ecology Division, State of Washington
Water Rights and the ESA: On a Collision Course?
In Oregon, farmers take the law into their own hands and take water reserved for endangered fish. In Washington, a lawsuit claims state-granted water rights trump the Endangered Species Act. And across the West, the human population continues to soar while the amount of water available does not. Hear about the legally perilous landscape faced by those who would save endangered species, and some innovative approaches to water marketing that some say could solve the conflicts.
Moderator: Robert McClure, Staff Writer, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
2. David E. Haddock, attorney, Pacific Legal
3. Clay J. Landry, water marketer, Political Economy Research Center and WestWater Research
4. Rachael Paschal Osborn, attorney, Washington Water Trust
How to Make Environmental Stories Resonate
Public demand for environmental news keeps growing, spurred on by climate change, ocean pollution, oil exploration and other timely topics explored at this conference. Amid the blizzard of news, how can environmental journalists present their stories in an evocative manner that holds the public's interest while still explaining complex issues? We'll hear from journalists at the top of their field on how they have succeeded in fusing cutting-edge reporting with style and how best to convey news laden with statistics and uncertainty. We'll also debate whether environmental reporting has become bogged down in incrementalism - if we produce stories with interchangeable parts, targeting endangered fish one day and tainted groundwater the next, without reaching for a larger, more holistic perspective. Despite the surge in environmental reporting, one panelist commented recently, why aren't we producing pieces with the impact and resonance of "Silent Spring"?
Moderator: Deborah Schoch, Environmental Writer, Los Angeles Times
1. Elizabeth Arnold, correspondent, National Public
2. Bob Baker, Deputy Metropolitan Editor, Los Angeles Times
3. John Balzar, Editorial Columnist, Los Angeles Times
Location: Smith Center Ballroom, concurrent with Small-Group Sessions (see below)
Small-Group Session #1
Energy Options Today: Covering Alternatives and Renewables
Where will your power come from in the next year or decade? The Bush Energy Plan calls for more fossil fuels and nuclear plants -- but other energy sources, strategies, and technologies have been gaining ground. Explore what's happening today on the alternative and renewable energy fronts and learn what kinds of stories this evolving issue can yield.
Moderator: Miguel Llanos, Environment Editor, MSNBC.com
1. George Brown, Communications Director, National Renewable Energy Lab
2. Ron Pernick, co-founder, Clean Edge Network
3. Roby Roberts, Manager for Renewable Energy, Pacificorp
Location: Alumni Room, concurrent with Network Lunch in Smith Center Ballroom
EPA PIOs Roundtable
Eager to meet the faces behind the voices of EPA's media relations people? More than a dozen reps from coast to coast will join us at this luncheon question-and-answer session. Gain insights into the new administration, ask about response times and processes, or inquire about upcoming developments. Attendance is limited. Please sign up in advance at the SEJ Registration Desk.
Moderator: Margaret Kriz, Staff Correspondent, National Journal
Location: Room 294, concurrent with Network Lunch in Smith Center Ballroom
Reporters Workshop: Working the Web
Web content experts will discuss tools and lead hands-on workshops, exploring various environmental resources which focus on pesticides, energy, and bioregional news services. Discover how the Web can enhance your research skills and give your stories more punch. There will be ample opportunity to explore sites and practice techniques at Portland State University's state-of-the art computer labs.
Moderator: Phil Wexler, National Library of Medicine
1. Pesticides - Alan Felsot, Professor and Extension Specialist, Entomology/Environmental Toxicology, Washington State University
2. Energy - Mark Rodekohr, Director, Energy Markets and Contingency Information Administration, Energy Information Adminstration, U.S. Department of Energy
3. Bioregional News Services - Ed Hunt, Tidepool News Service Editor, Ecotrust
Rooms: Lab 437, Newberger Hall
Mini-Tours
Space is strictly limited on mini-tours. You must preregister to attend. Sign up beginning Thursday afternoon at the SEJ registration tables in the Smith Center. Attendees will board buses on SW Broadway on the east side of the Smith Center, unless otherwise indicated on your tour description. Last-minute attendees only as space allows. The final destination of all mini-tours is the World Forestry Center, site of SEJ's Saturday evening reception.
Forests 2: Urban Forests
Explore the hard-working urban forest, in residential, industrial, and park settings in central Portland. Quiz several experts, and gather resources on some of the latest research and programs addressing air pollution, stormwater runoff, allergenicity, maintenance, energy use, and other issues.
1. Joe Poracsky, Geography Department, Portland State University
2. Robert Weinhold, freelance journalist
1. Jane Foreman, Executive Director, Friends of Trees (invited)
2. David Milarch, President and co-founder, Champion Tree Project
3. Terry Mock, Executive Director, Champion Tree Project
Salmon 2: Living in the E.S.A.
This tour will explore a small Portland stream -- Johnson Creek - and the efforts being done by the city, local residents and businesses to try and bring endangered salmon back. The first stop is a public golf course where a new waterway has been dug to circumvent a small dam and allow fish to spawn above it again. The second stop is a small city farm that is restoring wetlands to give young salmon somewhere to hang out and eat on their journey down stream to the ocean. The third stop is the Brookside project -- where the city is trying to both reduce residential flooding, and improve salmon
habitat.
1. Kristian Foden-Vencil, Reporter, Oregon Public Broadcasting
2. Pat Forgey, Environmental Writer, News-Register
1. Daniela Brod, City of Portland, Bureau of Environmental Services
2. Dick Caldwell, fishery biologist, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
3. Erica Fernay, The Friends of Zenger Farm
4. Kim Hatfield, Johnson Creek Watershed Council
5. Roberta Jortner, Portland/Willamette Watershed, City of Portland, Bureau of Environmental Services
6. Jim Midaugh, Endangered Species Program, City of Portland
7. Lynn Vanderkamp, Environmental Educator, City of Portland, Bureau of Environmental Services
8. Luci Wells, community volunteer, City of Portland, Bureau of Environmental Services
Sprawl 2: Green Businesses
Explore the full range of Portland's sustainability efforts surrounding business and growth on the west side Sunset Corridor, sometimes referred to as the Silicon Forest, though conspicuously lacking in trees. The tour begins with presentations by local sustainable-business gurus, including an orientation to the wildly successful Oregon Natural Step Network and a briefing on Portland's efforts to export its sustainability expertise to Asia. Next, the tour bus arrives at Intel Corp.'s sprawling suburban campus, where Intel representatives address their attempts to offset local growth impacts. Finally, the tour stops off at Orenco Station, a celebrated mixed-use development on the outer fringes of Portland's renowned urban growth boundary. Here, experts will present opposing viewpoints on light-rail transportation, housing and whether or not the growth boundary is accomplishing its ambitious objectives in the wake of fast-paced growth.
1. Brian Back, Journalist,	Portland Business Journal
2. Derek Reiber, Managing Editor,
Tidepool News Service
1. Jennifer H. Allen, Sustainable Business Liaison, Oregon Economic and Community Development Department
2. Jacob Brostoff, 1000 Friends of Oregon
3. Duke Castle, Oregon Natural Step Network
5. Bill Mackenzie, spokesperson, Intel Corp.
6. Rod Park, Councilor, Metro Council Office
7. Ernie Platt, Home Builders Association of Metropolitan Portland
8. Kelly Ross, lobbyist, Home Builders Association of Metropolitan Portland
9. Rick Schulberg, Executive Director, International Sustainable Development Foundation
10. David Williams, President, Shorebank Pacific
Washington Park: A Sense of Place
Spend the afternoon exploring scenic Washington Park, home to Portland's famous Japanese Garden, Rose Garden and Hoyt Arboretum. See an ongoing slow-motion landslide, and learn how it led to the well-visited beloved urban parks that today help give Portland a sense of place. On this bus/walking tour (wear comfortable shoes), you'll also learn about "urban greenfrastructure" and see firsthand how a 1903 park plan by John Charles Olmsted--adopted son of the nation's foremost parkmaker Frederick Law Sr.--provided the philosophical basis for Portland's regional Greenspaces system.
1. Sally Deneen, freelance writer/author
2. Vince Patton, KGW-TV
1. Lou Clark, Earth Science Information Officer, Oregon Dept. of Geology
2. Mike Houck, Urban Naturalist, Audubon Society of Portland
3. Fred Nilsen, Aboriculturist and Manager, Hoyt Arboretum & Forest Park
Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge: System in Peril
The National Wildlife Refuge System is America's only network of federal lands dedicated specifically to wildlife conservation. But it is a system in peril as it approaches its centennial in 2003. Visit one of the system's gems -- Ridgefield (Wash.) National Wildlife Refuge, 45 minutes north of Portland on the Columbia River -- and hear experts talk about some of the issues confronting the system as it oversees 535 units on 93 million acres across the United States and its territories. Special bonus: With the fall migration well underway our walking/driving tour will feature a variety of waterfowl.
1. Eric Apalategui, Environment Writer, The Daily News of Longview, Wash.
2. Allan Brettmann, Environmental Reporter, The Oregonian, Vancouver Bureau
1. Tom Dwyer, Regional Conservation Director, Ducks Unlimited
2. Tom Melanson, Refuge Manager, Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, U.S. Fish & Wildlife
3. Susan Saul, Regional National Wildlife Refuge System Centennial Coordinator, U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Willamette River: National Heritage River and Superfund Site
Five years ago, the Portland Harbor was home to an international port poised to snag a larger share of the world shipping market. Today, a $196 million plan to deepen the federal navigation channel is on hold, and Portland's stretch of the lower Willamette River is now governed by the Endangered Species Act and the Superfund program. How will threatened salmon and tribal fishing rights drive a large-scale river cleanup of DDT, tars, PCBs, tributyltin and sewer overflows? And what does the Superfund cleanup mean for the port's competition with other, deeper marine terminals and for a city known nationally for its green image?
1. Ben Jacklet, Reporter, The Portland Tribune
2. Brent Hunsberger, Reporter, The Oregonian
1. Chip Humphrey, Project Manager, EPA
2. Craig N. Johnston, Professor of Law, Lewis & Clark College's Northwestern School of Law
3. Travis Williams, Executive Director, Willamette Riverkeeper
Oregon has become a hub of green building in recent years, with a host of examples of new and pre-used buildings that attempt to tread more lightly on the planet. We'll tour a renovated 19th century warehouse in Portland's Pearl District that's been turned into a showcase for environmentally friendly construction -- from its 'living roof' to its day-lit atrium and recycled timbers. We'll also visit the cutting-edge headquarters of a leading ad agency, and view an old brewery that's being redeveloped from the ground up. We'll discuss how Portland's example translates in places without a green business infrastructure, what makes a building 'green,' and how to spot 'greenwashing' and eco-hype from architects and developers.
1. Mitchell Hartman, Managing Editor, Oregon Business
2. John Henrikson, Reporter, Bend Bulletin
1. Gary Acker, Office of Sustainable Development, G/Rated - City of Portland Green Building Program
2. Rob Bennett, Office of Sustainable Development, G/Rated - City of Portland Green Building Program
3. Bettina von Hagen, Vice President and Managing Director, Ecotrust
4. Rene Worme, Gerding Edlen Development Co.
Logistics: Attendees will meet tour leaders in the Littman Gallery, at 2:15 p.m., to gather to walk to the Portland Trolley.
Spirit of the Salmon
For thousands of years, salmon and people lived and flourished together in the Columbia River watershed. Since treaty times, the salmon runs, once the world's largest, have declined over 90 percent. Today, the future existence of Columbia River salmon is in doubt and their value to humans is weighed against power production, irrigation and shipping. The Native American view is that salmon unselfishly gave of themselves for the physical and spiritual sustenance of humans since humans have been in the Northwest. In turn, Columbia River treaty tribes, whose religious and cultural existence depend on salmon, must now employ the depths of their hearts and the expanse of their minds to save the salmon. This tour will go to an active spawning site, where attendees will hear elders talk about Wy-Kan-Ush-Mi Wa-Kish-Wit (spirit of the salmon), the Columbia River treaty tribes' restoration plan, and, with luck, actually see salmon spawning.
2. Patty Wentz, Environment Reporter,
1. Bill Bosch, Fisheries Program Data Manager and Assistant Harvest Manager, Yakama Indian Nation
2. Jerry Meninick, Chairman, Yakama Tribal Council
Reception and Presentations at the World Forestry Center
Following an afternoon of mini-tours, we'll all gather for drinks and hors d'oeuvres at the one-of-a-kind World Forestry Center Museum in Portland's Washington Park. Museum exhibits include a Northwest old-growth forest, tropical rainforests, and other forest types from around the globe. Special exhibits include: Oregon Then and Now (selected photographs by Steve Terrill and Benjamin Gifford), Bamboo in Japanese Culture, and Woodies on the Water: Classic Antique Boats. And you won't want to miss the world's only Talking Tree. Experts will be on hand to discuss the exhibits, as well as the impacts of logging and the promise of sustainable forestry practices, including a ceremonial planting of a genetic clone of the 500 year old National Champion Red Ash by the Champion Tree Project.
Speaker: Glen Gilbert, President, World Forestry Center
Location: World Forestry Center, 4033 SW Canyon Road, near the Portland Zoo
Sunday, October 21:
Logistics: Buses will depart from Portland's Doubletree Hotel at 7:30 a.m. for our morning session at Bonneville Dam in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. The dam is 40 miles east of Portland, off I-84, exit 40. Our session will be in the Training Room inside the Colonial-Rivival-style Auditorium Building. The whole complex is a National Historic Landmark.
Lewis and Clark: The Landscape and Their Legacy
This panel will discuss how the landscape through which Lewis and Clark traveled has changed over the past 200 years, as well as the impact of their expedition on Native Americans and the ecosystems of the American West. The upcoming bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark expedition provides an occasion to examine our ongoing attempt to reconcile the traditions of natural history and conservation with the exploitation of natural resources, all of which are deeply engrained in American culture.
Moderator: Elizabeth Grossman, freelancer
1. Blaine Harden, Reporter, The New York Times
2. Craig Lesley, Hallie Ford Chair of Creative Writing, Willamette University; author; editor - "Talking Leaves: Contemporary Native American Short Stories" and "Dreamers and Desperadoes: Contemporary Fiction of the American West"
3. Allen V. Pinkham, Sr., National Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Council Tribal Liaison with the Nez Perce Tribe, Northern Idaho Indian Agency
Location: Training Room, Auditorium Building, Bonneville Dam
Buffet Brunch and Walks Around Bonneville Dam
Multnomah Falls Hike
En route back to Portland, we'll stop at Multnomah Falls, one of the nation's tallest waterfalls to hike around the grounds and visit the historic Multnomah Falls Lodge. Buses will drop people off at the Portland airport or be back to the DoubleTree Hotel by 1:00 p.m.
Post-Conference Tour to the Snake River Dams and the Columbia River's Hanford Reach - CANCELLED
Due to new security restrictions severely impacting opportunities for SEJ group access to key sites in Oregon and Washington, organizers have decided to cancel SEJ's post-conference tour. Agenda for basic conference events October 17 - 21 in Portland is unchanged.
Tour fee refunds will be issued to all registrants for Oct. 21-24 activities. SEJ will also reimburse airline ticket change fees, as needed. Registrants will be contacted individually about post-conference tour cancellation and reimbursements.
The Society of Environmental Journalists
Beth Parke, executive director
P.O. Box 2492 Jenkintown, PA 19046
sej@sej.org
© 1994 Society of Environmental Journalists
The SEJ logo is a registered trademark ® of the Society of Environmental Journalists. Neither the logo nor anything else from the sej.org domain may be reproduced without written consent of the Society of Environmental Journalists.