Presenters, Elmvale Water Festival 2009
KEYNOTE: Myths, Secrets and Hidden Treasures: The Real Story of Water in the New Century(It’s not what you’ve heard!)
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Chris Wood Chris Wood’s recent book, Dry Spring: The Coming Water Crisis of North America, was nominated earlier this year for the Shaughnessy-Cohen Prize for Best Political Writing in Canada. Reviewers called it "vivid", "provocative" and, "a great read."
Born near Hamilton, Ont., Chris has covered events in every province, across America and a dozen countries. Over a thirty-year career his byline has appeared thousands of times in international and Canadian media, reporting on subjects ranged from the Israeli-Palestinian deadlock to the perilous state of the world’s oceans.
With Maclean’s from 1985 to 2001, Chris served as National Editor, Senior Writer and B.C./Pacific correspondent. His work there, as well as before and since as a freelance writer, has won numerous awards including two National Magazine Awards for a 2006 article detailing how climate change is redistributing Canada’s water.
Chris is the author of six previous books, including an award-winning Young Adult Fiction series with his wife Beverley. His Blockbusters and Trade Wars: Popular Culture in a Globalized World, written with communications law expert Peter S. Grant, was short-listed for the 2005 Donner Prize for best book on Canadian public policy.
From his home in southern Vancouver Island, Chris now concentrates his reporting on the critical effort to bring economic demands on the planet into balance with its ecology. He is a strong advocate of acknowledging the economic value of ecosystems, in particular those that provide water. "We urgently need to put a price on nature," he argues, "and put nature in every price."
Chris contributes to online and print publications, is in demand as a public speaker and assists companies and organizations deliver messages consistent with his values. He is active in the Cowichan Valley community as a member of its Environment Commission.
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Wye Marsh, Then and Now
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Laurie Schutt, Executive Director of Wye Marsh for the last 8 years, brings a variety of experience to the job, in her words a jack of all trades position. She combines her extensive teaching background with a large knowledge base of the environment and the not for profit world. She has worked in both the US and Canada while on a very diverse career path,
however it was always centred on education, science and a great love of the natural world. Her energy and passion have led Wye Marsh to become a successful environmental education and recreation centre, offering an extensive array of options to a world wide audience.
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Frozen Water: What will happen when the Arctic loses its cool?
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Dr. Derek Mueller is a Visiting Fellow at the Canadian Ice Service (Environment Canada). His fascination with cold environments has led him to study glaciers, ice-covered lakes, ice shelves and sea ice in both Polar Regions.
Since 2001 he has documented a 30% decline in the extent of Canada’s ice shelves at the northernmost coast of Ellesmere Island using satellite imagery and field measurements.
He has also studied the ecosystems that are affected by the loss of ice in this region.
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