For the week of October 22 - 28, 2003

Panel to discuss Western water interests

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By MEGAN THOMAS
Express Staff Writer

Historically, water determined the development of the West. As we settle into the 21st century, agricultural, urban and environmental water uses continue to define the future of the West.

The Environmental Resource Center teams Thursday, Oct. 23, with the Sun Valley Center for the Arts in a panel discussion to explore the historical and future uses of the Salmon River. The discussion, "Salmon, Water and the American West," takes place 7 p.m. at the center’s gallery in Ketchum.

"Salmon, Water and the American West" addresses the competing issues of salmon interests and water resource uses. The renaissance in environmental concerns and salmon awareness conflicts with earlier social values in the West. For example, the Endangered Species Act requires adequate river habitat for native fish, while energy companies desire to use rivers to generate cheap electricity. The discussion will open with how past values drive resource use and shape today’s West.

The panel includes five members of our regional community who bring an array of water policy perspectives. Panelists include Pat Ford, the executive director of Save Our Wild Salmon; John Peavey, a Carey sheep rancher and former Idaho state senator; Bert Bowler, former Idaho Fish and Game fisheries biologist and Idaho Rivers United staffer; Cliff Hansen, a long time family ranch owner, and Charles Conn, of the Moore Foundation, which is committed to wild salmon ecosystems. Each candidate will explain his connection with and interest in salmon and water resources.

The discussion is part of the Sun Valley Center’s multidisciplinary project "The Whole Salmon." The project celebrates the Salmon River as one of the largest wild rivers in the United States and considers the impact of the river on the West. The exhibition will be at the Center through Friday, Oct. 31.

 

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