Environmental Network Seminar and Luncheon: Feb 25th

Guest Speaker Josh Smienk, former Chair of the Columbia Basin Trust

Topic: Columbia Basin River Treaty

THERE ARE STILL SEATS AVAILABLE, YOU CAN REGISTER AT THE DOOR!

This session will inform participants on what the Columbia River Treaty is and how it has positively and negatively impacted our region. The session will also look at the future of water management in Columbia and why students and citizens should take interest in this subject.

In 1964, Canada and the United States ratified the Columbia River Treaty (CRT). The purpose of the CRT is to coordinate flood control and optimize electrical energy production in the Columbia River Basin in the United States and Canada.

The Columbia River is one of the largest river Basins in North America. It is a trans-boundary river Basin about the same size of France that is shared between Canada and the United States. The waters flowing through this system support a wide diversity of fish and wildlife and human populations. Through time human development on the system has necessitated harnessing the water resources of the Columbia to support the economic growth and development of the Pacific Northwest US as well as British Columbia. IN the early 1960’s Canada and the US signed an international Treaty that lead to the creation of major dams and reservoirs systems in Canada. This Treaty was called the Columbia River Treaty and the resultant development of the Columbia River in Canada forever changed the face of this Basin.

See the CBT site for more on the River Treaty here

Luncheon Location: Castlegar in the Selkirk College staff lounge
Feb 25th,

11:30 networking

12-1230 lunch

12:30 – 1:30 p.m presentation/questions/answers and networking