Doors & Cash Bar at 5.30pm | Talk at 6pm | Audience Q&A 7pm | Speaker Mix & Mingle 7.30pm – 8pm
*Raincoast Conservation Foundation’s Mobile Lab will be in front of Maury Young Arts Centre 4pm – 5.30pm*
Presented in partnership with Whistler Lakes Conservation Foundation.
About This Event:
As glaciers vanish, what does the future hold for our water? Join us for the final speaker event of the season, featuring Dr. Brian Menounos, Dr. Peter Ross, and Michael Blackstock, as they explore the profound changes impacting our freshwater systems. Learn about the critical need for water retention, the threats of contamination in local waterways, and how Indigenous knowledge and scientific research can guide us forward. Don’t miss this essential conversation on the future of water!
All attendees will receive a small gift to remind them of our need for healthy waters.
About The Speakers:
Dr. Brian Menounos is a full professor in UNBC’s Department of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences. His research is aimed at understanding past and present climate change in western Canada with research interests in glaciers and glacier change, process geomorphology, and quaternary & surficial geology. Brian is currently on a two-year exchange working with the Geological Survey of Canada (Natural Resources Canada) on aspects of glacier change and geohazards. In 2013-2023, he was the Canada Research Chair in Glacier Change. Brian is also the Chief Scientist of the Hakai Institute’s Airborne Coastal Observatory.
Dr. Peter S. Ross is an internationally recognized ocean pollution expert, having published over 160 scientific articles and book chapters on pollutants of concern in water, air, sediments, fish and marine mammals. He is Senior Scientist at Raincoast Conservation Foundation, where he oversees its Healthy Waters program, a community-oriented water pollution monitoring program. In his previous role as a Research Scientist at DFO, he discovered the region’s killer whales to be the most contaminated marine mammals in the world in a groundbreaking 2000 study. While serving as Vice President (Research) at the Vancouver Aquarium / Ocean Wise Conservation Association, he and his team launched Pollution Tracker, the first comprehensive monitoring program for pollutants of concern in coastal British Columbia; and the Plastics Lab, a dedicated high-resolution facility that documented microplastic pollution in the Pacific and Arctic oceans. Dr. Ross is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Victoria School for Environmental Studies. Dr. Ross’s work has been profiled in international media, including CBC’s the Fifth Estate, the National, Radio Canada, NBC Nightly News, BBC, the Washington Post, New York Times and the Guardian.
During times of crisis, a few leaders always step into the spotlight with a new vision bridging conflicting world-views. Michael Blackstock (RPF (Retired), C. MEd., BScF, MA) is one of these visionaries. As an Independent Indigenous Scholar and founder of the Blue Ecology™ theory, Blackstock offers a unique First Nations perspective on the climate crisis, inserting water into the difficult debates about carbon emissions. He has published over two dozen peer reviewed papers, bridging Science and centuries old Indigenous ways of honouring nature. His ability to mediate grew out of a uniquely diverse background as a writer, a thought leader, and registered Forester. Michael recently coined the phrase “Natural Intelligence (NI), to seek balance over the current frenzy over Artificial Intelligence (AI). For the past 20 years, Blackstock has held senior positions in the BC Public Service and as the Senior Negotiator and Manager of Indigenous Employment and Training at BC Hydro.
Speaker accommodation for this event is being generously provided by Nita Lake Lodge.
This event is being generously supported by Cascade Environmental Resource Group and Whistler Blackcomb’s Epic Promise
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