Planning for a Sustainable Future:
The Case of the North American Great Plains
Symposium
May 8-10, 1995
Lincoln, Nebraska
Background:
Environment Canada and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) have jointly sponsored five major symposia
since 1988 on the implications of climate change for the Great
Lakes, Great Plains, forests of the Pacific Northwest, Arctic, and
Eastern Canada and New England. This series of jointly sponsored
Canadian and U.S. symposia continues in May 1995, but with a much
broader focus--sustainable development in the context of global
environmental change. This symposium will emphasize the North
American Great Plains, a critical environmental zone, where the
impacts of climate change are likely to be more severe and to
materialize more rapidly than in environmentally stronger
ecosystems.
Statement of Purpose:
The purpose of this symposium is to begin to define an
environmentally sustainable future for the North American Great
Plains. The areas inhabitants (and other stakeholders in the
region) have varying interests and concerns. Every attempt will be
made to include these groups in the symposium. This meeting is
expected to produce a series of conclusions and recommendations
that will help define a future science and policy agenda for the
region. The project is linked to the activities of President
Clinton's Council on Sustainable Development in the U.S. and
Canada's Green Plan for the Environment.
Symposium Program Format:
The three-day symposium will incorporate plenary and working
group sessions. Another critical element of the program will be
several sessions showcasing environmentally sound,
resource-efficient projects that embellish the concept of
sustainability for the North American Great Plains. These projects
will be showcased in a poster demonstration session and also in a
plenary session illustrating a diverse set of projects as case
studies. A call for abstracts to identify relevant projects
accompanies this announcement.
Symposium Sponsors:
The principal symposium sponsors are Environment Canada, NOAA,
USDA, and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Other Canadian and
U.S. federal and provincial/state government agencies and private
organizations are expected to cosponsor the symposium.
Symposium Organizers:
The symposium organizing committee includes representatives of
the University of Nebraska's International Drought Information
Center, High Plains Climate Center, Great Plains Regional Center
for Global Environmental Change, and Center for Sustainable
Agricultural Systems; Environment Canada; Agriculture Canada
(PFRA); NOAA; Global Change Program, U.S. Department of
Agriculture; and the U.S. Geological Survey, Department of
Interior.
* * * * *
Call for Abstracts
Sustainable Development Demonstration Projects
in conjunction with
Planning for a Sustainable Future:
The Case of the North American Great Plains
Symposium
May 8-10, 1995
Lincoln, Nebraska
Development Showcase
Much of our future success in sustainable development in the
North American Great Plains will be based on the experiences and
involvement of citizen groups, communities, commodity
organizations, and government agencies. We can learn from both the
successes and failures of these groups in charting the future of
the region in both Canada and the United States. One of the
primary goals of this symposium is to identify and showcase the
results of successful projects.
A one-half day session of the symposium will be devoted to
featuring the activities and measurable results from a diverse set
of sustainable development projects in the region. This session
will provide the opportunity to illustrate--via poster displays,
demonstrations, video presentation, and displays of written
materials--both the process and results of successful programs. It
is especially important that project results and the social and
human impacts of these projects be presented. The conference
organizers would like to learn more about your project or activity.
In addition to the one-half day demonstration session, a select
group of projects will be highlighted in the symposium program as
case studies.
Areas of Interest
Emphasis will be on the projects that illustrate
environmentally sound, resource-efficient development for the
region, recognizing that we are living in an era of environmental
instability (e.g., potential climate change). The conference
organizers encourage the submission of abstracts for projects in
the following areas: sustainable agricultural production, water
quality and use, value-added products, natural resource management,
wildlife habitat and management, community economic viability,
marketing programs, solid waste management, areawide
transportation, wetlands preservation and restoration, job
generation, and environmental education.
Support for Symposium Travel
Conference organizers expect to have limited resources
available to partially support the participation of representatives
of some selected projects. We invite you to submit a 500-word
abstract of your most successful project, including its objectives,
audience, process and outcomes, impact on the community or region,
and other details that you consider relevant, no later than
January 1, 1995. Please include the name of a key contact
person with address, phone, fax, and e-mail, if possible. We
expect to notify contact persons of their selection by February 1,
1995. Selected projects will be invited to participate in the
demonstration showcase session at the symposium. Three or four
high-impact projects illustrating diverse areas of interest will be
selected for more in-depth presentations during the second day of
the symposium, in addition to being included in the showcase.
To submit an abstract, or for more information, contact:
Donald A. Wilhite, Director
International Drought Information Center
P.O.Box 830728
University of Nebraska
Lincoln, NE 68583-0728
Phone: (402) 472-6707
Fax: (402) 472-6614
E-mail: agme002 @ unlvm.unl.edu
Ross Herrington, Head
Adaptation and Impacts Section
Environment Canada
2365 Albert Street, Room 300
Regina, Saskatchewan S4P 4K1
Phone: (306) 780-5313
Fax: (306) 780-5311