Environmental Education Speaker Series

> > > NOTE: This talk (and this talk only) will start at 4:45 pm -
All remaining Huxley Speaker events this Spring will begin at 4:30 pm < < <

Mountain caribou have long-depended on the rugged and remote habitat that humans now use for lumber, hydropower, energy extraction, and winter recreation. While these creatures are resilient, they are also highly vulnerable to these human-caused stressors. Currently, only 3 caribou remain in the last herd that crosses back and forth between the United States and Canada. The total population of mountain caribou is estimated at less than 1500 across all of British Columbia.

The headwaters of the Nooksack River is a free-flowing, beautiful and wild area that is worthy of being protected. Brett Baunton presents “Wild Nooksack”, a visual presentation about the outstanding qualities that make the Nooksack River a unique gem to our region. The focus is on the beauty, diversity and outstanding qualities that make the Nooksack eligible for a National Wild and Scenic River designation. The upper reaches of the Nooksack should be granted Wild and Scenic River status for further protection from development and dams.

> > > Earth Day is April 22nd, 2019 < < <

The Cuyahoga River is (in)famous for having burned in 1969, an event which helped spur the environmental movement in the United States, including the establishment of the first Earth Day. This year is the 50th anniversary of the fire.

Institute for Village Studies is a non-profit organization based in Bellingham that collaborates with village communities in achieving their vision for a better future. We accomplish this through community-driven development, research, and cross-cultural education.

We are living longer than we did 100 years ago primarily due to breakthroughs in sanitation, communicable diseases, and development of antibiotics.  However, today our concerns have shifted as obesity, heart disease, and diabetes rates are all on the rise.  We have also seen an uptick in pedestrian and traffic fatalities and serious injuries.  The design of our communities, housing, transportation infrastructure, and open space, strongly influences human behavior and activity, which subsequently brings cascading effects on our health and well-being.  We are adversel

Photo by Jim Ramaglia

As the adverse effects of climate change worsen and as our population continues to grow, Whatcom water supplies will get tighter. How will that affect salmon, wildlife, agriculture and people? What can we do to reduce the likely deficit between supply and demand? Hint: water-use efficiency is a large and largely untapped resource.

Most people associate education with a classroom, lecture-style setting. However, I’ve found that the most powerful, inspirational and impactful education takes place when you’re outside the classroom actively participating in something. Climb aboard with me to explore my journey to find experiential education and how it has led me to one of the best teaching platforms that I know of, schooner Adventuress. (See Sound Experience)