Wisconsin Resources Lure Ecology Writers
Environmental Journalists are Coming to Madison for 2009 Conference
Aug 21, 2009
Wisconsin is a state well-defined by the waters that form three of its borders, and well-known for the land ethic proposed by its native son, Aldo Leopold; fitting, then, that it will be "home" for five days in October 2009, to hundreds of environmental reporters.
The 19th Annual Conference of the Society of Environmental Journalists
The 19th annual conference of the Society of Environmental Journalists is being hosted by the University of Wisconsin in Madison, October 7-11; Former Vice President Al Gore will be the keynote speaker. SEJ Conference Director, Jay Letto (pictured, left, with Wendell Berry) said that up to 800 participants are expected.
While in Wisconsin, the journalists will follow an agenda packed with opportunities for touring and learning. Day One features a choice between two day-long workshops teaching either how to produce video for the web, or how to "unleash the power of spreadsheets" for better watchdog reporting.
As the conference continues, participants will choose among nine specially-designed, expert-led tours of some of the state's most unique natural resources. The following is a sample of what is offered:
- Learning about the envirnomental issues surrounding the management of a huge dairy farm with cheese factory
- Observing environmental justice in action in Milwaukee, and visiting an "urban farm" in the city
- Investigating wetland ecology and the bird nesting/breeding habitats at the 32,000 acres of Horicon Marsh, which is the largest cattail marsh within the United States
- Cruising Lake Michigan with a team of scientists who will discuss the lake's complex eco system and the challenges that threaten this freshwater inland sea
- The opportunity to look behind the scenes at the isolation-rearing and crane-breeding facilities of the International Crane Foundation at Baraboo
Meetings on the third and fourth day of the conference will include plenary sessions on climate change, water issues, and non profit journalism as a survival strategy for the environmental news business. The plenaries will alternate with dozens of small sessions on topics from biofuels, acquatic invasives, sustainable forestry, local food movements, and much more.
Al Gore's Keynote Speech Will Provide a Countdown to Copenhagen
At the keynote session on Friday, Al Gore will preview the issues, and layout the science community's claims and concerns to be addressed at the Climate Change Summit at Copenhagen in December. The audience will then have the chance to engage in a Q&A session with Mr. Gore about this gathering of world leaders and scientists which is expected to be the most important event on the subject of climate change since the signing of the Kyoto Protocol 12 years ago.
Before the conference concludes on Sunday, farmer-poet-philosopher Wendlell Berry will lead participants in considering "Leopold's legacy." Berry will be joined by Nina Leopold, the daughter of the famed land conservationist; Curt Meine, a Leopold biographer; and Michael Dombeck, former Chief of the U. S. Forest Service.
Joining the journalists at the conference will be policy makers, and others from business, industry, and academia who are concerned about ecological progress. SEJ's Letto said that the number of attendees is usually split evenly between SEJ members and the others.
Society of Environmental Journalism Started Small, Grew into a Movement
The SEJ is an organization of more than 1500 writers, editors and producers, formed in 1990 by a small group of award-winning journalists. In the early days, according to a detailed look at the process that created the SEJ, the members saw themselves as little more than an ad hoc gathering, "a group of working journalists helping each other cover the environment."
By the end of the decade the group had become a sophisticated, non-profit organization with support from major media companies and foundations, and more than 1000 members.
The organization's well-attended conventions are always hosted by a major university; the first one in 1991 was held in Boulder, at the University of Colorado. The 2009 event is the group's first visit to Wisconsin.
 |
 |
 |
