Like a lot of good-intentioned objectives face during a tough economy, conservation efforts have certainly been met with increased trepidation.  And by no means is this surprising.  It just is what it is.  But challenges are opportunities, and this Friday and Saturday at the Japanese Cultural Center at the Mukogawa Fort Wright Institute on the campus of Spokane Falls Community College, you can learn more about this as The Federation of Western Outdoor Clubs invites you to its annual confererence: CONSERVATION CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN AN UNCERTAIN ECONOMY.

Get a better understanding of local conservation efforts and see that even during tough economic times, great progress is being made.  Learn about the NW Inland Land Trust, the Centennial Trail, Conservation Futures, the Beaver Solution, and more. 

This event is this Friday and Saturday, August 28 and 29 at the Japanese Cultural Center at the Mukogawa Fort Wright Institute (Spokane Falls Community College campus), 4000 West Randolph Road, Spokane, Washington.

Fees paid at door:
Friday - Evening Program - $10
Saturday - Program without Lunch - $15
Saturday Lunch - $5
For more information contact: Raelene Gold - raelene@seanet.com - 206.363.4107(H), 206.303.7218 (Cell)

There will be a hike on the Centennial Trial following the program on Saturday!

Program agenda after jump:

Friday, August 28

    7pm  Opening presentation: The Columbia River Watershed:
                     Diagnosis, Prognosis and Treatment - John Osborn MD,
                     Founder of The Lands Council, Author of Railroads
                             and Clearcuts

    8pm        Keynote: The Fate of Nature in the New Deal – Michael
                     McCloskey, Former Executive Director of the Sierra Club

Saturday, August 29

    9am        Session on local Conservation Programs: Japanese Cultural Center
                      Moderator: Virginia Danke, Hobnailers

                      NW Inland Land Trust  - Chris DeForest
                      The Centennial Trail – Kevin Hennessey
                       Conservation Futures Program – John Bottelli

    10:45am          Session on Public Lands:
                Moderator: George Nickas, Wilderness Watch

                Mt. St. Helens: Conservation History, Threats and Issues –
                           Susan Saul  - Trails Club of OR
                 Forestry and Wilderness in the Columbia Highlands,
                    Mike Petersen, The Lands Council
                A Northern Idaho/Montana Wilderness - Phil Hough,
                             Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness

    12:15pm    Lunch

    1pm        Session on the Columbia River Watershed

                 Water Conflicts and Prospects in the Columbia River Basin
                     Rachael Paschal Osborn – Center for Environmental
                     Law and Policy

                 The Beaver Solution: A Natural Water Storage Option for
                    Eastern Washington, Brian Walker - The Lands Council

    2pm        Conservation Challenges and Opportunities with the Obama
                 Administration and Congress - Facilitator- Anne Martin, American Lands    
                    Alliance, The Lands Council

    3-5pm        Hike on the Centennial Trail

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