Announcing the 2004 EWRI World Water & Environmental Resources Congress

Grand America Hotel, Salt Lake City • June 28th - July 1, 2004 • www.asce.org/conferences/ewri2004

Civil engineers and scientists have long been involved in the process of evaluating, utilizing and protecting our environmental and water resources. However, recently there has been much discussion in both the popular and scientific literature about existing and projected water and natural resources shortfalls and catastrophes, both within the U.S. and throughout the world. As ASCE just celebrated its 150th anniversary, it is appropriate that we understand and appreciate the past goals and the contributions made by Civil Engineers, scientists and other related disciplines to improve the human condition in the environmental and water resources arenas. However, it is equally important for us to critically evaluate our past goals and actions, and to improve in those areas where we were not as successful as we desired and to build on those areas where we have been successful. The EWRI and its partners will be a major force in addressing today's challenges and opportunities and in shaping the future of environmental water resources science and management. Based on this premise, the theme for the 2004 Congress is "Critical Transitions in Environmental & Water Resources Management: Understanding the Past – Shaping the Future".

The vision of this Congress is to foster evaluations and discussions on how we as environmental and water resources professionals can build on our past accomplishments via better integration and collaboration in order to improve our understanding and our ability to manage our environmental and water resources. We must ask ourselves how can we better integrate our knowledge and our scientific, engineering and management efforts/abilities: across the various hydrologic media (e.g., atmospheric, surface water and ground water); between various disciplines (e.g., engineering, hydrology, policy, law, socioeconomic and ecology); between the user sectors; and between the various stakeholders. How can we as an organization and as environmental and water professionals reach out to and work with other professionals and groups to better understand and manage our resources in the future? In order to capture this vision, the Congress will have a three channel focus; integrated resources management and research (general conference), international collaboration (special symposium), and Native American/ Indigenous Peoples/First Nations issues & cooperation (special symposium).

The General Conference will be designed in the tradition of past EWRI Congresses including plenaries, workshops, sessions, and continuing education courses. Its focus will be integrated resources management and research.

One symposium will focus on increasing collaboration/learning from our international colleagues (we're presently looking for a UN contact to chair this). American civil engineers and scientists have been in the forefront of many aspects of environmental and water-related engineering and science; however, there has been a vast amount of research and work conducted by others throughout the world that may provide equal or superior solutions for meeting our environmental and water-related needs. As we begin addressing a number of our future, seemingly intractable environmental and water-related challenges, it is critical that we coordinate and collaborate with our international peers so that all of us can better understand and address our major environmental and water-related challenges and opportunities. This symposium will bring together practitioners.

The second symposium will focus on Native American/Indigenous Peoples/First Nations natural resources needs and how we can overcome differences and better collaborate. Native peoples own vast amounts of sovereign tribal lands throughout North America. For many years they have been fighting for the right to exert sovereign authority over their lands, water and other natural resources. In the past three to four decades, they have gained increasing levels of authority to regulate land use, to regulate the quantity of water flowing to and on their lands, to divert and use large quantities of water, and a larger say in protecting various species of interest to them. Therefore, it has become imperative that organizations like EWRI and engineering and scientific professionals better understand the needs, goals and concerns of Native Americans/Indigenous Peoples/First Nations and to better collaborate and coordinate on environmental and water-related issues. This symposium will bring together Native American/Indigenous Peoples/First Nations, government agencies and officials, NGO's and others working in or interested in fostering increased understanding, communication, and collaboration between the various parties.

Stay Tuned! This Congress promises to be true to the EWRI commitment to: a diverse and empowered membership; excellence in products and services; collaborative partnerships; and innovative programs and solutions.