Living Lakes Conference:
Restoring Streams and Lakes--revitalizing communities
by Geoff McQuilkin
Lee
Vining took on an international environmental flair and Mono Lake stood in
the spotlight when Living Lakes representatives, scientists, and business
leaders from Europe, Japan, Russia, South America, South Africa, and the
United States gathered in early October for a three-day conference.
Panel discussions and field tours examined issues ranging from bird habitat to ecotourism to the meanings of lake conservation around the world. Evening slideshows and group meals created the chance for personal interactions and lasting friendships. And an inspiring keynote address by Credo Mutwa (see next page) tied the whole conference together.
Throughout the event, participants gained new ideas and energy for their lake protection efforts. One lesson of the conference was perspective: no matter how hard the issues at one lake, an organization at another lake elsewhere faces issues that the first, thankfully, doesn’t have to worry about. For example, to achieve environmental protection, Lake St. Lucia in south Africa has deep-rooted economic justice issues to solve, while at the Dead Sea the effort to bring together Egyptian, Israeli, Jordanian and Palestinian environmental organizations is more than challenging given the complex, heated politics of the region.
Thanks go to Lee Vining’s motels, restaurants, and residents, who all helped to support the largest conference ever held in town. For more on Living Lakes and, in a few months, materials summarizing the conference, see www.livinglakes.org.
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