Co-sponsored by the University’s College of Humanities & Social Sciences and Yosemite Farm Credit, the 6 p.m. Agricultural Studies Speaker Series program in the Flora and Bernell Snider Music Recital Hall is free and open to the public. Snow’s presentation titled “California Water Issues and Challenges” will kick off the environmental conference that continues on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, October 16-18, with a variety of speakers, films, and activities that promote environmental solutions, human rights, and social engagement.
An experienced water policymaker and leader of federal, regional, state, municipal, and private agencies in the West, Snow was appointed Director by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in February 2004. Snow oversees a department charged with protecting, conserving, and managing the state’s water supply, including operation of the California State Water Project and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The system provides a supplemental water source for 23 million Californians and 750,000 acres of irrigated farmland, sustaining more than $400 billion of the state’s economy.
The three-day Conference for Sustainable Futures, hosted by the College of Humanities & Social Sciences as part of an effort to prepare the future workforce for a green economy, will include morning and afternoon sessions in Room 130 of teh Marty Stuart Rogers Building. The Bioneers Conference, an acclaimed forum of social and scientific innovators, will be featured via live morning satellite feeds from San Rafael. Afternoon sessions will be devoted to presentations and discussions featuring local individuals, such as Gustine farmer Bill Nunes, who are involved in sustainable economic and community development and farming. Tickets are $20 for the three-day conference. Advance registration and information is available online at http://www.csustan.edu/events/sustainablefutures/register.html.
Award-winning filmmaker Christopher Beaver, who directed the environmental documentary “Tale of the San Joaquin” and is working on a new film project about the Tuolumne River, will be the keynote speaker on Friday night at 6:45 p.m. following a 5 p.m. reception in Room 130 of the Mary Stuart Rogers (MSR) Building.
Friday’s activities start with a Sustainability Fair featuring a variety of booths from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the back entrance of the MSR Building on campus.
Environmental films will be featured on Saturday night at 7 p.m. during a Wild and Scenic Film Festival in MSR 130.