A Century of Changing Rivers
5:00pm - 7:00pm
Walking Mountains Science Center
Join the Eagle Valley Library District and Walking Mountains Science Center as they celebrate the 15th Anniversary of the High Country Speaker Series with a look back at how far we have come and the changes we have encountered as we prepare for the future in the high country.
A Century of Changing Rivers
Tuesday, January 10, 2017 | 5:00pm
Presenter: Jonathan Waterman
Location: Walking Mountains Science Center
Special 15th Annual Kickoff Celebration: Doors open at 5:00 pm for an early celebration of the High Country Speaker Series’ 15th year, with generous donations from New Belgium Brewing. All ages welcome.
Discussion Highlights: “A Century of Changing Rivers” is based on Jonathan Waterman’s journey of discovery down the Colorado River, which led him to explore and extensively photograph rivers throughout the southwest. His conclusion, from several years of road tripping combined with river running and chasing down early photographs, is that naturally wet pre-20th Century conditions—long before the modern phenomenon of climate change—made the southwest very different than it is today. Now, population growth and its huge demand upon water along with new, man-made climate drying, rivers are slowly disappearing throughout the southwest. A Q and A discussion and book signing will follow his lecture.
Speaker Biography: Jonathan Waterman has worked as a wilderness guide, magazine editor, park ranger, but more than anything else, he is a writer and photographer. He is renowned for unprecedented mountaineering ascents, long river descents, and arduous wilderness traverses—such as his solo of the Northwest Passage, winter ascent of Denali’s Cassin Ridge, or source to sea descent of the Colorado River. The National Geographic Society has frequently supported his journeys. His twelve books include Northern Exposures: An Adventuring Career in Stories and Images (Snowy Owl Books, 2013), Running Dry: A Journey From Source to Sea Down the Colorado River (National Geographic Books, 2010), and Arctic Crossing (Knopf, 2001). The recognition for his work includes magazine awards, a Special Achievement Award from the National Park Service, a literary fellowship from the National Endowment for the arts, and an Emmy. Waterman’s upcoming lecture “Changes in SW Rivers” (based on his journeys down and extensive repeat photography of rivers ) features an hour’s worth of Waterman’s storytelling, images, and video about his challenging research journey into water issues of the Southwest. A book signing will follow the lecture. For more info, please see www.jonathanwaterman.com
The High Country Speaker Series is a partnership between the Eagle Valley Library District and Walking Mountains Science Center with the mission of encouraging environmental awareness, inspiring positive relationships with the natural world, and creating thought provoking dialogue in our community through FREE dynamic programming.