Planning for a Sustainable Future: The Case of the North American Great Plains
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Symposium Program

Monday, May 8

8:00-8:30 a.m. Session 1-Welcome and Introductions

  • Donald A. Wilhite, Director, International Drought Information Center, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
  • Governor Ben Nelson, Nebraska

8:30-9:10 a.m. Sustaining the Great Plains: A Federal Policy Perspective

  • Senator Bob Kerrey, Nebraska

9:10-9:45 a.m. Keynote Speaker: An Overview of Canadian Initiatives in Sustainable Development (Moderator: Donald Wilhite)

  • Robert W. Slater, Assistant Deputy Minister, Environmental Conservation Service, Ottawa

9:45-10:15 a.m. Refreshment Break

10:15-12:15 p.m. Session 2-Region at Risk? (Moderator: William E. Easterling, Director, Great Plains Regional Center for Global Environmental Change, University of Nebraska-Lincoln)

Economic and Social Stressors

  • Marvin Duncan, Chair, Department of Agricultural Economics, North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota
  • Dennis U. Fisher, Department of Agricultural Economics, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
  • Mark Drabenstott, Federal Reserve Bank, Kansas City, Missouri

Implications of Global Environmental Change

  • Barry Smit, Department of Geography, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario (Chair, Canadian Climate Programís Socio-Economic Impacts Committee)

Policies for a Sustainable Future

  • Harry Hill, Director-General, Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Regina, Saskatchewan
  • Hartley Furtan, Deputy Minister, Agriculture and Food, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

12:15-12:45 p.m. Discussion and Summary of Papers

12:45-2:00 p.m. Luncheon Banquet and Keynote Speaker

An Overview of U.S. Initiatives in Sustainable Development

  • Molly Olson, Executive Director, President's Council on Sustainable Development, Washington, D.C.

Session 3-Case Studies of Sustainable Development(Moderator: Brian O'Donnell, Director, Prairie and Northern Region, Environment Canada, Edmonton)

2:00-2:45 p.m. A Case Study of Sustainable Land Use: The Delivery of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan in Prairie Canada and Its Socio-Economic Impacts (Case Study #1)

  • Greg Riemer, Manager, Agricultural Services, Saskatchewan Wetland Conservation Corporation; and Julia Taylor and D. Burden, Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

2:45-3:15 p.m. Refreshment Break

3:15-4:00 p.m. Education and Research to Support Sustainable Development: A Regional Mandate in the North Central United States (Case Study #2)

  • Charles F. Francis, Center for Sustainable Agricultural Systems, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

4:00-4:30 p.m. Wrap-up to Day 1 Presentations, Introduction of Evening and Day 2 Activities

  • Brian O'Donnell and Donald Wilhite

6:00-9:00 p.m. Demonstration Showcase Session on Sustainable Development in the North American Great Plains

A variety of individuals, organizations, and agencies will showcase their findings and ideas for achieving sustainable development in the North American Great Plains.

Tuesday, May 9

Session 4-Case Studies of Sustainable Development (Moderator: Donald Wilhite)

8:30-9:15 a.m. Sustainable Groundwater Protection: Educating Communities for Local Action (Case Study #3)

  • Susan S. Seacrest, President, The Groundwater Foundation, Lincoln, Nebraska

9:15-10:00 a.m. Reverse Engineering the Sustainable Development Process: Adapting Eight Decades of Experience to Enhance the Future (Case Study #4)

  • Jim Webber, General Manager, Eastern Irrigation District, Brooks, Alberta

10:00-10:30 a.m. Refreshment Break

10:30-11:45 a.m. Defining Sustainability Concerns and Issues for the North American Great Plains: Challenges and Opportunities (Moderator: Brian O'Donnell)

  • Allen Tyrchniewicz, International Institute for Sustainable Development, Winnipeg, Manitoba; and Steve Ragone, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia

Discussion

11:45-12:00 noon Moving Toward a Sustainable Future: Charge to Focus Groups

  • Donald Wilhite

12:00-1:30 p.m. Lunch

1:30-4:30 p.m. Focus Groups in Session

The goal of the focus group sessions is to recommend specific actions or policies that will facilitate the development of a sustainable future for the region.

3:00-3:30 p.m. Refreshment Break

4:30-5:30 p.m. Focus Group Rapporteurs' Reports (Panel Moderator: Donald Wilhite)

Preliminary presentation of discussions and key issues identified

Discussion

5:30-5:45 p.m. Day 2 Wrap-up and Lead-in to Day 3

  • Brian O'Donnell and Donald Wilhite

Wednesday, May 10

8:00-12:00 noon Focus Groups in Session

10:00-10:30 a.m. Refreshment Break

12:00-1:30 p.m. Lunch

1:30-3:00 p.m. Focus Group Rapporteurs' Reports and Discussion (Panel Moderator: Brian O'Donnell)

3:00-3:30 p.m. Refreshment Break

3:30-4:30 p.m. Symposium Synthesis: Recommendations for Regional Initiatives (Plan of Action) (Panel Moderator: Charles F. Francis, Center for Sustainable Agricultural Systems, University of Nebraska-Lincoln)

Panel:

Rosina M. Bierbaum, Senior Policy Analyst, Environment Program, Office of Science and Technology Policy, Executive Office of the President, Washington, D.C.

George Pearson, Director, Strategic Planning, Agriculture Canada, Ottawa

Art Hanson, President and CEO, International Institute for Sustainable Development, Winnipeg