Our award-winning civil discourse series SymBozium returns in a virtual format on Tuesday, October 20th at 7p.m.. Mountain Journal founder Todd Wilkinson will moderate a discussion on Water in the West: Whose Right Is It? Panelists representing diverse perspectives will debate how to balance Montana’s heritage water rights and practices with the needs of a growing population.
Our guest speakers are Dr. Wyatt Cross, Associate Professor of Ecology at Montana State University and Director of the Montana Water Center; Dr. P. J. Hill, Professor of Economics Emeritus at Wheaton College and Senior Fellow at the Property and Environment Research Center in Bozeman; and Krista Lee Evans, owner Blake Creek Project Management, Inc. and executive director for the Montana Agricultural Business Association and the Montana Grain Elevator Association. Attendees must register ahead of time to receive a link to participate.
Whiskey is for drinking. Water is for fighting. You can’t do much with whiskey except drink it, but we need water to survive.
As populations boom in Western states, water managers are becoming increasingly concerned about water scarcity. They have historically managed increasing water demand by developing new sources of water supply, but sources of unclaimed water are now rare. Climate change is exacerbating the problem.
Bozeman could be facing a water shortage in the next 20 years. Water resources stakeholders are faced with balancing increasing demand with existing water rights, environmental quality and a complex regulatory environment.
Join us for a discussion of the competing interests for an increasingly scarce resource.