April 23, 2003 -- The Puget Sound Water Quality Action Team (a National Estuary Program) and Environment Canada co-sponsored the first-ever Georgia Basin/Puget Sound Research Conference, which was held March 31-April 3 in Vancouver, British Columbia.
The conference theme was the application of science and information to sustainability in the shared Georgia Basin/Puget Sound ecosystem. Over 800 registrants attended the conference, with an estimated 50% coming from the States of Washington and Alaska and from U.S. Tribal natural resource agencies as well as from local watershed groups and academic institutions.
About 300 presentations were given on a wide range of topics, including indicator development and reporting, ecosystem/habitat protection and restoration, the relationship of development patterns to ecosystem function, climate change impacts, marine mammal contamination, and invasive species challenges.
Several of the research efforts whose results were reported at the conference were conducted by joint U.S.-Canadian teams.
The Minister of Environment Canada, Washington Governor Gary Locke, and the former Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Program lauded the efforts of conference planners and presenters, and urged them to continue their efforts on behalf of a shared commitment to and responsibility for applying science and information to transboundary ecosystem protection and restoration.
For further information, please visit the conference web site at: http://www.wa.gov/puget_sound/Publications/2003research/RC2003.htm
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