From the Grand Junction Free Press (Hannah Holm):
Pat Mulroy will give a dinner speech at Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction at 6:15 p.m. on Nov. 5. Mulroy is the former head of the Southern Nevada Water Authority, which provides water to the City of Las Vegas, Nev.
She led the agency during a time when persistent drought spurred numerous innovations, from paying Las Vegas residents to remove lawns to negotiating new agreements with other Colorado River water users on how to manage water. Mulroy is currently the senior fellow for Climate Adaptation and Environmental Policy for the Brookings Mountain West program at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She is known as a fiery and straight-talking speaker.
Mulroy’s talk will be the centerpiece of the 2014 Upper Colorado River Basin Water Forum, which will begin with pre-forum workshops on Tuesday, Nov. 4 and wrap up Thursday afternoon on Nov. 6. The forum theme is “Seeking a Resilient Future.”
Over the two days of the forum, researchers, water managers, policy makers and other stakeholders from each of the Upper Basin states, as well as Nevada and California, will exchange information and ideas related to enhancing the region’s ability to respond and adapt to changing water conditions.
Speakers will address climate change, state water plans, tribal water claims, Colorado headwaters challenges and responses, agricultural irrigation innovations, demand management and the Colorado River Delta pulse flow, as well as the management of Lake Powell and Lake Mead. A key goal of the forum is to generate insights into how science and history can inform management and policy.
The Thursday lunch keynote speaker will be William Hasencamp, Manager of Colorado River Resources for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. He will discuss what lessons can be learned from California’s current extreme drought.
The dinner with Pat Mulroy will begin at 6:15 on Nov. 5. Registration is open to all to attend, regardless of whether or not they will also attend the full forum. Details on the forum, with a links to register for all related activities, can found at http://www.coloradomesa.edu/WaterCenter, or by calling 970-248-1968. One-day and student registration options are available, and the event is free for CMU students, faculty and staff.
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