A symposium centering on three controversial issues facing the Neuse and Trent River basins will be the featured event of the 19th annual Neuse River Day, Saturday, June 29th, the Neuse Riverkeeper Foundation has announced.
The educational seminar will center on Fracking Issues and Solutions for the Neuse basin, the Science of Fish Kills and Effective Animal Waste Management. Admission to the all-day symposium, which begins at 9 a.m.at the North Carolina History Center, 529 South Front Street, New Bern, is free to the public.
The purpose of the panel discussions is to enlighten the public and clarify critical environmental events affecting the Neuse and Trent rivers. By providing the best professional thinking on these subjects from academic, private and regulatory sources, the Neuse Riverkeeper Foundation intends to explore all sides of the various issues and will encourage dialog and discussion.
Presentations on fracking will be by prominent academics, geologists, scientists, both business and environmental representatives including Dr. Don Oltz, former Alabama State Geologist; Jim Womack, Chairman of the North Carolina Mining and Energy Commission; William E. Roach, President of Roach Associates; and Elizabeth Power Greene, representing the Sierra Club.
Dr. Wayne Litaker, NOAA Center for Coastal Fisheries and Habitat Research; Dr. Hans Paerl, Kenan Professor of Marine & Environmental Sciences at UNC-CH Institute of Marine Sciences and Dr. William A. Burke, MD Professor of Medicine at the Brody School of Medicine, ECU, will give presentations on the Science of Fish Kills and its significance to human health.
Animal Waste Treatment issues will be addressed by Dr. John Classen, Associate Professor of Biological and Agricultural Engineering at NCSU; Mark Rice, Animal Waste Management Extension Specialist at NCSU; Tom Butler, a North Carolina farmer who utilizes a covered lagoon anaerobic digester; and Tatjana Vujic, J.D. Director of Duke Carbon Offset Initiative.
The symposium is sponsored by Weyerhaeuser, Northwest Creek Marina, CarolinaEast Health System, Craven County Independent Insurance Agents Association, Coldwell Banker Willis-Smith Realty, Riverside Chrysler Jeep Dodge, and Tyson Hooks Realty. Media sponsors are the Sun Journal, Public Radio East, NEXT Media and The Graphics Shack.
|
