Barkalow Conservationist Lecture: “Wildlife Water Wars in the West”
Oct
30
Written by:
10/30/2012 10:09 AM
RALEIGH,N.C. (Oct. 30, 2012) — Chalk up this topic as one of the things that make you go, “Hmmmmmmmmmmm.”
Think about it. It wasn’t that long ago when we all would have yawned at the idea of buying, selling and trading water rights as a natural resource commodity as valuable as timber rights or mineral rights. And we would have outright LOLed (had we known what the acronym stood for) at the thought of going to the grocery store to buy bottled spring water, water filters, flavored water, and just plain ol’ drinking water.
But these days water is, indeed, a limiting factor — an important resource to consider in community planning for humans, and an integral factor in the equation of fish and wildlife management. Nowhere is this more important than in the arid Southwest of the United States where wildlife managers and biologists recognize the availability of free-standing water is a primary factor limiting the distribution, productivity and recruitment of desert ungulates, such as bighorn sheep, moose, elk and deer.
Learn more about the “Wildlife Water Wars in the West” this Wednesday, Oct. 31, in room 101 of David Clark Labs on N.C. State University’s campus. Dr. Paul R. Krausman, the Boone and Crockett professor at the University of Montana and a past president of The Wildlife Society, will be the guest lecturer at the Frederick and Joan Barkalow Distinguished Conservationist Lecture. Dr. Krausman’s presentation is scheduled for 4:15–5:15 p.m. It will be preceded by a reception in the David Clark Labs lobby from 3:15–4:15 p.m.
Dr. Krausman’s presentation will outline the controversy water plays in the management of desert bighorn sheep and describe the results of an experiment in which water catchments were removed from an entire mountain range. It also will give us more to think about in North Carolina, now that we too have come to look at water as a limited,natural resource commodity.
David Clark Labs is located on NCSU’s campus at the corner of Dan Allen Drive and Yarbrough Drive,just across the street from the Dan Allen Parking Deck. See Building 75 on the full NCSU campus map.
1 comment(s) so far...
Re: Barkalow Conservationist Lecture: “Wildlife Water Wars in the West”
sorry I missed the lecture. Dr Barkalow, who the lecture series is named after, was my teacher and advisor at NCSU when I went through the wildlife program way back when. he even put the idea in my head to become a NC wildlife officer upon graduation. After 29 years in that role I moved to Montana upon retiring. I bought a horse farm that has water rights. The world of water rights is very interesting and yes people still beat up and kill each other over it! Recommendation, file for your water rights now, you will be gald you did.
By fred weisbecker on
11/22/2012 4:50 PM
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