Chance Asher to Speak on Environmental Policymaking March 12 at Western

Chance Asher from the Washington State Department of Ecology will discuss environmental law and policy as part of the Western Washington University Huxley College of the Environment Speaker Series at 4 p.m. on Thursday, March 12in Communications Facility 120 on Western’s campus.

The presentation is free and open to the public.

As the cornerstones of environmental protection, environmental laws and policies must be scientifically sound, legally defensible, practically implementable, and cost effective. Achieving these varied purposes requires the critical thinking and cooperation of environmental law and policy makers from divergent professions: scientists, lawyers, statisticians, social scientists, and engineers.

In her talk titled “The Critical Role of Science in Environmental Law and Policy Making,” Asher will describe the specific impact of science on the development of effective environmental laws and policies, with a focus on the process Washington State uses to clean up contaminated sediment sites.

Asher is the Sediment Program Policy lead in the Toxics Cleanup Program at the Washington State Department of Ecology. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Molecular Biology from Oregon State University and a master’s degree from the University of California at Davis, where she studied the environmental microbiology and biochemistry of contaminated freshwater and marine sediment.

The presentation will include a question-and-answer period. Anyone interested in the topic is encouraged to attend and participate.

The Huxley College Speaker Series, sponsored by Western’s Huxley College of the Environment, is intended to bring together environmentally-minded members of the WWU and Bellingham communities. Speakers address topics of contemporary environmental concern in the region and the world.

Western’s Huxley College of the Environment is one of the oldest environmental colleges in the nation and a recognized leader in producing the next generation of environmental professionals and stewards. Huxley’s distinctive, interdisciplinary curriculum reflects a broad view of the physical, biological, social, and cultural world, and has earned international recognition for quality.

For more information, please contact WWU’s Huxley College of the Environment at (360) 650-2554.