WWU Professor Emeritus Bert Webber to Discuss the Challenges Facing the Salish Sea Oct. 26

Western Washington University will host Bert Webber, founding fellow of Western’s Salish Sea Studies Institute and professor emeritus of Geography and Environmental Social Sciences, for a presentation titled “The Salish Sea: What’s in a Name?” from 4-5 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 26 in the Map Collection area of Western Libraries.

This event is free and open to the public.

Webber is a retired professor from Western’s Huxley College of the Environment who came to Western in 1970 with a particular interest in looking at estuaries as ecosystems. Webber will discuss the origin and meaning of the name “Salish Sea,” which recognizes the Salish Sea Estuarine Ecosystem, and refers to the combined waters of the Strait of Georgia, the Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Webber was involved in the process of naming the Salish Sea, which started in the late 1980s and was completed in 2010. Webber also assists in the program development of Western’s Salish Sea Studies Institute, which was established in the fall of 2015 in response to the need for dialogue and action regarding the health of the Salish Sea.

The Salish Sea crosses international and jurisdictional boundaries, and the Institute focuses on bringing together the efforts of Canada, the United States, the First Nations, and Lummi Nation to collectively learn more about the sea so it can be protected and restored. The Institute hosts the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference every other year in April, which offers participants an opportunity to present scientific research on the sea’s ecosystem that can be used to guide future actions. Conference proceedings are later shared and made freely accessible online via their publication in Western CEDAR, WWU’s institutional repository, (http://cedar.wwu.edu/ssec/ ).  

Home to 7 million people, the Salish Sea faces environmental and public health challenges from industrialization, climate variability, and human activity, and Webber will explore the role of the Salish Sea name in raising awareness of these issues. His talk will focus on the significance of recognizing the Salish Sea Estuarine Ecosystem, and will touch on the development and purpose of the Salish Sea Studies Institute.

This event is co-sponsored by Western Libraries and Huxley College of the Environment, and is offered as a “Speaking of Maps” program, which are quarterly talks designed to highlight the use and value of maps in research, in teaching and learning, and in daily life. These talks are held in Western Libraries Map Collection, which is open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday-Friday, in Wilson Library 170.

For more information about this event or about the Map Collection, contact Map Collection Manager Dennis Matthews at (360) 650-3272 or Dennis.Matthews@wwu.edu.