Huxley welcomes speakers Oct. 29 to talk about American Alps Legacy Project

The Huxley College Speaker Series at Western Washington University presents Jim Davis and Phil Zalesky of the North Cascades Conservation Council. They'll speak about the American Alps Legacy Project at 3 p.m. Friday, Oct. 29, in Communications Facility Room 105 on the WWU campus.

This event is free and open to the public.

The American Alps Legacy Project is an initiative to complete the conservation vision for the North Cascades National Park. The North Cascades Conservation Council, the Mountaineers and other partners are evaluating lands adjacent to the park to determine whether they should be included in the park. This rugged and remote area has long been known as the American Alps. As any who have visited the American Alps know, they are a truly a spectacular area, comparable to the best national parks in the world. However, lowland old growth forests, core wildlife habitats, pristine rivers and streams, magnificent mountains and popular recreation areas still remain unprotected by park status.

Davis is the executive director of the North Cascades Conservation Council. During the past 18 years, he has developed and managed several not-for-profit community organizations to address conservation and public health issues (e.g., wilderness, water quality, endangered species, environmental tobacco smoke and others). He received his master's and doctorate degrees in entomology from the University of Missouri and University of California, Berkeley. From 2003 to 2006 he was co-director of the Grizzly Bear Outreach Project based in the North. He has coordinated research at Baker Lake in the North Cascades to quantify forest road use and to identify the knowledge and attitudes of recreation visitors to the Lake regarding forest uses, wildlife management practices and forest road management. He has also conducted studies in Skagit and Whatcom Counties to assess the knowledge and attitudes of local residents toward grizzly bear recovery.

Anyone interested in these issues is encouraged to come and participate. The presentation will examine opportunities for addressing these issues and include a question-and-answer period. The speaker series is held by Western's Huxley College of the Environment to bring together the environmental studies/science community and other interested members of the WWU and Bellingham communities. Speakers address topics of contemporary environmental concern in the region and the world. For more information, please contact Patrick Buckley, Huxley College of the Environment, at (360) 650-4773.