WATERWAYS 2007 NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For more information contact:

Sophilia McTyre, (903) 503-1111

sophilia@unt.edu

GOT WATER?

An in-depth look at today’s water system and keeping it healthy for tomorrow.

DATELINE- February 21, 2007- “Waterways: The Confluence of Art, Science, Policy, & Philosophy.” This is a conference to discuss important issues and raise awareness of water concerns throughout the world. Dates will be Tuesday, March 13 through Thursday, March 15. Location of the conference will be the Environmental Education, Science and Technology Building, 1704 W. Mulberry Street, University of North Texas campus. Guest speakers will include Robert F. Kennedy Jr., president of Waterkeeper Alliance. Cost of admission is free to the public.

This conference will bring together scientists, philosophers, artists, water managers and water specialists to discuss issues of the GBM and the world’s other river basins. The GBM Basin system, Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna Basin, is one of the most fertile river basins in the world and carries the most water in the world after the Amazon and Congo river basins. Dr. Klaver said WaterWays 2007 will focus on the GBM because the Philosophy of Water Program is starting a new initiative called River Cultures and Ecological Futures.

Richard Heinichen, owner of Richard’s Rainwater the first company licensed to bottle rainwater, will speak on Tuesday, March 13. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. will discuss river issues on Wednesday, March 14. He is the president of Waterkeeper Alliance, which is an environmental organization founded in 1999 to unite all organizations that work to protect all water-bodies around the world. This organizations focus on quality water issues that impact health and well-being of nearby bodies of water and residents living near them. Director of research for the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center at Lewis and Clark Community College, Richard Sparks, will speak Thursday, March 15.

Go to www.water.unt.edu/waterways.htm for more information and a schedule of events.

The University of North Texas is a student-centered public research university and is the flagship of the UNT System. It is the most comprehensive university in the Dallas-Fort Worth region, offering 93 bachelor's, 111 master's and 50 doctoral degree programs, many nationally recognized. UNT is also one of the largest universities in Texas, enrolling more than 33,500 students.