‘Patagonia: Ice-to-Ocean’ will be presented on Wednesday, May 19th at 7:00pm at the Salida Community Center. Discussing her latest project, this timely story will be told by Wendy J. Pabich, Ph.D., environmental scientist, educator, adventurer, and artist. This free presentation, sponsored by Chaffee Citizens for Sustainability, focuses on Rio Baker which slices through the peaks of the southern Andes and is the main artery of the world’s third largest freshwater reserve. As an ecological hotspot and carbon sink, Patagonia is an icon of global wilderness. Fed by fast melting glaciers, the Rio Baker is dynamic and unstable. Climate change is causing rapid draining of glacial lakes and tsunami-like floods, killing hundreds of livestock and threatening a way of life. Proposed hydroelectric dams on the Río Baker and nearby Río Pascua further threaten the watershed. Widely criticized for ecological, economic, cultural and political reasons, many fear these dams would mark the beginning of large-scale frontier development in this vitally important bi-national region. Impending climate and energy issues of the proposed dams will also be examined.
Dr. Pabich, founder and president of Water Futures Inc., works with businesses, government, and communities to find innovative solutions to one of the planet’s most pressing problems – the quest for sustainable water. She is in Salida taking part in a month long Colorado Art Ranch art residency program with cooperation from Salida ArtWorks. The program culminates during the Colorado Art Ranch Artposium ‘Wade in the Water’ beginning on May 21st (visit www.coloradoartranch.org for details).
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