Conservationist advocates turning ‘whine to water’
To conserve water, people need to focus on cooperation, a Utah conservationist said Tuesday.
For the past five years, Utah State University’s student organization Sustainable Landscapes has hosted a conference with speakers from all over the country. This year’s conference, titled “Desert Water: Shaping Our Future,” addressed topics such as management and restoration of water and the water situation in Los Angeles, among others.
The conference, held Tuesday in the Eccles Conference Center, welcomed founder and president of the Utah Water Project for Trout Unlimited Alan Matheson to the podium as one of its keynote speakers.
Matheson’s speech, titled “From Whine to Water: The Miracle of Collaboration,” focused on the issue of cooperation between opposing sides of water conservation efforts, such as farmers versus fishers or other recreationalists.
Matheson believes that one of the main things standing in the way of solving the water resource problem lies in the very people who are trying to set things right.
“Old attitudes persist,” he said.
Matheson explained a specific situation in Arizona, where 77,000 people and organizations have filed claims over one body of water. He said that none of these claims have been settled.
“What’s lacking is a willingness to communicate,” he said.
Spirited debate is healthy, but personal attacks are not helpful, Matheson said.
Freshman Kyle Wozniak, a landscape architecture major, agrees with Matheson that now is the time to work on stabilizing our water resources.
“In a way it’s a good thing we’re in this five-year drought, because it’s brought water conservation to the attention of everyone,” Wozniak said.
Wozniak said that because of Utah’s drought, it’s been put in the spotlight as far as research goes. Wozniak believes water conservation is something that needs to be practiced, whether a drought is in effect or not, and hopes that habits developed now will be continued for generations to come.
Matheson said, “My point is that we need to strip away the labels, put a face on the other side, and work together to find a solution. Collaboration is not a sign of weakness, but of strength. It yields to better and more long-term results.
“The environmental benefits [of water stability] are self-evident,” Matheson said.
Jokingly, Matheson revealed an “important finding:” Fish need water, every day. Matheson said about 20 species of fish have gone extinct in the past century due to changes in stream flow, and at least 100 more are endangered, including the native Utahn cutthroat trout.
Achieving water stability not only benefits the environment, but the surrounding economy as well. Matheson said half a million people age 16 and over fished in Utah during the year 2001, supporting 10,000 jobs and the tourism of the area.
“Achieving stability in water management is no longer an option, it is imperative,” Matheson said. He added that Utah is the second driest state in the nation, and that this statistic is largely attributed to the population growth and the “weak” legislative statute governing water usage.
First year graduate student Rachel Jeppson said that although she enjoyed Matheson’s speech, “it wasn’t really applicable.” She said that it was interesting, but more political than she expected.
Matheson agrees, in the sense that sometimes environmental issues are too political.
“Nature should not be a political football,” Matheson said.
-sophisan@cc.usu.edu