March 4, 2011

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln's free water and natural resources lecture series will host a number of nationally and internationally known experts in March and April on topics ranging from hydroclimatology to landscape changes brought on by drought.

Most of these talks are designated as the series' memorial lectures, chosen to honor the memories of Nebraskans who devoted their lives to water and environmental issues.

All of the following lectures, unless otherwise noted, are 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, in the first floor auditorium of Hardin Hall, northeast corner of north 33rd and Holdrege streets, UNL East Campus, Lincoln.

On March 9, Christopher Spence of the National Hydrology Research Centre, Environment Canada, will be the first of the lecture series' two Williams Memorial speakers when he addresses "From Ponds to Inland Seas: Considering Lake Hydroclimatology in Sound Water Management Decision." The talk focuses on how hydroclimatic processes change with lake size and how understanding these nuances is needed to make sound water management decisions.

The second Williams lecture is March 30 when University of Minnesota civil engineer John Gulliver's "Innovations in Stormwater Treatment" explores developing new technologies for treating and managing stormwater runoff. UNL Extension's Stormwater Management Team cosponsors this talk. Williams lectures honor the memory of the late Alan G. and Irene Williams, both of whom were graduates of the University of Nebraska. A fund in their name, in cooperation with the NU Foundation, supports activities associated with the UNL Water Center.

A lecture originally scheduled for early January will be delivered on Thursday, March 31, by retired University of Wyoming professor Wayne A.
Hubert. The lecture is 11 a.m. to noon in Room 901, Hardin Hall, UNL East Campus. Hubert, president of the American Fisheries Society, will speak on "Collaboration or Agitation? Efforts of the American Fisheries Society to Address Contemporary Environmental and Education Issues."

The series' Maurice Kremer Memorial Lecture on April 6 will be by University of Arizona climatologist David D. Breshears, who will talk about climate change's potential to rapidly transform landscapes, especially from lengthy droughts accompanying warmer temperatures, in
"Drought, Dust and Tree Death: Rapid and Widespread Landscape Transformations."

The Kremer lecture acknowledges the water and natural resources legacy of former State Sen. Maurice Kremer of Aurora, whose foresight, vision and leadership in the unicameral on water issues initiated the water planning process in Nebraska.

The free, weekly lectures continue through April 27. For more information, contact the UNL Water Center at (402) 472-3305 or see the program information. 

Cosponsors are UNL's Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, School of Natural Resources, and Nebraska Center for Energy Science Research.

Steven Ress
Ccommunications Coordinator, UNL Water Center