Facebook logo LinkedIn logo Twitter logo Print HTML logo
SEJ's 29th Annual Conference Agenda — Friday

 

#SEJ2019

 

 

 

Agenda Coverage Sponsors Exhibitors/Advertisers About Fort Collins

 

 

 

Friday, October 11, 2019

All sessions, as well as registration, exhibits and breaks, took place at CSU’s Lory Student Center,
1101 Center Avenue Mall, Fort Collins, CO 80521, unless otherwise indicated.

 

Exhibits

7:00 am - 5:00 pm
Grand Ballroom, CSU's Lory Student Center

Don't miss the wealth of information offered by the 2019 exhibitors. Learn about environmental issues and innovations, journalism fellowships, see some great displays and add to your source list.

 

Breakfast Program: Speed Mentoring

7:30 am - 8:45 am
Room 322, CSU's Lory Student Center

Speakers

Want to improve your writing? Land a plum assignment? Find a new job? Preview SEJ's year-long Mentoring Program in one hot hour. Questions about any aspect of journalism are fair game at this "progressive breakfast," where newcomers to the beat can pick the brains of experienced SEJers. Participants will meet one-on-one with mentors representing print, broadcast and online media. They will rotate to get a taste of all genres and maximize the early morning expertise.

 

SEJ Student Newsroom

8:30 am - 3:30 pm
Room 376-378, CSU's Lory Student Center

Speaker

  • Joe Champ (Facilitator) CSU Dept. of Journ. & Media Com.

You’re a student assigned to cover happenings at a big conference. Need a place to work? Equipment to get it done? A few editing ideas from seasoned veterans? Checkout the SEJ Student Newsroom. Located at the heart of the conference site, it’s a space to work, learn and chill. Environmental journalists will stop by to offer advice and mentoring. The newsroom will be outfitted with Internet-connected desktop computers and field equipment for checkout (e.g., video/still cameras, pods, lights, mics, audio recorders, etc.). In addition, the special programming developed just for environmental journalism students will be available at the newsroom. See the SEJ Student Newsroom on Wednesday and Saturday for more information on these programs.

 

Opening Plenary: Public Lands at a Crossroads

9:00 am - 10:45 am
Grand Ballroom, CSU's Lory Student Center

Speakers

  • Mayor Wade Troxell (Opening Remarks) City of Fort Collins
  • Juliet Eilperin (Moderator) Senior National Affairs Correspondent, The Washington Post
  • Whit Fosburgh (Speaker) TRCP
  • John Freemuth (Speaker) Distinguished Professor of Public Policy and Cecil Andrus Endowed Chair of Environment and Public Lands, Boise State University
  • Dina Gilio-Whitaker (Speaker) Lecturer, American Indian Studies, California State University San Marcos
  • Shea Loper (Speaker) Director, U.S. Government Relations, Encana Corporation
  • William Perry Pendley (Speaker) Deputy Director, Policy and Programs, Bureau of Land Management, exercising authority of BLM director

The U.S. has a long and storied history of land conservation, which has created a network of public lands now managed in different ways. Since Europeans arrived, these lands have been fought over between those looking to preserve them and those hoping to open them up to development. These public lands now face threats from climate change, including drought and wildfire, along with budget and staff cuts. Recreational impacts, along with drilling and mining, are on the rise. Tribal officials are demanding a greater voice in federal decision-making, and Trump administration officials are scaling back regulations. What does the future hold for America's public lands?

 

Concurrent Sessions 1

11:15 am - 12:30 pm

THE CRAFT 1
Telling Environmental Stories in Sound
Room 382, 3rd Floor, Lory Student Center

Speakers

  • Amy Martin (Presenter) Founder and Executive Producer, Threshold
  • Nick Mott (Presenter) Producer, Threshold

AMBI EXPLOSION

We’re in a podcasting boom. It seems like everybody with a mic and a laptop is making a show.

AMBI SHOES CRUNCHING ON SNOW

But how do you stand out in this burgeoning space? How do you think about the environment as audio? And what might this add to your reporting?

AMBI BIRDS CHIRPING

Whether you’re a print reporter looking to explore something new or a seasoned audio professional, this workshop will help you harness the power of this unique medium to engage your audience in new ways.

FADE BIRDS

THE CRAFT 2
Storyteller to Mediator — A New Path for Solutions-Focused Journalists?
Room 386, 3rd Floor, Lory Student Center

Speakers

At a variety of institutions aiming to foster progress on tough issues, a shift is underway from telling a convincing story to shaping a better conversation. Should media follow suit? The idea: Rather than report on a meeting, hold the meeting — and another, and another, fostering trust and crosstalk and generating stories. This brainstorming Craft Session features practitioners from the “Your Voice Ohio” newsroom and “Rural Climate Dialogues” project, along with the U.S. Geological Survey’s John Wesley Powell Center — where scientists are led through mediations aimed at breaking deadlocks on research frontiers. The discussion will include insights from the Solutions Journalism Network and be led by Andy Revkin, who’s building a new initiative on communication and sustainability at Columbia University’s Earth Institute.

>> Background (PDF)

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
Covering Indian Country and Tribal Affairs
Room 302 (Longs Peak), 3rd Floor, Lory Student Center

Speakers

  • Jodi Rave Spotted Bear (Moderator) Founder and Executive Director, Indigenous Media Freedom Alliance
  • Alastair Bitsóí (Speaker) Communications Director, Utah Diné Bikéyah
  • Jamie Folsom (Speaker) Independent Journalist and Instructor, Department of Journalism and Media Communication, Colorado State University
  • Kalen Goodluck (Speaker) Journalist and Photographer

Experienced reporters will share practical tips on how to cover Indigenous communities and produce culturally competent, high-impact work. From picking stories to maintaining relationships with communities, this panel will be ideal for newsrooms looking to cover tribal affairs effectively.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE
Roadblocks to Renewables: Obstacles on the Road to a (Really) Low-Carbon Future
Room 300, 3rd Floor, Lory Student Center

Speakers

  • Daniel Glick (Moderator) Co-Founder, The Story Group
  • Jonathan Adelman (Speaker) Area Vice President, Strategic Resource and Business Planning, Xcel Energy
  • Anne Hoskins (Speaker) Chief Policy Officer, Sunrun
  • Richard Martin (Speaker) Senior Editor for Energy, S&P Global Market Intelligence

What are the real-world impediments that stand in the way of accelerating the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy systems? As many low-carbon energy sources have become cost-competitive or even cheaper than traditional fossil fuels, especially for electricity production, other roadblocks stand in the way of catapulting energy production towards a truly renewable and sustainable future. Do the problems stem from technology limitations? Political intransigence? Poor planning? Failures of imagination? Bad bets by hedge funds? All of the above?

FOOD AND AGRICULTURE
Beyond Conventional vs. Organic: Can Conventional and Organic Agriculture Find Common Ground?
Room 304-306, 3rd Floor, Lory Student Center

Speakers

  • Liza Gross (Moderator) Journalist/Editor
  • Dave Carter (Speaker) National Bison Association
  • Sam Fromartz (Speaker) Editor in Chief, Food & Environment Reporting Network
  • Jessica Shade (Speaker) Director, Science Programs, The Organic Center

Conventional and organic farming are often pitted against each other, with loopholes in livestock regulations hobbling organic dairy farmers and heavy reliance on drift-prone pesticides threatening organic farmers’ certification along with the pollinators that sustain their crops. But conventional farmers and researchers are increasingly embracing sustainable practices. This panel will look at the intersection of organic and conventional agriculture, how practices that have been at the core of organic agriculture (building soil carbon, rotating crops to reduce chemical inputs, grazing for grassland health) can be incorporated into conventional agriculture.

WATER AND SNOW
Covering Outdoor Recreation
Room 308-310, 3rd Floor, Lory Student Center

Speakers

  • Tik Root (Moderator)
  • Jude Bayham (Speaker) Assistant Professor, Agricultural and Resource Economics, College of Agricultural Sciences, Colorado State University
  • Lindsay Bourgoine (Speaker) Director, Policy and Advocacy, Protect Our Winters
  • Brian Calvert (Speaker) Editor-in-Chief, High Country News
  • Jessica Newton (Speaker) Owner, Black Girls Hike Global, Inc.

Colorado is an epicenter of outdoor culture. Running, hiking, biking, camping, skiing, fishing. You’ve got it all. But there are already concerns here — and around the world — about overtourism, overuse and equitable access to outdoor opportunities in what has traditionally been a very white space. And, whether it's melting snow or extreme heats, climate change is set to further shift how we recreate. From athlete and diversity voices, to the impacts of the climate crisis, this panel will explore how we, as journalists, can best cover such an evolving industry.

LAND AND CONSERVATION
What Will It Take To End Extinction?
Room 312, 3rd Floor, Lory Student Center

Speakers

  • John Platt (Moderator) Editor, The Revelator
  • Alex Dehgan (Speaker) CEO, Conservation X Labs
  • Liba Pejchar (Speaker) Colorado State University
  • George Wittemyer (Speaker) Associate Professor, Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University

Can international environmental conservation grow to include the private sector and fields like economics, engineering, design, behavioral decision-making and anthropology? The answer depends on who is in the room. Some say the field of conservation is ready for a disruption. It was based on saving species through parks and preserves. Many of the underlying drivers of extinction are from humans, and species in protected areas and beyond are declining at alarming rates. Between 1970 and 2012, populations of fish, birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles dropped by 58 percent. Current rates of species extinction are 100 to 1000 times higher than before humans had a prominent role in extinction. How can synthetic biology, understanding and sustaining biodiversity in urban systems, bringing the wild back into farmlands and protecting migration corridors save species from collapse? This wide-ranging discussion will address the latest advances in international conservation, from Agriculture to Zoology, while providing examples from research and the field.

NATION AND GLOBE
Future of the EPA
Room 322, 3rd Floor, Lory Student Center

Speakers

  • Tammy Webber (Moderator) Reporter, The Associated Press
  • Kerrigan Clough (Speaker) former Deputy Regional Administrator (Chief Operating Officer), Region 8, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
  • Judith Enck (Speaker) Visiting Professor, Bennington College, Founder of Beyond Plastics and former EPA Regional Administrator
  • Ruth Greenspan Bell (Speaker) Public Policy Fellow, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars; Founding Member, Environmental Protection Network; and formerly of Office of General Counsel, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
  • David Uhlmann (Speaker) University of Michigan

Fewer employees. Regulatory rollbacks. Funding cuts. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has been weakened even as it faces enormous challenges posed by climate change, emerging pollution sources and other threats. We take a look at what it would take to rebuild the agency to meet those challenges as well as how the agency might look and function in the decades to come.

 

Luncheon Plenary: Elections 2020: Environment and Climate on the Campaign Trail

12:30 pm - 2:15 pm
Grand Ballroom, CSU's Lory Student Center

Speakers

  • Jared Polis (Opening Remarks) Governor of Colorado
  • Lisa Friedman (Moderator) Reporter, Climate Desk, The New York Times
  • Guido Girgenti (Speaker) Founding Board Member and Communications Advisor, Sunrise Movement
  • Mandy Gunasekara (Speaker) Founder, Energy 45 Fund, and former Principle Deputy Assistant Administrator, Office of Air and Radiation, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
  • Heather McTeer Toney (Speaker) National Field Director, Moms Clean Air Force, and former Regional Administrator, Southeast Region, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Former Mayor of Greenville, Mississippi
  • Joseph Pinion (Speaker) Founder & Chair, Conservative Color Coalition

The 2020 election will offer a stark choice and contrast on U.S. environmental and energy policy. Through his first term, President Trump has withdrawn our country from the Paris Climate Agreement, accelerated oil and gas drilling offshore and on public lands, tried to revive coal mining and power production, and slammed wind and solar energy as unreliable. Meanwhile, Democratic Party presidential candidates are competing to be the environmental contender in 2020. That includes more than a half-dozen who have already expressed support for the Green New Deal, the massive reform initiative that calls for a “10-year national mobilization” to transition the country to a 100-percent renewable-energy, zero-emissions economy. This plenary will bring together politicians and campaign advisors to discuss the Green New Deal and what national environmental policy will look like beyond 2020, under either a Republican or Democratic president.

 

Concurrent Sessions 2

2:15 pm - 3:30 pm

THE CRAFT 1
Seeing Environmentally
Room 382, 3rd Floor, Lory Student Center

Speakers

  • Dennis Dimick (Moderator) Board of Directors, Society of Environmental Journalists
  • Peter Essick (Speaker) Photographer and Author
  • Morgan Heim (Speaker) Senior Fellow, International League of Conservation Photographers
  • Helen Richardson (Speaker) Photojournalist, The Denver Post

This session will focus on the process behind creating visual journalism on environmental issues. Panelists will show and discuss projects that illustrate where ideas come from, research and planning strategies, and approaches to visualization. The goal is to offer insight to improve quality and depth of visual environmental journalism. Three visual professionals in magazine and newspaper journalism and filmmaking will participate, with moderation by a veteran visual environmental journalist. Plenty of time will be set aside for discussion and questions.

THE CRAFT 2
Freedom of Information in an Era of Decreasing Transparency
Room 386, 3rd Floor, Lory Student Center

Speakers

  • Tim Wheeler (Moderator) Associate Editor and Senior Writer, Bay Journal, Bay Journal
  • Adam Marshall (Speaker) Knight Foundation Litigation Attorney, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
  • Jimmy Tobias (Speaker) Independent Reporter, The Nation, The Guardian, Pacific Standard
  • Timothy Whitehouse (Speaker) PEER

With government agencies increasingly prohibiting their staff from talking to reporters, how can the press find out what the public needs and has a right to know? In this session, we’ll talk about the uses and abuses of the Freedom of Information Act and share tips on how to work around recalcitrant PIOs. We’ll also hear about a new initiative of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press to provide legal help to local or regional news organizations and journalists to pursue enterprise and investigative journalism.

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
True West, True Stories: Why a Rainbow of Voices Is Missing From Our Federal Lands Coverage and How Redirecting Our Attention Will Mean Smarter Stories
Room 302 (Longs Peak), 3rd Floor, Lory Student Center

Speakers

  • Judy Fahys (Moderator) News Reporter, InsideClimate News
  • Michael A. Estrada (Speaker) Founder, Photojournalist, BEEN Media
  • Bobby Magill (Speaker) Reporter, Bloomberg Environment, and SEJ President
  • Jodi Rave Spotted Bear (Speaker) Founder and Executive Director, Indigenous Media Freedom Alliance
  • Anna Smith (Speaker) Assistant Editor, High Country News

People of diverse genders, sexual orientations and races have long called the West home — Indigenous people longer than anyone. But media coverage continues to view the landscape through a lens focused on white settlers and the hyper-masculine — think cowboys and roughnecks. Panelists will explore how misogyny, patriarchy, heteronormativity and racism mean so many voices are still neglected because of structural forces in our society. The panel offers ideas about how environmental journalists can make their stories on federal lands more relevant and more authentic by being more inclusive.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE
Can States, Cities and Companies Fill the Leadership Void on Climate Change?
Room 300, 3rd Floor, Lory Student Center

Speakers

  • Jeff Burnside (Moderator) Independent Journalist and SEJ Board Member
  • Maia Bellon (Speaker) Director, Department of Ecology, State of Washington
  • Lindsay Ex (Speaker) Climate Program Manager, City of Fort Collins
  • David Rossini (Speaker) The Public Interest Network

As the Trump administration continues to dismantle strides made to fight the climate crisis, some states, cities and even corporations are not waiting for federal leadership anymore. We’ve assembled a panel of experts representing top national success stories who will speak directly to the accelerating efforts from the “bottom up” climate fight. This is a topic that can be applied to any news market for journalists attending this panel. Don’t miss it.

FOOD AND AGRICULTURE
Can Green Be Clean? The Environmental Impacts of Legal Cannabis
Room 304-306, 3rd Floor, Lory Student Center

Speakers

  • Kelsey Simpkins (Moderator) Digital and Engagement Editor, Future Earth
  • Amy Andrle (Speaker ) Founder/Owner, L'Eagle Services | L'eela CBD BodyCare
  • Bruce Barcott (Speaker) Senior Editor, Leafly
  • Kaitlin Urso (Speaker) Environmental Consultant , Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

As the first state to legalize cannabis, Colorado has learned a lot about cannabis’ environmental impacts — on water and lands, its electricity use and carbon emissions, and the consequences of waste and pollution. Today, the state is leading the way to make cannabis production more sustainable, from cultivation to disposal. Hear from an industry-leading small business owner, the lead environmental cannabis consultant at the state level and a cannabis journalist about the evolution and future of cannabis' environmental impacts in Colorado and beyond.

WATER AND SNOW
Water Rights, Water Justice?
Room 308-310, 3rd Floor, Lory Student Center

Speakers

  • Laura Paskus (Moderator) New Mexico In Focus - New Mexico PBS
  • Autumn Bernhardt (Speaker ) Lecturer, Colorado State University
  • Eric Perramond (Speaker ) KECK Director, Hulbert Center for Southwest Studies and Professor of Environmental Science and Southwest Studies, Colorado College
  • Naveena Sadasivam (Speaker ) Staff Writer, Grist

Access to clean water is a human right. And yet, access to clean water — not to mention water rights and sustainable sources of water for farming and small communities — is oftentimes limited for some communities of color and economically disadvantaged communities. Even in the western United States, where water rights are based on prior appropriation — first in time, first in line — and tribes have the oldest water rights, legal mechanisms and financial restraints keep them from accessing the water they own.

LAND AND CONSERVATION
Who Let the Bugs (Die) Out?
Room 312, 3rd Floor, Lory Student Center

Speakers

  • Nancy Averett (Moderator) Freelance
  • Deane Bowers (Speaker ) Professor, Museum Curator of Entomology, and Department Chair of Ecology and Environmental Biology, University of Colorado Boulder
  • Chris Funk (Speaker ) Professor, Department of Biology, and Director, Global Biodiversity Center, School of Global Environmental Sustainability, Colorado State University
  • Robbie Hart (Speaker) Assistant Curator, William L. Brown Center, Missouri Botanical Garden
  • Jessica Rykken (Speaker ) Denali National Park, National Park Service

The world is experiencing an "insect apocalypse" — at least according to some researchers. Recent studies have shown large declines in insect biomass in places such as Germany and Puerto Rico. Other investigators say there isn’t enough data yet to declare an Armageddon. Regardless, everyone agrees more data is needed — scientists have identified 1 million bugs but there could be 30 times that on Earth — so conservationists can prioritize what to protect. During this session, we’ll talk about both the importance of insects to life around the globe as well as some of the threats that six-legged creatures face from human interference and what can be done about it.

NATION AND GLOBE
Air Pollution and Health: Covering an Invisible Killer
Room 322, 3rd Floor, Lory Student Center

Speakers

Despite decades of improvement, air pollution still cuts short more than 100,000 American lives every year — more than guns, more than car accidents, more than the flu. We’ll look at the impact and causes of this often under-covered menace, talking science, health and policy. Panelists will explore how dirty air intersects with racial disparities, economic inequality and climate change. You'll hear how residents of Colorado's most polluted neighborhood experience the effects of their dirty air, what's really in the wildfire smoke that regularly engulfs western cities and how regulatory rollbacks may further affect air quality and public health.

 

Beat Dinners 2019

7:00 pm - 10:00 pm

 

1. Frontiers in Environmental Journalism: An Evening With the Associated Press and the Pulitzer Center
Ginger and Baker, 359 Linden Street, Fort Collins, CO

Speakers

  • Hal Bernton (Speaker) Reporter, The Seattle Times
  • Christina Larson (Speaker) Global Science and Environment Writer, The Associated Press
  • Steve Sapienza (Speaker) Senior Strategist, Collaborative News Partnerships, Pulitzer Center
  • Rich Stone (Speaker) Senior Science Editor, Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Courtesy of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). SEJ members and journalists only. The cost of dinner will be covered by HHMI.

This beat dinner is full. Check with the SEJ Information Table on site (near Registration, third floor of the Lory Student Center) beginning Friday at 8:00 a.m. for assistance and open slots.

Join us for a discussion on two exciting new journalism initiatives: AP’s “What Can be Saved?” about the heroic efforts of ordinary people and scientists to protect critical natural areas and species in the face of enormous odds, and the Pulitzer Center’s Connected Coastlines, a fund for collaborative reporting focused on climate science in U.S. coastal states. Both initiatives stem from partnerships with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education, which seeks to nourish the public understanding of science by bringing important stories of scientific discovery to a wide variety of audiences.

Restaurant Info: Ginger and Baker. Private room. Set Menu: Appetizers - Bacon wrapped dates (GF/DF), Spinach artichoke puffs (vegetarian) and sesame seared tuna on a wonton chip. House bread service - Served with whipped butter. Salad - Greens, tomato, cucumber, olive, Marcona almonds, Manchego cheese, white balsamic vinaigrette (can be made DF). Mains - Roasted Chicken with Hazel Dell mushroom ragout (GF/DF) OR Striped Colorado bass with roasted poblano beurre blanc (GF) OR Barrel Cut NY Strip steak with house steak sauce (GF/DF) OR Chef's Socca flatbread (vegetarian, can be made vegan). All entrees served with roasted rosemary potatoes and charred green beans with caramelized onions. Dessert - Pie Bite Flight of GF/DF Cobbler and Quadruple Coconut Cream.

 

2. Take Me to the River: Water Policy, Dam Removal and River Protection in the West
Jay's Bistro, 135 W. Oak Street, Fort Collins, CO

Speakers

  • Rocky Barker (Dinner Leader) Special Correspondent, Idaho Statesman
  • Luke Runyon (Dinner Leader) KUNC, Community Radio for Northern Colorado
  • Nicole Cordan (Speaker) Project Director, U.S. Public Lands and Rivers Conservation, The Pew Charitable Trusts
  • Matt Rice (Speaker) Director, Colorado River Basin Program, American Rivers

Courtesy of American Rivers and The Pew Charitable Trusts. Journalists only. The cost of dinner, wine and beer will be covered by American Rivers/Pew.

This beat dinner is full. Check with the SEJ Information Table on site (near Registration, third floor of the Lory Student Center) beginning Friday at 8:00 a.m. for assistance and open slots.

Join us for a discussion about what's next for river conservation, and why rivers must be a primary focus of reporting and storytelling in an era of climate change.

Restaurant Info: Private room at Jay’s Bistro. Set menu: Salumi Board (Artisan meats and cheeses, marinated vegetables, marcona almonds), Salad - choice of harvest salad or Caesar salad, Entree - choice of Pasta Primavera with sweet potato gnudi, kale pesto and farm fresh vegetables; Colorado chicken with Jamaican jerk sauce, roasted potatoes and vegetable du jour; Pork three ways (baby back ribs with hoisin BBQ, Korean glazed chopped pork, pork belly kimchi spring roll) with Kung Pao brussels, Dessert - choice of sorbet or chocolate decadence. Complimentary wine and beer included.

Contact with questions: Rocky Barker, 208-841-5921; Luke Runyon, 309-219-1580; Amy Kober, 503-708-1145

 

3. Sustainable Seafood and the Inland Ocean
New Belgium Brewing, 500 Linden St., Fort Collins, CO

Speakers

  • David Helvarg (Dinner Leader) Ocean Author and Raconteur
  • Richard Boot (Speaker) Founder and President, FishChoice
  • Derek Figueroa (Speaker) President, Seattle Fish Co.
  • Teresa Ish (Speaker) Program Officer, Walton Family Foundation
  • Vicki N. Goldstein (Speaker) Founder & Executive Director, Colorado Ocean Coalition
  • Kelly Wright (Speaker) Wyoming Chapter Lead, Inland Ocean Coalition

Courtesy of the Walton Family Foundation (WFF). SEJ members and journalists only. The cost of dinner will be covered by WFF.

This beat dinner is full. Check with the SEJ Information Table on site (near Registration, third floor of the Lory Student Center) beginning Friday at 8:00 a.m. for assistance and open slots.

Join us for a discussion of the links between landlocked states and the health of our oceans and the sustainability of our seafood. What does the latest IPCC report tell us about the global oceans crisis, and what are "inland ocean" advocates, businesses, donors and experts doing to address it? Pick up some salty Blue story tips on a wide range of oceans and fisheries issues, including sustainable seafood initiatives, plastic pollution and climate impacts — all over a delicious (and sustainably-sourced) seafood meal.

Restaurant Info: Private room at New Belgium Brewing. Sustainable seafood heavy hors d'oeuvres catered by Jax Fish House.

Contact with questions: Haley McKey, haley@spitfirestrategies.com and CC: David Helvarg, helvarg@bluefront.org

 

4. The Successful International Freelance Journalist
Red Truck Beer Company, 1020 E. Lincoln Ave., Fort Collins, CO

Speakers

This Beat Dinner is reserved for freelance journalists only. Attendees will be responsible for their own food and beverage purchases.

Join us for a far-reaching and frank discussion with industry leaders, editors and decision-makers about what makes the difference for the successful international freelance journalist.

Restaurant Info: Private room at Red Truck Beer Company. Menu. Enjoy good times and great company with delicious Truck Stop food and cold refreshing Red Truck beers. Estimated price per meal: $10-15.

Contact with questions: Genevieve Belmaker, 253-278-5881

 

5. Women and the Environment: Challenges and Opportunities
Moot House, Garden Room, 2626 S College Ave, Fort Collins, CO 80525

Speakers

Attendees will be responsible for their own food and beverage purchases.

This beat dinner is full. Check with the SEJ Information Table on site (near Registration, third floor of the Lory Student Center) beginning Friday at 8:00 a.m. for assistance and open slots.

This dinner discussion will explore the connections between exploitation of the Earth and discrimination/violence against women. It will also delve into the ways in which women working for a healthy environment — within the environmental movement itself, as well as within governmental agencies and academia — often face gender-related challenges, including wage inequality, exclusion, assumptions of inadequacy and sexual harassment. Journalists will come away from the discussion with some ideas about how they can report on this intersectional issue which is becoming more relevant in the #MeToo era.

Restaurant Info: Moot House, Garden Room. $30.00 per person, before tax and gratuity. Private room. Set menu options include:
* Prime Rib - Our famous slow roasted certified Angus prime rib, au jus, potato colcannon;
* Grilled Salmon - Grilled and basted with honey balsamic glaze, noble grains;
* Pork Schnitzel - Whole grain mustard cream sauce with mashed potato colcannon;
* Vegetarian Options - TBD.
* Includes non-alcoholic beverage and a house salad.

Contact with questions: Maureen Mitra, 510-545-2727

 

6. We're Changing the Climate, But How Is the Climate Changing Us?
Moot House, Polo Room, 2626 S College Ave, Fort Collins, CO 80525

Speakers

  • Emily Atkin (Dinner Leader) Author and Founder, HEATED
  • Dennis Ojima (Speaker) Professor and Senior Research Scientist, Colorado State University

Attendees will be responsible for their own food and beverage purchases. 

This beat dinner is full. Check with the SEJ Information Table on site (near Registration, third floor of the Lory Student Center) beginning Friday at 8:00 a.m. for assistance and open slots.

It's becoming increasingly clear that climate change is not just a science, nor a political issue. It's a thing that's happening to all of us, shaping our society and our way of life. Things that were once socially acceptable are becoming taboo; things that were once taboo are now becoming socially acceptable. What are the most interesting cultural phenomena unfolding due to climate change, and how should we be covering it? This session could be used to discuss general observations of trends we've made (increase of climate topics on TV, increase of vegetarian diets, decrease of SUVs) and brainstorm how to turn them into stories.

Restaurant Info: Moot House, Polo Room. $30.00 per person, before tax and gratuity. Private room. Set menu options include:
* Prime Rib - Our famous slow-roasted certified Angus prime rib, au jus, potato colcannon;
* Grilled Salmon - Grilled and basted with honey balsamic glaze, noble grains;
* Pork Schnitzel - Whole grain mustard cream sauce with mashed potato colcannon;
* Vegetarian Options - TBD.
*Includes non-alcoholic beverage and a house salad.

Contact with questions: Emily Atkin, 845-826-0240

 

7. Combining Teaching and Writing
The Mayor of Old Town, 632 S Mason St, Fort Collins, CO 80524

Speakers

  • Hillary Rosner (Dinner Leader) Independent Journalist and Scholar-in-Residence, Center for Environmental Journalism, University of Colorado
  • Mark Schapiro (Dinner Leader) Author, "Seeds of Resistance," and Lecturer, UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism

Attendees will be responsible for their own food and beverage purchases. 

Join an informal discussion on juggling freelance writing with part-time teaching to sustain a career in environmental journalism.

Restaurant Info: The Mayor of Old Town. A group of tables in a hip gastropub. Menu. Upscale pub grub, beer, wine and spirits. Estimated price per meal: $15-30.

Contact with questions: Mark Schapiro, 415-309-6365

 

8. The Promise and Pitfalls of Geoengineering
CB & Potts Collindale, 1441 E Horsetooth Rd, Fort Collins, CO 80525

Speakers

  • Tammy Webber (Dinner Leader) Reporter, The Associated Press
  • Ruth Greenspan Bell (Speaker) Public Policy Fellow, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars; Founding Member, Environmental Protection Network; and formerly of Office of General Counsel, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Attendees will be responsible for their own food and beverage purchases.

The next challenge in the climate change saga: Quick fixes to systemic problems? We will talk about geoengineering — the use of technology on a large scale to battle a heating planet — and the technical, policy, legal and ethical issues that presents.

Restaurant Info: CB & Potts Collindale. Private room. Menu. Innovative, casual pub grub menu and award-winning beer. Estimated price per meal: $11-17.

 

9. Academic Attendees: How and Why To Write for The Conversation?
CooperSmith's Pub, 5 Old Town Square, Fort Collins, CO 80524

Speaker

  • Jenny Weeks (Dinner Leader) Environment and Energy Editor, The Conversation

Attendees will be responsible for their own food and beverage purchases.

#SEJ2019 academic attendees: You can write for The Conversation US (and some of you have!). Learn how to pitch us your research, and about internship opportunities for your students.

Restaurant Info: CooperSmith's Pub. A group of tables in a lively pub atmosphere. Menu. Fine pub-style food and cold brews to suit everyone's tastes. Estimated price per meal: $12-25.

 

10. Biosecurity on the Farm: How To Avoid Outbreaks That Could Threaten Food Security
The Regional, 130 S Mason St, Fort Collins, CO 80524

Speakers

  • Virginia Gewin (Dinner Leader) Freelance science journalist
  • Alan Rudolph (Speaker) Vice President for Research, Colorado State University

Attendees will be responsible for their own food and beverage purchases.

Climate change and global trade drive the emergence and spread of crop diseases. Join a biosecurity discussion of disease hot spots, emerging biodefense strategies and the case for a Global Surveillance System.

Restaurant Info: The Regional. A group of tables in a relatively quiet section of this farm-to-table restaurant. Menu. The Regional serves hometown American food from the farm, from the ranch and from the docks. Estimated price per meal: $15-30.

Contact with questions: Virginia Gewin, 503-260-8992

 

11. Night Skies: Dinner and a Show

Speakers

  • Bobby Magill (Dinner Leader) Reporter, Bloomberg Environment, and SEJ President
  • Li-Wei Hung (Speaker) Night Skies Research Scientist, National Park Service, Natural Sounds and Night Skies Division
  • Brian McGuinness (Speaker) Member, Northern Colorado Astronomical Society
  • Jeffrey Olson (Speaker) Chief of Communications - NRSS, National Park Service
  • Bill Ruecker (Speaker) Member, Northern Colorado Astronomical Society
  • Gary Schroeder (Speaker) Senior Energy Services Engineer, City of Fort Collins
  • Robert Sireno (Speaker) Member, Northern Colorado Astronomical Society
  • Jeremy White (Speaker) Research Scientist, NPS Night Skies Program

Description

Presented by the National Park Service. Attendees will be responsible for their own food and beverage purchases.

This beat dinner is full. Check with the SEJ Information Table on site (near Registration, third floor of the Lory Student Center) beginning Friday at 8:00 a.m. for assistance and open slots.

Join us for a conversation at La Buena Vida, followed by a short bus ride to the Fossil Creek Reservoir Natural Area just south of Fort Collins. We'll talk about the night skies science work in the National Park Service, night skies programs in parks, how municipalities use the information NPS scientists produce to benefit their communities, and we'll do some night sky viewing with members of the Northern Colorado Astronomical Society. Night sky viewing is an emerging tourist trend in national parks and in western communities where the population is growing and there is pressure for more nighttime lighting.

Restaurant Info: La Buena Vida. Menu. All of our dishes are made from scratch with care by our Mexican chefs. The recipes on this menu come from Hugo and Maria Caballero and many are traditional recipes dating back two or three generations from Michoacan. Estimated price per meal: $12-20.

Special Logistics: NPS vans will pick up attendees at the three conference hotels. Two vans will stage for departure from the Hilton and Marriott promptly at 6:30 p.m. and then sweep past the Candlewood en route to the restaurant. It's going to be cold on Friday night. Here's a note from the lead volunteer astronomer on the program: A general "rule of thumb" for skygazing is to dress like you'd be going outside in temperatures 20F colder than actual. So, if it's forecast 40F at 8:00 p.m., participants would want to dress like they are going outside on a 20F day ... full winter gear and multiple layers recommended. Note that it is virtually impossible to dress too warmly in these temperatures. 

Contact with questions: NPS' Jeff Olson, 703-861-8832

 

Wednesday, October 9
Thursday, October 10
Saturday, October 12
Sunday, October 13

Topics on the Beat: 
Journalism & Media
Other or All
Public
Region: 
National (U.S.)
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY)

Advertisement

2024 Outrider Nuclear Reporting Summit graphic

2024 Outrider Nuclear Reporting Summit graphic

Advertise with SEJ