32nd Headwaters Conference: Grief and Hope in a Changing Climate
November 5-6, 2021 | Free and Open to the Public
Friday: Keynote Address
Speaker: William deBuys
 | Date: Friday, November 5, 7 p.m. Renowned conservationist and environmental writer William DeBuys will read and share photos from his “accidental trilogy” (A Great Aridness, The Last Unicorn and Trail to Kanjiroba). He will describe this journey from cataloguing climate threats in the southwestern United States, to tracking the last of a species in the deep forests of Lao PDR, to accompanying medical missions in the remote Himalaya of Nepal. Along the way he witnessed grievous environmental depredations, but also found himself on a redeeming pilgrimage to hope – hope that humanity can care for, albeit not cure, our ailing planet *Limited In Person Attendance Zoom Option Available: https://western.zoom.us/j/97987428837 Register for free here: https://bit.ly/3EsEcFB |
Saturday
Speakers: Lynne Quarmby and Ayja Bounous
 | Speakers: Lynne Quarmby and Ayja Bounous Date: Saturday, November 6, 10:30am Location: https://western.zoom.us/j/96360435402 (zoom only) We will hear from two authors wrestling with the urgent and enormous magnitude of climate change – grieving what has, or will soon be, lost while still finding solace and fortitude in nature, family and community. Scientist, activist, and author Lynne Quarmby will share readings and photos from Watermelon Snow: Science, Art, and a Lone Polar Bear. |
 | Skier and author Ayja Bounous will share readings and photos from Shaped by Snow: Defending the Future of Winter. This session has a special focus on changing winter snow resources and will be facilitated by author and Western Colorado University Director of Nature Writing Laura Pritchett Register for free here: https://bit.ly/3ErKPIv |
Films: “Wild Climate” and “The Colorado”
 | Date: Saturday, November 6, 1 p.m. (limited in-person attendance) *Location: On-campus (TBD) “Wild Climate” (Directed by Peter and Virginia Sargent) Rural communities are already experiencing the impacts of climate change. The evidence is staggering – everything from drought and wildfire intensification to livestock and crop losses. Virginia and Peter Sargent set out to capture the stories of rural Americans fighting to keep their livelihoods and cultures intact, elevating these voices in climate change narratives and breaking through political barriers |
 | “The Colorado” (Directed by Murat Eyuboglu; cowritten by Murat Eyuboglu and William deBuys) http://www.projectcolorado.com/ The Colorado, co-written by William deBuys and Murat Eyuboglu, and narrated by the stage legend Mark Rylance, takes us on a journey in nine chapters through the prehistoric settlements of the region to the impact of climate change. The Grammy-winning vocal ensemble Roomful of Teeth, cellist Jeffrey Zeigler (Kronos Quartet), and composer-percussionist Glenn Kotche (Wilco) perform the film’s exhilarating score featuring work by composers John Luther Adams, William Brittelle, Glenn Kotche, Shara Nova, and National Sawdust Co-Founder and Artistic Director Paola Prestini. The filmmakers hope that “during these singular times of isolation, mourning, and reckoning… the wide-angle view and the elegiac tone of The Colorado will offer solace, perspective, and an opportunity to commune with the natural world”. These filmmakers will be present to speak about their work Limited In Person Attendance Register for free here: https://bit.ly/3EthTzU |
About Western Colorado University
Western Colorado University sits centrally in what could be called “the Headwaters Region of the Southwest”: a mountain-and-valley region of wonderful but difficult geographic and climatic diversity, and also of cultural diversity. Western’s “Headwaters Project” is part of the university’s effort to serve the mountain valleys of this region as a resource and rallying-point, as the region’s communities attempt to both retain unique cultural identities and still thrive in a globalizing and homogenizing world. The Project reaches out into the region interactively through the annual Headwaters Conference every autumn.
Learn More
Contact Headwaters Director Micah Russell, Ph.D. for more information. mrussell@western.edu