Welcome to the 18th Annual Salt Lake County Watershed Symposium!
Each year we welcome our community of water stewards and environmental advocates, including scholars, students, policymakers, agencies, and members of the general public. Together we'll continue the important conversations on watershed issues in our region.
Pressures on our watershed are mounting. The Great Salt Lake crisis continues. Climate change, development, water diversion, population growth, shrinking snowpack, loss of healthy ecosystems, and more. The Watershed Symposium provides a forum for varied perspectives on how to understand and address these issues.
Framing the Future of Watershed Stewardship
We are delighted to welcome Brenda Bowen as the 2024 keynote speaker. Brenda is a Professor of Geology and Geophysics and Chair of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Utah. She is the Utah lead on the Southwest Sustainability Innovation Engine, a National Science Foundation initiative that aims to elevate the Southwest as a regional hub of economic development catalyzed by sustainability innovation.
With her expertise in creating sustainable solutions related to energy, resources, climate, and equity, Brenda will share how the challenges we face in water and climate demand new scales of alignment, collaboration, and innovation. She will ask the important question—what can our community do to be well prepared to meet the needs and opportunities in the coming decade?Some of Our Favorite Kudos...
"One of the few honest venues where science and policy can be presented without worrying about political fallout. This conference is evolving into one of the most important venues to showcase what's right and wrong about Utah's water policy-making arena."
"I'm a scientist by profession, and seldom have attended ANY meeting as interesting or as immediately useful as this symposium."
"I loved the mix of specialized talks and keynote presentations and panels. I loved that we got to see hard conversations happening and I came away feeling some hope about our watershed's future, if only because I felt surrounded by people who also understand what needs to be done."
"The thought and efforts put into reducing carbon footprint were incredible. That's tough to accomplish with such a large event. Booths all had valuable information and people willing to have conversations pertaining to their specialties. Great networking event. Thanks!"
Your Symposium Host
The Watershed Symposium is hosted annually by Salt Lake County’s Watershed Planning & Restoration Program. This conference fulfills an important part of our mission to engage the public and stakeholders on issues related to watershed health.
Visit the Symposium Archives to see past presentations and speakers.
