Agenda:
SEJ 15th annual conference, Austin, TX

Hosted by The University of Texas at Austin, September 28-October 2, 2005. Directions. Map of main campus.
Note: This agenda is not complete. Please check back often; details will be added as speakers confirm.
DRAFT: All Information Subject to Change

A lone oil derrick — a.k.a. a "Texas grasshopper" — rests in the flooded waters of the Texas plains. Photo by Ralph Barrera. Courtesy of the Austin American-Statesman.
Main Menu
Wednesday, September 28
Thursday, September 29
Friday, September 30
Saturday, October 1
Sunday, October 2

Please note: Because SEJ conferences have become so jam-packed with tours, panels and other sessions, we've moved the official start day to Wednesday for the third year in a row. This will allow for more networking opportunities in Austin. Please plan to arrive in time for the Wednesday evening reception. indicates either simultaneous English/Spanish translation or interpreter support.

Wednesday, September 28: Omni and Driskill Hotels
Omni Austin Hotel Downtown, 700 San Jacinto at 8th Street, Austin. Phone 512-476-3700.
The Driskill Hotel, 604 Brazos Street, Austin. Phone 512-474-5911.

Registration
3:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Please check in at registration upon arrival to obtain your conference materials and name badge. Your name badge will be needed for access to some events, including tonight's opening reception and awards presentation. Sign up for Friday lunch break-out sessions, beat dinners and mini-tours. If you didn't sign up for breakfast sessions, Saturday party at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum or Sunday events at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, there may still be room — just inquire at registration.
Location: Omni Mezzanine Foyer

Ride & Drive Sign-Ups
3:00 - 6:00 p.m.
MEDIADRIVE 05
Sign up to test-drive advanced-technology, high-efficiency, low-emission and alternative-fuel vehicles during the conference (drive times to be announced). Get some great behind-the-wheel experience with some of the auto industry's most advanced and environmentally positive vehicles:

  • Honda Civic Hybrid
  • Honda Accord Hybrid
  • Honda FCX (fuel cell)
  • Honda Civic GX (natural gas)
  • DaimlerChrysler Smart
  • Jeep Liberty CRD (diesel)
  • VW Jetta TDI (diesel)
  • Mercedes-Benz E-320 (diesel)
  • Toyota Highlander Hybrid
  • Toyota Prius
  • GM Silverado Hybrid (mild hybrid)
  • GM HydroGen3 (fuel cell)
  • Chevrolet Ethanol Avalanche
  • Saab Bio-Power
  • Ford Focus (gasoline PZEV)
  • Ford Focus FCV (fuel cell)
  • Ford Escape Hybrid
  • Mercury Mariner Hybrid
  • *Vehicles running on biodiesel TBD
Sign-up begins today and will continue throughout the conference. Also, GM is bringing its diesel-electric hybrid transit bus for moving attendees from hotels to the conference on Friday and Saturday.
Sign-up location: Omni Atrium

Hey, Where is Everybody?
3:00 - 6:00 p.m.
The only place to be at three is in the Omni's Atrium Lounge, where things are happening that are just too good to miss. Meet with former Secretary of the Interior and author Bruce Babbitt; also Rocky Barker, David Helvarg, Dick Russell and other SEJ-member authors. Books will be for sale. Discuss the environmental aftermath and media coverage of Hurricane Katrina with SEJ members who have been in the thick of the storm and the clean-up. Get in on SEJ's mentoring program as a mentor or mentee. It's the best place to meet up with friends, colleagues and people you met in previous SEJ conferences.
Location: Omni Atrium Lounge (cash bar)

Opening Reception at the Driskill Hotel
6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
The Driskill Hotel is just a stone's throw from the Omni. Go out the 7th Street exit and cross 7th and then cross Brazos. There's simply no better way to open this year's annual conference and welcome everyone to Texas than the combination of live music, Molly Ivins and the Driskill, an Austin landmark. Built by a Confederate colonel and cattle baron, the Driskill opened its doors in 1886. In 1934, Lady Bird and Lyndon Johnson had their first date in its dining room, and 26 years later it was the place where LBJ and John F. Kennedy watched the presidential race returns. Ivins, a best-selling author and syndicated columnist, will welcome SEJ to Austin as only she can, with her witty take on politics in the Lone Star State. The Privateers, a mainstay of Austin's world-famous music scene, will play blues, rock and — of course! — Texas swing as we enjoy hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar. (If you want a full meal, you might want to grab a bite before the reception.)
Speakers:
Governor Rick Perry, Republican from Texas (invited)
Rosental Alves, Professor and Knight Chair in Journalism and Director of the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas, The University of Texas at Austin
Molly Ivins, Author, and Columnist, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Location: Driskill Hotel Mezzanine

SEJ Awards for Reporting on the Environment
8:30 - 10:30 p.m.
Come be a part of the festivities, featuring multimedia story clips, as the winners of SEJ's fourth annual Awards for Reporting on the Environment are revealed. The very best environmental reporting of the year will be honored at this prestigious event in the elegant ballroom of the Driskill Hotel. Winners in nine categories will receive $1,000 checks and trophies, while second- and third-place honorees will get certificates. Rich Oppel, the editor of the Austin American-Statesman, will pay special tribute to the late Kevin Carmody, a founder of SEJ and one of environmental journalism's greatest voices. We'll also take a moment to present a special award to SEJ's volunteer of the year. Afterwards, we'll cap off the celebration by adjourning to the Mezzanine for more live music and mingling.
Presenters:
Vince Patton, Environmental Reporter, KGW-TV, Portland, OR
Dan Fagin, Associate Professor of Journalism, New York University
 Stolberg Award Presenter:
Tim Wheeler, Reporter, The Baltimore Sun
 Location: Driskill Ballroom

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Thursday, September 29: In the field, Omni Hotel

Day Tours:
 Advance registration is required for all Thursday tours, although empty seats on some tours may be filled at departure time on a stand-by basis. Departure times vary and are listed below. None of the tours include strenuous walking, but for those with special needs, the Houston and San Antonio tours (described below) are the best for wheelchair accessibility. indicates either simultaneous English/Spanish translation or interpreter support. All tours include lunch and beverages. Please dress for possible inclement weather, and bring rain gear and your own extra drinking water.

Buses will stage at the Omni 7th street exit. Guests staying at the Driskill and La Quinta hotels must board at the Omni, which is within walking distance of both hotels. Please note the time of departure and plan to arrive at least 30 minutes earlier. Thursday tours will return to hotels about 5:00 p.m. except for the Houston tour, which will arrive around 6:30 p.m.

Houston Chemical Corridor or Cancer Alley?
Full day, 7:00 a.m. departure from downtown Austin to board 8:50 a.m. flight to Houston Hobby Airport, lunch included, $50 nonrefundable, SEJ members only
Take a tour of the Houston Ship Channel — home to one of the biggest ports and largest refining and petrochemical complexes in the world. We will take a 40-minute flight from Austin to Houston, where we will visit neighborhoods in the shadow of the city's many industrial plants and talk to regulators, community activists and industry about what is being done to reduce exposure to toxic pollutants. Participants will see the Channel two ways: by water, on the Port of Houston Authority's cruise boat, and by land, where a bus will take the journey down Houston's infamous refinery row. Lunch will be served at Brady's Landing...perhaps the only restaurant with a view of chemical stacks.
• Contaremos con el apoyo de intérpretes al español durante la visita. (Interpreter support in Spanish will be provided during the tour.)
• Sponsored in part by the Houston Chronicle.
Note: This tour is filled — waiting list only.
 Tour Leaders:
Jim Bruggers, Reporter, The (Louisville) Courier-Journal
Dina Cappiello, Environment Writer, Houston Chronicle
 Speakers:
Arturo Blanco, Director, City of Houston Air Quality Control Bureau
John Bresland, Board Member, U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board
Walt Crow, Program Manager, Houston Regional Monitoring Network, URS Corporation
Michael Honeycutt, Manager, Toxicology Section, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
Max Jones, Director of Environmental Health and Safety, Texas Petrochemicals
Hilton Kelly, Community Activist, Beaumont/Port Arthur
Fred Newhouse, Spokesman, Valero Houston Refinery
Paul Newman, Air Quality Permit Program Manager, Harris County Pollution Control
Steve Paciotti, Chairperson, Ambient Air Monitoring Committee, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
Juan Parras, Community Outreach Coordinator, Environmental Law and Justice Center, Thurgood Marshall Law School, Texas Southern University
Tom Stock, Associate Professor, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
Art Williams, Director, Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control District
John Yoars, Senior Vice President, Operations, Texas Petrochemicals
A representative from the Port of Houston Authority TBA

Creative Ranching in Texas: From Conservation Easements to Scimitar-Horned Oryx
Full day, 7:15 a.m. departure, lunch included, $20
Ranching, Texas-style.
Photo by Rebecca McEntee.
Courtesy of the Austin American-Statesman.
We'll tour the 6,700-acre Shield Ranch, a working cattle operation along Barton Creek that will remain as open space forever thanks to donated and purchased conservation easements. We'll discuss the special challenges of land conservation and watershed protection in Texas, where, unlike other Western states, nearly 90 percent of the land is in private ownership. Then we'll visit the Selah Bamberger Ranch, where the onetime CEO of Church's Chicken has spent 36 years restoring springs and native grasses, breeding the largest herd of scimitar-horned oryx in the world and preaching a conservation ethic to guests.
Note: This tour is filled — waiting list only.
Tour Leaders:
Ralph Haurwitz, Staff Writer, Austin American-Statesman
Ray Ring, Editor in the Field, High Country News
 Speakers:
Bob Ayres, Managing Partner, Shield Ranch
J. David Bamberger, Land Steward, Bamberger Ranch Preserve
Valarie Bristol, Director of External Affairs, The Nature Conservancy of Texas
Joe Feller, Professor, College of Law, Arizona State University
Steven Fulton, Stewardship and Education, Bamberger Ranch Preserve
Colleen Gardner, Center Coordinator, Education Programs, Bamberger Ranch Preserve
Jim Magagna, Executive Vice President, Wyoming Stock Growers Association
Nancy McLaughlin, Professor of Law, S.J. Quinney College of Law, University of Utah
Carter Smith, Texas State Director, The Nature Conservancy of Texas
Kevin Thuesen, Environmental Conservation Program Manager, Water Quality Protection Lands, City of Austin Water Utility

Texas Energy: From Coal and Oil to Solar and Hydro
Full day, 7:30 a.m. departure, lunch included, $20
Texas is the epicenter of the world's energy business. We'll visit an open-pit lignite mine operated by Alcoa and hear the company talk about its reclamation program. Then we'll hear from activists and attorneys who have been fighting the company over its strip mining operation and its ash disposal procedures. Next we'll travel to a hydroelectric plant operated by the Lower Colorado River Authority. Finally, we'll see one of the state's biggest solar installations, a 28,000-watt photovoltaic facility owned by the city of Austin. En route we'll see and talk about oil production and the booming trend in horizontal drilling.
Tour Leaders:
Mike Dunne, Senior Reporter, The (Baton Rouge) Advocate
Pete Slover, Reporter, The Dallas Morning News
 Speakers:
Julie Breaux, Communications Director, Texas Independent Producers and Royalty Owners Association
Travis Brown, Media Contact, Neighbor for Neighbors, and Energy Projects Director, Public Citizen
Robert Cullick, Executive Manager of Communications, Lower Colorado River Authority
Martin Fleming, Executive Vice President, Texas Independent Producers and Royalty Owners Association
Jim Hodson, Public Relations Manager, Alcoa
Michelle McFadden, Environmental Attorney, Bastrop Neighbors
Ryan Rowney, Manager, Hydroelectric Operations, Lower Colorado River Authority
Fred Yebra, Director of Demand Side Management Programs, Austin Energy

Birds in the Hood
Full day, 8:00 a.m. departure, lunch included, $20
Tour Fort Hood, which the Army calls the "largest military post in the free world." Army representatives will detail their work with neighboring landowners to help save endangered songbirds nesting where soldiers train. You'll hear from the military on how it is dealing with encroaching urban sprawl and other environmental requirements, as well as from environmentalists on their take of the "encroachment" situation. Topics will include compliance with dozens of environmental regulations, balancing environmental and national security needs, and the military's pursuit of exemptions from environmental regulations.
 Tour Leaders:
Cheryl Hogue, Senior Reporter, Chemical & Engineering News
Debbie Stevenson, Military Editor, Killeen Daily Herald
Suzanne Yohannan, Editor, Defense Environment Alert
 Speakers:
Gary Amaon, Edwards Plateau Ecoregional Manager, Texas Chapter, The Nature Conservancy
Omar Bocanegra, Endangered Species Coordinator, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Roderick Chisholm, Director, Fort Hood Public Works, United States Army
Tom Cloud, Field Supervisor, Arlington Office, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Thomas Greene, Project Director, The Nature Conservancy
Steve Helfert, U.S. Department of Defense Liaison, Southwest Region, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Janice Larkin, Range Sustainment Program, U.S. Department of Defense
Steve Manning, Manager, Leon River Restoration Project, and Chair, Grazing Lease Committee, Central Texas Cattlemen's Association
Andrew Wetzler, Senior Attorney, Natural Resources Defense Council

Every Drop for Sale: Water Rights and Water Marketing
 Full day, 8:30 a.m. departure, lunch and swim in the Pedernales River included (bring a swimsuit, or at least a towel), $20
As sources of water become scarce and Texas' population explodes, wildcatters are after a new liquid gold. Near fast-growing cities, water developers are devising ways to supply urban needs. This tour looks at water rights issues and examines personalities and politics behind water marketing. Boone Pickens wants to sell groundwater from the Texas Panhandle. There are multi-billion dollar construction projects in the works. Some ranchers can make more money selling water than raising corn, cotton or cattle. We will look at urban areas trying to meet demand without having price and supply dictated to them.
Tour Leaders:
Lisa Sorg, Editor, San Antonio Current
Neil Strassman, Reporter, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
 Speakers:
Molly Cagle, Partner, Vinson & Elkins LLP (representing Mesa Water)
Calvin Finch, Director of Conservation, San Antonio Water System
Beth Johnson, Texas Committee on Natural Resources
Ken Kramer, Director, Lone Star Chapter, Sierra Club
Janelle Okorie, Vice President of Strategic Resources and Business Planning, San Antonio Water System
Robert Potts, General Manager, Edwards Aquifer Authority
Mike Rickman, Executive Assistant, North Texas Municipal Water District
Darlene Shahan, Kinney County Groundwater District
Max Shumake, President, Sulphur River Oversight Society
Dianne Wassenich, Director, San Marcos River Foundation

Barton Springs Pool. Photo courtesy of the Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Species and Sprawl
Full day, 10:00 a.m. departure, lunch included, $20
Throughout the West, sprawling cities are encroaching on endangered species habitat. From the Barton Springs salamander to the golden-cheeked warbler to blind cave spiders, endangered species have been at the center of environmentalists' efforts to limit development on the fringes of Austin. We'll explore trends in these development battles through visits to Barton Springs, home to the North American vertebrate with the smallest known range, and the Onion Creek Natural Area, a gorgeous property in the Hill Country, which offers lessons in the hydrology of Central Texas as well as efforts to conserve land through acquisitions and conservation easements.
 Tour Leaders:
John Krist, Senior Reporter, Ventura County Star
Steve Scheibal, Austin American-Statesman
 Speakers:
Kent Butler, Director, Community and Regional Planning Program, The University of Texas at Austin
George Cofer, Executive Director, Hill Country Conservancy
Nico Hauwert, Senior Environmental Scientist, City of Austin
John Kostyack, Senior Counsel, National Wildlife Federation
Nancy McClintock, Assistant Director, City of Austin Watershed Protection Department
Robert McClure, Environmental Reporter, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Paige Najvar, Biologist, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Florence Oxley, Director of Conservation and Education, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Robert Pine, Manager, Austin Field Office, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Paul Terrill, Lawyer for Plaintiffs, GDF Realty Investments Ltd.

San Antonio: A River Through Time
Full day, 10:30 a.m. departure, lunch included, $20
We'll visit San Antonio's famous River Walk and tour the San Antonio River valley to explore the enduring relationship between water and development, and the natural and man-made landscapes, in the West. A vital source of food and drink, and sometimes a threatening force in the shape of killer floods, the river is controlled today by dams and channels and tunnels, regulating its flow. We'll take a look at efforts by the federal government to return some of the river to its natural condition after spending the second half of the 20th Century turning much of the waterway into a drainage ditch.
• Contaremos con el apoyo de intérpretes al español durante la visita. (Interpreter support in Spanish will be provided during the tour.)
 Tour Leaders:
Anton Caputo, Environment Reporter, San Antonio Express News
Chuck Quirmbach, Reporter, Wisconsin Public Radio
 Speakers:
Char Miller, Professor, Urban Studies, Trinity University
George Ozuna, Hydrologist, U.S. Geological Survey
Greg Schwarz, Project Engineer, San Antonio River Improvements Project
Marty Underwood, Biologist, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

East Austin: Whose Other Side?
Half day, 12:00 noon departure, lunch included, $20
Across the interstate from the Capitol and the Sixth Street clubs is East Austin, where generations of African-American and Hispanic families have maintained strong neighborhood traditions amidst some of the city's worst infrastructure and dirtiest industries. We'll visit a community struggling with issues of environmental justice and health, make a stop at an urban organic farm and view some short documentaries about East Austin made by University of Texas film students.
• Contaremos con el apoyo de intérpretes al español durante la visita. (Interpreter support in Spanish will be provided during the tour.)
 Tour Leaders:
Patrica Villone Garcia, Environmental Reporter, CTV News 15, Largo, MD
Andrew Garrison, Department of Radio Television Film, College of Communication, The University of Texas at Austin
 Speakers:
Susana Almanza, Executive Director, People Organized in the Defense of Earth and her Resources
Larry Butler and Carol Ann Sayle, Owners, Boggy Creek Farm
Dick and Pat Richardson, Professors/Researchers, Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin
Juan Valadez, Director, Center for Cultural Exploration, and Co-Founder, East Austin Stories Course, The University of Texas at Austin

Independent Hospitality Events
5:00 - 7:30 p.m.
Private groups will host receptions for SEJ conference attendees at the Omni Hotel. This is a great time to relax, meet up with acquaintances from past years and sample what 2005 hosts have to offer. You'll find details about the receptions here, as well as in your registration folder (requiere el programa libre del Adobe Acrobat ® reader).
Location: Omni Hotel First Floor and Mezzanine. Follow the signs.

Dinner on Your Own
7:30 p.m. - ??
After the Independent Hospitality Events, explore Austin, sample the local cuisine and enjoy the evening! Check the Friday Beat Dinner list in your registration packet for descriptions of some of the restaurants that are in easy walking distance. There are a lot of great restaurants very close to the Omni.

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Friday, September 30: Thompson Conference Center, The University of Texas at Austin
2405 Robert Dedman Drive, Austin, Texas. Phone 512-471-3121.
All Friday events are at The University of Texas at Austin's Thompson Conference Center (TCC) unless otherwise indicated. Shuttles will begin at the Omni on 7th street at 6:45 a.m. Guests staying at the Driskill will need to walk across the street to board at the Omni. La Quinta shuttle will begin at 7:00 a.m. Shuttles will loop between the TCC and the Omni and La Quinta hotels throughout the day until the last shuttle from the TCC leaves at 6:30. Please check your shuttle schedule for details.

Some events are held at buildings near the Thompson Conference Center. Attendees will walk to these events, so plan for the possibility of rain.

Each year, SEJ welcomes a diverse group of attendees to its annual conference, including representatives of business, government and environmental groups as well as working journalists, academics and students. Because non-journalists are here, you may see or hear responses to presentations that you might not expect from mainstream journalists. Please bear in mind that these responses — like the presentations themselves — do not necessarily reflect the views of SEJ or any of its members.

Please note that SEJ members will be given preference in question-and-answer sessions.

indicates either simultaneous English/Spanish translation or interpreter support.

All day, 7:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

  • Registration
    Stop at registration to pick up your name badge and conference information. If you didn't sign up for breakfast sessions, Saturday party at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum or Sunday events at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, there may still be room — just inquire at registration.
     Location: TCC Lobby, First Floor
  • SEJ Information Table
    Sign up at the SEJ table for Friday lunch breakout sessions, Friday beat dinners and Saturday mini-tours. Also check here for information about SEJ programs and membership and to see posted statements from candidates for the board election.
    Location: TCC Lobby, First Floor
  • SEJ Reading Room
    Samples of SEJ members' work, including submissions to the 2005 SEJ Awards for Reporting on the Environment and finalists' entries will be on display.
     Location: TCC Lobby, First Floor
  • Literature Display Tables
    Stop in and browse through information from various sources. You'll find a list of exhibitors here, as well as in your registration packet.
     Location: TCC Dining Hall, Ground Floor
  • Press Room
    There are five computers with free Internet access. Please go to the information desk in the main lobby for the access code. The Thompson Conference Center is wireless. If you have wireless capability, go to the information desk for an access code ($5.00) and configuration information.
    Location: TCC Business Center, First Floor

Continental Breakfast
7:00 - 9:15 a.m.
 Location: TCC Dining Hall, Ground Floor (with exhibitors)

Breakfast Session: Science and Media
Pre-registration and $15 fee required.
7:00 - 8:00 a.m.
Full buffet breakfast will be served outside of Room 2-102 for those registered for this session.
8:00 - 9:15 a.m.
Leading environmental and science journalists have been meeting around the country with world-class climate and marine scientists in off-deadline/on-the-record workshops aimed at improving science communications through the mass media. Learn from a sampling of top reporters and scientists what their two disciplines share in common, what differences exist, and how it could all add up to a more informed public. Are journalists and scientists in fact "worlds apart"? Or are there enough common threads and shared values on which to build a more informed public, consistent with the fundamentals of independent journalism? Get an inside look into this unique ongoing series of nationwide science journalism workshops.
Note: This session is full.
 Moderator: Bud Ward, Environmental Communicator
Speakers:
Chris Bowman, Environmental Reporter, The Sacramento Bee
Camille Parmesan, Assistant Professor, Section of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin
Anthony Socci, Senior Science and Communication Fellow, Atmospheric Policy Program, American Meteorological Society
Dale Willman, Executive Editor, Field Notes Productions
 Location: Room 2-102

Welcoming Remarks
9:30 - 9:45 a.m.
 Emcees: SEJ's 2005 Conference Co-Chairs, Dina Cappiello, Environment Reporter, Houston Chronicle, and Randy Loftis, Reporter, The Dallas Morning News
Speaker: Mark Yudof, Chancellor, The University of Texas System
Location: Lyndon B. Johnson Auditorium in the LBJ Library (next door to the Thompson Conference Center)

Opening Plenary: Is Journalism — Environmental or Otherwise — a Dying Idea?
9:45 - 11:15 a.m.
Commentators take secret payments to plug administration programs. Government agencies produce fake news reports. Basic information gets labeled "secret" and much of the public applauds. At the same time, readers flee newspapers and viewers shun network news, prompting newsrooms to slash budgets and staffs as well as space and time for news. Meanwhile, as momentous environmental decisions seem to hardly make a ripple in the public consciousness, bloggers are able to bring down the mightiest media icons for sins real or imagined. How can journalism, especially environmental journalism, survive in such toxic times? Join in a spirited debate about the future of what we do.
• Esta sesión se presentará en inglés. Se dispondrá en la sala de una traducción simultánea al español por medio de auriculares. (This session will be presented in English. Simultaneous Spanish translation will be provided via headsets available on site.)
 Moderator: Judy Muller, Correspondent, ABC News, and Assistant Professor of Journalism, Annenberg School for Communication, University of Southern California
Speakers:
Ron Bailey, Science Correspondent, Reason Magazine
Merrill Brown, Founder and Principal, MMB Media LLC, and National Editorial Director, News for the 21st Century, Carnegie-Knight Initiative on the Future of Journalism Education
Bebe Crouse, National Desk Supervising Editor, National Public Radio
Jay Harris, Wallis Annenberg Chair in Journalism and Communication, and Director, The Center for the Study of Journalism and Democracy, University of Southern California
Andrew Revkin, Environment Reporter, The New York Times
Rick Rodriguez, Executive Editor, The Sacramento Bee, and President, American Society of Newspaper Editors
Mark Schleifstein, Environmental Reporter, The (New Orleans) Times-Picayune
 Location: Lyndon B. Johnson Auditorium in the LBJ Library (next door to the Thompson Conference Center)

ETTER-HARBIN ALUMNI CENTER
2110 San Jacinto Boulevard, Austin, Texas

Network Lunch and Breakout Sessions
11:45 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Follow the crowd to the Alumni Center. It's a short walk but moving hundreds of people takes time. Please help keep the program on schedule by arriving and taking your seat as quickly as possible.

Enjoy an informal group discussion on the topic of your choice. Pick up a box lunch outside the ballroom. Then, locate the table with a topic that interests you. If it's not already full, sit down and join the discussion. Feel free to switch tables. Several tables are for free discussion (no assigned topic).

Check your registration packet for a list of the speakers you want to meet and the topics you want to discuss (also listed here). The Network Lunch will be concurrent with the two sign-up-on-site breakout sessions listed below the Network Lunch topics.
Location: Connally Banquet Hall, Alumni Center

Network Lunch Discussion Topics:

  1. Depleted Groundwater: Resources for Covering an Accelerating Problem
    Carolyn Johnsen, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
  2. Checking Out Judicial Candidates
    Rebecca Daugherty, FOI Service Center Director, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
  3. A Catchy Idea for Saving the Oceans: Individual Fishing Quotas
    Pam Baker (Environmental Defense) and Jane Shaw (Property and Environment Research Center)
  4. Is Blue the New Green? The Latest on Ocean Politics, Policies, and Grassroots Organizing
    David Helvarg, Blue Frontier Campaign
  5. Art of the Narrative
    Laird Townsend, Orion Magazine
  6. The Past as Prelude: What Paleoclimatology Can Tell Us About Current Climate Change
    Daniel Glick, author and freelance journalist
  7. Why Europe's New Chemical Law (REACH) Matters for Your Audience
    Cheryl Hogue, Chemical & Engineering News
  8. SEJ's Future: Goals and Obstacles
    Perry Beeman (SEJ President) and Mark Schleifstein (SEJ Vice President)
  9. Recharge Your Career with a Fellowship
    Boyce Rensberger (MIT Knight Science Journalism Fellowships) and Tom Yulsman (Center for Environmental Journalism, Univ. of Colorado at Boulder)
  10. SEJ 2006 in Burlington, VT
    Gretel Helena Schueller (GHS Writing and Editing), Cheryl Dorschner (Univ. of Vermont), and Peter Miller (Vermont Law School)
  11. Energy 101: Regulation, Deregulation, Green, and Fossil-Fueled Power
    J.A. Savage, California Energy Circuit
  12. Wind Power's Wild Side
    Peter Fairley (independent journalist) and Dan Boone (consulting conservation biologist)
  13. Name that Tuna: Underwater Noise
    Jim Hiney, Texas A&M Sea Grant Program
  14. Does Science Matter Any More?
    Andrew Revkin (New York Times) and Wendy Wagner (Univ. of Texas Law School)
  15. Making Invisible Stories Sing for Radio and TV
    Christy George, Oregon Public Broadcasting
  16. Emerging Contaminants: Deciphering the Latest on the Chemical Stew that Surrounds Us
    Kellyn Betts, Environmental Science & Technology
  17. Healthy Forests, Fire Salvage, and the Roadless Rule: What's Next for Your Federal Forest?
    Kathie Durbin, author
  18. Environmental Science in Afghanistan & Iraq:
    Pat Leahy, US Geological Survey
  19. SEJournal
    Mike Mansur (SEJournal editor) and Robert McClure (section editor)
  20. Is It Safe to Swim? Beach Water Testing
    Bruce Ritchie, Tallahassee Democrat
  21. Green Golf: Moving Ahead or Stuck in the Sand?
    Anton Caputo, San Antonio Express-News
  22. Unwanted Neighbors: Controversial New Trends in Siting Energy Facilities
    Chip Groat, University of Texas Department of Geosciences
  23. Watts Up with Energy Conservation?
    Chuck Quirmbach, Wisconsin Public Radio
  24. Reinventing Transportation in the West: Is there Light Rail at the End of the Tunnel?
    Lyndon Henry (Capital Metro mass transit, Austin) and Francesca Lyman (freelance writer and author)
  25. Cutting Edge Research for the Workplace: Low-Level Exposures and Complex Mixtures
    John Howard (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) and Pat Phibbs (BNA Daily Environment Report)
  26. Keeping a Green Business in the Black
    Ray Anderson, Chairman, Interface Inc.

Lunch Breakout Sessions:

  1. Using Mexico's New FOI Measures to Reveal Cross-Border Environmental Threats (ver Español)
    Pre-registration required. Sign up on site beginning Wednesday, September 28, at registration.
    Want tips on uncovering information about secret shipments of nuclear waste from Veracruz to Kentucky and Utah? Looking for story ideas about other cross-border environmental threats? Get the lowdown from experts in the scientific, journalistic and government communities of Mexico. Take home a story, learn how anyone can use Mexico's fledgling FOIA, and find out why Mexico still needs a mandatory public toxic release inventory.
    • Esta sesión se presentará en español. Se dispondrá en la sala de una traducción simultánea al inglés por medio de auriculares. (This session will be presented in Spanish. Simultaneous English translation will be provided via headsets available on site.)
     Moderator: Talli Nauman, Program Associate, Americas Program, International Relations Center, and Environment Columnist, The Herald Mexico
     Speakers:
    Miguel Ángel Torres Guerrero, Photojournalist, and Co-Director, Journalism to Raise Environmental Awareness
    Bernardo Salas Mar, Physics Professor, Universidad Nacional Autonóma de México (National Autonomous University of Mexico)
    Ángel Trinidad Zaldivar, Executive Secretary, Mexico's Federal Information Access Institute
     Location: Schmidt Room, Alumni Center

  2. Lunch with the FOIA Lawyer
    Journalists and SEJ members only. Pre-registration required. Sign up on site beginning Wednesday, September 28, at registration.
    Never filed a public records request and want to learn how? Filed one and decided it was a waste of time, took too long or was too complicated? Been turned down and want to know how to fight for the information you want? In this now-traditional session, law professor Pat McGinley will help you learn all you need to know to make FOIA one of your strongest weapons.
     Moderator: Ken Ward Jr., Staff Writer, The Charleston Gazette
     Speaker: Patrick McGinley, Professor, College of Law, West Virginia University
     Location: Nowotny Room, Alumni Center

THOMPSON CONFERENCE CENTER
2405 Robert Dedman Drive, Austin, Texas

Concurrent Sessions 1
1:30 - 2:45 p.m.
Follow the crowd back to the TCC. It's a short walk but moving hundreds of people takes time. Please help keep the program on schedule by arriving and choosing your panel as quickly as possible.

THE CRAFT:
FOIA Session: Fighting to Keep Public Information Public
Think filing a FOIA request takes too long, is too complicated or won't really pay off for you? In this session, expert reporters will tell how they've used FOIA requests to get good stories and to make good stories better.
 Moderator: Ken Ward Jr., Staff Writer, The Charleston Gazette
 Panelists:
Jim Bruggers, Reporter, The (Louisville) Courier-Journal
Joseph A. Davis, SEJ WatchDog Project Director/Freelancer
Vince Patton, Environmental Reporter, KGW-TV, Portland, OR
 Location: Room 3-102

THE COMPUTER LAB:
Money in Politics Computer Lab
Many environmental stories have a campaign finance angle, though few stories include it, perhaps because reporters don't know where to get the info on deadline (or for in-depth articles). At this hands-on session, learn how to find and manipulate campaign finance data from your state, plus get the lowdown on helpful Web sites that make it possible to search for campaign contributors in many ways, even by address.
Moderator: Sally Deneen, Freelance Writer
 Panelists:
Edwin Bender, Executive Director, Institute on Money in State Politics
Lise Olsen, Special Projects Reporter, Houston Chronicle
 Location: Room 2-118

The sky's the limit for Austin's nightlife. Photo by Jay Janner. Courtesy of the Austin American-Statesman.
THE BORDER AND BEYOND:
Birds, Butterflies and Bats: Cross-Border Migration and Wildlife Management
Panelists will discuss the status quo of the flying fauna that migrate between Canada, the United States and Mexico, as well as examine potential solutions for future management. They'll also bring to light some high-risk situations that have recently developed in Mexico, where much of the natural habitat for some waterfowl and butterfly species has been destroyed.
• Esta sesión se presentará en español e inglés. Se dispondrá en la sala de una traducción simultánea al español por medio de auriculares. (This session will be presented in Spanish and English. Simultaneous translation will be provided via headsets available on site.)
Moderator: Miguel Ángel de Alba, Freelance Journalist
 Panelists:
Jeff Haskins, Chief, Migratory Bird Office, Southwest Region, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Thomas Lacher Jr., Executive Director, Center for Applied Biodiversity Science, Conservation International
Eduardo Viadas, Journalist, and Director, Planeta Azul (Blue Planet)
 Location: Room 1-110

THE NATION:
Natural Gas Rush: Drillers Go for the Industry's New Sweet Spot, the Rocky Mountain West
On public and private lands stretching from New Mexico to Montana, the nation's demand for natural gas, chiefly for fueling new power plants, has hit a feverish pace. Drilling rigs, new roads, pipelines, and other hardware occupy more and more land. To speed up the pace further, the industry is bringing in drilling rigs from as far away as China. We'll discuss the energy policies and market forces that drive the rush for gas, the industry's efforts to act responsibly, and concerns about the impacts on landowners, wildlife, air quality and open space.
 Moderator: Ray Ring, Editor in the Field, High Country News
 Panelists:
Linda Baker, Community Organizer, Upper Green River Valley Coalition (Pinedale, WY)
Tweeti Blancett, Rancher, New Mexico
Marc Smith, Executive Director, Independent Petroleum Association of Mountain States
Kermit Witherbee, Deputy Division Chief, Fluid Minerals Group, U.S. Bureau of Land Management
 Location: Room 2-122

THE AIR:
Global Warming Reality Check
Given the scope and nature of the problem and the way Washington and the world work (or don't, depending on one's perspective), what are the real-world prospects for stemming the greenhouse gas buildup and boosting resilience of societies to climate extremes?
 Moderator: Andrew Revkin, Environment Reporter, The New York Times
 Panelists:
Elliot Diringer, Director, International Strategies, Pew Center on Global Climate Change
John L. Howard, Partner, Vinson & Elkins LLP, and former adviser on environment to George W. Bush
William O'Keefe, CEO, George Marshall Institute, and President, Solutions Consulting, Inc.
Daniel Sarewitz, Director, Consortium for Science, Policy & Outcomes and Professor of Science and Society, School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University
 Location: Room 2-120

THE LAW:
Ten Years Later: Is NAFTA Delivering?
Supporters of the North American Free Trade Agreement said that lowering trade walls between Mexico, the United States and Canada would bring more prosperity and, as a result, less poverty and pollution to the troubled U.S.-Mexico border. Critics predicted a concentration of wealth and an anything-goes environmental ethic along the border. A decade later, truck traffic on I-35 has doubled, but what else has NAFTA delivered — and what are the lessons for the next phase, CAFTA? Hear top experts from business and environmental interests and from the three-nation environmental agency that NAFTA set up.
• Esta sesión se presentará en inglés. Contaremos con el apoyo de intérpretes al español durante la sesión. (This session will be presented in English. Interpreter support in Spanish will be provided during the session.)
 Moderator: Randy Loftis, Reporter, The Dallas Morning News
Panelists:
Barbara Bramble, Senior Program Advisor, International Affairs, National Wildlife Federation
Chantal Line Carpentier, Head, Environment, Economy and Trade Program, North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation
Ricardo Reyes, Manager of Strategic Communications, Bracewell & Giuliani LLP, and former spokesman for U.S. Trade Representative Bob Zoellick
 Location: Room 2-110

THE INDUSTRY:
Green Energy: What Are the Paybacks and the Risks?
What can communities do to wean themselves from polluting, fossil fuel, and fish-munching electricity? Some well-known alternatives, such as wind and solar, are possibilities, but what about something more esoteric like waves and tidal power? Could alternatives be in negating consumption rather than building new liquefied natural gas terminals? And, what's wrong with LNG anyway? Where do journalists look for associated financial risks and charlatans behind the projects?
 Moderator: J.A. Savage, Editor/Publisher, California Energy Circuit
 Panelists:
Jim Caldwell, Director, Renewable Policy, PPM Energy
Mike Martin, Financial Restructuring Group, Guggenheim Capital Markets
Bill Powers, Liquefied Natural Gas Expert, and Principal, Powers Engineering
 Location: Room 3-108

THE GULF:
Sprawl: Tsunamis, Hurricanes and Coastal Development
As the nation's coastal population continues to grow almost exponentially, the potential effects of natural disasters also increase. We look at how coastal communities are struggling to deal with growth, and the threats posed by more frequent hurricanes and an occasional tsunami or two.
 Moderator: Mark Schleifstein, Environmental Reporter, The (New Orleans) Times-Picayune
Panelists:
David Conrad, Senior Resources Specialist, National Wildlife Federation
Windell Curole, General Manager, South Lafourche Levee District Board of Commissioners
Sean Gulick, Research Associate, Institute for Geophysics, The University of Texas at Austin
 Location: Room 3-122

Beverage Break and Literature Tables
2:45 - 3:15 p.m.
Browse for information, news and opinions from a variety of sources
 Location: TCC Dining Hall, Ground Floor (with exhibitors)

Concurrent Sessions 2
3:15 - 4:30 p.m.

THE CRAFT:
Covering Disasters: From Forest Fires to Floods to Flares
This panel will discuss problems and solutions reporters encounter while covering natural and manmade disasters. Two veteran environmental reporters, a distinguished newspaper editor, and a senior official from the USDA Forest Service will share experiences and lessons learned while reporting on hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, wildfires, volcanoes, oil spills, chemical and nuclear releases and explosions, including the two shuttle disasters.
• Esta sesión se presentará en inglés. Contaremos con el apoyo de intérpretes al español durante la sesión. (This session will be presented in English. Interpreter support in Spanish will be provided during the session.)
 Moderator: Don Wall, Environmental Reporter, WFAA-TV 8, Dallas
 Panelists:
George Haj, Deputy Managing Editor, Houston Chronicle
Scott Miller, Co-Director, Resource Media
Ed Nesselroad, Regional Director of Communications, External Relations and Fire Information Officer, USDA Forest Service
 Location: Room 3-102

THE COMPUTER LAB:
FOIA Computer Workshop
Don't know a TRI from a DBF? Expert number crunchers will tell you how to acquire, and sometimes fight for, government databases and then how to turn those databases into powerful environmental journalism.
 Moderator: Bill Dawson, Freelance Journalist
 Panelists:
Jennifer LaFleur, Computer-Assisted Reporting Editor, The Dallas Morning News
Jeff Porter, Database Library Editor, IRE/NICAR
 Location: Room 2-118

THE BORDER AND BEYOND:
Biotech Crops: Promises and Hazards
The biotechnology industry and the U.S. government assure us that genetically engineered crops help farmers, are safe for human health and the environment, and can help eradicate hunger. But critics contend that genetic engineering is an intrinsically risky technology, does not address the causes of hunger, and entails new forms of dependence and domination. Of particular concern for them is the uncontrolled proliferation of biotech crops through pollination, inventory errors and other means. This panel will present both sides of the controversy surrounding this new technology.
• Esta sesión se presentará en español e inglés. Se dispondrá en la sala de una traducción simultánea al español por medio de auriculares. (This session will be presented in Spanish and English. Simultaneous translation will be provided via headsets available on site.)
 Moderator: Bill Allen, Assistant Professor and Coordinator of Agricultural Journalism, University of Missouri
Panelists:
Ron Bailey, Science Correspondent, Reason Magazine
Luke Metzger, Public Interest Advocate, Texas Public Interest Research Group
Karla Peregrina, Professor of Social and Environmental Responsibility, Universidad del Caribe (University of the Caribbean)
 Location: Room 1-110

THE NATION:
Heaven and Earth: The Christian Right Meets the Environmental Movement
The activist creator of the "What Would Jesus Drive?" campaign, a "biblical environmentalist" who believes human-induced global warming is a myth, and an academic authority on faith-based environmentalism explore the budding but still uneasy relationship between evangelical Christians and traditional environmentalists.
Moderator: Dan Fagin, Associate Professor of Journalism, New York University
 Panelists:
Jim Ball, Reverend, and Executive Director, Evangelical Environmental Network
Ray Bohlin, President, Probe Ministries
Thomas Dunlap, Professor of History, Texas A&M University, and Author, "Faith in Nature: Environmentalism as Religious Quest"
 Location: Room 2-122

THE AIR:
Air Toxics: Under-Reported and Under the Radar
It's among the most difficult areas of air pollution for a journalist to cover; hazardous air pollutants, or those 188 chemicals that Congress identified in 1990 as being among the most dangerous. The EPA has a program to regulate them, but it is years behind schedule, and some communities are discovering that their residents are at risk. Some states and local areas are taking matters in their own hands, going beyond the federal rules. Find out how to report on these so-called "air toxics" issues in your area.
 Moderator: Jim Bruggers, Reporter, The (Louisville) Courier-Journal
 Panelists:
Thomas Dydek, Toxicologist and Professional Engineer, Dydek Environmental Consulting
Thomas McGarity, Professor, The University of Texas at Austin School of Law
Tammy Webber, Environmental Writer, The Indianapolis Star
Art Williams, Director, Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control District
 Location: Room 2-120

THE LAW:
CITES Update: Importation of Endangered Species
In 1975, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) was formed. Its purpose was clear: ensure the survival of wildlife and plants. Yet, estimates claim that the annual trade of wildlife might be in the billions of dollars. This trade includes live animals and plants, plus a variety of products like foods, exotic leather goods, wooden musical instruments, timber and medicines. CITES officials say they have been able to ensure protection for about 30,000 species of animals and plants. This panel will look at the current state of the wildlife trade, and determine if endangered species are any safer today.
• Esta sesión se presentará en inglés. Contaremos con el apoyo de intérpretes al español durante la sesión. (This session will be presented in English. Interpreter support in Spanish will be provided during the session.)
 Moderator: Eugene Mulero, Reporter, Daily Record (Parsippany, NJ)
 Panelists:
Chris Cutter, Communications Manager, International Fund for Animal Welfare
Simon Habel, Director, TRAFFIC North America
Benito Perez, Deputy Chief of the Division of Law Enforcement, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
 Location: Room 2-110

THE INDUSTRY:
Nanotox: Welcome to Quantum Weirdness
An intro to nanotechnologies and the health and environmental questions they are raising. Nanotechnologies refer to a suite of methods that manipulate atoms or molecules to create new materials, drugs, and computers by giving them unique strength, magnetic, and other properties. The U.S. government, alone, is investing nearly $1 billion a year to promote nanotechnologies, because they are expected to revolutionize the global economy. While nanotechnologies may create products society will find very useful, the materials they create act in unexpected ways and little is known about their potential environmental and health impacts.
 Moderator: Pat Phibbs, Reporter, Daily Environment Report, Bureau of National Affairs, Inc.
 Panelists:
John Howard, Director, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Eva Oberdörster, Lecturer, Department of Biology, Southern Methodist University
Christie Sayes, Center for Biological and Environmental Nanotechnology, Rice University
 Location: Room 3-108

THE GULF:
Desalination: Getting Salt Out of the Seas
Former President John F. Kennedy often is remembered for inspiring America to put a man on the Moon before the end of the 1960s. But JFK also once said that developing a cost-effective way to remove salt from the seas may be the greatest legacy that mankind could ever leave to future generations. How practical is desalination now on a wide-scale basis, given recent advancements in technology and a skyrocketing demand for water caused by a bulging population, mega farms, urban sprawl, pollution, global warming and other stresses? First, we'll get a global perspective on just how acute the water crisis is becoming. Then, we'll get into the nitty-gritty of desalination's future, with overviews of the Tampa desalination project (North America's largest) and the potential for similar efforts in Texas and other parched regions.
 Moderator: Tom Henry, Environmental Writer, The Toledo Blade
 Panelists:
Peter Gleick, Director, Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment and Security
Jean-Phillippe Nicot, Geological Engineer, Bureau of Economic Geology, The University of Texas at Austin
Andrew Shea, Principal, Shea Consulting
 Location: Room 3-122

SEJ Membership Meeting
4:30 - 6:00 p.m.
SEJ members are urged to attend their annual membership meeting. Eligible voters will cast ballots to fill seats on the board of directors. Members will also hear brief financial, program and membership reports from SEJ officers and the executive director, and have the opportunity to discuss new business or share concerns.
 Location: Room 1-110

Beat Dinners
7:30 p.m.
Restaurants noted in blue text
Sign up Wednesday from 2:00 - 7:00 p.m. and Thursday from 6:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. at SEJ Registration, located on Omni hotel mezzanine. On Friday, sign up at the SEJ table in the lobby of the Thompson Conference Center.

Enjoy an informal group discussion on the topic of your choice at a nearby restaurant.
Logistics: Be at the Omni hotel lobby by 7:30 p.m. Locate your dinner group in the Omni Atrium and check in with your group leader. No later than 7:45 p.m., your group will depart to its assigned restaurant on foot. All reservations under "SEJ," 8:00 p.m. Pay for your own meal, plus tip. Smoking is not permitted in any Austin restaurant, bar, music venue or other indoor setting. Price guide: $=$8-15, $$=$15-25, $$$=$25-35, $$$$=$35+

Discussion Topics:
  1. Meeting of SEJ's 1st Amendment Task Force and Potential Active Participants
    Ken Ward (Task Force Chair) and Joe Davis (SEJ WatchDog Project Director)
    Dan Mcklusky's (steaks, $$): 301 E. 6th Street, 512-473-8924
  2. Does Our Beat Artificially Pigeonhole "The Environment?"
    Laird Townsend, Orion Magazine
    Habana (Cuban, $$): 709 E 6th Street, 512-443-4252
  3. Indian Tribes and the Environment: Old Rights, New Economics
    Charles Hudson, Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission
    Roaring Fork (American, $$-$$$): 701 Congress Avenue, 512-583-0000
  4. Environmental Justice Today: Should Race and Income Be Taken Out of the Picture?
    Brenda Box, National Public Radio
    Carmelo's (Italian, $$): 504 E. 5th Street, 512-477-7497
  5. EJ in the U.S. and Latin America
    Bill Kovarik (Radford University) and Miguel Ángel de Alba, (freelance journalist, León, Mexico)
    P.F. Chang's (Chinese, $$): 201 San Jacinto Boulevard, 512-457-8300
  6. What in the World Can We Learn from Outer Space?
    Linda Billings, Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute (SETI)
    Old Pecan Street (American, $-$$): 310 E. 6th Street, 512-478-2491. Limit 10 people.
  7. The Real World of Environmental Book Publishing
    Dick Russell (author) and Thomas McGarity (author and University of Texas Law School)
    Dan Mcklusky's (steaks, $$): 301 E. 6th Street, 512-473-8924
  8. Balancing Work and Family
    Emilia Askari (Detroit Free Press) and Adam Glenn (independent online producer)
    P.F. Chang's (Chinese, $$): 201 San Jacinto Boulevard, 512-457-8300
  9. The Outdoors Writer's Challenge: Hard Environmental News on a Soft Beat
    Bob Marshall, Times-Picayune
    Old Pecan Street (American, $-$$): 310 E. 6th Street, 512-478-2491. Limit 10 people.
  10. Market-Based Approaches to Environmental Problems: Real or Illusory?
    Peyton Fleming (CERES) and Jackleen de La Harpe (Metcalf Institute)
    Roaring Fork (American, $$-$$$): 701 Congress Avenue, 512-583-0000
  11. Online Media: A Bigger Vision of the News
    Amy Gahran, content strategist
    Carmelo's (Italian, $$): 504 E. 5th Street, 512-477-7497
  12. Darwinian American Values: Has Survival Trumped Environmentalism?
    Dianne Saenz (Physicians for Social Responsibility) and Tim Wheeler (Baltimore Sun)
    Habana (Cuban, $$): 709 E 6th Street, 512-443-4252
  13. Katrina and the Corps
    Mark Neuzil, University of St. Thomas
    McCormick's (Seafood, $$$$): 401 Congress Avenue, 512-236-9600
  14. Free Topic A
    Peter Thomson, independent radio producer
    McCormick's (Seafood, $$$$): 401 Congress Avenue, 512-236-9600
  15. Free Topic B
    Don Hopey, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
    Chez Nous (French, $$-$$$): 510 Neches, 512-473-2413. Limit 10 people.

    16. Congress Bridge Bat Viewing
    1 hour earlier, separate venue
    Meet 6:30 pm, Omni Hotel atrium

    Sign up Wednesday from 2:00 - 7:00 p.m. and Thursday from 6:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. at SEJ Registration, located on Omni hotel mezzanine. On Friday, sign up at the SEJ table in the lobby of the Thompson Conference Center. Limit: 30

    North America's largest and most famous urban bat colony spends its summers under the Congress Avenue Bridge in downtown Austin. Each spring, 750,000 pregnant Mexican free-tailed bats move into crevices on the underside of the bridge. In mid-summer, about 750,000 pups are born, nursed, and taught to fly by their mothers. Each evening all those bats emerge to scatter over the landscape and eat up to 30,000 pounds of insects. People gather to watch the ribbons of bats take to the sky — a summer total of about 135,000 people with an economic impact of nearly $8 million. Ecotourism pays, even in an urban center.
    Tour Leaders: Pat Beach (Austin American-Statesman) and Gretel Schueller (GHS Writing and Editing)
    Logistics: First, buy a takeout dinner (or plan dinner on your own later). Then, meet in Omni Hotel lobby no later than 6:30 p.m. Walk with group leaders to viewing spot, approximately 1 mile. (Others can walk over on own. See dinner map in your registration packet.)

    Nearby restaurants serving takeout dinner:
    Texadelphia: 619 Congress Avenue, 512-263-1700
    Thundercloud Sub: 112 7th Street, 512-474-7827
    Schlotzky's Deli: 106 E. 6th Street, 512-473-2867
    Stubb's Barbecue: 801 Red River, 512-385-3611
    Subway: 809 Congress Avenue, 512-480-9102

Back to the top

Saturday, October 1: Thompson Conference Center, The University of Texas at Austin
2405 Robert Dedman Drive, Austin, Texas. Phone 512-471-3121.
All events are at The University of Texas at Austin's Thompson Conference Center (TCC) unless otherwise indicated. Shuttles will begin at the Omni on 7th street at 7:15 a.m. Guests staying at the Driskill will need to walk across the street to board at the Omni. La Quinta shuttle will begin at 7:15 a.m. Shuttles will loop between the TCC and the Omni and La Quinta hotels throughout the morning until the buses depart from the Alumni Center for the mini-tours. Please check your shuttle schedule for details.

Some events are held at buildings near the Thompson Conference Center. Attendees will walk to these events, so plan for the possibility of rain.

Each year, SEJ welcomes a diverse group of attendees to its annual conference, including representatives of business, government and environmental groups as well as working journalists, academics and students. Because non-journalists are here, you may see or hear responses to presentations that you might not expect from mainstream journalists. Please bear in mind that these responses — like the presentations themselves — do not necessarily reflect the views of SEJ or any of its members.

Please note that SEJ members will be given preference in question-and-answer sessions.

indicates either simultaneous English/Spanish translation or interpreter support.

The 307-foot-tall University of Texas Tower is the university's most distinguished landmark. Photo by Marsha Miller. Courtesy of The University of Texas at Austin.

7:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

  • Registration
    Stop at registration to pick up your name badge and conference information. If you didn't sign up for the Saturday breakfast session, party at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum or Sunday events at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, there may still be room — just inquire at registration.
     Location: TCC Lobby, First Floor
  • SEJ Information Table
    Sign up at the SEJ table for Saturday mini-tours. Also check here for information about SEJ programs and membership and to see posted statements from candidates for the board election.
     Location: TCC Lobby, First Floor
  • SEJ Reading Room
    Samples of SEJ members' work, including submissions to the 2005 SEJ Awards for Reporting on the Environment, and finalists' work will be on display.
     Location: TCC Lobby, First Floor
  • Literature Display Tables
    Stop in and browse through information from various sources. You'll find a list of exhibitors here, as well as in your registration packet.
     Location: TCC Dining Hall, Ground Floor
  • Press Room
    There are five computers with free Internet access. Please go to the information desk in the main lobby for the access code. The Thompson Conference Center is wireless. If you have wireless capability, go to the information desk for an access code ($5.00) and configuration information.
    Location: TCC Business Center, First Floor

Continental Breakfast
7:30 - 9:15 a.m.
 Location: TCC Dining Hall, Ground Floor (with exhibitors)

Breakfast Session: Covering Energy: Boom or Bust?
Pre-registration and $15 fee required.
7:30 - 8:00 a.m.
Full buffet breakfast will be served outside of Room 2-102 for those registered for this session.
8:00 - 9:15 a.m.
SEJ couldn't come to the home of Spindletop without talking oil. Join some of Texas' most prevalent natural resources — oil and gas company executives — for a discussion on oil supply, U.S. refining capacity, major oil companies' stances on global warming, the coming LNG boom and the price of oil rekindling the hunt for the natural resource in parks, national seashores and other sensitive places. Here's your chance to get past the flaks and talk energy with the bigwigs. Ask them about ANWR. Press them on refinery safety and security. Pick their brains for the next big energy-related environmental story. Leave with tips from some of the big names and leading thinkers in the field.
Moderator: Lynn Cook, Energy Reporter, Houston Chronicle
Speakers:
Lynn Laverty Elsenhans, Executive Vice President of Global Manufacturing, Shell Downstream
Rich Marcogliese, Senior Vice President of Refining Operations, Valero Energy Corporation
Matthew Simmons, Chairman, Simmons & Company International, and Author, "Twilight in the Desert: The Coming Saudi Oil Shock and the World Economy"
Sherri Stuewer, Vice President, Safety, Health and Environment, Exxon Mobil Corporation
 Location: Room 2-102

Concurrent Sessions 3
9:30 - 10:45 a.m.

THE CRAFT:
The Challenges of Teaching Environmental Journalism
Can environmental journalism be taught? What are the best ways to do this? Five veteran professors at some of the nation's top environmental journalism programs will share their knowledge and experiences on how best to teach the craft of environmental reporting. Come learn about some innovative techniques that are being tried.
 Moderator: Jim Detjen, Director, Knight Center for Environmental Journalism, Michigan State University
 Panelists:
Len Ackland, Co-Director, Center for Environmental Journalism, University of Colorado at Boulder
Sharon Friedman, Director, Science and Environmental Writing Program, Lehigh University
Kim Kastens, Co-Director, Earth and Environmental Science Journalism Program, Columbia University
Bob Thomas, Director, Center for Environmental Communications, Loyola University New Orleans
 Location: Room 3-102

THE COMPUTER LAB:
Blogs, Feeds, Wikis, and Podcasts: What Are They, and Why Should Reporters Care?
The last few years have yielded several fast-growing new options for publishing, collaborating, and communicating online. Join longtime blogger and content strategist Amy Gahran for a nongeeky overview of four of the most important and exciting types of new media: blogs, feeds, wikis, and podcasts. Find out how they can help you stay ahead of the curve on your beat and provide new markets for your work. We'll explore the real benefits and pitfalls, and undo some common myths, stereotypes, and hype.
 Presenter: Amy Gahran, Freelance Writer
 Location: Room 2-118

THE BORDER AND BEYOND:
Big Business and the Amazon
What's next for the rainforests of South America? How do we assess the impacts of logging, oil development, mining and agriculture? Which strategies are slowing down the rate of destruction? Two Brazilian journalists and a U.S. scientist discuss how we assess the damage to, and hope for, the Amazon rainforest.
• Esta sesión se presentará en inglés. Se dispondrá en la sala de una traducción simultánea al español por medio de auriculares. (This session will be presented in English. Simultaneous Spanish translation will be provided via headsets available on site.)
 Moderator: Bill Kovarik, Professor, Media Studies, Radford University
Panelists:
Claudio Angelo, Science News Editor, Folha de Sao Paulo (Brazilian daily newspaper)
Manoel Francisco Brito, Environmental Journalist and Editor, O Eco (Web site)
Rodrigo Sierra, Assistant Professor, Department of Geography and the Environment, The University of Texas at Austin
 Location: Room 1-110

THE NATION:
Environmentalism: Dead or Red?
Is environmentalism dead? Some think so, and that last year's elections prove it. It's time, say disillusioned activists, to bury the mainstream movement, which has allegedly failed to affect U.S. climate policy, and focus instead on a broader political and social agenda. Others say the future in an increasingly red-state country is to forge ties with conservatives. We'll hear what this debate is all about, and where it's going.
 Moderator: Tim Wheeler, Reporter, The Baltimore Sun
 Panelists:
Orson Aguilar, Associate Director, Greenlining Institute
Chip Giller, Founder and President, Grist Magazine
Jane Shaw, Senior Fellow, Property and Environment Research Center
Tom Smith, Director, Public Citizen
 Location: Room 2-122

THE AIR:
Mercury Rising: Covering the New Generation of Laws on Air Quality, Fish Safety and Consumer Warnings
National experts bring you up to date on legislation, laws and court decisions regarding curbing toxic mercury emissions, health effects of mercury in fish and consumer right-to-know warnings on canned tuna, fresh swordfish and restaurant sushi.
Moderator: Jane Kay, Environment Writer, San Francisco Chronicle
 Panelists:
Jane Hightower, San Francisco Physician
Ben Raines, Environment Reporter, Mobile Register
Eric Schaeffer, Director, Environmental Integrity Project, and former Director, Office of Regulatory Enforcement, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
 Location: Room 2-120

THE LAW:
Environmental Enforcement: How to Cover the Issue and Why It Matters
This session will focus on enforcement of environmental laws and regulations and the challenges facing journalists who cover the issue. The panel will discuss why environmental enforcement issues are vital to readers. It will also offer practical tips to journalists and discuss some of the legal challenges reporters face in this time of increased security and secrecy.
Moderator: Scott Streater, Environmental Reporter, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
 Panelists:
Chris Bowman, Environmental Reporter, The Sacramento Bee
Daniel Esty, Director, Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy, Yale Law School
Robert McClure, Environmental Reporter, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
 Location: Room 2-110

THE INDUSTRY:
When Things Go Boom: Port, Plant and Pipeline Safety
This panel will discuss current and emerging policy issues related to the prevention of catastrophic accidents. The focus will be on port facilities, including liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals, major industrial facilities such as refineries and chemical plants, and pipelines.
 Moderator: Bill Dawson, Freelance Journalist
 Panelists:
John Bresland, Board Member, U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board
Ann Kitchen, former Member, Texas House of Representatives
Mike Rieke, Managing Editor, LNG Daily
 Location: Room 3-108

THE GULF:
Go with the Flow
A river needs water to be a river, but demand on some Texas rivers already exceeds the available water. Texas Gulf Coast ecology requires the proper mix of fresh and salt water for healthy bays and estuaries. Commercial and sport activity, tourism and wildlife on the coast depend on water getting to the Gulf. Farmers, ranchers and cities want a share of the water, too, and they are upstream. How much water reaches the Gulf and how robust are the rivers flowing into it?
 Moderator: Neil Strassman, Reporter, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
 Panelists:
Myron Hess, Attorney, National Wildlife Federation
Laura Huggins, Director of Development, Property and Environment Research Center
Larry McKinney, Director of Coastal Fisheries, Texas Parks and Wildlife
Dianne Wassenich, Director, San Marcos River Foundation
 Location: Room 3-122

Beverage Break and Literature Tables
10:45 - 11:15 a.m.
Browse for information, news and opinions from a variety of sources.
Location: TCC Dining Hall, Ground Floor (with exhibitors)

Concurrent Sessions 4
11:15 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

THE CRAFT:
Do-It-Yourself Testing: Reporters Conduct Their Own Environmental Sampling
Increasingly, reporters are taking science into their own hands and doing their own tests. Among the surprising results: high levels of mercury in fish, and people, in Alabama; asbestos fibers flying around Sacramento; toxic air in Houston; and Mexican candy contaminated with lead. Learn from the pros the power and pitfalls of doing your own tests, and take home ideas for conducting your own study.
 Moderator: Sara Shipley Hiles, Freelance Journalist
 Panelists:
Chris Bowman, Environmental Reporter, The Sacramento Bee
Ben Raines, Environment Reporter, Mobile Register
One additional panelist TBA
 Location: Room 3-102

THE COMPUTER LAB:
Environmental Data on the Web: Getting the Most from Internet Investigations
We'll examine Internet portals to environmental information in the United States, Mexico and the rest of Latin America. We'll talk about how to query and examine key databases. And we'll explore archives of visual images that permit other kinds of investigations of environmental problems in the Americas.
• Esta sesión se presentará en inglés. Contaremos con el apoyo de intérpretes al español durante la sesión. (This session will be presented in English. Interpreter support in Spanish will be provided during the session.)
 Moderator: Lise Olsen, Special Projects Reporter, Houston Chronicle
 Panelists:
Molly Molloy, Research Librarian, New Mexico State University
Rodrigo Sierra, Assistant Professor, Department of Geography and the Environment, The University of Texas at Austin
 Location: Room 2-118

THE BORDER AND BEYOND:
Ecotourism in the Americas
Hiking across a rain forest, watching endemic birds in a shade-grown coffee plantation, or getting wet from the gigantic fin of an endangered whale are all breathtaking expressions of environmentally oriented tourism. But, are they ecotourism? Experts say several specific components must be in place before tourism can properly be called ecotourism. This panel will explain how community, environmental preservation, economic benefit and architectural guidelines jointly influence ecotourism. We'll also discuss whether ecotourism is starting to love the world to death.
• Esta sesión se presentará en inglés. Se dispondrá en la sala de una traducción simultánea al español por medio de auriculares. (This session will be presented in English. Simultaneous Spanish translation will be provided via headsets available on site.)
 Moderator: José Javier Pérez, Journalist, El Nuevo Dia (Puerto Rican newspaper)
 Panelists:
Héctor Ceballos-Lascuráin, Director General, Programme of International Consultancy on Ecotourism; Special Advisor on Ecotourism to IUCN (The World Conservation Union); and Advisor to the World Tourism Organization
Leopoldo Miranda-Castro, Fish and Wildlife Biologist, Branch of Habitat Restoration, Division of Fish & Wildlife Management and Habitat Restoration, Washington Office Fisheries and Habitat Conservation, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
 Location: Room 1-110

THE AIR:
Ozone, the Next Phase: How Will Communities Tackle the New Standard?
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency revoked the one-hour ozone standard on June 15 and replaced it with a new eight-hour standard giving communities a new goal under the Clean Air Act. Representatives from federal and local agencies will discuss and answer questions about how this transition might take place.
Moderator: Amy Wold, The (Baton Rouge) Advocate
Panelists:
Fred Blood, Sustainability Officer, Austin Energy, City of Austin
Bill Gill, Program Director, Air Quality Planning and Assessment, Capital Area Council of Governments
Carrie Paige, Environmental Scientist, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
 Location: Room 2-120

THE LAW:
What's in a Name? Updates on Clear Skies, Healthy Forests and Others
This panel will examine the Bush administration's environmental record since 2001, looking at how it has approached issues ranging from climate change to forest health and endangered species. The panelists will examine to what extent the administration's rhetoric matches reality; for example, will the "Clear Skies" proposal clean the air, and will the "Healthy Forests" initiative revive our nation's woods?
Moderator: Juliet Eilperin, Reporter, The Washington Post
 Panelists:
William O'Keefe, CEO, George Marshall Institute, and President, Solutions Consulting, Inc.
Pat Parenteau, Professor of Law and Director, Environmental and Natural Resources Law Clinic, Vermont Law School
Congressman Richard Pombo, Chairman, House Resources Committee, U.S House of Representatives
Carl Pope, Executive Director, Sierra Club
 Location: Room 2-110

THE INDUSTRY:
Occupational Exposure: Worker Safety in Hazardous Settings
Hazardous chemicals are used at thousands of worksites across the nation. Violations of the hazard communication standard, the federal law designed to protect workers from these substances, are among the most frequently cited by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. At this session, you will hear an OSHA representative discuss efforts to enforce the standard and an American Chemistry Council representative outline the group's Responsible Care initiative, a program that promotes management practices that go beyond regulatory requirements. The third panelist is a one-time health and safety consultant for the AFL-CIO who now writes commentary on the politics of workplace health and safety on a web log.
 Moderator: Carolyn Whetzel, California Correspondent, Bureau of National Affairs, Inc.
 Panelists:
Jordan Barab, Blogger, "Confined Space" Blog
Joe Reina, Deputy Regional Administrator, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor
Daniel Roczniak, Director, Implementation and Performance Issues, Responsible Care Team, American Chemistry Council
 Location: Room 3-108

THE GULF:
Dead Zones: Updates on Impacts and Science
Increasingly, throughout the world, coastal waters and lakes have been developing protracted dead zones. Our speakers will help flesh out why such pockets of oxygen-starved water are becoming so common, so large, and such recurrent features of the aquatic landscape. We'll also hear about subtle but potentially dramatic reproductive impairments in fish that can't or won't emigrate from these near-suffocating patches of underwater real estate.
 Moderator: Cheryl Hogue, Senior Reporter, Chemical & Engineering News
 Panelists:
Stuart Ludsin, Research Scientist, Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Nancy Rabalais, Professor, Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium
Peter Thomas, H.E.B. Endowed Professor in Marine Science, The University of Texas Marine Science Institute
 Location: Room 3-122

ETTER-HARBIN ALUMNI CENTER
2110 San Jacinto Boulevard, Austin, Texas

Lunch and Keynote Address: Bill Moyers
12:45 - 2:30 p.m.
Follow the crowd to the Alumni Center. It's a short walk, but moving hundreds of people takes time. Please help keep the program on schedule by arriving and taking your seat as quickly as possible.
Join us for a provocative keynote address on media and the environment from a journalism legend.
• Esta sesión se presentará en inglés. Se dispondrá en la sala de una traducción simultánea al español por medio de auriculares. (This session will be presented in English. Simultaneous Spanish translation will be provided via headsets available on site.)
 Introduction: Richard Oppel, Executive Editor, Austin American-Statesman
 Speaker: Bill Moyers, Broadcast Journalist, and President, Schumann Center for Media and Democracy
 Location: Connally Banquet Hall, Alumni Center

IN THE FIELD
Mini-Tours
2:30 - 5:30 p.m.
Sign up Wednesday from 2:00 - 7:00 p.m. and Thurs. from 6:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. at SEJ Registration, located on Omni hotel mezzanine. On Friday and Saturday, sign up at the SEJ table in the lobby of the Thompson Conference Center.

Board buses outside the Alumni Center following the keynote address. The first four tours will stage in the order they’re listed below, and buses will drop these attendees off at the Omni and La Quinta hotels about 5:30 p.m. See below for specific logistics for tours 5, 6 and 7.

Please be sure to dress appropriately for the weather and remember to bring drinking water.

  1. What's in the Air and Who's on the Ground?
    Researchers offer a high-tech look beyond the usual smoggy headlines and satellite's view of ecological turmoil. In one half of this tour we'll see projects including: developing ozone reduction plans for Texas cities, measuring air pollutant movement across eastern North America, testing the effectiveness of ion-generating air filters, and cleaning buildings after anthrax contamination. The other half will seat participants in front of life-size satellite images used by everyone from NASA to President Bush to the FBI for analyzing life-threatening emergencies such as Hurricane Katrina and the shuttle disaster. In quieter times the university's satellites provide photos for longer-term studies of air and water pollution or crop growth distribution.
     Tour Leaders:
    Hanneke Brooymans, Reporter, Edmonton Journal
    Candace Page, Reporter, Burlington Free Press
     Speakers:
    David Allen, Melvin H. Gertz Regents Chair in Chemical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin
    Richard Corsi, E.C.H. Bantel Professor for Professional Practice, Department of Civil, Architectural & Environmental Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin
    Jeffrey Siegel, Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin
    Gordon Wells, Program Manager, Center for Space Research, The University of Texas at Austin
  2. Eco-Tex: Building Green in Austin
    We'll visit three projects to learn how green building techniques are being put to creative use in Austin. Our guide: A leader of the movement, Frederick Steiner, dean of the Architecture School at the University of Texas. Long a hotbed of sustainable design, Austin is also home to nationally known green architect Pliny Fisk, founder of the Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems, our first stop. We'll also visit a "high performance" school, and an award winning photovoltaic-heated home, and view a slideshow on the city's student entries in the Solar Decathlon.
     Tour Leaders:
    Francesca Lyman, Freelance Environmental Writer and MSNBC Contributor
    Frederick Steiner, Dean, Architecture School, The University of Texas at Austin
     Speakers:
    Kent Butler, Director, Center for Sustainable Development, School of Architecture, The University of Texas at Austin
    Pliny Fisk, Founder, Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems,
    Stan Haas, Architect, Team Haas
    Katie Jensen, Austin Green Building Program
    Peter Pfeiffer, Architect, Barley & Pfeiffer
  3. Flood Alley
    Between 1843 and 1938 the lower Colorado River basin suffered 15 major floods causing millions of dollars in damage. The completion in 1941 of the Mansfield Dam and the Lake Travis flood pool, along with five other dams, tamed the wild Colorado River and changed the landscape and economy of once water-poor Central Texas. Experts from the Lower Colorado River Authority will discuss the history of flooding in the area, dam construction and new flood management techniques, and an environmental attorney will highlight environmental consequences caused by the dams, water use and management policies. We'll tour the Mansfield Dam and Lake Travis.
     Tour Leaders:
    Don Hopey, Environmental Reporter, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
    Mary Ann Roser, Medical Reporter, Austin American-Statesman
    Speakers:
    Stuart Henry, Environmental Attorney
    Bill McCann, Manager, Corporate Communications, Lower Colorado River Authority
    Bob Rose, Chief Meteorologist, Lower Colorado River Authority
    David Walker, Supervisor, River Operations Center, Lower Colorado River Authority
  4. Electronic Junk: Tackling E-Waste
    The Wall Street Journal has called e-waste "the world's fastest growing and potentially most dangerous waste problem." In the U.S., where we discard up to seven million tons of electronics each year, e-waste is now the fastest growing part of the municipal waste stream. About 90 percent of these discards are simply trashed, allowing their many toxic contents to enter the environment. We'll get a hands-on tour of one of Texas' largest collectors of used computer equipment, Goodwill Industries of Central Texas, and hear from a leading semiconductor manufacturer, original equipment manufacturer and environmental advocate about their work to reduce the environmental impacts of high tech electronics.
     Tour Leaders:
    Elizabeth Grossman, Freelance Writer, and Author of the forthcoming book, "High Tech Trash"
    Cheryl Smith, Associate News Editor, Austin Chronicle
    Speakers:
    Bob Gregory, President and CEO, Texas Disposal Systems
    Rebecca Hays, Recycling Manager, Environmental Business Services, Goodwill Industries of Central Texas
    Heather O'Cleirigh, Senior Environmental Engineer, AMD (Advanced Micro Devices) Global EHS (Environmental, Health and Safety)
    Scott O'Connell, Environmental Affairs Department, Dell
    Robin Schneider, Executive Director, Texas Campaign for the Environment
  5. Austin's Green Tailpipes
    Logistics: Meet the tour leaders in the Connally Banquet Hall after the keynote address for the walk to the UT lab. (Listen for announcements following the keynote address.)
    First, we'll visit the University of Texas Mechanical Engineering Department to see vehicles that have been hand-rebuilt with fuel cells, hybrid drives, biodiesel conversions and more. We'll also discuss Austin Energy's support for so-called "plug-in" hybrids — even greener versions of gas-electric vehicles. Then we'll board a green energy bus and head for Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, where we'll visit a state-of-the-art propane fueling station. The only one of its kind in the nation, the station services a fleet of propane-powered airport shuttle buses.
     Tour Leaders:
    Ron Cogan, Editor and Publisher, Green Car Journal
    Jim Motavalli, Editor, E/The Environmental Magazine, and author of "Forward Drive: The Race to Build Clean Cars for the Future" and "Breaking Gridlock: Moving Toward Transportation That Works"
     Speakers:
    Kane Carpenter, Environmental Compliance Specialist, City of Austin
    Matt Hall, Mechanical Engineering Department, The University of Texas at Austin
    Mark Kapner, Austin Energy Strategic Planning
  6. Political Follies and Dinosaur Fossils
    Logistics: Meet the tour leader in Connally Banquet Hall after the keynote address for the short walk to the LBJ Library. (Listen for announcements following the keynote address.) Attendees will pick up a shuttle back to the hotels at 5:30 p.m. in front of the Alumni Center.
    At the LBJ Library we'll see a brief film of LBJ's life, classic photographs of the Civil Rights Movement, LBJ's beloved collection of 4,000 political cartoons, his 1968 stretch limousine and a lifelike animatron. It's one of 10 presidential libraries administered by the National Archives and Records Administration. Then we'll visit the Texas Memorial Museum and its 5,200 square feet of dinosaurs, fossils, rocks, and minerals in the new Hall of Geology. Its Texas wildlife exhibits include many unusual critters unique to the Lone Star State. Hovering overhead will be the famed Texas Pterosaur that was found in west Texas in 1971. The largest flying creature ever discovered, it has a wingspan of 40 feet.
     Tour Leader: Tom Henry, Environmental Writer, The Toledo Blade
     Speakers:
    Tina Houston, Deputy Director, Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum
    Edward Theriot, Director, Texas Memorial Museum
  7. Bracken Cave: 20 Million Bats Take Wing
    Logistics: This tour will depart from the Omni hotel's 7th Street exit at 4:30 p.m. Attendees are responsible for their own dinners and beverages, which you can bring along on the bus. A list of take-out restaurants near the Omni hotel is listed below. The bus is expected to return to Austin about 9:30 p.m. and will drop passengers off at the Bullock Museum for the evening reception (already in progress) or the hotels — but we'd much rather you'd join us at the reception, bat scat and all!
    Twenty million Mexican free-tailed bats — the largest community of mammals on Earth — spend their summers in a single cave near San Antonio. Around sundown, bats begin pouring out in an unbroken spiral that lasts for hours. Their flapping wings spread a whispered "whoop ... whoop ... whoop" over the arid Hill Country and even add the hint of a breeze. Millions of bats form great columns that will consume 200 tons of insects by dawn. Raccoons, snakes and carnivorous beetles lurk near the cave mouth to claim fallen bats. Hawks and owls hover, diving now and then to pluck a meal from the sky. You ain't in Kansas anymore.
     Tour Leaders:
    Pat Beach, Reporter, Austin American-Statesman
    Gretel Helena Schueller, Freelance Writer
     Speakers:
    Bob Locke, Director of Publications, Bat Conservation International
    Emily Young, Director of Development, Bat Conservation International

Nearby restaurants serving takeout dinner:
Texadelphia: 619 Congress Avenue, 512-263-1700
Thundercloud Sub: 112 7th Street, 512-474-7827
Schlotzky's Deli: 106 E. 6th Street, 512-473-2867
Stubb's Barbecue: 801 Red River, 512-385-3611
Subway: 809 Congress Avenue, 512-480-9102

Party at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum
1800 N. Congress Avenue, Austin, TX 78701. Phone 512-936-8746.
Location and driving directions.
7:30 - 10:30 p.m.
Pre-registration and name badges required. Shuttles will depart from the Omni hotel at 7:00 p.m. Guests from the Driskill and La Quinta hotels will need to board at the Omni hotel. Shuttles will make continuous loops between the Bullock Museum and the Omni hotel until 11:30 p.m.
Take part in The Story of Texas and get down Austin-style to an evening of good company, food, drink and dancing to the Funky Brass Factory. Exhibit halls will give you an extensive look at oil exploration, natural history, and people of the land now known as the Lone Star State. Pre-registration and $25 fee required. More information on the Bullock Museum.
• Sponsored in part by the Austin American-Statesman.

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Sunday, October 2: The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
4801 La Crosse Avenue, Austin, TX 78739. Phone 512-292-4100.
Map and directions.
Meadow view on a windy spring day. Shown are two of the most emblematic Texas wildflowers. The Bluebonnet (Lupinus texensis) is the state flower of Texas, and the Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja indivisa) often grows in proximity to the Bluebonnet. Photo by Ronald Sprouse. Courtesy of the Wildflower Center.
Pre-registration required. Shuttles will depart the Omni hotel at 8:00 a.m. Guests from the Driskill and La Quinta will need to take the short walk to the Omni to board. Shuttles depart for conference hotels at 12:00 noon.
Join us for bird watching, nature hikes, and garden and architecture tours at this eye-opening, and uniquely Texan, native plant botanical garden. Reflecting the natural and architectural heritage of the Texas Hill Country, the Center provides educational opportunities, conducts research and promotes native plant conservation to a national and international audience. We'll have breakfast at the Wildflower Center, followed by tours and hikes. Those who wish are also invited to an 11:00 a.m. memorial program in the peaceful setting of the Wildflower Center for the late Kevin Carmody, SEJ founding board member and conference co-chair.

Breakfast and Wildflower Programs
9:00 - 10:00 a.m.
Enjoy breakfast while long-time Center board member Melanie Barnes gives us an overview of some of the Center's innovative environmental research programs, including green roofs, invasive plant species, seed banking, and more.

Tours
10:00 - 11:00 a.m.
After breakfast, pick from one of three tours with Wildflower Center ecologists and gardening staff.

  1. Green Roof Research Tour: Join Steve Windhager, director of landscape restoration, for a tour of the Center's green roof research plots. Get an up-close look at how these innovative roof systems work, and learn more about the installation of a green roof on a Starbucks building in South Austin.
  2. Tour of Gardens and Growing Area: On this tour you'll get a behind-the-scenes look at the gardens and greenhouse area with Andrea DeLong-Amaya, director of horticulture. Don't miss your chance to hear about the Center's new garden master plan during this tour.
  3. Walk the Restoration Research Trails: Join ecologist Mark Simmons for a look at the Center's outdoor living laboratory. This one-mile trail takes visitors through a series of research plots that show how different land management techniques affect the native flora of the Texas Hill Country.

Kevin Carmody Memorial
11:00 a.m. - Noon
All are welcome at a memorial for Kevin Carmody, an SEJ founding board member and guiding light who passed away in March. Music, remembrances and ecumenical readings will be given in his honor by friends, colleagues and those who were influenced by Kevin's generous spirit, good humor and talented journalism.

Noon
SEJ's 15th Annual Conference ends. Shuttles depart for hotels at 12:00 noon.

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The Society of Environmental Journalists
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Telephone: (215) 884-8174 Fax: (215) 884-8175
sej@sej.org

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