Agenda: SEJ 12th Annual Conference

Hosted by the University System of Maryland, October 9-13, 2002
Note: This agenda is not complete. Please check back often; details will be added as speakers confirm.
DRAFT: All Information Subject to Change

Baltimore's Inner Harbor
Photo by John Makely, Baltimore Sun
Main Menu
Wednesday, October 9
Thursday, October 10
Friday, October 11
Saturday, October 12
Sunday, October 13

Please note: SEJ's Inaugural Awards Ceremony in Baltimore has been rescheduled from Friday, Oct. 11 to Thursday, Oct. 10 at 8:00 p.m.

Wednesday, October 9: Wyndham Inner Harbor Hotel
The Wyndham Inner Harbor Hotel is located at 101 West Fayette Street, Baltimore, Maryland.

Registration
2:00 p.m.
Registration begins in Wyndham's Promenade at 2:00 p.m.

Pre-Conference Ice-Breaker
5:30 - 7:00 p.m.
Come share your stories and meet your peers. The connections you make here will last through the conference — and beyond. New members always welcome.
Facilitator: Jane Braxton Little, Freelance Journalist
Location: Carroll Room

SEJ board meeting
7:30 - 9:00 p.m.
Location: E. A. Poe Room

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Thursday, October 10: In the field
Logistics: A cash-and-carry kiosk will be located in the Liberty Ballroom lobby where participants may purchase assorted breakfast items. Complimentary coffee, decaf, tea, juice and water are available. For those wishing to purchase a full breakfast, the hotel restaurant, Shula's 2, opens at 6:30 a.m.

Buses stage on Liberty Street beginning at 6:30 a.m (check your tour for departure times). Exit doors are located at the bottom of the spiral staircase in the Liberty Ballroom lobby. All tours will conclude at the same location at approximately 5:00 p.m.

Day Tours:
Advance registration is required for all tours on Thursday, Oct. 10. Attendance size on each tour is strictly limited.
Note:The visit to Calvert Cliffs nuclear power plant has been cancelled. According to the Nuclear Energy Institute, this is due to the last-minute scheduling of security enhancement construction during the tour day. A nuclear energy panel has been added at the end of the energy tour that will be held in the Wyndham Hotel and is open to all attendees.

Energy, Security and the Environment
$15 fee (7:00 a.m. departure, lunch provided)
This tour will visit British Petroleum Solar's manufacturing facility in Frederick, Maryland. The plant, says BP, produces the world's highest efficiency silicon cells available in volume production. On the way, we will hear from solar experts, who will give us the ins and out of this technology. Then we are off to the Brandon Shores power plant near Baltimore to tour a coal-fired facility with the latest pollution control equipment. Along the way and at the plant, we'll hear from environmentalists and defenders of coal-fired plants about efforts to control power plant pollution through multi-pollutant legislation as well as the controversy over new source review. Then we'll go back to Baltimore for a nuclear energy panel that brings together nuclear power advocates and critics, who will debate the pluses and minuses of nuclear energy, including security, waste, transportation, safety, economics, and what lies ahead in the world of nuclear power. The tour is limited to 30 participants.
Tour Leaders:
Steve Cook, Bureau of National Affairs
Jeff Johnson, Chemical & Engineering News
Speakers on the tour and/or nuclear energy panel at the end of the tour:
Robert Alvarez, Program Director, STAR Foundation, and Senior Scholar, Institute For Policy Studies
Angelina Howard, Executive Vice President of Policy, Planning, and External Affairs, Nuclear Energy Institute
Bonnie Johansen, Community and Government Relations Representative, Constellation Energy
David Lochbaum, Nuclear Engineer, Union of Concerned Scientists
William Magwood, Director, Office of Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology, Department of Energy
Arjun Makhijani, President, Institute for Energy & Environmental Research
Bob Perciasepe, Senior Vice President for Public Policy, National Audubon Society
Otto Raabe, Professor of Radiation Biophysics and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Davis
Joseph Romm, Executive Director and Founder, Center for Energy and Climate Solutions
Eric Schaeffer, Executive Director, Environmental Integrity Project, Rockefeller Family Fund
Sandra Schubert, Legislative Counsel, Earthjustice
Scott Segal, Spokesman, Electric Reliability Coordinating Council
John Strauch, Plant Manager, Brandon Shores coal-fired power plant, Constellation Energy

The Lord's Oysters, Or The Genetic Equivalent?
$15 fee (7:15 a.m. departure, lunch provided)
Get out on the water while learning about efforts to restore oyster populations in the Chesapeake Bay. Visit one of the remaining shucking houses in Maryland, then jump on board alongside watermen and the Oyster Recovery Partnership to plant native oysters on a local bar. Return to shore for a tour of Maryland's premier hatchery at Horn Point. From there, join regulators and scientists for a discussion on harvesting, disease, pollution, and whether the Bay's salvation lies in importing non-native C. ariakensis oysters from Asia. Finish with a real taste of the controversy — ariakensis on the half shell!
Tour Leaders:
Mary Madison, Watermen's Gazette
Joel McCord, Freelance Writer
Speakers:
Standish Allen, School of Marine Science, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, College of William and Mary
Charles Frentz, Executive Director, Oyster Recovery Partnership
Pete Jensen, Fisheries Consultant
Christopher Judy, Shellfish Program Director, Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Merrill Leffler, Senior Science Writer, Maryland Sea Grant
Donald Meritt, Aquaculture Agent, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Horn Point Laboratory
Pete Nixon, President, Lower Chesapeake Bay Watermen’s Association
Karen Oertel, Harris’ Seafood
Kennedy Paynter, Associate Professor, Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, and Director of the Marine, Estuarine Environmental Sciences (MEES) Graduate Program
Larry Simns, President, Maryland Watermen’s Association
Gerardo Vasta, Center of Marine Biotechnology, University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute
Jim Wesson, Department Head, Conservation and Replenishment Department, Virginia Marine Resources Commission

A River Runs Through It
$15 fee (7:30 a.m. departure, lunch provided)
Learn about the broad-based efforts to restore the Anacostia, a tributary of the nation's river, the Potomac, which flows from the sprawling affluent suburbs of the Washington area through some of the capital's poorest inner-city neighborhoods. You'll see effects of development at the headwaters, then board canoes for a paddle downriver to witness effects of channelization and flood control, plus recent efforts to clean up the river and restore its natural beauty and functions. Politicians, biologists and local restoration leaders will join us to talk about the river's decline and their hopes for its future.
Tour Leaders:
Lynne Cherry, Author
Gary Lee, The Washington Post
Speakers:
David Baron, Attorney, Earthjustice
Robert Boone, founder and President, Anacostia Watershed Society
Robert Bullard, WARE Professor of Sociology and Director, Environmental Justice Resource Center, Clark Atlanta University
Jim Connolly, Director, Anacostia Watershed Society
Bob Nixon, founder and President, Earth Conservation Corps
Brenda Richardson, President, Women Like Us and the Metropolitan Dialogue

The New Green Revolution
$15 fee (9:30 a.m. departure, lunch provided)
See what's cooking at the world's largest agricultural laboratory — USDA's 6,700-acre facility in Beltsville — to shrink the U.S. food supply's environmental footprint. See how "algal raceways" (technology borrowed from the Smithsonian's coral reef exhibit) treat dairy manure. Learn how researchers are using nature to trap E. coli and destroy hormones in livestock waste so that they don't enter streams. See where NASA technology is taking "precision agriculture" at the world's most heavily instrumented field site. This tour involves minimal walking.
Tour Leaders:
Wayne Falda, Environment/Farm Reporter, South Bend Tribune
Janet Raloff, Science News
Speakers (Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, USDA):
Doug Bolt, BARC Birders, and former Animal Physiologist at BARC
Michel Cavigelli, Soil Scientist, Sustainable Agricultural Systems Laboratory
Rufus Chaney, Research Agronomist, Animal Manure and Byproducts Laboratory
Ed Clark, Microbiologist, Insect Biocontrol Laboratory and member of BARC Birders
Benjamin Coffman, Agronomist, Sustainable Agricultural Systems Laboratory
Mark Davis, Agronomist, Sustainable Agricultural Systems Laboratory
Lou Gasbarre, Microbiologist, Immunology and Disease Resistance Laboratory
Tim Gish, Soil Scientist, Hydrology and Remote Sensing Lab
Cathleen Hapeman, Supervisory Research Chemist, Environmental Quality Laboratory
Phyllis Johnson, Director, BARC
Laura McConnell, Research Chemist, Environmental Quality Laboratory
Pat Millner, Microbiologist, Sustainable Agricultural Systems Laboratory
Walter Mulbry, Research Microbiologist, Animal Manure and Byproducts Lab
Clifford Rice, Research Chemist, Environmental Quality Laboratory
Dan Shelton, Research Microbiologist, Animal Waste Pathogen Laboratory
Larry Sikora, Microbiologist, Animal Manure and Byproducts Laboratory
John Teasdale, Research Leader, Sustainable Agricultural Systems Laboratory

Hold the Mustard: Greening of the Military
$15 fee (10:00 a.m. departure, lunch provided)
Visit Aberdeen Proving Ground, one of Maryland's worst Superfund sites and one of its largest wildlife refuges. Here, where the Army once trained for chemical warfare, a toxic stockpile of World War II-era mustard agent still sits in an open field, potentially endangering surrounding suburban neighborhoods. Efforts to clean up contaminated soil and groundwater are complicated by unexploded artillery rounds that litter the landscape. See the trees the Army has planted (very carefully) to suck up the tainted groundwater, scan the skies for bald eagles that nest on and around the installation and hear how military scientists plan to render the poisonous mustard relatively harmless. Speakers will also describe why military lands are some of the nation's last havens for many threatened plants and animals and explore the threats to these accidental refuges. This tour involves minimal walking. Tour attendees will be required to supply full name and last four digits of their Social Security Number by October 1. Each attendee must bring a photo identification card (e.g., driver's license) on the tour.
Tour Leaders:
Lara Beaven, Defense Environment Alert, Inside Washington Publishers
Dave Mayfield, Norfolk Virginian-Pilot
Speakers:
Cal Baier-Anderson, Toxicologist, University of Maryland Program in Toxicology, and Technical Advisor to the Aberdeen Proving Ground Superfund Citizens Coalition
Scott Belfit, Biologist, U.S. Army Environmental Center and team leader for Army Conservation Partnerships and Wildlife Management
Kevin Flamm, head of a project to chemically neutralize mustard agent, Aberdeen Proving Ground
Steven R. Hirsh, EPA Project Manager in charge of the cleanup at Aberdeen Proving Ground
Aimee R. Houghton, Associate Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
John Kostyack, Senior Counsel, Species Restoration Program, National Wildlife Federation
William Millan, Senior Policy Advisor, The Nature Conservancy
Ken Stachiw, Chief, Environmental Restoration Program, Aberdeen Proving Ground
Paul Thies, Chief, Conservation Division, U.S. Army Environmental Center
John Wrobel, Project Manager for the cleanup of J Field, Aberdeen Proving Ground

Science on the Wing
$10 fee (12:15 p.m. departure, snack provided)
Visit the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, one of the nation's premiere critter laboratories. Patuxent specializes in bird and wetland studies and investigations of environmental contamination of wildlife. Scientists at the center keep tabs on endangered and invasive species, monitor amphibians and man-made marshes, do breeding bird surveys and bird banding and run the nation's only whooping crane captive-breeding program.
Tour Leaders:
Peter Berle, President, Sky Farm Productions, Inc.
Neil Strassman, Ft. Worth Star-Telegram
Speakers (USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center):
Don Cahoon, John French, Marshall Howe, Robin Jung, Jim Nichols, Matthew Perry, Barnett Rattner

Safe Harbor?
$10 fee (12:30 p.m. departure, snack provided)
Cruise historic Baltimore Harbor, for three centuries a bustling industrial port — home to clipper ships and canneries, steel plants and smelters. Today, the harbor has multiple personalities: it is a working port, a redevelopment showplace where former factories have become high-priced condos, and a toxic hot spot where the fish are unsafe to eat. Aboard a research ship, we'll sample for pollutants and invasive creatures imported in ships' ballast water. Guided by a historian and two expert marine scientists, we'll learn how the harbor's sediments and seafood became chronically contaminated and consider what to do about it. We'll see a gritty steel mill and hear from all sides in a controversy about its wastes. And we'll explore a man-made urban wetland at Fort McHenry, site of the naval battle that inspired "The Star-Spangled Banner."
Tour Leaders:
Karl Blankenship, Bay Journal
Heather Dewar, The Baltimore Sun
Speakers:
Joel Baker, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Chesapeake Biological Laboratory
Steve Bieber, Maryland Department of the Environment
Kim Coble, Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Glenn Page, National Aquarium in Baltimore
Greg Ruiz, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
Kelly Shenk, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Chesapeake Bay Program Office
John Wennersten, Freelance Writer and Author, "The Chesapeake: An Environmental Biography"

Evening logistics: Thursday evening events take place at the Wyndham Inner Harbor Hotel, 101 West Fayette Street, Baltimore, Maryland.

The Future of Nuclear Power
3:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Supporters and opponents of nuclear energy will debate the pluses and minuses of nuclear energy, including security, waste, transportation, safety, economics, and what lies ahead in the world of nuclear power.
Moderator:
Jeff Johnson, Chemical & Engineering News
Speakers:
Robert Alvarez, Program Director, STAR Foundation, and Senior Scholar, Institute For Policy Studies
Angelina Howard, Executive Vice President of Policy, Planning, and External Affairs, Nuclear Energy Institute
David Lochbaum, Nuclear Engineer, Union of Concerned Scientists
William Magwood, Director, Office of Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology, Department of Energy
Arjun Makhijani, President, Institute for Energy & Environmental Research
Otto Raabe, Professor of Radiation Biophysics and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Davis
Location: Mencken Room

Scientists' Poster Session
4:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Browse a bevy of posters summarizing environmental research on the Chesapeake Bay and from across the Mid-Atlantic region. Some top scientists from the University System of Maryland and other leading institutions will be on hand to discuss their work. Cash bar.
Location: Liberty Ballroom B

Opening Reception
6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Greet old friends and make new ones at SEJ’s opening reception. There will be heavy hors d'oeuvres, dessert station, assorted beverages and a cash bar available. The Scientists’ Poster Session will run concurrently, and SEJ's Inaugural Awards Ceremony will follow at 8:00 p.m. End the day with presentations about the Chesapeake Bay.
Emcee: Tim Wheeler, Assistant Metro Editor, The Baltimore Sun and Society of Environmental Journalists 2002 Conference Chair
Speaker: William E. Kirwan, Chancellor, University System of Maryland
Location: Liberty Ballroom

SEJ Awards for Reporting on the Environment
8:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Join us for the festive presentation of the first annual SEJ Awards for Reporting on the Environment. SEJ will honor award-winners in nine categories covering print, online and broadcast journalism. First-place winners get $1,000 and a trophy, and we'll present special certificates to the distinguished finalists. This will be a great chance to exchange story ideas and reporting tips with some of the finest journalists in North America and beyond.
Presenters:
Perry Beeman, Des Moines Register
Natalie Pawelski, CNN and Nieman Fellow, Harvard University
Location: International Ballroom

Chesapeake Bay: The National Estuary
9:00 - 10:30 p.m.
Following the Awards ceremony, sit back and enjoy a feast for the eyes about the nation’s largest estuary and the efforts to restore its fabled natural bounty.
Emcee: Tim Wheeler, Assistant Metro Editor, The Baltimore Sun and Society of Environmental Journalists 2002 Conference Chair
Speakers:
William Baker, President, Chesapeake Bay Foundation
David Harp, Freelance Photographer
Tom Horton, Columnist, The Baltimore Sun and Author, "Bay Country," "An Island Out of Time," and, with David Harp, "The Great Marsh: An Intimate Journey into a Chesapeake Wetland"
Location: International Ballroom

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Friday, October 11: Wyndham Inner Harbor Hotel
All events are at the Wyndham Inner Harbor Hotel, 101 West Fayette Street, Baltimore, Maryland, unless indicated otherwise.

Note: Four limited-space tours have been added to this evening's National Aquarium Reception. Please sign up near the SEJ Membership table on the Wyndham's Promenade.

The Pride of Baltimore II
Photo by Linda Coan, Baltimore Sun

All Day:
A cash-and-carry kiosk will be located directly outside the International Ballroom where participants may purchase assorted breakfast items. Complimentary coffee, decaf, tea, juice and water will also be available in the International Ballroom, in the literature and display area.

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

  • Registration
    Location: Promenade
  • SEJ Membership Table
    Sign-up for Friday breakout lunch sessions, as well as Saturday mini-tours and breakout breakfast sessions. (Breakout meal sessions are for SEJ members only.)
    Location: Promenade
  • SEJ Reading Room and Awards Display
    Location: Promenade
  • Goodkind of Sound Conference Session Audio Tapes
    Location: Promenade
  • Press Room
    Location: Douglas Room, Lower Level
  • Silent Auction to benefit SEJ’s 21st Century Fund
    Location: International Ballroom

Literature Tables
7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Browse for information, news and opinions from a variety of sources.
Location: International Ballroom

Welcome and Introductions
8:30 - 8:45 a.m.
Emcee: Tim Wheeler, Assistant Metro Editor, The Baltimore Sun and Society of Environmental Journalists 2002 Conference Chair
Speakers:
Parris N. Glendening, Governor of Maryland
William E. Kirwan, Chancellor, University System of Maryland
Location: International Ballroom

Opening Plenary
8:45 - 10:15 a.m.
Blind Spots: Uncovering the Taboos of Environmental Reporting
Environmental reporting often describes symptoms — like air pollution and toxic waste — but does not analyze the underlying forces that may cause the problems. Population growth and consumerism are two areas that remain largely unexamined by the media yet are related to critical global environmental problems, such as depleted common resources and loss of habitat. Are these critical issues taboo subjects because of pressure from corporate bosses, or do journalists shy away from them because they’re too complicated, too big, too far out? Should we be doing more on these topics, and how can we tackle them in ways that are clear, compelling and not sensationalistic?
Moderator: Dale Willman, Executive Editor and President, Field Notes Productions
Speakers:
Nicholas Eberstadt, Henry Wendt Scholar in Political Economy, American Enterprise Institute
Paul Ehrlich, Bing Professor of Population Studies, Stanford University
Lee Horwich, National Editor, USA Today
Senator Gaylord Nelson, Earth Day founder and Counselor to The Wilderness Society, Co-author "Beyond Earth Day: Fulfilling the Promise"
Ellen Ruppel Shell, Professor and Co-director, Knight Center for Science and Medical Journalism, Boston University and correspondent, Atlantic Monthly
Betsy Taylor, Executive Director, Center for the New American Dream
Location: International Ballroom

Coffee Break
10:15 - 10:45 a.m.
Location: International Ballroom

Concurrent Sessions 1
10:45 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

THE COAST:
Climate Change: Sea-level Rise and Carbon Sinks
Water levels are already inching higher along the Mid-Atlantic coast, including the Chesapeake Bay. Scientists say most coastal marshes along the Chesapeake and Delaware bays could disappear before 2100 due to global warming. What are the risks to wildlife and those who live by the bays? One response to global warming is reforestation to capture carbon dioxide, a key greenhouse gas. But is this "silver buckshot" approach really effective?
Moderator: Mark Schleifstein, New Orleans Times-Picayune
Panelists:
Ann Fisher, Professor of Agricultural and Environmental Economics, Pennsylvania State University, and Chair of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Assessment of the effects of climate change
Tia Nelson, Director, Climate Change Program, The Nature Conservancy
J. Court Stevenson, Professor of Ecology, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Horn Point Laboratory
Location: Pratt B Room, Lower Level, South Tower

THE CITY:
Where's the Justice in Environmental Justice?
Has the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s environmental justice program done anything to address the problems? What have the courts said about cases involving these issues? With the 2nd People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit scheduled for just a couple of weeks after the SEJ conference, what’s happened since the first Summit more than 10 years ago?
Moderator: Steve Curwood, "Living On Earth," National Public Radio
Panelists:
Robert Bullard, WARE Professor of Sociology and Director, Environmental Justice Resource Center, Clark Atlanta University
Paul Kamenar, senior counsel of the Washington Legal Foundation and Clinical Professor of Law at George Mason University School of Law
Lynn Pinder, Youth Warriors
Tseming Yang, Associate Professor of Law, Vermont Law School, and member of the U.S. EPA’s National Environmental Justice Advisory Council
Location: Hopkins Room, Lower Level, South Tower

THE LAND:
Pharm Pollution: Hormones and Healthcare Products
Much of any drug administered to people or animals has a nasty habit of exiting the body in wastes that traditional sewage treatment does not remove. New studies are beginning to quantify these pollutants and their impacts on animals and plants.
Moderator: Janet Raloff, Science News
Panelists:
Christian Daughton, Chief/Environmental Chemistry Branch, Environmental Sciences Division, National Exposure Research Laboratory, U.S. EPA
Rebecca Goldburg, Senior Scientist, Environmental Defense
Louis J. Guillette, Distinguished Professor of Zoology, University of Florida
Location: E.A. Poe Room

THE GLOBE:
Ethnobotany Update: New Links Among Plants, Cultures and Conservation
From the icy mountains of Tibet, to the lush forests of South Pacific islands, to the cozy comfort of suburban America’s backyards, ethnobotanists are gaining fresh insight into the relationships among plants and people. But these relationships appear increasingly threatened by markets for herbal remedies, timber, minerals and other natural resources. This session will present recent findings from three parts of the world where ethnobotanists are working to unlock the secrets of plants and human culture even as those plants disappear.
Moderator: William Allen, Institutes for Journalism & Natural Resources
Panelists:
Michael Balick, Director, Institute of Economic Botany, New York Botanical Garden
James Duke, former Chief, USDA Medicinal Plants Laboratory, and Author, "The Green Pharmacy"
Jan Salick, Curator of Ethnobotany, Missouri Botanical Garden
Location: Preston Room, Cabana Level

THE FEDS:
Insecurity About Homeland Security: Bioterrorism and Energy Threats
Four veteran journalists offer advice on how to cover the emerging story of bioterrorism and threats to America's energy security. How vulnerable are nuclear plants, chemical plants and other possible targets, not to mention the general public? One of our panelists spent months in Afghanistan and was among the first reporters to enter Kabul.
Moderator: Tom Henry, Environmental Writer, The (Toledo) Blade
Panelists:
John Fialka, Washington bureau, The Wall Street Journal
Tim Friend, Science Reporter, USA Today
Eric Pianin, Reporter, The Washington Post
Location: Pratt A Room, Lower Level, South Tower

THE CRAFT I:
Pfiesteria: The Before, During, and After of a Major (and Ongoing) Environmental Science Controversy
The "Pfiesteria hysteria" alliteration is too much for many editors to resist. But behind the rhyme lies one of the festering scientific controversies in the marine environment today, with well-known researchers in uncharacteristically non-scientific exchanges. At the root: Does the Pfiesteria piscicida algae that burst into the headlines five years back have a mysterious — no, bizarre — life style characterized by a series of toxic amoebic phases? This panel, involving key scientists "for and against," will explore new and pioneering findings on the Pfiesteria mystery, and address whether the media really are the message in this ongoing debate.
Moderator: Brad Bell, Reporter, WJLA TV 7, ABC News, Washington, DC
Panelists:
Donald Boesch, President, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
JoAnn Burkholder, Center for Applied Aquatic Ecology, North Carolina State University
Wayne Litaker, Center for Coastal Fisheries and Habitat Research, National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration and Director, Molecular Biology and Biotechnology Program, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Location: Carroll Room, Ballroom Level

THE CRAFT II:
Film at 11: Selling the TV Enviro Story
We all know covering the environment for television generates the best pictures and the most fun shoots. But how do you convince your editor to let you get out into nature instead of covering yet another crime story? Our panelists have all figured out how to overcome editor/news director ennui. They'll offer concrete tips on everything from how to wade through hard wonky science in fifty seconds, how to make a slow-motion disaster relevant in a medium that only values visible crises and how to make people stories out of animals, plants and inanimate policy issues. We'll show you some hot clips, too, and tell you about awards for environmental reporting on television. This session was organized by the Radio and Television News Directors Foundation with funds provided by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.
Moderator: Vince Patton, Environment Reporter, KGW-TV, Portland
Panelists:
Eliene Augenbraun, President/CEO ScienCentral, Inc., and the Science and Technology News Network
Charmaine Jackson, News Reporter, KOBF-TV, Farmington, N.M.
Scott Miller, Environmental Specialist, KING-TV, Seattle
Location: D'Alesandro Room, Cabana Level

Network Lunch
12:00 - 1:45 p.m.
A perennial favorite. Plant yourself at a table or move around as you like and sample a variety of informal discussion tables centered on the craft of environmental journalism. See a list of topics and discussion leaders in your conference registration packet.
Discussion Tables:
1. The Clean Water Act at 30: Expanding or Contracting?: Robert Percival, University of Maryland School of Law
2. Greening Energy Supplies at the State and National Level: Elizabeth McCarthy (California Energy Markets), Anne Marie McShea (Green E)
3. Social Science Resources for the Environment Beat: Peter Balint and Jorge Rivera, George Mason University
4. Superfund in Changing Times: Debra Schwartz, University of Maryland/PhD candidate
5. SEJ TipSheet: Joe Davis, TipSheet editor
6. Environmental Noise Exposure Rising: Millions at Risk: David Bell, Noise Regulation Report
7. MTBE: The Gas Additive that Won't Go Away: Jane Kay (San Francisco Chronicle), Matt Hagemann (environmental analyst, Komex-H20 Science)
8. Back to the Future: Restoring Native Grasslands: Pauline Drobney, National Wildlife Refuge, Iowa
9. Grappling with the Science of Environmental Reporting: Jackleen de La Harpe, Metcalf Institute for Marine and Environmental Reporting, University of Rhode Island
10. SEJ 2003, New Orleans: Bob Thomas, Loyola University
11. Environmental Reporting for the Radio: Dale Willman (Fieldnotes Productions and NPR), Chuck Quirmbach (Wisconsin Public Radio)
12. Better Journalism for the American West: Frank Allen, Institutes for Journalism and Natural Resources
13. Covering the Follies of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: Michael Grunwald, Washington Post
14. Water Wars in Your Backyard: Stuart Leavenworth, The Sacramento Bee
15. Turning Your Ink-Stained Opus Into Gripping Television: Christy George (Oregon Public Broadcasting), Richard Milner (Public Affairs Media, Inc. and Drake University)
16. Globalization's Impact: View from the Third World: Rob Taylor, International Center for Journalists
17. Freelance Environmental Journalism: Print, TV, and Radio: David Helvarg (journalist, author, TV producer), Peter Fairley (freelance journalist), Peter Thomson (independent radio producer)
18. Environmental Reporting and SEJ in Canada: Saul Chernos (freelance journalist, Toronto), Jacques Rivard (CBC, Vancouver)
19. Conflicted Journalism: Who's Buying the Science?: Virginia A. Sharpe (Center for Science in the Public Interest), Steve Gurney (NRDC)
20. Covering Environmental Justice: Valerie Taliman, Indian Country Today
21. Global Warming and Big Business: The Next 50 Years: Eileen Claussen (Pew Center on Global Climate Change), Tom Yulsman (University of Colorado)
22. Telling Environmental Stories Online: Interactive Tools and Databases: Adam Glenn (ABCnews.com), Richard Wiles (Environmental Working Group)
Location: International Ballroom

Break-Out Lunch Sessions
12:00 – 1:45 p.m.
SEJ members only, please sign up near the registration desk in advance for these luncheon roundtable discussions in separate rooms.

EPA PIOs Roundtable
Eager to meet the faces behind the voices of EPA's media relations people? Join numerous EPA reps from D.C. and several regions at this luncheon question-and-answer session. Learn about response times and processes, or inquire about upcoming developments.
Moderator: Kevin Carmody, Environmental Reporter, Austin American-Statesman
EPA representatives:
Bonnie Piper (HQ)
David Sternberg, Patrick Boyle, and Roy Seneca (Region 3)
Wesley Lambert (Region 4)
Mick Hans (Region 5)
Cynthia Fanning (Region 6)
Mark Merchant and Leo Kay (Region 9)
Bill Dunbar and Mark MacIntyre (Region 10)
Location: McKeldon Room, Cabana Level (concurrent with Network Lunch, and Department of the Interior PIOs Roundtable)

Department of the Interior PIOs Roundtable
Interior houses the Fish & Wildlife Service, the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management (the government's largest land manager), and several other lesser known agencies. Join reps from across the country to discuss communications issues and the Bush Administration's plans for our public lands.
Moderator: Peter Dykstra, Executive Producer, Science and Technology Unit, Cable News Network
DOI representatives:
Meg Durham, FWS
Michael Gauldin, Office of Surface Mining
Scott Harris, USGS
Rem Hawes, BLM
Kip White, Bureau of Reclamation
John Wright, Interior Sec. Gale Norton's Office
Location: Schaefer Room, Cabana Level (concurrent with Network Lunch, and EPA PIOs Roundtable)

Concurrent Sessions 2
2:00 - 3:15 p.m.

THE COAST:
Life on the Water: Rescuing Resources on the Chesapeake, San Francisco and Florida bays, the Everglades and the Mississippi River Delta
Coast to coast, the nation's estuaries are suffering from loss of wetlands and clean water, pollution and overfishing. Delve into the problems and panaceas unique to the great coastal water bodies.
Moderator: Jane Kay, Environment Writer, San Francisco Chronicle and Director, Environmental Journalism Program, University of California, Berkeley
Panelists:
Donald Boesch, President, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
Michael Grunwald, The Washington Post
Denise Reed, Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of New Orleans
Location: Pratt B Room, Lower Level, South Tower

THE CITY:
Environmental Health: Air Pollution and Asthma
Air pollution from coal-fired power plants is blamed for cutting short the lives of 30,000 Americans every year. Fine particle soot causes an estimated 600,000 asthma attacks annually. What is the state of the science concerning health effects of air pollution? And what is being done about it? Has the Bush administration really scuttled enforcement actions that could dramatically reduce air pollution? Or is the Clear Skies Initiative a better way to regulate some of the nation’s largest pollution sources?
Moderator: Ken Ward, The Charleston (W.Va.) Gazette
Panelists:
John Bachmann, Associate Director for Science/Policy and New Programs, Office of Air Quality, Planning and Standards, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Eric Schaeffer, Executive Director, Environmental Integrity Project, Rockefeller Family Fund
Gene Trisko, Attorney, United Mine Workers and Center for Energy and Economic Development
Location: Hopkins Room, Lower Level, South Tower

THE LAND:
Invading "Frankenfish" and West Nile Virus: What's Next?
The discovery of Asian snakeheads in eastern waterways and the deadly westward advance of West Nile virus captured headlines recently while dozens of other pests, pathogens, plants, and animals invaded without fanfare. What makes some invaders headline news? What potential new invaders are waiting in the wings? What new laws and policies do government agencies have in the works to stop them? What policies would scientists and activists like to see?
Moderator: Scott Burke, The (Annapolis, Md.) Capital
Panelists:
Yvonne Baskin, Author, "A Plague of Rats and Rubbervines: The Growing Threat of Species Invasions"
Seth Borenstein, National Correspondent, Washington Bureau, Knight-Ridder Newspapers
William Gregg, Invasive Species Program Coordinator, U.S. Geological Survey, Dept. of Interior
Phyllis Windle, Senior Scientist, Global Environment Program, Union of Concerned Scientists, and Project Director for landmark 1993 Congressional Office of Technology Assessment report on "Harmful Non-Indigenous Species in the United States"
Location: E.A. Poe Room

THE GLOBE:
Dust in the Wind: The Climate and Health Effects of Airborne Dust Particles
From climate change to deadly Red Tides, from human respiratory health to devastating crop diseases, airborne dust particles have a wide and under-appreciated influence on health and the environment. This session features one of the country's senior experts in dust science, along with experts in satellite monitoring and computer modeling of dust clouds and the effects of mineral dust on human health.
Moderator: Patrick Barry, Science Writer, Assistant Editor, Science@NASA, Space Science News
Panelists:
Paul Ginoux, Research Scientist, Goddard Earth Sciences and Technology Center (GEST), University of Maryland
Joseph Prospero, Professor and Director, Cooperative Institute of Marine and Atmospheric Studies (CIMAS), Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami
Marc Schenker, Professor and Chair, Dept. of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, University of California, Davis
Location: Preston Room, Cabana Level

THE FEDS:
Big 10 Since 9/11: An Insider's Look at the Big Ten Environmental Groups
This panel probes the future of environmental advocacy during an ongoing war against terrorism. Is the public still listening? What can environmental groups hope to achieve during the next couple of years of the Bush Administration?
Moderator: Ron Bailey, Science Correspondent, Reason Magazine
Panelists:
Jamie Rappaport Clark, Senior Vice President for Conservation Programs, National Wildlife Federation, and former Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
John Passacantando, Executive Director, Greenpeace
Fred Smith, President, Competitive Enterprise Institute
Jerry Taylor, Director of Natural Resource Studies, Cato Institute
Location: Pratt A Room, Lower Level, South Tower

THE CRAFT I:
Alternatives to the Newsroom: Can You Make a Living Writing Environmental Books?
We all believe that few topics today are as important as the environment. So why are environmental topics a hard sell with many book publishers? Some won't touch books on environmental subjects, saying they are unprofitable. Are the publishers right? Do readers just not care enough to invest their time and money in a book? Or have we failed to find our audience and refine our message? We will discuss the latest publishing trends and offer some tips on how to package a proposal to catch an editor's eye.
Moderator: Marla Cone, Los Angeles Times
Panelists:
Russell Galen, Literary Agent, Scovil Chichak Galen Literary Agency
Noel Grove, Freelance Writer, Author and former National Geographic Editor
David Helvarg, Author and Freelance Writer
Location: Carroll Room, Ballroom Level

THE CRAFT II:
Environmental Journalism Flowers Abroad
Journalists abroad brave grave risks to report on environmental disasters that often dwarf the worst seen in North America. Journalists talk about the growth in, and hazards of, environmental journalism in Tasmania, Perú, Ghana and China.
Moderator: Robert Taylor, International Center for Journalists
Panelists:
Joachim Ayiteh, Reporter, Daily Guide, Accra, Ghana
Jim Detjen, Michigan State University
Liana John, Science and Environment Editor, Agencia Estado, Ltda., Brazilian wire service
Libby Lester, University of Tasmania, Australia
Location: D'Alesandro Room, Cabana Level

SEJ Membership Meeting
3:30 - 5:00 p.m.
SEJ members are urged to attend their annual membership meeting. Eligible voters will cast old-fashioned pen-and-ink ballots (no chads) to fill seats on the board of directors. Members will also hear brief reports from SEJ officers and executive director and have the opportunity to discuss new business or share concerns.
Location: Carroll Room

Hospitality Events
5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
SEJ welcomes independent hosts of hospitality events. Please check your conference folder for locations and descriptions of these events.

Reception at the National Aquarium
7:00 - 10:00 p.m.
This remarkable facility, a downtown Baltimore landmark since 1981, provides a spectacular setting for the Friday night event. The Aquarium — including more than 14,000 different animals in captivating exhibits, and one-of-a-kind architecture — is located in the Inner Harbor, within easy walking distance of the Wyndham Hotel. The event is hosted by the University System of Maryland. Heavy hors d'oeuvres will be served; a cash bar will also be available.
Note: Four limited-space tours have been added to this evening's National Aquarium Reception. Please sign up near the SEJ Membership table on the Wyndham's Promenade.
Speaker: William E. Kirwan, Chancellor, University System of Maryland

Reception logistics: Buses stage on Liberty Street beginning at 6:30 p.m. Exit doors are located at the bottom of the spiral staircase in the Liberty Ballroom lobby. Continuous looping shuttle service will be available from 6:30 p.m. until 10:15 p.m between the Wyndham Inner Harbor Hotel and the Pratt Street trolley lane in front of pier 4, a half-block from the National Aquarium. Departure will be every 10 -15 minutes depending on traffic. It is only a 10-minute walk. Check the map in your conference folder.

New Tours at the National Aquarium Reception!
Two Rainforest Guided Tours
8:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.
A herpetologist will lead up to 12 people at a time on these two hour-long tours. Animals in the exhibit include scarlet ibis, sunbitterns, parrots, and even the screaming piha, the loudest bird in the world. You may see poison dart frogs, smooth sided toads, and marine toads — and if you don't see them, you will certainly hear them! Signed-up attendees should meet their tour leader five minutes before the scheduled tour time. The location at which to meet will be posted here shortly.

Two Behind-the-Scenes Tours: Marine Animal Rescue Program and Hospital Pool
8:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.
Explore the Aquarium's Marine Mammal Rescue Program in one of these two 50-minute tours. Ocean Health Manager David Schofield will lead up to 15 people per tour. Just yards away from the reception, visit the mid-Atlantic's largest hospital pool, see the tools of the rescue trade, and learn how animal strandings are directly related to declining ocean health. Signed-up attendees should meet their tour leader five minutes before the scheduled tour time. The location at which to meet will be posted here shortly.

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Saturday, October 12: Wyndham Inner Harbor Hotel
All events are at the Wyndham Inner Harbor Hotel, 101 West Fayette Street, Baltimore, Maryland, unless indicated otherwise.

Adult osprey and young
Photo by Kim Hairston, Baltimore Sun

All Day:
A cash-and-carry kiosk will be located directly outside the International Ballroom where participants may purchase assorted breakfast items. Complimentary coffee, decaf, tea, juice and water will also be available in the International Ballroom, in the literature and display area.

  • Registration
    Location: Promenade
  • SEJ Membership Table
    Sign-up for Friday breakout lunch sessions, as well as Saturday mini-tours and breakout breakfast sessions. (Breakout meal sessions are for SEJ members only.)
    Location: Promenade
  • SEJ Reading Room and Awards Display
    Location: Promenade
  • Goodkind of Sound Conference Session Audio Tapes
    Location: Promenade
  • Press Room
    Location: Douglas Room, Lower Level
  • Silent Auction to benefit SEJ’s 21st Century Fund
    Location: International Ballroom

Literature Tables
7:30 a.m. – 2:15 p.m.
Browse for information, news and opinions from a variety of sources.
Location: International Ballroom

Beat Breakfast
7:30 - 8:45 a.m.
Get up to speed and share your experience covering some of the hottest topics in environmental journalism. What are the issues? Who are the key sources? And how can you sell your audience, colleagues, and editors on it? Learn and share in a participatory discussion moderated by the table leader. Arrive early so you'll have plenty of time to enjoy the conversation. A full hot breakfast buffet will be available.
Discussion Tables:
1. Hurricanes: How Long Can You Tread Water?: Mark Schleifstein, New Orleans Times-Picayune
2. Regional Haze: More Than Meets the Eye: Julie Thomas, National Park Service
3. Air Quality: Ozone, Particulates, Metals, CO2, and Bush's Clear Skies: Neil Strassman (Ft. Worth Star-Telegram), Frank O'Donnell (Clean Air Trust)
4. Greenwashing for the 21st Century: Phil Bailey, SustainAbility
5. Indoor Air Quality: Of Mites and Mold: Jeffrey May, IAQ investigator and author of "My House Is Killing Me! The Home Guide for Families with Asthma and Allergies"
6. PCBs: New Trends in Health, Liability, and Cleanup: Elizabeth Bluemink, Anniston Star and Ted Scripps fellow
7. Under Pressure in Oz: Challenges to Australian Environmental Journalism: Libby Lester, University of Tasmania
8. Wake Up and Smell the Sludge (on the Crops): Jeff South, Virginia Commonwealth University
9. The US: The Most Overpopulated Nation: Alan Kuper, Comprehensive US Sustainable Population (CUSP)
10. Teaching Environmental Journalism Full-Time and Part-Time: Jim Detjen (Michigan State University), Peter Lord (Providence Journal and Metcalf Institute for Marine and Environmental Reporting, University of Rhode Island)
11. The Public Health Angle: Get Better Play for Your Environment Stories: Emilia Askari, Detroit Free Press
12. The Trouble with Wildfire Coverage: Frank Allen, Institutes for Journalism and Natural Resources
13. Western Public Lands Grazing Issues: Keith Raether, National Public Lands Grazing Campaign
14. Brownfields in a New Era: Patricia Villone Garcia, (CTV News, Maryland), Francesca Lyman ("Your Environment" Columnist, MSNBC, and Author)
15. The Hidden Epidemic: Death and Disease in the Work Environment: Scott Schneider, Laborers' Health and Safety Fund of North America
16. Noxious Weeds: The Battle Continues: Dr. Deborah Hayes, USDA Invasive Species Coordinator
Location: International Ballroom

Break-Out Breakfast Sessions
7:30 – 8:45 a.m.
SEJ members only, please sign up near the registration desk in advance for these breakfast roundtable discussions in separate rooms.

Breakfast Gathering for SEJ Mentors and Mentees
SEJ's Mentoring Program matches experienced professionals with journalists who are newer to the beat. Mentors offer one-on-one advice, writing critiques and other assistance. This breakfast discussion offers a chance to meet other mentors and mentees, get involved, and help brainstorm the new project's future.
Hosts:
Orna Izakson, Freelance Writer
Dawn Stover, Science Editor, Popular Science
Location: Calhoun Room, Cabana Level (concurrent with Beat Breakfast and 1st Amendment Issues Breakfast Session)

1st Amendment Issues: SEJ Defending Your First Amendment Rights
Join SEJ leaders, who have been working closely with other journalism groups, at this roundtable discussion about efforts to protect journalists' access to information. Discussion will include the FOIA exemption in Homeland Security Act of 2002, and more.
Moderator: Ken Ward, The Charleston (W.Va.) Gazette
Panelists:
Jim Bruggers, The Louisville Courier-Journal, and SEJ President
Robert Lystad, Baker & Hostetler and SPJ’s 1st Amendment attorney
Joe Davis, freelance journalist and editor
Location: McKeldon Room, Cabana Level (concurrent with Beat Breakfast and Mentoring Program Breakfast Session)

Concurrent Sessions 3
9:00 - 10:15 a.m.

THE COAST:
Whose Fish Are They?
This panel will be a freewheeling discussion of the top fisheries management issues of the day, from IFQs to marine sanctuaries. Designed to help reporters frame forward-looking coverage of the fisheries issues in their communities, the discussion will also touch on how the upcoming reauthorization of the Magnuson Act will address this critical question of how the oft-competing interests of conservationists, fishermen, processors and industry will be balanced in the future.
Moderator: Anita Huslin, Bay Reporter, The Washington Post
Panelists:
Jean Flemma, Minority Legislative Staff Member, Committee on Resources
Jerry Fraser, Editor, National Fisherman Magazine
Daniel Pauly, Fisheries Centre
Andrew Rosenberg, Dean, College of Life Sciences and Agriculture, University of New Hampshire
Mike Sutton, Director of Sustainable Fisheries Program, David & Lucile Packard Foundation
Location: Pratt B Room, Lower Level, South Tower

THE CITY:
Understanding Cancer Clusters: On the Verge of a Breakthrough, or Just Spinning Our Wheels?
Three prominent voices on the issue — an advocate, an academic and a state health official — bring three very different perspectives to this complex and always controversial topic. They'll talk about the latest "health tracking" proposals on Capitol Hill, discuss new developments in environmental epidemiology, take us on a tour of recent cluster hotspots, and debate whether conventional investigations of neighborhood clusters are a waste of time and money.
Moderator: Dan Fagin, Newsday
Panelists:
Alan Bender, Section Chief, Chronic Disease and Environmental Epidemiology, Minnesota Department of Health
Thomas Burke, Associate Professor and Co-director of the Risk Sciences and Public Policy Institute at the Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University
Shelley Hearne, Executive Director, Trust for America's Health
Location: Hopkins Room, Lower Level, South Tower

THE LAND:
IQ Test for Smart Growth: Is It Working?
Maryland is a national leader in the planning movement known as Smart Growth. But is Maryland really smarter than the rest of the country? Are its policies making a difference? This session will examine Gov. Parris Glendening’s record in countering sprawl and promoting transit-friendly development, open space and affordable housing. It will also examine the record of other states, and whether the media should get an "A" or an "F" for its coverage.
Moderator: Stuart Leavenworth, Staff Writer, The Sacramento Bee
Panelists:
Robert Bullard, WARE Professor of Sociology, Author and Professor of Sociology, Clark University, Atlanta
Don Chen, Executive Director, Smart Growth America
Charles D. Ellison, Developer/Vice President, Miller and Smith Land Inc.
Harriet Tregoning, Special Secretary, Maryland Office of Smart Growth
Location: E.A. Poe Room

THE GLOBE:
The Road from Rio: How a Decade of Diplomacy has Worked for — and Against — the Earth
Ten years ago, history's largest gathering of heads of state, the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, launched a new age of high-profile environmental diplomacy. Journalists who might have had only a passing familiarity with the topic suddenly became aware of how international accords on everything from trade to global warming might affect their readers’ and viewers’ lives. With Johannesburg just behind us, this panel looks at how well, or poorly, the big treaties are working.
Moderator: Randy Loftis, Dallas Morning News
Panelists:
Hilary French, Director, Global Governance Project, Worldwatch Institute
Karin Krchnak, Population & Environment Program Manager, International Affairs Office, National Wildlife Federation
S. Jacob Scherr, Director, International Program, Natural Resources Defense Council
Fred Smith, President, Competitive Enterprise Institute
Location: Preston Room, Cabana Level

THE FEDS:
Do Critters Have Rights? Endangered Species, Wetlands and the Federal Courts
In recent years, some of the most important extensions of protection for biodiversity and ecosystems have come from federal courts. For more than a decade, the courts have been friendly to green litigation, requiring management changes in broad swaths of forest or forcing protection of endangered species. But new arguments, new cases and a new administration now are shifting that balance. What direction are federal courts heading on matters affecting wildlife? What are the emerging arguments on endangered species, wetlands and private vs. public rights?
Moderator: Orna Izakson, Freelance Writer
Panelists:
Eric Glitzenstein, Attorney, Meyer & Glitzenstein
Steve Nickelsburg, Attorney, Hunton & Williams
Patrick Parenteau, Professor, Vermont Law School
Steve Quarles, Attorney,, Crowell & Moring
Location: Pratt A Room, Lower Level, South Tower

THE CRAFT I:
Think Globally, Report Locally: Strategies for Teaching Environmental Journalism
Veteran teachers and environmental journalists share their classroom tips and secrets on teaching the next generation of print reporters and broadcasters. Of particular note is the idea that although many environmental stories have national or international impact, one way to teach students to handle the big issues is to get them to start thinking about how to localize them.
Moderator: Carol Rogers, Lecturer, Philip Merrill College of Journalism, University of Maryland, College Park, and Editor, Science Communication
Panelists:
Frank Allen, President and Executive Director, Institutes for Journalism & Natural Resources
Jane Kay, Environment Writer, San Francisco Chronicle and Director, Environmental Journalism Program, University of California, Berkeley
William Kovarik, Associate Professor of Media Studies, Radford University
Mark Neuzil, Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of St. Thomas
Location: Carroll Room

Coffee Break
10:15 - 10:45 a.m.
Location: International Ballroom

Concurrent Sessions 4
10:45 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

THE COAST:
Storm Warning — Ocean Science and Policy: Can They Mesh Before Disaster Strikes?
Some of the best available marine science is producing some of the worst imaginable scenarios on the collapse of ocean fisheries and wildlife, loss of habitat, nutrient pollution, coastal sprawl and climate impacts on the seas, ranging from intensified hurricanes to dying corals. Still, ocean policymakers are failing to heed the warnings of oceanographers, marine biologists and others studying our ability to sustain and benefit from our living seas. Now, two national commissions have been established to recommend new policy approaches to ocean governance. Storm Warning will have scientist members from both commissions as well as two journalists who cover the ocean addressing why this gap exists and how it can be bridged.
Moderator: David Helvarg, Author, "Blue Frontier — Saving America's Living Seas"
Panelists:
Jane Lubchenco, Wayne and Gladys Valley Professor of Marine Biology, Distinguished Professor of Zoology, Oregon State University
Andy Rosenberg, Dean of Life Sciences, University of New Hampshire, and a member of the Bush-appointed U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy
Ken Weiss, Reporter, Los Angeles Times, and one of a handful of U.S. journalists working the "ocean beat" on a full-time basis
Location: Pratt B Room, Lower Level, South Tower

THE CITY:
Urban Centers' Crumbling Infrastructure: From Sewage Spills to Tainted Drinking Water
America's major cities were built on an infrastructure that was ahead of its time. Unfortunately, the future these systems were designed for has long come and gone. They have outlived their designed life and the series of patches on patches have worn thin. Now, cities and suburbs face growing pressures to maintain a quality of life when the key systems they need can't support them. This panel will look at the state of urban infrastructure, where it is headed, and what that portends for the future.
Moderator: Roger Witherspoon, Environment Reporter, The Journal News, Whiteplains, N.Y.
Panelists:
Lawrence Lang, Deputy Chief, Operations Division, Civil Works Directorate, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Betsy Otto, Senior Director, Watersheds Program, American Rivers
George Winfield, Director, Baltimore City Department of Public Works
Location: Hopkins Room, Lower Level, South Tower

THE LAND:
Fossils, Old Maps and Faded Photographs
Scientists are turning to unusual sources to learn what degraded ecosystems once were like. Find out how paleontology, archaeology and historical research are shaping environmental restoration — and can enrich your stories. Panelists will describe their work in the Chesapeake Bay underwater meadows, in the Everglades' river of grass and among Hawaii's critically endangered forest birds.
Moderator: Heather Dewar, Baltimore Sun
Panelists:
Helen James, Bird Division, Smithsonian Institution
Christopher McVoy, Everglades Research Department, South Florida Water Management District
Michael Naylor, Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Location: E.A. Poe Room

THE GLOBE:
NAFTA, FTAA, GATT and Globalization: Trading Away the Environment?
Trade liberalization agreements were ushered in with promises of environmental protection. With NAFTA nine years under our belt, prospects for a wider FTAA, and huge strides made towards globalization, the effects of trade and other international economic agreements continue to be hotly debated.
Moderator: Saul Chernos, Freelance Journalist
Panelists:
Laura Lynch, Washington Correspondent, CBC Radio
Carmelo Ruiz-Marrero, Staff Writer, Claridad, San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Freelance Correspondent for Inter Press Service, La Jornada, Mexico City, and Report on the Americas
Tseming Yang, Associate Professor of Law, Vermont Law School, and member of the U.S. EPA's National Environmental Justice Advisory Council
Location: Preston Room, Cabana Level

THE FEDS:
From TR to W: Tracing Republican Environmentalism
Does the Bush Administration's environmental policy reflect a long-held Republican philosophy on public lands management and pollution control or is it forging new ground? An insider, a critic and a defector debate the Republican vision of environmental policy as practiced in the past and present.
Moderator: Elizabeth Shogren, Los Angeles Times
Panelists:
Martha Marks, President, Republicans for Environmental Protection
Lynn Scarlett, Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management and Budget, Department of Interior, and former President and CEO of the Reason Foundation
Eric Schaeffer, Executive Director, Environmental Integrity Project, Rockefeller Family Fund
Location: Pratt A Room, Lower Level, South Tower

THE CRAFT:
Ethics and Environmental Journalism: Good Decisions and Great Journalism
Presenter Bob Steele, ethics program director of The Poynter Institute, will lead a spirited discussion on the ethical challenges you face in your reporting. Bring your issues and your good thoughts to this very interactive session. Steele co-authored the ASNE Newspaper Credibility Report and the RTNDA Newsroom Ethics handbook.
Presenter: Bob Steele, Ethics Program Director, The Poynter Institute
Location: Carroll Room

Lunch and Plenary Session
12:00 - 2:00 p.m.
Voting Green: Politics and Environmental Policy
With important mid-term Congressional elections only a few weeks after we meet, we'll hear from top Democratic and Republican leaders, as well as environmental activists and others, on how environment policy has changed during the first two years of the Bush Administration and what impact it may have on the November elections. A full service luncheon will be provided.
Moderator: Christy George, Producer, Oregon Public Broadcasting
Speakers:
James Connaughton, Chairman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality
Congressman Wayne Gilchrest, R-MD
Debra Callahan, President, League of Conservation Voters
Rep. Edward Markey, D-MA
Media Panel:
Peter Dykstra, Executive Producer, Science and Technology Unit, Cable News Network
John Heilprin, Environment Reporter, Associated Press
Margie Kriz, Environment and Energy Reporter, National Journal
Location: International Ballroom

Computer-Assisted Reporting Workshop
2:15 - 5:30 p.m.
This session is designed to give reporters an introduction to computer-assisted reporting and using it to find stories in environmental data. It will focus on Mastering the Spreadsheet, including: Performing simple calculations and sorting; importing data from the Web into spreadsheets; using Excel to analyze environmental data; and learning pivot tables, filtering and more. This hands-on class in a state-of-the-art computer lab will be led by veteran users of computer-assisted reporting. Space is limited. Sign up on-site at the registration desk.
Moderator: Ron Nixon, Training Director, National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting (NICAR), Investigative Reporters and Editors
Presenters:
Ira Chinoy, Philip Merrill College of Journalism, University of Maryland, College Park
Jeff South, Virginia Commonwealth University
Logistics: The cap on the attendance size for this hands-on workshop is 26. The sign-up sheet is located near the registration desk. The workshop will be held in the Health Sciences and Human Services Library, 601 West Lombard Street, corner of Lombard and Greene, Classroom 3, LL05, Lab 26. Please see the area map in your conference folder for directions. In the event of inclement weather, a shuttle bus option will be available at the Liberty Street exit of the Wyndham Hotel.

Mini-Tours
2:15 - 5:30 p.m.
Logistics: Space is strictly limited. You must preregister to attend. Sign up beginning Wednesday afternoon at the SEJ membership tables in Wyndham's Promenade. Last-minute attendees only as space allows. Buses will stage on Liberty Street beginning at 2:15 p.m. Exit doors are located at the bottom of the spiral staircase in the Liberty Ballroom lobby. All tours will conclude at the same location at approximately 5:30 p.m.

Autumn Wildflowers at Soldier's Delight
Visit a serpentine barren, a dry, prairie-like ecosystem that supports dozens of rare, threatened, or endangered wildflowers including the purple-blue fringed gentian, serpentine aster, and blazing star. This tour will involve about 2 hours of hiking on gravelly paths over hilly terrain. Sturdy, closed-toe shoes a must. Find more information on this site here.
Tour Leader: Cheryl Hogue, Chemical & Engineering News
Speakers:
Jennifer Cline, Park Naturalist, Soldier's Delight Natural Environmental Area
Doug Samson, Director of Conservation Science, The Nature Conservancy of Maryland/DC

Smart Growth and Brownfields
Learn about Maryland's efforts to make urban cities more attractive. Tour two or three former brownfield sites and see firsthand how the state is using a variety of smart growth incentives to encourage redevelopment. Moderate walking involved.
Tour Leaders:
Patricia Villone Garcia, Anchor/Reporter, CTV News-Ch. 76
Francesca Lyman, "Your Environment" Columnist, MSNBC, and Author of a forthcoming book, "Twelve Gates to the City"
Speakers:
Sharon Grinnell, Chief Operating Officer, Baltimore Development Corporation
Mary Heinreicht, Mid-Atlantic Director, American Farmland Trust
Karl Kalbacher, Administrator, Environmental Restoration and Redevelopment, Maryland Department of the Environment
Josh Neiman, Development Director, Struever Brothers, Eccles & Rouse

Baltimore's Urban Ecology
Tour Baltimore's Long-Term Ecological Research program site, as well as portions of the Baltimore Ecosystem Study, a major interdisciplinary scientific study that aims to understand metropolitan Baltimore as a dynamic ecological system. Issues to be discussed include: environmental justice, greenspace equity, urban decay and environmental quality.
Tour Leaders:
Kathie Durbin, Special Projects Reporter, The (Vancouver) Columbian
David Padgett, Assistant Professor of Geography and Director of the Geographic Information Sciences Laboratory, Tennessee State University, and founder/Chief Consultant for GEO-MENTAL
Speaker: J. Morgan Grove, Research Scientist, USDA Forest Service

Lead Poisoning in Baltimore
Learn what childhood lead poisoning is really about. We'll take you into the inner city to look at homes that have poisoned children and to meet families of victims. We'll show you how easy it is to test for lead on painted surfaces. We'll visit a hospital ward where poisoned children are treated and meet activists working to clean up this insidious problem. We'll also hear from two history professors from New York who are publishing a history this fall of the lead paint industry.
Tour Leaders:
Jim Haner, The Baltimore Sun
Peter Lord, Environmental Reporter, Providence Journal
Speakers:
Gerald Markowitz, Professor of History, John Jay College
David Rosner, Professor of Sociomedical Sciences and History, and Director, Center for the History and Ethics of Public Health, Columbia University

Kayak Baltimore’s Inner Harbor
Kayak one of the nation's great industrial ports, Baltimore Harbor at the mouth of the Patapsco River. Weather permitting, we will paddle to Fort McHenry, where Francis Scott Key was inspired to write the Star Spangled Banner, and look at a marsh restoration project. We'll launch from one of the last patches of natural waterfront on the harbor. Kayak rental is $30 per person. Paddle at your own risk.
Tour Leaders:
Tom Horton, Columnist, The Baltimore Sun, and Author, "Bay Country," "An Island Out of Time," and "The Great Marsh: An Intimate Journey into a Chesapeake Wetland"
Van Smith, City Paper

Bike Break
Take an exercise break and hear national experts discuss how greenways are designed and developed, sometimes against great odds. We'll tour the Maryland countryside by bike on a scenic section of the North Central Railroad Trail, a nationally recognized, 55-mile Rails-To-Trails greenway linking Baltimore's northern suburbs with towns and cities in southern PA. Bike and helmet rentals are available at the site for $8 per hour. Discussion will include how sites are acquired, funded and improved and what hurdles stand in the way. (Bike at your own risk.)
Tour Leaders:
Scott Broom, Reporter, WMAR-TV
Noel Grove, Freelance Writer, Author and former National Geographic Editor
Speakers:
Robert Marconi, Area Manager, Gunpowder Falls State Park
Karen Stewart, Vice President, Communications, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
Logistics: TBA

Chesapeake Frankenfish: Fact or Fiction?
Tour the Center of Marine Biotechnology for a behind-the-scenes look at cutting-edge — and sometimes controversial — biochemical investigations quietly propelling a new era in commercial fishing and aquaculture. Against a backdrop of COMB's huge indoor research aquaria, we'll explore the feasibility of restocking the Chesapeake with hatchery-raised species. And get our hands wet as scientists, fishery biologists, and environmentalists discuss the pros and cons of domesticating and manipulating the biochemistries of marine creatures. You'll also be briefed on the very latest research with PCB-eating microbes and tour a fermentation lab that houses one of the country's largest collections of "extremophiles" — the critters normally found in volcanic deep-sea vents and other over-the-top marine environments. You'll even get to feed the stingrays just like in those cruise-ship commercials.
Tour Leader:
Christina Johnson, Science Writer, California Sea Grant
Speakers:
Steve Berberich, University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute's Center of Marine Biotechnology
Shiladitya DasSarma, University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute's Center of Marine Biotechnology
Rebecca Goldburg, Senior Scientist, Environmental Defense
William Goldsborough, Senior Scientist, Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Allen Place, University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute's Center of Marine Biotechnology
Frank Robb, University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute's Center of Marine Biotechnology
John Stubblefield, University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute's Center of Marine Biotechnology
Joy Elizabeth Margaret Watts, University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute's Center of Marine Biotechnology
Yonathan Zohar, Director, University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute's Center of Marine Biotechnology

Superfund: Past, Present, and Future
Toxic tour! Smell it, taste it in the air! Network with your peers while socking golf balls on an active, controversial Superfund site! Only $5 for 50 balls. We'll check out two Superfund sites, drive past a third, and also drive past the largest medical waste incinerator in the world. Learn about innovative technologies for cleaning up highly contaminated sites, new business approaches for enticing redevelopment, and how changes in funding for brownfields might influence Superfund cleanup plans.
Tour Leader: Debbie Schwartz, Freelance Reporter and Editor
Speakers:
Chris Corbett, Senior Remedial Project Manager, EPA, Region 3 hazardous sites cleanup division and a former Environmental Scientist for the U.S. army
Terry Harris, President, Baltimore Cleanup Coalition and Attorney, specializing in environmental law
Mike Hill, Senior Vice President, TRC Companies, Inc.
Mary Rosso, delegate to the Maryland State legislature, and environmental activist

Dinner on your own
5:30 - 9:00 p.m.
Please check addendum for possible addition of independent hospitality events at this time.

SEJ Coffeehouse
9:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m.
Join us in the International Ballroom Saturday evening at 9:00 pm for SEJ Coffeehouse, a showcase which will feature readings of works by local writers, performers, artists and an open mike for readings and music jamming by our inimitable SEJ members! There will be assorted snacks and desserts available, as well as coffee, tea and cider. An international coffee cash bar, featuring specialty coffee drinks will be available, as well as a standard cash bar. Authors, performers and artists will also have their works available for purchase. "Prizes" will be awarded to all those members who take part.
Local Talent: Karren Lalonde Alenier, Yvette Barnes, Myong-Hee Kim, Vladmir Levchev, Miles David Moore, L. D. Stewart, Hilary Tham

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Sunday, October 13: USFWS National Wildlife Visitor Center
Logistics: Buses will stage on Liberty Street beginning at 7:45 a.m. for the 30-minute drive to Patuxent. Exit doors are located at the bottom of the spiral staircase in the Liberty Ballroom lobby. Complimentary coffee, decaf, tea, juice and water will be available.

Buses will be leaving Patuxent promptly at 12:15 p.m. to the hotel or to make drop-offs at the following locations: Amtrak Station — BWI, 1:30 p.m., BWI, Main Entrance, 1:40 p.m., Amtrak Penn Station — downtown Baltimore, 2:10 p.m., concluding at the Wyndham Inner Harbor Hotel at 2:30 p.m. Buses will be marked; individuals not returning to the hotel must place their luggage on the drop-off bus.

Birding, Nature Hikes and Tram Rides Around Grounds
8:30 - 10:30 a.m.
Upon arrival at the Visitor Center, we'll get a 10-minute introduction about the facility and grounds, and options for the morning. USFWS leaders will take attendees on birding and other nature hikes, and two 40-person, 35-minute tram tours will also be available, the first one leaving about 9:00 a.m., and the second about 9:45 a.m. Attendees can opt for early breakfast and late tram ride or vice versa.

Breakfast
9:00 - 10:30 a.m.
Location: Rachel Carson Conference Center

Revisiting "Silent Spring": Rachel Carson’s Legacy
10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
A distinguished panel — including Carson’s biographer, one of the world’s leading scientists, the former head of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and an environmental activist who knew and defended Carson — will examine the works and legacy of the woman who is often cited as the font of the nation's modern environmental movement and environmental journalism. The panel will also explore how Carson's most famous work, "Silent Spring," has withstood time and criticism, which persists today.
Moderator: Mike Mansur, Kansas City Star
Speakers:
Jamie Rappaport Clark, Senior Vice President for Conservation Programs, National Wildlife Federation, and former Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Roland Clement, former Vice President of the National Audubon Society, who defended Carson against her critics in the 1960s
Linda Lear, Author, Rachel Carson's biography, "Rachel Carson: Witness for Nature," and other publications on Carson, including the introduction to the new 40th anniversary edition of "Silent Spring"
Jane Lubchenco, Wayne and Gladys Valley Professor of Marine Biology, Distinguished Professor of Zoology, Oregon State University
Location: Aldo Leopold Auditorium

Post-Conference Tour: Disappearing Act
Logistics: Bus will depart the Wyndham hotel at 8:45 a.m. Sunday and return to Baltimore around 3:00 p.m. Tuesday. You must be pre-registered to attend the post-conference tour. Substitutions may be made until departure.

Spend the night on Smith Island, a traditional watermen's community 12 miles offshore in the Chesapeake Bay. Hear about the island's history, sample its culture and learn how centuries of isolation shaped the locals' view of bay ecology. Hear also about their fading fisheries and eroding homes. Do a little fishing, a little kayaking, eat some seafood, go count cats. Then, journey to Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge to view bald eagles and tens of thousands of songbirds and waterfowl drawn to this sprawling marshland on the bay shore. Hear from refuge managers about the challenges to its existence from climate change — and from voracious furry foreign invaders, nutria.
Tour Leaders:
Chris Guy, Reporter, The Baltimore Sun
Tom Horton, Columnist, The Baltimore Sun, and Author, "Bay Country," "An Island Out of Time," and, with David Harp, "The Great Marsh: An Intimate Journey into a Chesapeake Wetland"



Recycling at the 2002 Society of Environmental Journalists Annual Conference is being provided by independent initiative of The Coca-Cola Company, the National Association of Service and Conservation Corps, Civic Works, and the Montgomery County Conservation Corps. (Director's note: SEJ does not receive funding from any of these organizations.)

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The Society of Environmental Journalists
Beth Parke, executive director
P.O. Box 2492 Jenkintown, PA 19046
Telephone: (215) 884-8174 Fax: (215) 884-8175

sej@sej.org

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