Setting the Stage- Describing the Crown Region
It was another successful evening for the Flathead Valley Community College, the hosts of the second Centennial Crown of the Continent Lecture Series. Presented by Geography Department Chairman Dr. Jim Byrne of the University of Lethbridge, Byrne was tasked with establishing the broader geographical elements that help define the Crown of the Continent.
His canadian spontaneity brought many laughs to the room as he quickly moved into a serious notion regarding the Crown of the Continent’s responsibility in being the headwaters for most of our continent’s watershed. Through graphs and images, Jim illustrated how the region’s water moves west via the Columbia River to the Pacific Ocean, south via the Missouri to the Gulf of Mexico, and north via the St. Mary River to Hudson Bay. Byrne explained that the St. Mary drainage is extraordinarily vital to Alberta’s agriculture economy, as many of the other drainages have dried up or are not available throughout the growing season.
He concluded his perspective of the Crown with a case study focusing on Lake Winnipeg. He and his students at the University of Lethbridge are developing a feature film on the pollution pouring into our vast bodies of water.
Join us for the next centennial lecture:
This lecture will focus on the unique collision of four major climatic zones, the characteristics and diversity of flora and fauna in the Crown of the Continent, and what distinguishes the Crown of the Continent from neighboring and global ecosystems.
Speaker: Dr. Chris Servheen
For more information about Glacier’s Centennial, please visit: www.glaciercentennial.org
September 25, 2009
Related: Glacier National Park, Uncategorized
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