The Water Institute 2020 Symposium sponsored by UF /Water Institute and Duke Energy took place over two days, February 22-23, 2022. Professor Wendy Graham continues her good work organizing this jam-packed and fast-moving event that brings in presenters from all over the state and beyond.
Over 135 presentations took place within an amazingly coordinated time space which gave attendees usually two or three minutes to move from one room to the next. Fortunately all rooms were close together, making the transition possible. A downside, however, is that the Q & A sessions are moved to the end of the session or eliminated altogether, plus there is no time for connecting with presenters. We feel that fewer presentations with more time for each might reap benefits in future symposia.
As in earlier years, the thrust of the topics was science for scientists and, as in academia, one of the ends here is the addition to one’s portfolio of research. Perhaps and unfortunately. With all the information presented the environmentalist lay person might feel that the pressure to fulfill the university’s research requirements may overshadow the search for solutions to Florida’s and the world’s water problem. Because have them we do, and our government employees at all levels are failing. Few would guess that from the majority of the presentations. Exceptions are Stacie Greco, Dr. Robert Knight, the Tribal Communities representatives and a few others. Grassroots environmentalists were very scarce.
Much of the overwhelming amount of research represented here was generated by grants totaling many thousands of dollars. Would not this money be better spent on addressing our sources of water problems instead of researching to death the symptoms? We know the answers but won’t fix them. Talking about them is much safer and nobody sues you.
Comments by OSFR historian Jim Tatum.
jim.tatum@oursantaferiver.org
– A river is like a life: once taken,
it cannot be brought back © Jim Tatum
