Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference taking place online April 21-22

Western Washington University’s Salish Sea Institute is working alongside other organizations as an administrator for the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference 2020. Now taking place online due to the stay-at-home order, the conference will be held on Tuesday, April 21 and Wednesday, April 22.

This year’s virtual conference will begin with a Coast Salish Welcome and include sessions on topics such as management updates on Southern Resident Killer Whales; wildlife exposure to contaminants; and diversity, equity and inclusion strategies. The presentations and discussions that occur are a platform to build shared policies, practices and procedures necessary to guide future actions. The audience for the virtual conference is now larger than it would have been for the in-person conference. Among the many presenters, Western’s own Ruth Sofield from Huxley College will be presenting on environmental toxicity.

“We’re doing our best to erase the international border during this conference, and learn from each other about how to protect our shared Salish Sea,” said Ginny Broadhurst, director of the Salish Sea Institute.

Registration for the Salish Sea Ecosystem Virtual Conference is now open and will be until the day-of. It is free for anyone to attend and will begin at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, April 21. For more information, visit https://wp.wwu.edu/salishseaconference/.or keep up to date with what’s going on by searching #SSEC2020 on social media.

About the Salish Sea Institute

The Salish Sea Institute at Western Washington University works to promote dialogue among people, organizations and agencies throughout First Nations and tribal communities, Washington State and British Columbia. They also created a minor at Western and developed place-based curriculum, research and events for students to explore the environment, history and communities of the Salish Sea. They have served as an administrative home for the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference and work to foster a sense of place as well as raise awareness of the value of the Salish Sea and the issues that threaten its health.