It can be difficult to foresee the environmental consequences of economic development, especially when those consequences manifest themselves hundreds of miles away. That’s why West Virginia University’s Environmental Research Center (ERC) and the Canaan Valley Institute (CVI) have joined forces to host a three-day conference on the subject.

“Highland Problems and Downstream Connections: An Environmental Summit for the Mid-Atlantic Highlands,” scheduled for March 7-9, will identify research needs which can help researchers, policy makers and stakeholders better understand the connections between uplands and coastal areas. This includes the environmental stresses in the highlands that result from the considerable ecosystem services that the highlands provide to downstream communities.

The WVU ERC and CVI will jointly host the conference at CVI’s new Research and Education Center near Davis, W.Va. The ERC serves as an unbiased intermediary among groups and as a regional and national leader in integrated environmental research and outreach, including policy and social implications. CVI has worked in the Mid-Atlantic Highlands since 1995 to empower local citizens to create healthy communities and clean watersheds by providing education, outreach, and technical assistance.

To register for the conference visit: http://www.canaanvi.org/canaanvi_web/events_ed.aspx.

For additional information on the conference, contact ERC Director Jim Anderson at (304)293-3825 or jim.anderson@mail.wvu.edu.

-WVU-

CONTACT: News and Information Services
304-293-6997

dw/2/10/10