John Fleck at Morelos Dam
John Fleck, Professor of Practice in Water Policy and Governance in the University of New Mexico Department of Economics and director of the university’s Water Resources Program will speak to Albuquerque Press Women and Friends on Monday, September 11 at 11:30 a.m. at the Golden Corral (5207 San Mateo Blvd. NE). Fleck will talk about water in the Southwest. He says “When we think of water in the West, we think of conflict and crisis. In recent years, newspaper headlines have screamed, “Scarce water and the death of California Farms,” “The Dust Bowl returns,” “A ‘megadrought’ will grip U.S. in the coming decades.” But Fleck says similar stories have been appearing for decades and the taps continue to flow. He argues that the talk of impending doom is not only untrue, but dangerous. This means upending some of the narratives that have dominated press coverage and public discourse about water for decades.
Fleck co-teaches classes in contemporary water policy issues, modeling, and technical communication for water managers. A science journalist with 30 years of newspaper experience, he first wrote about water in the 1980s as a beat reporter covering the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. He is the author of the book Water is for Fighting Over and Other Myths About Water in the West, an exploration of solutions to the Colorado River Basin’s water problems, published by Island Press.
Everyone is welcome at meetings of APWF. Individuals are responsible for purchasing their own lunch. There will be an opportunity to ask questions. Non-members will be charged an additional $5. at the door.
