Conference Theme

'Paa' ~ Water

Water is measured by the drop in the West, and slight seasonal or annual differences can mean life or death for species in many Western ecologies. The 43rd annual conference takes water as a starting point to explore the many connections between people, animals, plants, and environments around the globe. With the conference set in Southern Utah, we will focus on the way that water shapes our landscapes, defines our food systems, and creates our special and sacred places. For the Ancestral Puebloan and Southern Paiutes who are the ancestral owners of the territory where we are meeting, water has a special place with great cultural and environmental value. Questions to explore include: How does water shape other cultures around the world? What threat does climate change bring? How do weather changes impact people who rely on water for their livelihood? Where do ethnobiologists fit-in with water issues in the communities that they study?