Southern Arizona Athena Awards
Friends of the WRRC, Keri Silvyn, Dr. Soyeon Shim and Katharine Kent were among 10 finalists for the 2011 Southern Arizona Athena Award honored last month at a luncheon sponsored by the Arizona Small Business Association (ASBA). By the end of the luncheon, Keri Silvyn, of Lewis and Roca and Imagine Greater Tucson had been named the 2011 ATHENA Recipient of Southern Arizona.
Keri was recognized for her involvement with Imagine Greater Tucson (IGT). Through her work with IGT she meets with neighborhood associations, environmental groups, businesses, and other diverse community interests with the goal of finding the foundational values that will unite the region.
Dr. Soyeon Shim, director of the University of Arizona’s John and Doris Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences, has managed multi-million dollar fundraising campaigns and for the past 20 years has built a world-renowned academic program in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
Katharine Kent is President of the Solar Store and the only woman in the U.S. to hold certification from the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners as both a photovoltaic and thermal installer. The Solar Store provides energy solutions for homeowners whether they live in urban or rural settings.
The Arizona ATHENA award is bestowed on an exceptional woman who has achieved excellence in her business or profession; has served the community in a meaningful way; and has assisted and mentored women in their attainment of professional goals and leadership skills. The award is highly respected and is well known throughout the U.S. and the world.
These women have participated with the WRRC on conferences and other projects, so we can attest to their passion, commitment and service to the community.
Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was named the 2011 National ATHENA Recipient.
More information on the Athena awards can be found at www.asba.com/athena.
Regional Water Assessment Released by Pima Association of Governments
In 2010, the Regional Water Assessment Task Force of the Pima Association of Governments was convened to help the region shape its efforts to achieve a sustainable water future. As an initial step, the Task Force held a series of computer network-based ThinkTank sessions to gain input and guidance from stakeholders throughout the Tucson Active Management Area. The sixty four participants included elected officials, municipal managers, public and private utility managers, water attorneys, representatives from Central Arizona Project, state and federal agencies, Indian nations, University of Arizona, and people that represented economic, environmental, agricultural, and mining interests.
In August 2011, the Task Force members completed analysis of the ThinkTank responses and generated a report that includes tables showing the responses and analysis results. The Task Force focused on those ideas that gained the highest level of consensus to identify several ThinkTank themes, which are described in the report. In addition, several regional priorities emerged out of the ideas and the Task Force went one step further to conceptualize how Regional Solution/Strategy Groups might be used to help the region follow up on the ideas generated through the sessions.
The full text of the report, along with tables and appendices, can be found at www.pagnet.org/
Is Clean Water a Human Right?
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was ratified by all the nations of the world in 1948. This includes 30 articles guaranteeing a broad sweep of human rights across many human endeavors, from Life to Liberty to Freedom of Thought. Recognizing that over a billion people across the planet lack access to clean and potable water and that millions die each year as a result, advocates are calling for the addition of Article 31: The Right to Water.
Article 31 would state that “Everyone has the right to clean and accessible water, adequate for the health and well-being of the individual and family, and no one shall be deprived of such access or quality of water due to individual economic circumstance.”
The WRRC Welcomes New Associate Director
Jean E.T. McLain, Ph.D. has accepted the position of Associate Director and will begin her position on November 28, 2011. She also has been appointed Associate Research Scientist at the WRRC and the Department of Soil, Water and Environmental Sciences. Jean comes to the WRRC from the USDAAgricultural Research Service, US Arid- Land Agricultural Research Center in Maricopa, Arizona, where she has been a Research Scientist since 2004. Her current research interests are directed at the public health and environmental safety of reclaimed municipal wastewater, with the goal of extending limited groundwater and surface water supplies in the arid Southwest.
Jean received her doctorate from Duke University in Microbial Ecology after earning degrees in Forest Science from Yale University and Forestry from the University of Vermont. Since 2004, she has served as an Assistant Adjunct Research Scientist in the UA’s Department of Soil, Water and Environmental Science. She comes to the WRRC not only with outstanding research credentials, but also with an enthusiasm for the mission and goals of the WRRC and real excitement to become a part of our team.