The conference will focus on adaptation to climate change and impacts on water resources in the prairie provinces. A considerable amount of work has been done on the impacts of climate change but less so on adaptation. What will be the impact on surface water quality and how should watershed management change to reflect new climate realities? Will biodiversity be affected and are current biological management practices still appropriate? Agricultural demands on water systems have environmental and economic significance. Are we making the right choices?

One key aim of the conference is to develop a list of recommendations that the respective groups or individual members can distribute and/or implement after the conference. We’d like to develop a tangible product that helps both water resource mangers and environmental biologists do their bit to help our society adapt to water management issues in the Canadian prairie region. These recommendations could also be distributed to other target audiences.

Water – That Precious Commodity We Take for Granted

The conference organizers are providing a field trip around the Regina – Moose Jaw area to illustrate some of the water management issues to be discussed at the conference. The tour will touch on many of the demands (some of them conflicting) that face water managers in this part of the arid Palliser Triangle. We’ll sift through the past, present and future intricacies of making best use of man made Wascana and Buffalo Pound Lakes. We’ll marvel at the beautiful vistas and many intriguing stories of the beautiful Qu’Appelle Valley, it’s meandering miss-fit river and the famous Fishing Lakes that move water slowly eastward. We’ll trace historical fur trading and early settlement routes that depended on ancient water transportation routes in the Valeport area and check out plans for enhancing the future of threatened critters like the big mouth buffalo fish at Fairy Hill.

In picturesque Lumsden, we’ll lunch on buffalo burgers and locally produced vegetables and Saskatoon pie before heading off to the Buffalo Pound Lake and Nicolle Flats area. We’ll poke around isolated prairie sloughs where we might catch some late migrating waterfowl (you will swear you are hundreds of miles from civilization) then do a drive - by of the facilities of high tech companies Saskferco and Kalium Potash. To cap off our trip we’ll briefly visit the water treatment plant at Buffalo Pound where all our drinking water is treated before it is pumped to our homes and businesses.
Everyone uses water. This field trip will illustrate just how dependent our world is on this precious commodity that we so often take for granted.

The tour starts from the Conference Hotel at 8:00 AM and returns to the hotel by 5:00 PM. Depending upon numbers, we’ll be traveling by van or bus.

Cost is $45.00 per person including lunch and snacks.

Advanced registration required by October 7, 2003.

• Abstracts are required for all paper, poster and video submissions
• Abstracts must be submitted by e-mail attachment only, using MS Word, or ASCII text file format, by September 15, 2003.
• The email subject line must contain the words "CSEB Abstract" and should be sent to rstedwill@saskpower.sk.ca
• Do not mail a hardcopy version
• Note, since these proceedings will be published in a digital format (as well as hardcopy), papers may include active links.

• Presentations will be maximum 30 minutes in length, including questions and answers.

• Physical and virtual poster will be accepted.
• Physical posters should not be larger than a standard size bristol board; virtual posters must be less than 500 KB in size for posting on the CSEB website.
• Students are especially encouraged to present posters in either form.
• Virtual posters will be one long web page containing text and images. For suggested guidelines on making physical or virtual posters see http://writing.colostate.edu/references/speaking/poster/
• For further information on submitting your poster to this conference, contact Curt Schroeder schroederc@siast.sk.ca

1. Title of Presentation
2. Author(s), affiliations, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses
3. Indicate on a separate page the name of the presenter, affiliation, credentials, and a brief biographical description to be used as an introduction.
4. Abstract (no more than 250 words) should say: "What you studied and why; how you did it; what you found out; and what it means."
5. Laptop and data projector will be available at the conference
6. Electronic presentation to be developed and delivered in MS PowerPoint 200 (PPT or PPS format). Either save the file to a CD or use the ’Pack and Go’ feature to fit presentation on multiple floppy disks, or do both. If your presentation requires other software or you wish to confirm that your presentation works, please email a sample file for testing purposed in advance of the conference

The conference is being co-hosted by the Canadian Society of Environmental Biologists (Saskatchewan chapter) and the Canadian Water Resources Association (provincial chapter). The Canadian Society of Environmental Biologists (CSEB) is a non-profit, registered society whose primary focus is to further the conservation and prudent management of Canada’s natural resources based on sound ecological principles. The Canadian Water Resources Association (CWRA) is a national organization of individuals and organizations interested in the management of Canada's water resources. CWRA has branch organizations in eight provinces and members throughout Canada and beyond.

Canadian Society of Environmental Biologists

Canadian Water Resources Association