March 12, 2002
Eastern, Western U.S. land and water use differences are topic of 2002 Nevada Medal Lecture
Differences in perspective
on water and land use in the eastern and western United States will be the topic
of the 2002 Nevada Medal Lecture at the Desert Research Institute in Reno, 2215
Raggio Parkway, at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, March 19. Johns Hopkins University Professor
M. Gordon "Reds" Wolman, 2002 Nevada Medalist and a pioneer in the
study of water quality and land use policy, will present lecture, which is free
and open to the public.
A member of the National
Academy of Sciences, Dr. Wolman will formally accept the Nevada Medal at ceremonies
March 20 at Harrah's Reno. The eight-ounce, pure silver, minted medallion and
$10,000 prize are provided by SBC Nevada Bell. The lecture is titled, "An
Easterner's View of a Westerner's View of Land and Water," and will examine
the two regions' differences in objectives and perspectives on land use planning
and water resource management.
Wolman is internationally known for his research on how rivers and other surface water systems evolve and how they modify the landscape, a field of science known as geomorphology. Wolman is widely acknowledged as being perhaps the most influential individual in the establishment of this area of hydrology.
A nonprofit, statewide division of the University and Community College System of Nevada, DRI pursues a full?time program of basic and applied environmental research on a local, national, and international scale. Nearly 400 full- and part-time scientists, technicians, and support staff conduct some 150 research projects at DRI annually. More than 85 percent of DRI's annual $33 million operating budget consists of research grants and contracts obtained by its scientists. The balance is received from the state of Nevada for administrative costs.
