Mountain Communities Conference 2005: Speakers

Bob Sandford

Bob Sandford has been exploring the nature, history and culture of the Canadian West for more than 30 years. The author of some 20 books on the nature of life in the West, Bob was also central to the development of sense of place-related regional planning strategies for the mountain national parks. Bob has also organized a number of very large heritage and natural history initiatives including the Year of the Great Bear and the United Nations International Year of Mountains. Bob was also chair of the United Nations International Year of Fresh Water and Wonder of Water Initiative in Canada in 2003–2004. These celebrations focused on the growing importance of water to ecological and cultural heritage in Canada.

At its biennial meeting in Ankara, Turkey, in 2004, Bob became the first Canadian to be appointed to the permanent advisory committee for the prestigious Rosenberg International Water Policy Forum, which will be coming to Canada in 2006. In association with the University of Lethbridge and Alberta Irrigation Projects Association, Bob helped created the Western Watersheds Partnership which will aim to unify Canadian water interests in support of the United Nations “Water for Life” decade which was proclaimed globally on World Water Day on March 22, 2005. Bob is presently the Chair of the United Nations International Decade “Water for Life” in Canada, an initiative that aims to advance long-term water quality and availability issues in response to climate change in this country and abroad.