Some call it the crown jewel of the Sea to Sky Corridor. The Squamish Estuary will be the key talking point at the second Citizen Scientist Initiative (CSI) event.
Following the success of the first CSI last May, the Squamish Environmental Society’s Larry Murray said focusing on the estuary was a logical next step.
“We decided to focus on one topic, and the estuary kept coming forward,” he said. “It’s the lungs of the valley and has a tremendous amount of interest at so many levels. There is interest from environmental people, developer interest and political interest – there is so much out there and so many differing opinions, so let’s get together and ask questions.”
Murray said the discussion will feature talks from local experts to a large group, and following that, attendees will be broken off into smaller groups to come up with pertinent questions about the estuary and its future.
These questions will then be gathered, analyzed and submitted to a number of different groups. Murray said the idea for gathering questions came about from his time working with a university professor.
“He told me that the answer for cancer is out there – we just haven’t asked the right questions,” he said. “It made an impact on me. Asking the right questions and fine-tuning them is key. We blast about our side and what should happen, but we need to listen and research all possibilities and avenues.”
Murray said he wants to make sure this event is open to all people.
“This isn’t just for tree huggers and bird lovers,” he said. “It’s for everyone and it’s about the estuary and the more we know about it, the better impact we will have for future decisions regarding the estuary. All voices are valued and valuable.”
The free event occurs at Squamish StartUp on March 21 from 8:30 a.m. to noon. For more information on the event, visit www.facebook.com/events/1562597007315511.
