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May 17, Sunday, 2 – 4pm
Lecture by Adam Parris
Join this important and fascinating pair of lectures by noted environmental expert and speaker Adam Parris discuss the state of the San Francisco Bay wetlands followed by renowned fiber artist Linda Gass, whose work raises awareness of issues related to sustainable water resource management in California.
The San Francisco Bay (the Bay) is the largest estuary along the Pacific shore of North and South America, a natural resource of tremendous value to a prosperous region. Yet it faces a synergistic threat from the magnitude and rate of climate change coupled with diminishing freshwater, sediment, and natural land required to accommodate rising sea levels. Historic landscapes of the San Francisco Bay reveal a vast network of wetlands which supported a diverse range of species. Since European contact, 90% of those wetlands have been lost to human modification, and the process of restoring these wetlands will be difficult given the construction of dams for drinking water supply and the effects of global warming.
Climate is a fundamental driver of change in the Bay ecosystem. It controls air and water temperatures, sea level and tidal circulation, and precipitation and salinity in the Bay, among other things. These physical conditions, in turn, affect the ecological landscape, determining the amount and type of wetlands in the Bay. Birds, fish, shellfish, and many other species adapt to specific habitats and rely on them for survival. The Bay ecosystem is now a managed system, and government agencies, private landowners, and resource managers are accustomed to managing these wetlands in relatively benign climate conditions. It is imperative to understand the cascading effects that climate change will have on the physical, ecological, and biological processes influencing the Bay. In planning for the future, we must repair our fractured relationship with this iconic resource, if we are to set about conserving and restoring wetlands for future generations. An important resource for repairing that connection will be art.
Lecture by artist Linda Gass
Linda Gass makes art informed by the wilderness, maps, aerial photography and her activist passions. Her most recent work brings focus and awareness to creating sustainable water resource management in California by portraying aerial views of the human marks on our landscape. She has done research on the history and practice of water management and hopes to use the beauty of her work to encourage people to look at the hard issues we face.
Linda’s lecture will take you on a photographic journey to the places that inspire her work, from the wilderness areas of California to some of the significant water interventions in the American West. Linda will show images of her artwork done in response to her experience of the landscape, the interventions and her research. This lecture shows a wide range of Linda’s work: art quilts, land art made with textiles, and mixed media collage. She will also show images of her artistic process: step-by-step photographs from initial concept sketches to the finished artwork. You will leave with a new appreciation and awareness for water resources and how art can play an important role in educating the public.
Advance ticket purchase recommended. $20 general, $15 members and students with ID. Tickets: Online or call 408.971.0323 x14.
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