The
2008 conference, held at the
University of
Washington, in Seattle, attracted
the largest number of international
programs to date, including representatives
from Mexico,
China,
Russia,
Brazil,
Argentina,
Peru and
Chile.
Keynote speakers
included Seattle’s Mayor Nickels – a renowned
climate change leader; Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.;
Thomas Linzey from The Democracy School; King
County Executive Ron Sims; former Puget
Soundkeeper, Sue Joerger; Ian Penrose, Yarra
Riverkeeper from Melbourne, Australia; Martha
Kongsgaard – cofounder of the
Kongsgaard-Goldman Foundation; and Karen
Lehner, Waterkeeper Alliance Trustee. We
partnered with Seattle
Parks
and Recreation, Puget Soundkeeper and AbTech
Industries for our restoration project at
Golden Gardens
Park.
Waterkeeper Alliance put in more than 300
volunteer hours in just three hours to
successfully complete a series of stormwater
restoration projects within this beloved
park. The following Waterkeeper quote in
response to the 2008 conference reflects its
immense value:
I would
like to greatly thank the sponsors that make
this sort of event possible. This experience is
very useful to us in the protection of our
watersheds and we have started to win important
battles in this respect. – Julio
Solis, Magdalena Baykeeper, Baja California,
Mexico
