Tim Wheeler, board member and former president, addresses attendees at SEJ' s 18th Annual Conference in Roanoke, Va., Oct. 15, 2008.

The Society of Environmental Journalists will host its 20th annual conference in Missoula, Mont., Oct. 13-17. A special “thank you” to Terri Hansen, Indian Country Today journalist, for organizing a panel that will explore energy issues in Indian Country. I’m looking forward to moderating the SEJ 75-minute session on Saturday, Oct. 16. The SEJ conference promises to spark lively dialogue as people from all walks of life converge to discuss environmental issues ranging from wolves, grizzlies and geo-engineering to tribes, salmon and biomass.

Here’s what the SEJ has to say: “As a journalism organization that believes in an open society, SEJ each year welcomes a diverse group of attendees to our annual conference. Attendees include representatives of business, government and environmental groups, as well as working journalists, academics and students.

Because non-journalists are here, you may see or hear presentations or responses to presentations that you might not expect from mainstream journalists. The presentations and any responses do not necessarily reflect the views of SEJ or any of its members.

As our guest, we would ask you to respect our interest in open discussions of environmental issues by thanking all participants in sessions you attend and not disrupting presentations of views you disagree with.”

Meanwhile, I’d like to invite readers to share their ideas with me as I prepare questions for the tribal energy panelists listed below:

THE CLIMATE
Energy Issues on Tribal Lands
Tribal lands are poised to become the lands of choice for renewable energy projects, while some reservations sit atop coal, oil, natural gas and other non-renewables. Multiply the millions of acres at stake — what is happening and what happens will have a big impact. And because their lands are sovereign, they have a great deal of leeway over what they do on those lands, but present unique challenges for journalists who seek to cover them.
Moderator: Jodi Rave, Freelance Journalist, Buffalo’s Fire

Speakers:
Alexis Bonogofsky, Senior Coordinator, Tribal Lands Conservation Program, National Wildlife Federation
Robert Gough, Attorney and Secretary, Intertribal Council On Utility Policy, and Co-chair, Native Peoples/Native Homelands Climate Change Workshop
Tracey LeBeau (Cheyenne River Sioux), Attorney and Senior Managing Director, Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP, and Co-founder, Red Mountain Energy Partners
Patrick Spears (Lower Brule Sioux Tribe), Board Member, NativeEnergy, and Co-founder and President, Intertribal Council On Utility Policy

Room: 330/331, University Center

Thank you. And be sure to join us here in Missoula, Mont.

Jodi Rave

Note: After 13 years of daily newspaper reporting, I’m now working on a graduate degree in environmental studies and creative non-fiction at the University of Montana.