Telluride Museum: “Is Winter Coming?,” Talk, 6/19

14 Jun Telluride Museum: “Is Winter Coming?,” Talk, 6/19

The Telluride Historical Museum is now open for the summer season. Its new exhibit, titled “Children of Winter Never Grow Old: Snow Sports in the San Juans,” explores Telluride’s history as a winter playground, features a number of interactive elements, and highlights activities such as ice climbing, ice hockey, broom ball, curling and, of course, skiing, all of which begs the question, in the face of global warming, “Is Winter Coming?”

To explore the subject of climate change in our backyard, the Museum welcomes Dr. Adam Chambers and Jeff Proteau of Telski. The talk is followed by a Q &A with representatives of local organizations all working to mitigate the effects of global warming in the Telluride region. The event takes place Tuesday, June 19, 6 – 7 p.m.

Though written in 2007, his words ring true, perhaps truer, today as we deal with a planet with a life-threatening disease.

“There are incredible numbers of people around the world filled with love thy neighbor and for the earth who are resisting, remaking, restoring, renewing, revitalizing,” said environmental activist Bill McKibben in an endorsement of Paul Hawken’s “Blessed Unrest.”

Locally, it is organizations like EcoAction Partners, Sheep Mountain Alliance, Protect Our Winters, Carbon Neutral Coalition, San Miguel Watershed Organization, and the Pinhead Climate Institute, all of which are participating in the gathering at the Museum to discuss Telluride’s future as a ski resort and how to battle climate change in Southwestern Colorado.

Locally, it is individuals like Dr. Adam Chambers, consultant and co-founder of the Pinhead Climate Institute, one of the evening’s featured speakers.

Dr. Chambers splits his time between Portland, Ore. and Telluride. In Telluride, he works closely with the Pinhead Climate Institute to educate young scientists and implement town-level climate actions that also encourage rural economic development. Over the past two decades, Dr. Chambers’ project work has focused on the applied sciences and reducing atmospheric pollutants (air pollutants and greenhouse gases).

“Telluride’s economic health is very climate dependent: we need all four seasons and we live in a very fragile alpine ecosystem. Too much carbon pollution in the atmosphere threatens our fragile environment and jeopardizes our economy. Our greatest risk is ‘inaction’ and ‘inaction’ is not a character trait of Telluride – or of Sarah Holbrooke and the Pinhead Climate Institute.”

And locally, it is also Jeff Proteau, VP, Mountain Operation and Planning, Telluride Ski and Golf Company, whose job description includes mitigating greenhouse gas emissions.

After a Big Picture introduction by Dr. Chambers about how climate change is impacting winter sports in the Telluride region, Proteau will review Telski’s reduction strategies starting in 2011, He plans to discuss past success and strategies moving forward to target and reduce emissions.

“Since climate change was beyond the scope of the Museum’s exhibit, the point of the evening is to address how climate change is going to impact our local economy and also give attendees take-away tips as to how they can stay informed on the subject and make an impact in what is, by any measure, an overwhelming situation,” said Theresa Koenigsknecht of the Museum.