Wayne Law Review to Host ‘Boundary Waters Treaty Centennial Symposium’ on Feb. 5

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DETROIT, Mich., Jan. 6, 2009 – The Wayne Law Review, in association with Wayne State University Law School and the University of Windsor, is pleased to host its “Boundary Waters Treaty Centennial Symposium” from 8 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2009.

The symposium, which is free and open to the public, will be held in the Law School’s Spencer M. Partrich Auditorium. It will be divided into four panel sessions, featuring locally, nationally and internationally renowned environmental law experts.

(Symposium schedule and speaker list included on next page of this release and in attached brochure.)

The Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909 is perhaps the most important bilateral agreement in Canada-U.S. relations. Over the past century, it has provided a foundation for environmental cooperation and equality between the United States and Canada. Signed at a time when disagreement over the shared waterways could have divided the nations, the Boundary Waters Treaty established a binational tribunal, the International Joint Commission, to investigate, resolve and prevent boundary water disputes between the two countries.

Over the last 100 years, the Boundary Waters Treaty and the International Joint Commission have been fundamental in preventing and resolving boundary water disputes between Canada and the United States. The Treaty has also served as an archetype for multiple bilateral agreements between nations. However, in recent years, challenges for boundary water resources triggered a movement toward a more unilateral approach in dealing with international waterways. Thus, the role of the Boundary Waters Treaty – today and in the future – must be examined. This symposium, recognizing the 100-year anniversary of the 1909 Boundary Waters Treaty, will explore its history, its impact and its continued relevance moving forward into the next century.

The symposium is presented with the generous assistance of the Government of Canada (avec l’appui du gouvernement du Canada) and the Wayne State University Student Council. Parking is available for $3.50 in parking structure #1 across from the Law School on West Palmer Street.

For more information, please contact Charla M. Burill, executive articles editor of The Wayne Law Review, at (231) 445-0836 or via email at lawreviewarticles@wayne.edu.

Boundary Waters Treaty Centennial Symposium Schedule

8 – 9 a.m.
Registration: Continental Breakfast Provided

9 – 9:05 a.m.
Welcome and Introduction – Dean Robert M. Ackerman and Professor Noah Hall, Wayne State University Law School

9:05 – 9:15 a.m.
Opening remarks and introduction of the Rt. Hon. Herb Gray, P.C., C.C., Q.C., Canadian Chair of the IJC – Robert Noble, Consul General of Canada

9:15 – 9:30 a.m.
Opening Keynote Address – The Rt. Hon. Herb Gray, P.C., C.C., Q.C., Canadian Chair of the IJC

9:30 – 10:45 a.m.
Panel I – The Boundary Waters Treaty and Canada-U.S. Relations
• Professor Tim Heinmiller, Brock University
• Allen I. Olson, International Joint Commission
• Professor Austen Parrish, Southwestern Law School
• Dr. Charles A. Lawson, United States Secretary, International Joint Commission

Moderator: Professor Marcia Valiante, University of Windsor Law School

11 – Noon
Lunchtime Keynote Address – Lee Botts and Paul Muldoon, authors of “Evolution of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement”

Noon – 1 p.m.
Lunch provided

1:15 – 2:30 p.m.
Panel II – The Boundary Waters Treaty and International Environmental Law
• Professor Bradley Karkkainen, University of Minnesota Law School
• Professor John Knox, Wake Forest School of Law
• Pierre Trépanier, International Joint Commission
• Robert Wright, Vice-Chair, Environmental Review Tribunal

Moderator: Dr. Murray Clamen, Canadian Secretary, International Joint Commission

2:45 – 4 p.m.
Panel III – The Boundary Waters Treaty and Protecting Freshwater Resources in North America
• Professor Robert Abrams, Florida A&M University Law School
• Frank Ettawageshik, Tribal Chairman, Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians
• Sam Speck, International Joint Commission
• Professor Dan Tarlock, Chicago-Kent College of Law

Moderator: Professor Noah Hall, Wayne State University Law School

4:15 – 5:30 p.m.
Panel IV – The Future of the Boundary Waters Treaty – Perspectives from NGOs and Business
• Irene B. Brooks, International Joint Commission
• George Kuper, President and Chief Executive Officer Council of Great Lakes Industries
• Anastasia Lintner, Staff Lawyer & Economist, Ecojustice Canada
• Joseph Polito, Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn LLP, Environmental Law

Moderator: Jack Blaney, International Joint Commission

5:30 – 6:30 p.m.
Closing Remarks, Adjourn and Reception

About Wayne Law
Wayne State University Law School has educated and served the Detroit metropolitan area since its inception as Detroit City Law School in 1927. Located at 471 West Palmer Street in Detroit’s re-energized historic cultural center, the Law School remains committed to student success and features modern lecture and court facilities, multi-media and distance learning classrooms, a 250-seat auditorium, and the Arthur Neef Law Library, which houses one of the nation’s 40 largest legal collections. Taught by an internationally recognized and expert faculty, Wayne Law students experience a high-quality legal education via a growing array of hands-on curricular offerings, five client clinics, and access to well over 100 internships with local and non-profit entities each year. Its 11,000 living alumni, who work in every state of the nation and more than a dozen foreign countries, are experts in their disciplines and include leading members of the local, national and international legal communities.