Buffalo's Choices and Challenges, hosted by the Center for Economic and Policy Studies at Buffalo State College in cooperation with Artvoice, begins on February 25 with a screening of Anna Scime's filmEveryone Lives Downstream (2011), a documentary created as part of Squeaky Wheel's Channels: Stories from the Niagara Frontier, in partnership with Riverkeeper. The film traces the roots of today's Army Corps of Engineers dredging project on the Buffalo River.
The screening is followed by brief presentations by experts and stakeholders who will address the environmental work that remains, the potential economic impact of restoring the health of the Buffalo River and its watershed, and the community benefit from taking a "green" approach to the challenge. Confirmed participants in the panel include Buffalo State College Geography Professor Kim Irvine and AFL-CIO Federation President Richard Lipsitz. Organizers have invited participation from elected and appointed officials with responsibility for water-quality issues. Bruce Fisher presents a review of clean-water initiatives underway in Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Syracuse, with special emphasis on how these communities bring federal and state funding sources together to help region-wide initiatives.
The 2011 Channels series was funded by the Nathan Cummings Foundation.
All programs are moderated by Bruce Fisher, Director and visiting Professor in the Department of Economics and Finance and by Geoff Kelly, editor of Artvoice