A List
3/15/04

'LOCAL ASSETS' THEME OF 2ND BURT SYMPOSIUM AT SLU

CANTON – The Second Annual Burt Symposium on Education, Environment and 
Economic Vitality will take place at St. Lawrence University on Thursday, 
March 25, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Eben Holden Conference Center. 
The theme of this year's event is "Our Community, Our Future: Building on 
Local Assets in St. Lawrence County."
	Returning as a guest speaker at the symposium will be Michael 
Shuman, an attorney, author, consultant and entrepreneur known nationally 
for his work in the field of community economics. His talk is titled "Going 
Local in St. Lawrence County: A First-Year Progress Report," following up 
on the work completed by local action/research teams formed as a result of 
the inaugural Burt Symposium in 2003.
      Stephen Blackmer, president of the Northern Forest Center in Concord, 
New Hampshire, will also speak, on "Linking Local to Regional: Building 
Partnerships and Sustaining Communities in St. Lawrence County and Northern 
Forest Region." The Northern Forest Region extends from the Tug Hill Plateau 
and the St. Lawrence River Valley across the Adirondack Mountains, through 
Vermont and New Hampshire, to the far eastern and northern borders of Maine. 
Blackmer's Northern Forest Center promotes program development that links 
local communities to broader regional partnerships; helps to build regional 
identity; increases citizen capacity for action; and promotes stewardship of 
the Northern Forest by fostering a regional vision and action strategies that 
integrate cultural, civic, economic and ecological well-being.
      In addition to the two presentations, there will be time at the 
symposium for participants to meet as action/research teams to continue 
planning for the coming year.
      Shuman and Blackmer also will host a meeting with area retailers, on 
Friday, March 26, and appear on a call-in program on North Country Public 
Radio. In addition, they are hosting an open discussion with college and 
secondary school economics and government students and teachers.
      The Burt Symposium brings together stakeholders in northern New York 
to explore ways to enhance the region's economic, environmental and 
educational vitality.  It is funded by the University's Ellen C. Burt '42 
Endowment for North Country Education, which was established in 2002 by 
members of Burt's family to address the needs of education in the North 
Country, as well as economic and environmental concerns.
      Participation by those involved with regional government, business, 
education, planning and environmental organizations is welcomed. For 
information, contact Coordinator Susan Kramer, at 315-229-5664, or find 
registration materials on the symposium's Web site, www.burtsymposium.org.

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