Image

The Universities Consortium on Columbia River Governance

• Convenes and facilitates a nonpartisan forum for transboundary dialogue on Columbia River governance and the Columbia River Treaty;
   
• Provides decision-relevant information by connecting university research to the needs and interests of constituents within the basin; and
   
• Inspires and prepares future leaders by engaging students in research, education, and policy dialogues.

In 2008, faculty from public universities in the Columbia River Basin, in both the United States and Canada, created the Universities Consortium on Columbia River Governance. This initiative preceded the Columbia River Treaty public review processes initiated by the US government in 2011 and the Canadian government in 2012, with the intention of informing those review processes through creation of a nonpartisan platform to facilitate informed, inclusive, international dialogue among key decision-makers and other interested people and organizations in the basin.

The Consortium initiative began with the organization and sponsorship of annual transboundary symposia which were convened from 2009 to 2012. However, given the absence of a permanent, dedicated source of funding, they have been less frequent since then. The Northwest Power and Conservation Council in the US and Columbia Basin Trust in British Columbia jointly organized conferences with UCCRG support and participation in 2014 and 2017. Two additional symposia were held in 2023 and 2024 with the support of an expanded consortium membership and partnerships with the One River Ethics Matter Project and the North American Youth Parliament for Water. Numerous other organizations have contributed to the organization and funding of these symposia, as more fully documented on the webpages for each symposium available on this website.

In addition to its core purpose of informing the renegotiation of the Columbia River Treaty, the ongoing symposia series is intended to support public engagement and knowledge sharing about Columbia Basin issues that lie outside of the treaty mandate. Before undertaking the organization of future symposia, the consortium is actively seeking new members from among the universities and colleges located within the Basin, and to universities, colleges, other organizations located outside the basin, with related interest and expertise.