Kalispell, Mont. – The public is invited to attend a series of free lectures starting Thursday, September 25, at Flathead Valley Community College (FVCC) in Kalispell. The series, "Montana’s Changing Climate: Science, Solutions & You," is sponsored by the nonprofit National Parks Conservation Association in partnership with the Montana Department of Agriculture, Montana Audubon, Headwaters Montana, PPL Montana, Montanans for a Healthy Climate, the Clark Fork Coalition, and the FVCC Green Team.

"Climate change has the potential to alter—irreversibly in some cases—the environment and economy that the Flathead Valley depends on," said lecture series coordinator Michelle Tafoya of the National Parks Conservation Association. "This lecture series seeks to inform residents about these changes and provide an opportunity to discuss policy options to address climate change."

The first lecture in the series will be hosted by Dr. Steve Running, the state’s leading climatologist and resident researcher at the University of Montana, Missoula, since 1979. Dr. Running’s lecture, "Climate Change in the Northern Rockies: It’s all about Water" will offer highlights from his research and development of global and regional climate models, including his concern that local temperature changes brought about by climate change will be easier to adapt to than changes in local water availability.

"Dr. Running’s talk will provide a great opportunity for Flathead Valley residents to learn firsthand about climate change and what we can do here at home to address the threat," said Dave Hadden, Director of Headwaters Montana, a local conservation organization.

Dr. Running is as a lead author of the fourth Assessment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007. He is an elected fellow of the American Geophysical Union and is designated a Highly Cited Researcher by the Institute for Scientific Information.

All lectures will be held in the FVCC Arts and Technology Building, in room 139, starting Thursday, September 25, and running through Tuesday, October 28. Lectures begin at 7:00 P.M. and are free and open to the public.

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