Portland, OR Env. Baikal Russia Talk

Michael Segal (mailto:ac737@LAFN.ORG)
Fri, 27 Oct 1995 11:29:30 -0700 

Message-ID:  <199510271829.AA24322@lafn.org>
Date:         Fri, 27 Oct 1995 11:29:30 -0700
From: Michael Segal <mailto:ac737@LAFN.ORG>
Subject:      Portland, OR Env. Baikal Russia Talk
To: Multiple recipients of list DEVEL-L <mailto:DEVEL-L@AMERICAN.EDU>


For Immediate Release                             For more information
October 27, 1995                        Michael Segal (503)-229-6734


EWBA Presents "A Celebration of Russia."  Special Emphasis on Ties to
Lake Baikal.


     Oregonians have developed strong ties with Eastern Russia in the
business realm and in promoting a protected natural environment.  The
East West Business Associ- ation, along with the Portland-Khabarovsk
Sister City Association and the World Affairs Council, will hold a
reception and presentation on Wednesday November 8 at 5:30 in the Nordic
Room in the basement of Smith Memorial Center, Portland State University,
1825 SW Broadway.  Admission is $4.00 for non-members $2.00 for students.


     Portland, through the sponsorship of WAC, is currently playing host
to over twenty young entrepreneurs and local leaders from the Russian
cities of Irkutsk and Ulan Ude.  EWBA and the other sponsors are welcoming
them to Oregon with a brief reception to start the Celebration of Russia.


     A presentation on Lake Baikal will follow entitled "The Sacred Lake:
Preserving Russia's Environmental Treasure."


        Alexei Nikifornov is a founder of the Baikal Institute for
Econology and Natural Resource Use, a Russian non-profit dedicated to
maintaining Baikal's environmental integrity.


        Zane Smith is Senior Vice President of Programs for Oregon-based
Ecologically   Sustainable Development, Inc. (ESD) which was awarded a $3
million grant from  USAID to work with Russian government officials and
citizens to create a plan for  resource and land management.


        Andrea Lafayette-Fisher, of Portland, has just returned from
three months as ESD's development coordinator in the Baikal area and is
also US director of the Irkutsk Information Center.


        Lake Baikal is the worl's largest lake and harbors more than 1800
unique species of plant and animal life.  Russians consider it the
"clean, clear heart of the world, and an environmental treasure."  The
lake is but one region in the vast Siberian area where unparalleled
pristine beauty and great environmental damage are side by side.


        The East West Business Association holds a meeting on the first
Wednesday of each month.  This month marks an exception.  EWBA promotes
business ties and other contacts between the Portland area and former
Soviet Bloc Countries.


                                                        ###



--