Renowned Desert Water Historian to Speak at PURE

Dr. Elizabeth von Till Warren, Ph.D, has joined the Organizing Committee and will be a featured speaker at the Global PURE Water Expo.

A preeminent expert on the history of water development in the Mojave Desert and Las Vegas, Dr. von Till Warren was founder and president of Friends of Big Springs, formed in 1997 to continue her decades-long work in preserving the original Las Vegas springs from development.  The group was the predecessor of the Las Vegas Springs Foundation.  Big Springs itself became the Springs Preserve. 

"This is the last best place in Las Vegas," says Elizabeth Warren, president of the Friends of Big Springs committee. Her husband, [Dr. Claude Warren], an archaeologist, excavated the area in 1972.

"In 1978, Big Springs was placed on the National Register of Historic Places after [Warren's] discovery of pottery, arrowheads, and milling stones dating back 8,000 years on part of the site. But the historic designation alone won't save the land [one historian] says.

"Ms. Warren, who has battled for 30 years to preserve the site, agrees. An important factor weighing in the balance, she says, is the story the land has to tell."

- Christian Science Monitor, March 3, 1999

"Dr. Claude Warren of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas conducted an archaeological survey in 1972 that found long-term human occupation of the site.

"His discoveries helped reroute the new Oran K. Gragson Expressway (US 95)"

- Springs Preserve 2010

Dr. Elizabeth von Till Warren's 2001 Ph.D Dissertation, "The History of Las Vegas Springs: A Disappeared Resource," chronicled the boom and bust of water development in the Southern Nevada Mojave Desert, from 1844 to the late 20th century.   She has developed, designed or significantly contributed to area exhibits at virtually all historical water resources in southern Nevada, including Valley Fire State Park, Tule Springs, Goodsprings, Spring Mountain Ranch, Clark County Wetlands Park, the Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort, the Old Spanish Trail Park and Las Vegas Springs, where Las Vegas began.

"Like gravity and the runoff through the Wash, Liz has always been a "force of nature" herself!"

- Desert Wetlands Conservancy

Her upcoming book, "Big Spring:  Buried Secret of the Land of No Limit," (University of Nevada Reno Press) is an amazing record of wild west water development in Las Vegas, and the ultimate disappearance of the powerful springs and life-sustaining creek which originally attracted ancient and modern settlers to what became Las Vegas. The ruthless double dealing, duals, murder, malfeasance, over-development and feuding which punctuate the history of Las Vegas water development, as well as the obvious successes, will surely bring light to water issues in parts of the world now in earlier development stages.

Dr. von Till Warren's talk will chronicle some of the history, and compare the events to those of present day in developing nations.  Many of the sites discussed will be available for tour, including the Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort, which is adjacent to the venue.

PURE Welcomes Hon. Consul General of Uzbekistan Gary Furlong to Organizing Committee

In 1988 he ventured behind the Iron Curtain to lead a 55-member medical disaster relief team with tons of earthquake relief supplies, on board the first 747 ever to land in Soviet Armenia, with no visas. Getting the team home was the stuff of legend, and subject of books.  A Seattle attorney with a passion for international problem solving, Consul General Gary Furlong has joined the Organizing Committee of PURE.

Elected President of the Seattle-Tashkent Sister City Association in 1993, Furlong for ten years led delegation after delegation to Uzbekistan, creating dialog on the rule of law, medicine, democracy, education, performing arts, banking, airline production, investment, tourism and mass media.  The US State Department confirmed him as Honorary Consul General of Uzbekistan in 2002.

Consul General Furlong recently led a Seattle team to three central Asian countries on a US State Department-funded global warming study, and still had time to become a founding member of the Consular Chamber of Commerce.  In 2011, he will introduce you to friends and collegues at the PURE.  Don't miss it.

PURE Welcomes Mona Orkoulas, creator of Fish For Life Foundation, to Organizing Committee

Businesswoman, activist, philanthropist, one part Egyptian, one part Greek, a native of New Orleans and a local to Las Vegas, Mona Orkoulas has joined the Organizing Committee of PURE.

Succeeding in businesses including industrial plumbing, Mona created Fish For Life Foundation to implement assistance programs for the poor, and aid community development.  An Arabic speaker, Mona set the organization's sights on sustainable projects in Ayat and El Saff , Egypt, where over 1 million residents lack clean drinking water.  Fish For Life now provides technical training to community volunteers who maintain reverse-osmosis machines it has provided, aiding thousands.

"Many of the homes I visited had no roofs, no bathrooms, no sanitation, and no running water. But the people of the village were amazing."  Mona says.

Mona's experience, contacts and ability to transact on the ground, in epicenters of great need for potable water in urban Egypt, will be of great value to PURE exhibitors.  We are thrilled to have her help!

PURE Welcomes Attorney Jennifer Sloan Hilsabeck to Organizing Committee

An Attorney with the firm of Lewis and Roca, LLP, Jennifer Sloan Hilsabeck is a member of the practice group on Environmental and Natural Resources and Energy, Alternative Energy, Telecommunications and Utilities.  Her practice also emphasizes County and Municipal Relations.

A member of the Diversity Committee of the American Bar Association's Section of International Law, Jennifer's global focus and expertise in project development, together with her firm's expertise in protection and implementation of intellectual property, will certainly be an asset to PURE exhibitors.

Jennifer invites PURE Exhibitors in Europe to contact her for possible meetings when her delegation attends the American Bar Association Section of International Law Fall Meeting in Paris, 2-6 November, 2010. 

PURE is thrilled to have the help of such a committed professional.

PURE Welcomes Dr. Aldo Aguirre to Host Committee

Appointed Honorary Vice-consul by His Excellency the President of Guatemala, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Las Vegas Clark County Library District, President of the Consular Chamber of Commerce, Consultant and Entrepreneur in medical laboratories and potable water development, with a PhD in Public Policy, Dr. Aldo Aguirre has joined the Host Committee of PURE.

In addition to the Expo, Dr. Aguirre is looking forward to repeating Cocktails with the Consuls, Dine with Dignitaries and the Royal African Ball, all of which have been so successful in the past due in large part to Aldo's leadership and hard work.

Who has the most innovative remote water purification product?

The Global PURE Water Expo is seeking the most innovative solutions to the global drinking water shortage. 

We are looking for works of PURE Genius.  During the Royal African Ball at the close of the Global PURE Water Expo, the Consular Chamber of Commerce will award "Works of PURE Genius" in categories of technology, funding and delivery.

Please comment below with your nominations.

http://www.purewaterexpo.com/

PURE Welcomes Baroness J Kathleen von Schaefer to Organizing Committee

A designer, consultant, philanthropist, human rights activist and Dame of Elmina, who seems to have adoring fans in every corner of the earth, Baroness  J Kathleen von Schaefer has joined the Organizing Committee of the Global PURE Water Expo.

The Consular Chamber of Commerce is no stranger to the benefits of association with Baroness von Schaefer, and we are thrilled to have her expertise, experience and influence helping to move forward the mission of PURE.

PURE Welcomes Legendary CIA Engineer Ken Walther to Organizing Committee

A recipient of the Intelligence Medal of Merit for conducting operations of high national security value, as well as the Career Intelligence Medal and numerous certificates from the US Department of State and from foreign intelligence services, Ken is instructor, engineer, paramilitary colleague and technologist, but he would tell you he's best known for being married to his wife Lena Walther, the Honorary Consul of Sweden in Las Vegas. 

In addition to running his own technology firm, Ken serves as Special Projects Manager of the Consular Chamber of Commerce. 

But we just call him "Q".

Spending years under cover in sub-Saharan Africa, Ken saw first-hand how the lack of potable water decimated communities.  He also saw how improper distribution of newly acquired sources had the potential to do more harm than good.  We are thrilled to have his valuable experience and advice directly involved with PURE.

Water Pollution by Oil Companies

The following article explains in simple terms, the way Oil companies extract natural gas from the rock, it's called Hydraulic Fracturing. It sounds fairly safe, just pump water pressure, fracture the rock, release the gas and you are done right? not exactly, the problem is they also add toxic chemicals into the bore hole and in all instances they will poison any water table in the vicinity. In places where people depend on water wells for their drinking water, it poisons the water for all uses. Oil companies take advantage by not disclosing all information on the process and chemicals involved in Hydraulic fracturing.

Please attend the Expo, come and learn new ways of procuring and managing water sources and please remember that the first and foremost responsibility we all have is to stop poisoning our water sources for money and greed, it's just NOT worth it. Just look at the problems oil has caused in the poisoning of our water, air and lands, the clean technologies are now a reality and we must make use of them before it's too late.

Extraction Methods for Natural Gas in the Barnett Shale

October 7th, 2007 tun

By Chris Jent

The Barnett Natural Gas Field is contained within a very hard sedimentary rock formation called Shale. Shale is a fine-grained rock made up of ancient compacted clays or mud. Until recently the Barnett Shale Gas Fields were largely untapped due to the difficulty and cost to extract the gas. The recent increase in natural gas prices along with improvements in extraction methods has made it possible to produce wells in the Barnett Shale that are commercially viable.

One of the improved extraction methods is called Hydraulic Fracturing. First developed in the United States 1948, Hydraulic Fracturing simply creates fractures that extend from a borehole into rock formations. A hydraulic fracture is formed by pumping a fracturing fluid into the well bore at a rate sufficient to increase the pressure down the bore hole fracturing the surrounding rock formation. In order to keep this fracture open after the injection stops, a solid proppant is added to the fracture fluid. The proppant, which is commonly a sieved round sand, is pumped into the fracture. This sand is chosen to be higher in permeability than the surrounding formation and the propped hydraulic fracture then becomes a conduit through which the fluids can be produced back to the well. Another recently improved method is Directional or Horizontal Drilling. Horizontal Drilling is the science of drilling non-vertical wells. Directional drillers are given a well path to follow that is predetermined by engineers and geologists before the drilling starts. Once the drilling starts, periodic surveys are taken with a camera instrument to provide survey data such as inclination and azimuth of the well bore.

PURE Welcomes Renowned Tenor Marco Varela to Organizing Committee

A globe-trotting tenor, international businessman, Emissary of the Vice-consul of Guatemala in Las Vegas, and a Knight of Elmina, Marco Varela has joined the Organizing Committee of the 2011 Global PURE Water Expo.  For obvious reasons, we couldn't be happier!

Another Brilliant Solution

Does this look like a water pump to you?

Diamonds in the Desert

IN the middle of an undeveloped desert, clean water was worth more than diamonds. Those who first laid claim to its source became powerful by the thirst of others. They developed the springs and jealously guarding their wet gold.  

Shootouts, corrupt officials, malfeasance and murder mark the history. The powerful grabbed the source land from the less fortunate. Those who couldn't gain access were forced from the area by the harsh environment. Fortunes were made, stolen, lost and made again in the battle for control of the water. The source was fought over by warring government factions and special interests. To this day the actual history is disputed.

Africa? The Middle East? India? No - Las Vegas.

In the hottest desert in the world, the most visited destination on the planet sprung from the dust in one generation. Hosting over 40 million guests per year, Las Vegas is the largest American city founded in the 20th century.  It now has more water consumption, more restaurants, more golf courses and more swimming pools per capita than any other city on earth.

September 22 to 24 of 2011, Las Vegas will play host to the world's greatest innovators of water purification for the developing world. Entrepreneurs, scientists and inventors will demonstrate the absolute cutting edge solutions to the global shortage of potable water, for an audience of diplomats, government officials, royals, foundations and NGO's, as the Consular Chamber of Commerce presents the Global PURE Water Expo.

• Free to the public
• Affordable exhibit space
• Inexpensive accomodations
• Unmatched audience
• Incomparable city 

PURE = Potability Underdevelopment Rescue Expo

Come to the rescue.