"Water in the West: 21st Century Challenges in a 19th Century Legal Framework"

A winner of the first James V. Risser Prize for Western Environmental Journalism will join environmental experts for a symposium to discuss legal challenges regarding water in the West, issues raised in an award-winning newspaper series.

Rocky Mountain News reporter Jerd Smith, along with reporter Todd Hartman and photographer Ken Papaleo, were awarded the $3,000 prize for "The Last Drop," a five-part series that detailed the degree to which the rivers of Colorado's Rocky Mountains face ominous threats from the thirst of urban development on the Front Range.

The prize is given in the name of James V. Risser, a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and director emeritus of the Knight Fellowships program.

Joining Smith on the symposium panel will be Barton H. "Buzz" Thompson of Stanford Law School and Thomas Graff, California regional director of the organization Environmental Defense.

A reception will follow the symposium.