RiverAction’s annual Upper Mississippi River Conference will focus on riverfront development, environmental health and conservation efforts and feature workshops, keynote speakers, breakout sessions and a field tour.
To register for the event, click on this link. People can save $75 by registering before Sept. 27.
The conference will be held Tuesday through Thursday, Oct. 14-16, at the Stoney Creek Inn in Moline. The three-day event offers a comprehensive look at Waterfront Edge Design Guidelines (WEDG) workshop from noon to 2 p.m. Tuesday in the Main Ballroom, focusing on sustainable waterfront development. A WEDG Happy Hour will follow from 2-4 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 15, begins with registration and breakfast at 7 a.m., followed by welcome remarks from Kathy Wine, executive director and founder of River Action, at 8:30 a.m.
The keynote session at 9 a.m., “Mississippi Navigation,” will feature David Murray, senior writer for the “Waterways Journal.” Following a networking break, breakout sessions will be held from 10:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Nina Struss of Prairie Rivers Network and Steve Hilberg of CoCoRaHS will lead “Why We Measure,” while a second breakout topic is yet to be announced.
Nahant Marsh field tour
After a boxed lunch, attendees can choose between a field tour of Nahant Marsh focusing on “Restoring Resilience” with Brian Ritter and Rachel Perrine, or a free film program. The day concludes with “An Evening with Aldo Leopold,” a plated dinner and presentation highlighting the conservationist’s life and legacy, featuring Steve Brower, Jonathan Pauli and the Rev. Robert Grant.
Thursday, Oct. 16, starts with registration and breakfast at 7 a.m. The morning keynote, “Development with the River in Mind,” will be delivered by Valery Aguilar of Waterfront Alliance and Tom Klein of the University of Miami at 8 a.m.
The day also includes the Next Gen Scholars Summit, welcoming students at 9:15 a.m. for an environmental career panel with Valery Aguilar, Tom Klein, Maiya May of PBS, and Andrew Layer of Living Lands and Waters. Student activities will follow a separate schedule, while regular attendees will have additional breakout sessions.
A networking luncheon at 12:30 p.m. will feature Maiya May discussing “Exploring Extreme Weather in North America.” Additional breakout sessions are scheduled for the afternoon.
The conference will conclude with a closing session at 3:30 p.m., “Lessons from the Meskwaki Nation,” presented by Joan Flecksing, director of the Meskwaki Nation Department of Natural Resources. The conference is set to adjourn at 4:30 p.m.
