Wednesday, October 24, and Thursday, October 25
Stoney Creek Inn Convention Center, 101 18th Street, Moline IL
Hosted by River Action and themed “Our Watershed: Working Together for Healthy Waters and Flood-Resilient Communities,” the 11th-annual Upper Mississippi River Conference will be held at Moline's Stoney Creek Inn Convention Center on October 24 and 25, an event focusing on floodplain issues facing the Mississippi River watershed that covers all or part of 31 states in the nation.
Presentations will follow two tracks – floodplain/flood risk management and water quality/biodiversity – and the conference will boast a quartet of esteemed keynote and plenary speakers. On Wednesday, the keynote speakers are the University of Maryland's Dr. Gerry Galloway and the Association of State Floodplain Managers' executive director Chad Berginnis; Galloway will deliver a presentation on “What Did We and the World Learn from the Great Flood of 1993?”, while Berginnis will speak on “National Flood Policy: Where Are We Today and Where Are We Going?” On Thursday, the conference's 2018 plenary speakers are Ottawa-based building and zoning official Mike Sutfin and Colonel Bryan Sizemore, St. Louis District Commander for the USACE, with the former offering a presentation on “Regional Flood Coalitions, a Local-Level Approach,” and the latter delivering his speech on “Integrated Water Resources Management: A UMR Perspective.”
In addition to these four guests, this year's Upper Mississippi River Conference will, on Thursday, feature artist and City as a Living Laborator founder Mary Miss serving as the day's luncheon speaker, delivering a presentation titled “Water Works: Art and Science Collaborations.” A Quad Cities Flood Resiliency Alliance Wokshop will also be held on Thursdday at 2:30 p.m., with additional workshops and events including sessions on floodplains, flood risk management, water quality, and biodiversity; field project tours and networking sessions; and Wednesday's 6:30 p.m. catfish dinner with special guest historian and storyteller Brian “Fox” Ellis, who will offer an entertainment titled “Singing a River's Story.”
Full-day registration to the 2018 Upper Mississippi River Conference is $200 or $40 for students, with one-day registration $150 or $25, and special reduced fees for those only wanting to attend the QC Flood Resiliency Alliance Workshop or the project tours. For more information and to register, contact River Action at (563)322-2969 or RiverAction.org.
