By Cassie Phillips
St. Louis Earth Day Executive Director
The 11th Annual St. Louis Earth Day Water Symposium is hosting events throughout October. Exciting additions to the traditional line up include a barge trip along the Mississippi River and a free public lecture highlighting local and global humanitarian water projects, featuring representatives from Habitat for Humanity and Engineers Without Borders.
The Symposium kicks off with the Barge Trip on October 14th (8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.), an old favorite that is back this year by popular demand. This field trip carries passengers along the Mississippi River and St. Louis Riverfront on a barge piloted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Participants will learn about river transportation, channel maintenance, levees and flood protection, businesses that use the river, and about the efforts to protect and improve natural areas, habitat and recreational opportunities in the confluence region. Speakers representing stakeholders along the river will present information throughout the day and musical duo Grove will provide atmospheric bluegrass tunes as backdrop to the waterfront scenery. A delicious Local Harvest lunch will be provided with registration.
The all-day Conference will return to its traditional home, the Missouri Botanical Garden on October 27th. Speakers will present on watershed planning and environmentally responsible approaches to stormwater management. While this program is open to the public, we especially hope to draw in local government officials, developers, and other area professionals who make daily decisions that impact the future of water quality in St. Louis. Featured speakers include Dr. Peter Wyse Jackson, the incoming director of the Missouri Botanical Garden; Mike Wells, the Deputy Director and Chief of Water Resources from Missouri Department of Natural Resources; Steve Kovac, the Branch Chief for Watershed Planning and Implementation of the US EPA Region VII; and Brian Marengo, P.E., the Senior Water Resources Technologist at CH2mHill.
Leading up to the conference, the Symposium will host a one-day workshop designated for area planners, designers, engineers, architects, landscape architects, and managers who are interested in gaining more in-depth knowledge about watershed planning and strategic regulations to secure a future of safe water.
October 14th – Barge Trip on the Mississippi River, 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.
October 26th – Approaches to Stormwater Management, workshop 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.
October 27th – Planning for Clean Water and Healthy Communities, 8 a.m. – 5p.m.
October 27th Evening – Humanitarian Water Projects, Locally and Abroad, 7 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
We are grateful to the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District, Missouri Department of Conservation, East-West Gateway Council of Governments, US Army Corps of Engineers, Missouri Botanical Garden, American Planning Association and the Confluence Partnership for their continued support of the Symposium events.
More information on the program, speakers, and registration can be found at www.stlouisearthday.org. Early bird pricing through October 14th!