River Soundings is a conference for people who live near, work on, rely on, and love the Missouri River. This annual event includes panel discussions on issues related to big rivers and the Missouri River in particular. Each year, speakers and panelists who are experts from around the country gather to share and discuss challenges and success stories. Our goal is to bring together people from up and down the river to look for common goals and active strategies to get there.
River Soundings 2025: Urban Watersheds
—Wednesday, September 10—
9:00 am – Doors open
9:30 am – Mixer: Pin your Place on the Watershed
10:00 am – Beyond Housing Welcome
10:30 am – Introduction to Watersheds: Kelly Dunlap, City of Wentzville
10:45 am – Growing Food in Urban Watersheds: Dail Chambers, Artist and Consultant; Tyrean Lewis, Heru Urban Farming
12:00 pm -Lunch-
1:00 pm – History of Water in St. Louis: Amanda Clark, Missouri Historical Society
2:00 pm – Urban fish/fishing: Joe Oelke, Beyond Housing; Tom Boersig, Missouri Chapter American Fisheries Association
3:00 pm – Keynote Address by Zuri Carter, Deputy Chief Natural Resources Officer with Metroparks Toledo – Promises Kept: How Metroparks Toledo is Revitalizing East Toledo to Create a World Class Riverwalk
5:00 pm – Dinner prepared by Chef Tiarra Adams: local foods, and local artists Dail Chambers and David Hults. Special guests Shelley Morris and Raphael Morris, Greenwood Cemetery.
—Thursday, September 11—
9:00 am – Doors open
9:30 am – Urban Waters Federal Partnership: Tom Stevens, The Nature Conservancy
10:00 am – Outdoor excursion to storm water structure
10:30 am – Greenwood Cemetery: Shelley Morris, Board Secretary & Historian; Raphael Morris, Board President of Greenwood Cemetery Preservation Association
11:00 am – Invasive Species: Chuck Caverly, Missouri Native Stewardship Services LLC
12:00 pm -Lunch-
1:00 pm – Riparian Rights in Urban Watersheds: Bob Menees, Great Rivers Environmental Law Center
2:00 pm – History of River Des Peres: Amanda Clark, Missouri Historical Society
3:00 pm – MSD and River Des Peres: Bruce Litzinger, Metropolitan Sewer District Project Clear
Wrap-up activity: Brian Waldrop, Missouri Department of Conservation Stream Teams
The conference will be held at Beyond Housing Headquarters on Wed. & Thur. September 10-11, at 6506 Wright Way, St. Louis, MO 63121. Each day, the doors will open at 9:00 am for check-in, with conference starting at 9:30 am. Our keynote speaker Wednesday will be Zuri Carter, Deputy Chief Natural Resources Officer with Metroparks Toledo, followed by dinner and reception at the Rose Room above Carter Commons, 6746 Page Ave, St. Louis, MO 63133, prepared by Chef Tiarra Adams of Viva La Vegan. It will also include water-inspired art by special guest artists Daily Chambers and David Hultz.
Please register individually below. *Bring your own reusable table service, including a plate, bowl or mug (for soup), and flatware.* A $12-15 donation is requested for each day’s lunch.
Conference is hosted by the Missouri Department of Conservation Stream Teams and Beyond Housing with generous support from Greenway Network and its donors. Organized by Greenway Network, Missouri Sierra Club, Great Rivers Environmental Law Center, Missouri River Relief, Missouri Department of Natural Resources with the assistance of River City Outdoors Collaborative, Missouri Chapter American Fisheries Society, and Ozark Land Trust.
Your tax free donation to support this conference will be greatly appreciated. Please include River Soundings in the Donation Comments field.
Email questions to greenwaynetwork@gmail.com