River Soundings

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.

The 2024 theme is Big Rivers and Communities. The keynote address will be given by Betsy Damon. She is an artist, activist and teacher who has devoted her whole life to community and water. She is the author of “Water Talks” and founder of the organization Keepers of the Waters.

River Soundings is brought to you by the Missouri Department of Conservation Streams Unit and Greenway Network.

The conference will be held at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center’s auditorium on Wed & Thur September 4-5.  The address is 11715 Cragwold Rd, Kirkwood, MO 63122.  The doors will open at 8:30 am each day for check-in.  The conference will start at 9 am.

You may bring your lunch, or join us for lunch if ordered by Sept. 1.

Wednesday Night dinner and reception will be held along the banks of the Meramec River at Emmenegger Park, a few minutes drive from the nature center.  Prepare for outside dining and bring a comfy chair if you like.

Please register individually, and for meals, no later than Sunday Sept. 1st.

River Soundings 2024

Big Rivers and Communities

 

Wednesday September 4

  8:30 am Doors open
  9:00 am Missouri River Towns: Tina Casagrand Foss, The New Territory
10:00 am Plotting the Future for Historic River Towns:  Dean Klinkenberg, Missisippi Valley Traveler
10:55 am Break
11:05 am Mississippi River Water Trail Association and the Army Corps of Engineers, a Public Private Partnership: Chris Garcia, USACE; Larry Hassel, Mark Johnson, Joan Twillman – MRWTA
12:00 pm Lunch
1:00 pm Creating Communities and Opportunities:  Chris Kennedy, Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks.   Empowering Conservation Communities Through Inclusion: Rebecca O’Hearn,  Missouri Department of Conservation
2:00 pm Reaching the Students – Stories from Conservation Education: Kelly Dunlap, City of Wentzville; Chris Geden, River City Outdoors
2:15 pm What about us? Creating Safe Spaces for Communities Who Don’t Have the Capacity or Resources to Access Outdoor Recreation: Chris Geden, Thrive Outside Program Manager, and Logan Faircloth, Community Engagement Coordinator – River City Outdoors
2:55 pm Break
3:05 pm Solid Waste Management Solutions and Opportunities: Eric Larsen, St Louis-Jefferson County Solid Waste Management District.
3:35 pm The World of Telemetry and Invasive Carp: Josh Abner, Missouri Department of Conservation
St. Louis Sturgeon Activity: Travis Moore, Missouri Department of Conservation
4:00 pm Keynote Address by Betsy Damon, Keepers of the Waters – Water Talks: Empowering Communities to Know, Preserve, and Restore Their Waters
5:30 pm Al Fresco Dinner at Emmenegger Park by Possum Woods; on the banks of the Meramec

 

Thursday September 5

8:30 am Doors open
9:00 am Great Rivers Law Panel Discussion: Bob Menees, Great Rivers Environmental Law Center; Kelly Hunter Foster, Waterkeeper Alliance
10:25 am Break
10:35 am Missouri Department of Conservation Round Table – Beyond Housing: Joe Oelke and Jack McDonnell; and MDC: Mark Grueber, Evan Parker, Erin Shank, Miranda Wilkinson, Amy Wilkinson, Rebecca Rodriguez, Mary Fuller, Anna Cook, Brian Waldrop, John Schulte, Josh Ward, and Aisha Muhammad
12:30 pm Lunch
1:30 pm National Wildlife Refuge Opportunities Near St. Louis: Corey Lee and Jared Nancy – Middle Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge; Public and Private Land Conservation Models – Easements and Acquisitions: Eric Gramlich and Abigail Lambert – Ozark Land Trust
2:30 pm Conserving and Regenerating Farmland – Farmer Perspectives and Model Practices: Sarah Szachnieski, Natural Resources Conservation Service; Mitch Pearson, Phi Global Farms; Jena Hood, EarthDance Organic Farm School; Rachel Hopkins, Yocom Farm
3:30 pm Wrap up

*Please note: no open beverages are allowed in the auditorium.  Thank you.

Conference is hosted by the Missouri Department of Conservation Stream Teams 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 support of River City Outdoors Collaborative, Missouri Chapter American Fisheries Society and Ozark Land Trust.

River Soundings 2024
River Soundings. Sept 4-5 at Powder Valley Conservation Area. Space is limited. Please register individually.
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Many people request contact information for attendees so that they can connect with people at a later time. We would like to provide your name, email and organization on a printed sheet to be distributed in person at the meeting. Your information will not be shared at any other time or format.
Please let us know which sessions you plan to attend to facilitate our planning for each day. Check all that apply.

Dining Options.

Will you be attending dinner? ($20 per guest)
Will you be attending Wednesday Lunch? ($12 per guest)
Will you be attending Thursday Lunch? ($12 per guest)
Meal Total

Your tax free donation to support this conference will be greatly appreciated.  Please include River Soundings in the Donation Comments box.

Email questions to greenwaynetwork@gmail.com