PLENARY SESSION
Thursday, February 1, 2007, 9:00 am - 12:30 pm
Theme Overview
The conference will open with an introduction to our theme, Riverine Wetlands: Connections, Corridors and Catchments.
Eric Epstein, one of the leading ecologists for the Natural Heritage Inventory section of WI Department of Natural Resources, will present a community ecology perspective and give us a visual tour of the diversity of wetland community types that are found along flowing waters - from tiny headwaters to large rivers - in our region.
Emily Stanley, on the faculty at University of Wisconsin-Madison's Center for Limnology, will present a watershed and systems ecology perspective on riverine wetlands, highlighting the connections between riverine wetlands and their flowing counterparts as well as the important functional values of riverine wetlands within and throughout watersheds.
Keynote Address
A River That Works and A Working River, Dan McGuiness
Dan McGuiness is Director of Audubon’s Upper Mississippi River Campaign. In his presentation, A River That Works and A Working River, Dan will talk about how the Upper Mississippi River, including its wetlands and watershed, has changed since human settlement. Dan will discuss how we can reverse the tide of degradation of its wetlands and wildlife habitat through partnership efforts in conservation. He will also talk about the emerging 34-member collaborative of non-profit organizations working from the Upper Mississippi headwaters to the Gulf of Mexico and how the wetland community in the region can become more engaged in this effort.
Dan McGuiness was born and raised on the headwaters of the Cedar River near Blooming Prairie, Minnesota. During the last 32 years he has traveled on the river from the headwaters to Cairo, Illinois - 1,366 river miles. Dan studied river ecology with Dr. Cal Fremling at Winona State University and his career has since focused on the Mississippi River through different means including environmental planning, environmental education and work on the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge. Dan notes that all of his prior work led him to and prepared him for his current work as Director of Audubon’s Upper Mississippi River Campaign, a position he has held since 1998.
BANQUET DINNER & PRESENTATION
Thursday, February 1, 2007, 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm
For information on the dinner menu and how to purchase tickets, click here.
Resurrection of the Bayou People: Wetlands, Hurricanes, and Restoration, Kerry St. Pe
Kerry St. Pe is Executive Director of the Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program, a nationally recognized effort dedicated to preserving and restoring the 4.2 million-acre area between the Mississippi and Atchafalaya Rivers in Southeast Louisiana (see photos below). Kerry will discuss the post-hurricanes status of Louisiana’s coastal wetlands and emerging plans for coastal wetland restoration efforts. He will also highlight the importance of Louisiana’s coastal wetlands from ecological, economic and cultural heritage perspectives and comment on what can be done in the Upper Mississippi River Basin to contribute to improvements in the long-term health of the wetlands of the Mississippi River delta.
Kerry St. Pe has served as Executive Director of the Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program for the past 9 years. For 3 years he served as the Interim Administrator of the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium (LUMCON) and he worked for 23 years as a field biologist and regional coordinator for the Louisiana Departments of Wildlife and Fisheries and Environmental Quality. Kerry conducted several major studies on the impacts of oilfield wastes on Louisiana wetlands as well as studies of clam shell dredging impacts in several Louisiana lakes. He serves on numerous national, state, and local advisory boards and is a frequent public speaker. His wetland restoration work has been featured in Bayou Farewell, The Rich Life and Tragic Death of Louisiana’s Cajun Coast by Mike Tidwell and most recently in the PBS documentary, Washing Away: Losing Louisiana.
