About Us

Conference Planning Committee:

Vera Bojic (Chair) National Great Rivers Research & Education Center
John Chick (Chair) National Great Rivers Research & Education Center
Janet Burnett University of Illinois Extension
Christine Favilla Sierra Club Piasa Palisades Group
Patricia Hagen Audubon
Ken Lubinski U.S. Geological Survey
Rob Maher Illinois Department of Natural Resources
Brian Markert U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Bob McLeese USDA—Natural Resource Conservation Service
Steve Miranda Mississippi State University
Cathy Mosher AEP River Operations
Bruce Reid Audubon
Hal Schramm Mississippi State University
Todd Strole The Nature Conservancy

 

Conference Co-hosted by:

National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRREC)
The National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRREC), located at the confluence of three great North American rivers—the Mississippi, Missouri, and Illinois—is uniquely positioned to study the ecology of big rivers, the workings of the watersheds that feed them, and the ties to the river communities that use them. The center aspires to be a leader in scholarly research, education, and outreach related to the interconnectedness of large rivers, their floodplains, watersheds, and their associated communities. It is a partnership between the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the Illinois Natural History Survey, and Lewis and Clark Community College in Godfrey, Illinois. 

In 2008, construction began on the center’s new Confluence Field Station in Alton, Illinois, near the National Great Rivers Museum along Illinois Route 143 and adjacent to the Melvin Price Locks and Dam. The field station will be a model of green construction, with minimal environmental impact, integrated renewable energy systems, and internal recycling systems. The center is seeking LEED certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), affirming that the new facility meets USGBC (U.S. Green Building Council) standards for energy and resource efficiency and a dramatic reduction of carbon dioxide emissions from conventional levels.

With completion of the field station at Alton, big river research will advance to a higher level of sophistication. The field station represents a major step forward in protecting and preserving our great rivers. It will attract researchers and scientists worldwide and focus international attention on this region as an important center of groundbreaking research. Researchers will continue to use this and other facilities, including those of partner institutions, to gather data and conduct experiments that add to our knowledge of river systems.  Conference attendees will have the opportunity to tour the facility at the Confluence Field Station Sneak Preview and Reception on the evening of August 11. 

The Nature Conservancy (TNC)
The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. To date, its conservation efforts have protected more than 15 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia, and the Pacific.

In 2005, with the support of Caterpillar, Inc., through its Foundation, The Nature Conservancy launched the Great Rivers Partnership, an ambitious effort to guide protection of the world's greatest river systems. Together with other corporations and individuals, the partnership is advancing solutions that will help restore the health of rivers such as the Mississippi in the United States, the Yangtze in China, and the Paraguay-Parana in Brazil.

Along the Mississippi River, the Conservancy is working in teams on 30 project sites to reconnect floodplains, improve land use practices, quantify ecosystem services provided by wetlands, and advocate for policy changes that result in a healthier river for people, the economy, and the environment. The Nature Conservancy is honored to co-sponsor the 2009 Mississippi River Conference with the National Great Rivers Research & Education Center.