2025 Upper Mississippi River Conference Schedule
Tuesday, October 14th, 2025
2:00 – 4:00 p.m. | WEDG (Waterfront Edge Design Guidelines) Workshop | Main Ballroom
Learn about WEDG - the sustainable waterfront development accreditation, and discuss some exciting news about our local riverfront
4:00 – 5:30 p.m. | WEDG Happy Hour | Hall Main Ballroom
Wednesday, October 15th, 2025
7:00 – 8:30 a.m. | Registration, Breakfast and Check-in | Hall Main Ballroom
8:30 – 9:00 a.m. | Welcome Remarks | Main Ballroom
- Kathy Wine, Executive Director and Founder, River Action
9:00 – 10:30 a.m. | Keynote Session | Main Ballroom
"The Mississippi River, A School of Democracy"
- David Murray, Senior Writer, The Waterways Journal / Bound Media
10:30 - 10:45 a.m. | Networking Break
10:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. | Break Out Sessions
Breakout 1: "Why We Measure"
- Nina Struss, River Health and Resiliency Organizer, Prairie Rivers Network
- Steve Hilberg, Midwest Climate Scientist, CoCoRaHS
Breakout 2: "TBD"
12:15 – 1:00 p.m. | Boxed Lunch | Hall Main Ballroom
1:00 – 4:00 p.m. | Field Tour or Film Program (Choose 1)
Option 1: Nahant Marsh Field Trip ($15) - "Restoring Resilience: Lessons from Nahant Marsh"
- Brian Ritter, Director, Nahant Marsh
- Rachel Perrine, Rock Island Plan Formulation Section Chief, USACE
Option 3: FilmTBD (Free) | Main Ballroom
4:00 - 6:30 p.m. | Break & Dinner Set-up
6:30 - 8 p.m. | "An Evening with Aldo Leopold" - Plated Dinner and Presentation | Main Ballroom
A panel highlighting the life and legacy of conservationist Aldo Leopold through historical, scientific and ethical perspectives. Panelists include:
- Dr. Jonathan Pauli, Professor, Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Steve Brower, President, Leopold Landscape Alliance
- Fr. Robert Grant, Professor of Environmental Ethics, St. Ambrose University
Thursday, Oct. 16th, 2025
7:00 – 8:00 a.m. | Registration, Breakfast and Check-in | Hall Main Ballroom
8:00 – 9:15 a.m. | Waterfront Design Keynote | Main Ballroom
"Development with the River in Mind"
- Valery Aguilar, Waterfront Alliance
- Tom Klein, University of Miami
9:15 – 9:30 a.m. | Networking Break | Hall Main Ballroom
9:15 – 9:30 a.m. | Next Gen Scholars Arrive
9:30 – 10:30 a.m. | Next Gen Summit Welcome and Environmental Career Panel | Main Ballroom
- Valery Aguilar and Tom Klein, WEDG (Waterfront Edge Design) Associates
- Maiya May, Climate Reporter and TV Host, PBS
- Andrew Layer, Program Manager, Living Lands and Waters
10:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. | Next Gen Summit Rotating Student Activities | Separate Schedule
12:15 – 12:30 p.m. | Student Regroup and Recap | Separate Schedule
10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. | Regular Attendees - Break Out Sessions
Breakout 3: "TBD"
Breakout 4: "TBD"
12:30 – 2:00 p.m. | Networking Luncheon | Main Ballroom
"Exploring Extreme Weather in North America"
- Maiya May, Climate Reporter and TV Host of PBS' "WEATHERED: Earth's Extremes
2:00 – 3:15 p.m. | Break Out Sessions
Breakout 5: "Flooding on the Mississippi: Resiliency and Preparedness"
- Holly Shutt, Working Lands Biologist, Ducks Unlimited
- Scott Cagle, Assistant State Conservationist, Natural Resources Conservation Services
Breakout 6: "Flooding on the Mississippi: Response and Recovery"
- TBD
3:15 – 3:30 p.m. | Networking Break
3:30 – 4:30 p.m. | Closing Plenary Session | Main Ballroom
"Lessons from the Meskwaki Nation"
- Joan Flecksing, Director, Meskwaki Nation Department of Natural Resources
4:30 p.m. | Adjourn