By TIM ALEXANDER
Illinois Correspondent PEORIA, Ill. — Being good stewards of the Illinois River and its watershed makes good sense to University of Illinois (UOI) Extension natural resources management educator Robert Frazee - and he hopes it makes sense to farmers in Illinois, as well.
He’s hoping many of them turn out for the 2007 Governor’s Conference on the Management of the Illinois River System in Peoria on Oct. 2-4. Speakers at the conference will discuss information, issues, programs, progress and future plans for conserving the river through the 21st century.
Frazee said that though the Illinois River is the state’s most vital inland water resource, it is also one of Illinois’ most threatened waterways.
“The Illinois River System is essential to our national balance of trade and our local, state and national economies,” Frazee explained. “Over one-half of all the corn, soybeans and wheat currently produced by Illinois farmers is shipped by barge down to the Gulf of Mexico for export. Soil erosion and the resulting sedimentation is threatening to clog this vital navigation system, which is the only navigation link between the Great Lakes and the Gulf.”
The Illinois Waterway stretches 345 miles from Lake Michigan in the north to Grafton, Ill., where it meets the Mississippi River near St. Louis, Mo. Part of the third-largest river system in the world, it drains 18.5 million acres in three states and spawns nine other rivers. More than 90 percent of the state’s population lives in the Illinois River Watershed.
The conference theme is The Illinois River: Continuing Our Commitment, and the event includes presentations such as River Restoration Through Coordinated Planning & Development, Asian Carp and the Illinois River, and Streamgaging, Dam Removal and Dam Safety among many others.
Conference information including the schedule, program and registration forms is available on the Internet at www.conferences.uiuc.edu/ilriver
If registering by Aug. 31, fees for full registration come to $135 and include three meals, two continental breakfasts and a reception. The fee for Wednesday, Oct. 3 (only) is $90, while Thursday registration is $60. After Aug. 31, fees increase by $40, plus another $20-$50 on-site. Registration can be completed by credit card (online), fax or mail.
An additional, daylong conservation tour on Tuesday, Oct. 2 carries a $25 fee (before Aug. 31). Guests will ride in an air-conditioned motor coach on a tour of attractions such as historic Springdale Cemetery in Peoria (under restoration), an eco-friendly rural subdivision nestled in the bluffs near Mossville, a restored wetlands, a stream bank stabilization project on the Mackinaw River and a restored wildlife habitat.
The UOI Extension is one of more than 60 federal, state, regional and local agencies and groups working together to sponsor the 11th annual river conference. For more information, phone Frazee at 309-694-7501, ext. 226.
This farm news was published in the Aug. 8, 2007 issue of Farm World, serving Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee. |
