By MICHELE F. MIHALJEVICH
Indiana Correspondent

FORT WAYNE, Ind. — The current state of Fort Wayne’s three rivers and what can be done to make them a more important part of the community will be key topics during the first Rivers Summit, June 28-29 at the Grand Wayne Center in downtown Fort Wayne.

“Working together, we can make this community a better place,” said Sharon Hall, program manager for the St. Joseph River Watershed Initiative, one of the conference’s sponsors. “We have to embrace our natural resources and put them into our plans for the future.”

In order to do that, she explained, the community needs to address obstacles such as water quality, flooding and storm water management. “The conference will give us the chance to talk about all aspects of our rivers. We’ll be looking at what we can do to make our rivers better, the things we’ve already done, and the things we still need to do.”

The watersheds for the three rivers are primarily in rural areas, and because of that, topics on agriculture will be included in conference presentations, Hall noted.

“We want to point out what agriculture is already doing to address the issues and what still needs to be done,” she explained. “We want to tell agriculture’s story to the general public and help the general public understand agriculture’s situation.”

The conference is geared toward “movers and thinkers, the forward-thinking people,” Hall noted, including public officials, politicians, government agencies and the general public. Organizers expect about 200 to attend, she added.
A yearly conference is unlikely, but one every few years is possible, Hall said.
More than 30 speakers, including those representing the livestock industry, Indiana’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Indiana State Department of Agriculture and the Indiana Farm Bureau, will give presentations during the two-day conference.

On the evening of June 28, speakers including Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry and U.S. Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R-3rd) will discuss the importance of the rivers to northeastern Indiana.

On June 29, topics include climate change and its impact on water resources and flooding, agriculture’s contribution to water quality, the economic benefits of the rivers, wetlands and wildlife and blue-green algae. The state’s conservationist, Jane Hardisty, will speak about the importance of local leadership during the lunch hour.

There’s no charge for the June 28 evening session, but there is a $15 fee for June 29. The fee includes lunch. Pre-conference continuing education sessions are scheduled for June 28. Registration is required and fees will apply.
The registration deadline for the conference and the continuing education sessions is June 23. For more information, to see a conference agenda or to register, visit www.riversummit.org or call 260-484-5848, ext. 3.