Opening remarks

Waters of the State -- a history of Iowa's rivers, streams, wetlands and lakes and how humans have altered them.

Presented by Cornelia F. Mutel author of "Emerald Horizon" and Cornelia Butler Flora professor at Iowa State University.

Just 200 years ago, Iowa's land looked and functioned very different than it does today. Streams meandered and prairies thrived. Euro-American settlement dramatically changed the hydrology of that landscape. Cornelia Mutel will describe Iowa's pre-settlement hydrology and the impacts of agricultural and urban development on this delicate system. Cornelia Butler Flora will discuss a Community Capital Framework which will provide a context to holistically approach water quality and quantity issues, the changes needed in human activity, and the resources needed to make those changes.

Break

The State of our Waters -- managing our water for drinking, growing and recreating

Presented by DNR Director Richard Leopold and Craig Cox of the Environmental Working Group.

Managing our water resources requires considerations far beyond the quality of water in our lakes and rivers. It requires understanding water quantity demands, ground water aquifers, flood plain management, agricultural and urban water runoff and market demand for products, just to name a few. Richard Leopold will provide an update on the state’s water management efforts, including response to recent flooding and flood plain management, the impacts of water pollution on aquatic life, recreation and drinking water and will touch on successful programs to protect and restore our water resources. Because of Iowa’s dominant agricultural landscape, the future of Iowa’s water quality is tied to the future of agriculture. Craig Cox will explore two challenges for water quality – the intensification of production on our land to supply growing demands for food, fuel, and fiber and the affect more frequent extreme weather events is having on our ability to protect our valuable soil and water resources. He will also discuss the effectiveness of current conservation activities occurring on agricultural land and the federal and state changes that will be needed to meet these new challenges.

Lunch

Tools for Change; Tools for Success

Presented by former Assistant Attorney General Mike Smith, Pat Sauer of the Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities and Denny Caneff of River Alliance of Wisconsin.

To achieve clean water, we need to better use our existing programs, and we need a few new tools. First consider the question “What right do you have to demand clean water?” When it comes to clean water, we don’t just have rights, we have responsibilities. Learn more about what state law say about Iowa’s water resources, and what that means for Iowa Citizens from Mike Smith. Then, with this summer’s floods, a lot has been said about urban storm water runoff. Pat Sauer will separate the fact from fiction in discussing the challenges of managing urban runoff in our cities and small towns. She will also explain how anyone can make a difference in water quality by making changes on their own land and in their communities to incorporate the principles of low impact development. Finally, are voluntary conservation programs enough to do the job, or do we need some new tools to address some of our most pressing water quality problems on agricultural land? Denny Caneff will share how Wisconsin has established state requirements that landowners address the most critical conservation issues on their land through participation in cost share programs to protect water quality. He will discuss the challenges, successes and lessons learned in both drafting and passing the state legislation and implementing it.

Break

Vision and Action

Moderated by Pat Boddy Director of Polk County Conservation.

What do we want for the future of water in Iowa and how do we get there? Help shape the answers to these questions – and identify your role, in this session moderated by Pat Boddy.

Closing remarks

Annual members meeting immediately following conference