Annual Westfield River Watershed River Symposium

Spring time means a lot of things here in western Mass. And one of the highlights is the Annual Westfield River Symposium.  The day looks pretty interesting and I have copied the current agenda here fyi:

2015 Westfield River Symposium Outdoor Fun in Your Watershed Saturday, April 11, 2015 Westfield State University - Scanlon Banquet Hall
8:00-8:30		Registration	Exhibits available for viewing from 8:00 to 12:15
8:30-9:35		Welcome	Brian Conz, WRWA President
		Keynote Address	Joe Giffune (President, Friends of the Columbia Greenway Rail Trail)The Green Evolution: A History of the Columbia Greenway
9:45-10:30		Concurrent Sessions I	Creation and Re-creation: Finding and Naming Birds: Seth Kellogg (Allen Bird Club) Westfield River Watershed: Fishing a Gem of the West: Leanda Fontaine-Gagnon (MA Division of Fish & Wildlife) The Trustees of Reservations in the Upper Watershed: Jim Caffrey (The Trustees of Reservations)
10:40-11:25		Concurrent Sessions II	The AMC Berkshire Chapter: Your Connection to the Outdoors: Wayne Rodrigues (Chair, Berkshire Chapter of the Appalachian Mountain Club) Recreational Opportunities in MassParks: Domenick Sacco (District Manager, CT River Valley District of MassParks)
11:30-12:15		Viewing of Exhibits	Confirmed Exhibitors: Appalachian Mtn Club Connecticut River Watershed Council Friends of the Columbia Greenway Friends of the Keystone Arches Friends of Robinson State Park MA Div. of Ecological Restoration MA Div. of Fisheries and Wildlife Naturalists' Club New England Forestry Foundation Pioneer Valley Planning Commission Silvio O. Conte National Fish      & Wildlife Refuge The Nature Conservancy Western MA Fly Fishing Association Westfield River Invasive Species      Partnership Westfield River Watershed Association Westfield River Wild & Scenic Advisory      Committee WSU Environmental Planning Club WSU Outing Club/Wilderness Leadership      Program Winding River Land Conservancy
12:00		Raffle Drawing
1:15- ?		Field Trips	The Columbia Greenway: Marijoan Bull (WSU Dept. of Geography and Regional Planning, and Friends of the Columbia Greenway Rail Trail) Birding in Stanley Park: Seth Kellogg (Allen Bird Club)
The 2015 Westfield River Symposium is sponsored by: Westfield River Watershed Association Westfield State University

20th Annual Westfield River Symposium TODAY

Always a great event, Westfield State again hosts the Annual Westfield River Symposium on campus.
The program is found on the WRWA site, so check it out.

And consider attending next year!

Annual Westfield River Symposium

2013 Westfield River Symposium

Our Urban Watershed

Saturday, March 23, 2013
Westfield State University - Scanlon Banquet Hall

8:00-8:30 Registration Exhibits available for viewing from 8:00 to 12:15

8:30-9:35 Welcome Brian Conz, WRWA Vice President
  Keynote Address Mark Cresotti (City Engineer, Westfield)
Search for the Holy Grail


9:45-10:30 Concurrent Sessions I
Streams Behaving Badly: Martha Naley (US Fish & Wildlife Service)
The West Parish Water Filtration Plant - Filtering the Water Supply for Springfield and Beyond: Thomas LeCourt (Springfield Water and Sewer Commission)
The Columbia Greenway: Past, Present and Future: Joe Giffune (Friends of the Columbia Greenway)

10:40-11:25 Concurrent Sessions II
Municipal Stormwater Management: Casey Berube (City of Westfield, Water Resources Dept.)
Maintaining River Quality in Difficult Times: David Billips (City of Westfield, Water Resources Dept.)

11:30-12:15 Viewing of Exhibits and WSU Student Posters
Confirmed Exhibitors:

Concerned Citizens of Westfield
Friends of the Columbia Greenway
Friends of the Keystone Arches
Friends of Robinson State Park
MA Div. of Ecological Restoration
MA Div. of Fisheries and Wildlife
Massachusetts Forest Alliance
Naturalists' Club (Springfield)
Nature Pods
Western Massachusetts Fly Fishing Association
Westfield River Watershed Association
Westfield River Watershed Invasive Species Partnership
Westfield River Wild & Scenic Advisory Committee
Wilderness Experiences Unlimited
Winding River Land Conservancy
WOW Express (USFWS)

For more Info, see http://www.westfieldriver.org/symposia/symposium19.html

Westfield River Symposium this Saturday

Hard to believe it is the 18th one!

2012 Westfield River Symposium

Protecting Our Watershed:
Challenges and Opportunities

Saturday, March 24, 2012
Westfield State College - Scanlon Banquet Hall

Annual Westfield River Symposium

18th Westfield River Symposium:

WRWA's annual river symposium is scheduled for Saturday, March 24, 2012 in the Scanlon Banquet Hall on the campus of Westfield State University.

The program begins at 8:30 a.m. with introductions and the keynote address "A Resilient Future for the Westfield Watershed", by Andy Finton, the MA Director of Science & Conservation for The Nature Conservancy. Half a dozen speakers will fill out the morning program, with talks on migratory fish restoration, invasive plants, road crossings, coldwater fisheries, dam removal, and the effects of Tropical Storm Irene. A half hour is set aside mid-morning for viewing of exhibts from approximately 20 local and state organizations.

There will also be a raffle and a showing of The Watershed Waltz, a new DVD version of Marmalade Productions' puppet show on healthy watersheds. Afternoon field trips will offer opportunities to visit the West Springfield Fish Ladder or the Flood Control Dams on the Westfield River. You'll find the tentative program in the Symposium section of the website.

17th Annual Westfield River Symposium

wow, can't believe it has been 17 years. Well, next month, on Saturday 2 April 2011, the 17th Annual Westfield River Symposium will be held at Westfield State University. This year's theme is

The Foodshed in Our Watershed

WHEN: Saturday, April 2, 2011

Registration period: 8:00 - 8:45 am

Program: 8:45 am – 12:30 pm

WHERE: Westfield State University, Scanlon Hall Auditoriums

Westfield, Mass.

Free admission. Everyone is welcome.

An impressive roster of speakers from organizations such as Communities Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA) and the Northeast Organic Farmers Association, plus local farming and gardening experts and others will address questions such as:

o How is a new generation of farmers seeking to connect with eaters in and around the watershed?

o Preservation of our area farms: What are state and local organizations doing to stop them from disappearing?

o What will it take to help local farmers be financially stable – beyond the farmers’ markets

o What is the environmental impact of farming on our watershed?

o How can individuals use backyard and community gardens to add healthy, organic food to the family diet?

For more information, see http://www.westfieldriver.org/events.html#syposium

or http://www.wsc.ma.edu/wmgc/