10th Annual Fox (Illinois) River Watershed Conference
March 17, 2022, In-person event (w/virtual option)
A conference for individuals and organizations interested in the Fox River basin will take place March 17 at Veterans Terrace at Echo Park in the City of Burlington, Wisconsin. The “Fox River Summit – Celebrating Success and Addressing Challenges” examines watershed management issues in both the Wisconsin and Illinois portions of the river basin. A key goal is to continue the dialogue between stakeholders in Wisconsin and Illinois on many shared topics including recreation, economics, fisheries and other wildlife, stormwater management, water quality/supply and nutrient load pollution. It is a watershed approach to problem solving and celebrating successes.
A recent article by Morgan Green from the Chicago Tribune dated December 20, 2021, entitled “Illinois — a major feeder to the Gulf of Mexico dead zone — falls behind federal goal to reduce phosphorus and nitrogen flowing into its waterways “ illustrates our mutual challenges concerning nonpoint source nutrient loads within the Fox River watershed. In this article Eliot Clay, Agriculture and Water Programs Director for the Illinois Environmental Council was quoted as saying “…this should be a wake-up call that the status quo of what the state agencies have been doing around nutrient loss is not working.”
This profiles one of our many combined challenges or “wicked problems” among both states that this conference has been designed to address. The conference highlights common interests, concerns, and commitments regarding the
improvement of the Fox River Basin.
This event is organized by the Southeast Fox River Partnership, Fox River Ecosystem Partnership, Friends of the Fox River, and the Fox River Study Group with financial support from the Southeastern Wisconsin Fox River Commission and our generous exhibitors.
