Winter Weekend Conference to Focus on Climate Change Impacts
on River and Great Lakes

Clayton, NY (February 2, 2009) – Climate change will have potentially significant impacts on two issues of keen interest to River communities – water levels and shipping. Save The River’s 20th annual Winter Weekend conference, slated for Saturday, February 7 at the Clayton Opera House, will explore the science and policy implications of climate change on these two key topics.

The conference’s morning session, Climate Change in the Great Lakes Region, will include presentations detailing impacts of climate change on the Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River system and on shipping in the Great Lakes. The session will wrap-up with a discussion and look forward to how regional policy and programs need to change in the future to adapt to climate change impacts. Morning panelists include Tom McAuley, Engineering Advisor, International Joint Commission, Canada; Frank Millerd, Professor Emeritus at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario; and Jennifer Nalbone, Campaign Director with Great Lakes United.

“Unfortunately, global and national efforts to reverse the impacts of climate change are unfolding slowly. Our goal with this year’s conference is to encourage proactive thinking by area communities and policymakers so that the region is prepared to adapt to climate change,” stated Jennifer Caddick, Save The River’s Executive Director. “Climate change will dramatically impact the River ecosystem and business as usual will not work in the future.”

The conference agenda also includes a presentation by Community Energy Services, Inc on what homeowners can do to save energy; an update on the VHS fish virus and its effects on the St. Lawrence River fishery by researchers at State University of New York’s Thousand Islands Biological Station; and an overview of Save The River’s new citizen monitoring programs for spill events and River health monitoring.

Full details on the conference agenda are available on the Save The River website at www.savetheriver.org. Winter Weekend conference registration is $25, which includes lunch, and begins at 8:30 a.m. with the conference program beginning promptly at 9 a.m.

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For more information, contact Jennifer Caddick at Save The River at (315) 686-2010.

Editor’s Notes:
Beginning Friday afternoon, all Save The River staff will be at the event. You can reach Jennifer Caddick, Save The River Executive Director via cell phone at (315) 767-2802 or, Stephanie Weiss, Save The River Assistant Director, via cell phone (315) 486-2920.

For full details on the days agenda, visit www.savetheriver.org

Award Winning Photographer and Conservationist to be Keynote Speaker
for Save The River’s Winter Weekend Feb. 7

Clayton, NY (February 2, 2009) – Tim Palmer, an award winning photographer, author, and conservationist, will be the keynote speaker at Save The River’s 20th annual Winter Weekend. Palmer is a photographer of America’s natural landscapes and a primary focus of Tim’s work is public speaking. He has been featured at hundreds of national, statewide, and provincial conferences, conservation gatherings, and at colleges and universities nationwide. Palmer will be speaking during the weekend’s evening dinner reception Saturday, February 7 at the Clayton Opera house.

Palmer has been writing about rivers across the United States for over 25 years, combining his accomplished photography and his deep appreciation for rivers into his vivid books. He has been honored with multiple awards for his books and his work as a river conservationist including the Benjamin Franklin Award for the best American book on nature and the environment for The Heart of America: Our Landscape, Our Future, and River Conservationist of the Year Award from Perception, Inc for his conservation work. Palmer has also served on the board of the national river advocacy group American Rivers and on the board of the national river organizing group River Network.

An inveterate river-lover, Tim has canoed or rafted on more than 300 rivers in the United States and western Canada. He lived for 22 years as a nomad in his van, traveling throughout the country to do research, writing, and photography for his book projects. For more information on Tim Palmer and his work, visit www.timpalmer.org.

Saturday evening’s events begin with a cocktail hour at 5:30 and an opportunity to view silent auction items and to participate in a live auction. Dinner, featuring Tim Palmer’s presentation, begins at 7 p.m. The cost to attend the evening reception is $75.00 per person. Advance reservations are recommended as space is limited. Reservations can be made by calling Save The River at 686-2010. All events are being held at the Clayton Opera House. For more information on all of the Winter Weekend events, visit Save The River’s website at www.savetheriver.org.

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For more information contact Jennifer Caddick, Save The River Executive Director, at (315) 686-2010, or visit www.savetheriver.org.

Save The River’s Winter Weekend
All events to be held at the Clayton Opera House, Clayton, NY

To learn more about Winter Weekend events or to RSVP, call Save The River at (315) 686-2010.

Friday, February 6th, 2009

6:00 p.m – 8:00p.m. – Welcome Cocktail Reception

Saturday, February 7th, 2009

8:30 a.m. - Registration - The cost to attend the conference is $25/person and includes lunch. Pre-registration is not required.

9:00-9:30  - Welcome to Winter Weekend. Elizabeth Raisbeck, Save The River Board President. Jennifer Caddick, Save The River Executive Director.

9:30 – Climate Change in the Great Lakes Region

9:30-10:45 - Introduction to Morning Session. Jennifer Nalbone, Campaign Director, Great Lakes United.

“Impacts of Climate Change: Findings from the International Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Study” Tom McAuley, Engineering Advisor, International Joint Commission, Canada.

“Global Climate Change and Great Lakes International Shipping” Frank Millerd, Professor Emeritus, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario.

10:45-11:00 Coffee Break

11:00-12:00 “The Next 50 Years: Changes for the Seaway in a Changing Environment.” Jennifer Nalbone, Campaign Director, Great Lakes United.

“New York State Programs to Help Save Energy and the Environment” Ann Heidenreich, North Country Energy $mart Communities Coordinator, Community Energy Services, Inc.

12:00-1:00 Lunch

1:00 – St. Lawrence River Fisheries Research

1:00-2:00 -  “An Update on Recent Muskellunge Population Trends in the Thousand Islands Region” Professor John M. Farrell, Ph.D., Sr. Research Associate and Director, Thousand Islands Biological Station, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry.

“VHS virus in smallmouth bass and round goby: What have we learned?” Geofrey E. Eckerlin, Graduate Research Assistant, Thousand Islands Biological Station, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry.

2:00-2:30 -  “Working for the River: Emerging Opportunities for Volunteering at Save The River.” Sarah Walsh, Program Manager, Save The River; Tammy Lueck-Riverkeeper Monitoring Volunteer; and LCDR Matt Edwards-United States Coast Guard

2:30 - Closing Comments and Adjournment

6:00-7:00 - Cocktail Reception and Silent Auction – The evening reception is $75/person. RSVPs are strongly recommended.

7:00 - Dinner & Live Auction

8:00 - Evening Program

Presentation of River Saver Award: Awarded Posthumously to Aaron Vogel, Executive Director, Thousand Islands Land Trust

Keynote speaker Tim Palmer, author of Rivers of America.

9:00 – Closing Remarks