Wetlands & Streams Tour & Symposium 2022: Tickets and Sponsorships

August 18, 2022 @ 9:00AM — August 19, 2022 @ 8:30PM Central Time (US & Canada) Add to Calendar

Abe & Jakes Landing / Springhill Suites: 8 E 6th Street Lawrence, KS 66044 Get Directions

Wetlands & Streams Tour & Symposium 2022: Tickets and Sponsorships image
Share:

Learn about and tour cutting-edge wetland and stream conservation, recreation projects, and research!

Tour area wetland and stream projects and learn about the importance to restore, protect, and enhance wetlands and streams through habitat and recreation projects. Wetlands and streams are vital water resources for habitat, migratory species, and recreation. This inaugural, annual symposium will tour area wetland and stream projects and present cutting-edge work on the restoration, protection, and enhancement of wetlands and streams through habitat and recreation projects. With your event sponsorship or ticket, you are helping increase wetland and stream conservation and recreation projects across Kansas.

August 18 Tour & Aug 19 Symposium

FRIDAY evening Banquet & Live Music benefiting local projects

A block of rooms at the Springhill Suites has been reserved for the Wetlands & Streams Tour and Symposium
(Wednesday & Thursday Night - $96, Friday - $149)

Thursday, August 18th

Hop on a luxury charter-bus tour and see river and wetland projects up close. Tour begins and ends at SpringHill Suites located at One Riverfront Plaza, Lawrence, KS.

8:00am, Registration Opens in the Atrium of SpringHill Suites (lower level). Complimentary coffee and pastries provided.

9:00am, Kansas River Walk along the access road towards the Bowersock Dam. This first stop will occur by exiting the Atrium onto the promenade and onto the recently created access road on the south bank of the KS River. The short 15 minute total walk and tour will be led by Matt Bond, P.E., CFM, Engineering Program Manager, City of Lawrence, and will cover recent efforts along the banks of the Kansas River while discussing efforts for recreation projects still to come.

In addition, Gary Koons, Project Manager, Juniper Environmental, will also discuss a recent feasibility study that was completed for the KS Dept of Wildlife and Parks to evaluate the potential for acoustics to be placed on the Bowersock Dam to prevent passage of invasive carp at high flows. The challenges of such a study will become clear to participants as we will be looking at the dam, from the waters edge just a few hundred feet downstream of the dam.

10:00am, Board charter buses and depart SpringHill Suites east parking lot for the Wakarusa River located below Clinton Lake. This stop will focus on recent efforts to create in-river paddling and fishing opportunities that many other mid-western states such as Iowa have successfully completed. This stop will be led by Aaron Deters, Executive Director, KAWS and Derek Rogers, Parks and Rec Director, City of Lawrence, and Nathan Werner PE, CFM, S20 Design and will discuss the feasibility study, conceptual plan, and next steps needed to continue to move the project forward.

11:45am, Arrive at Baker Wetlands Discovery Center. This lunch stop will include a Box Lunch and a property overview by Dr. Irene Unger. There will be time to explore some of the 927 acres of wetlands and rich, natural wildlife.

1:00pm, Buses depart for a rolling tour of the farmable wetlands and oxbows of the KS River Valley. Led by Matt Hough, Conservation Program Delivery Manager NE & KS, Ducks Unlimited, this rolling tour will stop to discuss opportunities and challenges for both producers and wetlands at key locations in the watershed.

2:30pm, Arrive at Coblentz Constructed Wetland on the upper end of Clinton Lake. Hop on as we will take a hay-rack ride across the berms of recent wetlands to view water sampling equipment as part of a multi-partner effort to study the effectiveness of the wetlands. This final tour stop will be led by Justin Hamilton, Public Land Manager, KS Dept of Wildlife and Parks, and Dr. Ted Peltier, professor, University of Kansas.

4:00 - 4:30pm, Arrive at SpringHill Suites.

5:00pm, Evening social. Our good friends at Great Blue Heron Outdoors, will host this opportunity to continue the networking while you enjoy free beer, wine and Papa Keno's pizza!

Friday, August 19th

(click on hyperlink for presentation abstract)

All sessions on Friday will be held at Abe & Jake's Landing in Lawrence Kansas. Seventeen speakers are preparing to make Friday a unique and educational event.

8:00am Doors and Registration Open

9:00am Plenary Session (main room):

12:00pm Lunch provided by JBs Taco!

1:00pm Concurrent (half-hour)Sessions:

Happy Half-Hour at 3 PM: We are breaking out the FREE BEER (from Lawrence Beer Co.) early to make this a one-of-a-kind event. We will also be serving a river-related snack you've likely never sampled before from Two Rivers Fisheries!!

3:30 pm Closing Session (main room) grab your drink and grab a seat in the main room for the final symposium speaker.

4:15 pm Symposium Ends and Early Bird Happy Hour Begins. As Symposium attendees, you will be able to enjoy drinks and snacks prior to the general attendees of the banquet.

Friday Evening Banquet and Fundraiser to Support River and Wetland Projects of Clinton Lake :

  • 4:30 PM, Doors Open
  • 5:00 PM, Happy Hour including free drinks from Lawrence Beer Co. and locally made chips and salsa. Live Music by Sky Smeed. Bid on Silent Auction items ranging from guided fishing trips and kayaks to flat screen TVs and grills.
  • 6:00 PM, Biemer's BBQ (included), local Clinton Lake Presenters
  • 7:00 PM, Live Music Resumes and Free Drinks continue
  • 8:00 PM, Raffles Begin
  • 8:30 PM, Banquet Ends

Student? Please reach out to Libby Albers at libby.albers@kaws.org

Tour, Symposium & Banquet Refund and Cancellation Guidelines

KAWS' Tour, Symposium & Banquet Cancellation and Refund Guidelines will be as follows:
Tickets canceled on-line on, or before July 31 2022, are refundable but subject to a $20 administrative fee. Registrants canceling on or after August 1, 2022 will not receive a refund. The refund and cancellation guidelines will not be waived. Tickets may be transferred to another individual. In the event KAWS must cancel the Tour, Symposium & Banquet due to unforeseen circumstances, KAWS will refund the cost of registration.

A big thank you to our sponsors!

Gold Sponsor
Ducks Unlimited, Inc.
Kansas Department of Wildlife & Park
Silver Sponsor
Kansas Water Office
Division of Conservation - Department of Agriculture
Bronze Sponsor
Abe and Jakes Landing
Compton Farms
Great Blue Heron Outdoors
ISG
Kansas Department of Health and Environment
Lawrence Beer Company
The Conservation Fund
Non-Profit Sponsor
Kansas Backcountry Hunters and Anglers
National Wild Turkey Federation

Support us with a donation.