Speakers announced for first Conservation Congress
The McHenry County Conservation District board will convene the first McHenry County Conservation Congress Saturday, Feb. 6, at McHenry County College.
"We have reached out to 250 selected delegates to represent multiple fields and disciplines, including conservation, recreation, health and wellness, historical preservation, agriculture, business, service clubs, transportation and education.
"This assemblage of thoughtful leaders and influencers will discuss critical issues of importance to conservation," said board President Bona Heinsohn. "We are looking ahead at the next 50 years of conservation and what it means in different aspects of shaping McHenry County's future."
Included in the discussions are presentations from Fran P. Mainella, 16th director of the National Park Service and visiting scholar of Clemson University Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism; Suzanne Malec-McKenna, Ph.D, executive director of Chicago Wilderness; Brook McDonald, president/CEO of the Conservation Foundation; and Peter Murphy, J.D., president/CEO of Illinois Association of Park Districts.
The selected delegates from varied organizations and interest groups will be asked to participate, respond and discuss timely issues that affect the management and protection of McHenry County's natural resources.
They will analyze and try to answer tough questions such as: How can we encourage adults and youth to increase their physical activity levels outdoors in nature and on public lands? What will it take to protect existing funding sources for conservation and what can be done to develop new sources of funding for public lands and outdoor recreation? How does conservation integrate working landscapes such as agriculture lands into a more comprehensive approach to land preservation? How do divergent user groups find common cause to speak with one unified voice for the conservation movement and for the public lands for which they all depend?
This inaugural congress will provide constituents and the larger community a formal process to advocate for actions that can be taken by the conservation district to protect and conserve natural resources and provide compatible education and recreational opportunities on public lands in McHenry County.
"Beyond our day-to-day care and keeping of the public lands bequeathed to us, it is important that we look to the future and do everything in our capabilities to not only protect our open spaces, but allow for opportunities for the public to understand how intertwined our lives are with the natural community and realize that what we do today has far-reaching effects on what McHenry County will look like in the future," said Executive Director Elizabeth Kessler.