WATER MONITORING CONFERENCE AND IOWATER OPEN FORUM TO DISCUSS MONITORING FOR THE NEXT DECADE AMES - Water quality professionals and volunteers can discover how Iowans are improving Iowa's water resources at the DNR's 10-Year Water Monitoring Conference and IOWATER Open Forum. The conference will be held April 9 to 10 at the Scheman Building on the Iowa State University campus in Ames. This year's conference will address hydrology and water quality, public health, nutrients, community involvement in water quality protection, biological health and stormwater issues. In addition to concurrent sessions the conference will feature two morning plenary speakers and an evening keynote speaker. Regional Climate Trends and Observation: Some Hydrologic Implications Mark Seeley, professor and Extension climatologist, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minn. Restoring the Water Commons: Smart, Clean, and Green Infrastructure Valerie Nelson, director, Coalition for Alternative Wastewater Treatment, Massachusetts Keynote: Natural Flows: A History of Water and Nature in Iowa Connie Mutel, ecologist and author Saturday's IOWATER open forum will highlight successes from the program's 10-year history and discuss the future of the program. In 2009, Iowa lead the nation in the number of volunteers participating in World Water Monitoring Day with more than 3,000 participants monitoring nearly 800 sites. For more information on World Water Monitoring Day, visit www.worldwatermonitoringday.org. Registration for the 10-year Water Monitoring Conference and IOWATER Open Forum is $30 before 5 p.m. April 2 and $35 after. The registration fee will be waived for IOWATER and AWARE volunteers who are not federal, state or county employees. Registration information and agendas are posted at www.igsb.uiowa.edu/wqm . MEDIA CONTACT: Mary Pat Heitman at (319) 335-1576 or [log in to unmask] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to: [log in to unmask] Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp