What You Need to Know about the Upcoming AWRC Conference
This year’s speakers are lined up and the program is nearly finalized for the Arkansas Water Resources Center 2018 annual water conference. We’ve got another great regional agenda this year with speakers from Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Mississippi. We will hear many different perspectives on “The Value of Water” as the program includes presentations from industry, academia, government agencies, and non-profits.
When:
July 23-24, 2018
Where:
Fayetteville, Arkansas
The Program:
Where would we be without a sustainable supply of clean water? We would not be able to support various manufacturing industries in Northwest Arkansas, or recreation in the Buffalo River, or agriculture in the Delta. This year’s conference aims to facilitate a conversation about how valuable water is to the economy of communities, of states, and of regions, and the need to be proactive in management decisions to sustain our water supplies.
The opening session will set the stage for thinking of water in terms of its value to various stakeholders including industries, communities, and producers. Water supply is really a two-way street, and speakers will also discuss steps taken to improve water quality and sustainable use of our water resources.
We will hear about how algal and bacterial communities might respond to changes in water quality, or even cause changes themselves, as well as various ways we rely on our environment to provide ecosystem services.
To end the first day and bring us back for day two, we will hear about current research efforts looking at water quality in the Buffalo National River, a prized jewel for Arkansas tourism and the United States’ first national river. Then we’ll shift gears and focus on water needs for agriculture and aquifer supplies.
Finally, we are excited to team up again this year with the Arkansas chapter of the American Water Resources Association to hold their annual symposium after lunch on the second day of the conference. It will be an interesting and informative symposium about “The Value of Citizen Science Programs in Watershed Water-Quality Management”. Anyone can attend that part of the program and those who do will receive a FREE annual membership to AR-AWRA.
View the preliminary program here.
Student Poster Session:
The student poster session will take place after lunch on July 23rd. We will have two poster competitions for undergraduate and graduate students. You can still submit a title to present a poster; the deadline is June 6.
Registration:
Register online now by going to https://commerce.uark.edu/awrc/. Registration will close on Monday, July 16, 2018.
Venue:
The conference will be held at the Fayetteville Town Center. This venue is at the historic downtown square in Fayetteville, near the University of Arkansas campus and surrounded by the beautiful Ozark Mountains.
Accommodations:
If you’re coming from out of town, you can reserve a room at the Chancellor Hotel, just one block away from the Town Center. You can also choose to stay at Staybridge Suites just off Interstate 49. Both hotels are offering all AWRC conference attendees the government rate of $93 per night.
Visit our website for more information. If you have any questions, contact Erin Scott at erins@uark.edu.
