Registration for the 9th Lehigh Valley Watershed Conference is now open for this regional forum on March 14 that will highlight Indigenous connections to land and water resources.

The Conference theme is Endemic Watershed Connections: Place. Preservation, Restoration.

Presentations will address experiences related to access to clean water and healthcare, sovereignty; treaty rights; connecting tribal youth to their ancestral homeland in the Delaware River Watershed; and the identification, documentation, preservation and protection of Ceremonial Stone Landscapes in the Northeast.

Additional presentations and workshops will focus on stormwater and MS-4s for municipal staff and engineers.

There will be a track for watershed volunteers engagement, and technical workshops to dive into topics such as flooding, karst geology, and managed retreat in the landscape due to climate change.

The Indigenous Track Talks include—

— Keynote Speaker The Rappahannock Cultural Landscape Using Archeology in Land Conservation Planning:  A partnership initiative of the Rappahannock Tribe and St. Mary's College of Maryland to identify and prioritize lands for conservation, preservation, and acquisition.

— Contemporary American Indians 101: A panel presentation and discussion introducing issues that Indian peoples and their communities face today

— Constructed Ceremonial Landscapes of the Middle Atlantic: Indigenous ceremonial landscapes in the Middle Atlantic region and the challenges of identifying and protecting these landscapes

— Transgenerational Wealth and Trauma: An interpretive talk on the art installation located at Lehigh University that the 1737 Walking Purchase which forced the removal if Indigenous people from the Delaware River Watershed

— The Water Gap - Return to the Homeland: A roundtable conversation on the 2016 film project about the experiences of Delaware Indian youth who spent time immersed in their ancestral homelands to reconnect with their Lenape identity.

There will also be three other free public events associated with the Conference at the Nurture Nature Center in Easton on March 12 and March 13.  Click Here for more information.

Continuing education credits are available for engineers. College students register for free.

Click Here for a Conference schedule.

The main Conference will be held in the STEPS Building at Lehigh University in Bethlehem.

Conference organizers include the Watershed Coalition of the Lehigh Valley, Penn State Extension, Northampton County Parks & Recreation, Nurture Nature Center, Northampton County Conservation District, Lehigh University Environmental Initiative, Lehigh University Institute for Indigenous Studies.

Other partners include the Rappahannock Tribe and St. Mary’s College of Maryland.

For more information and to register, visit the Lehigh Valley Watershed Conference 2023 webpage.

Related Articles This Week - Water:

-- DEP Releases Final 2022 Pennsylvania State Water Plan, Digital Atlas Of Water Resources And Use  [PaEN]

-- DEP Chesapeake Bay Update: Results Of PA In The Balance Ag Conference; Leadership Change At DEP, State Conservation Commission; Grants Announced; Much More  [PaEN]

-- DEP Invites Comments On Revised Post-Construction Stormwater Management Manual  [PaEN]

-- DCNR Reminder: Grant Application Period Now Open For Recreation, Conservation, Watershed Projects Until April 5

-- Coldwater Heritage Partnership Now Accepting Applications For 2023 Coldwater Conservation Grants  [PaEN]

-- PA American Water Now Accepting Applications For 2023 Environmental Grants  [PaEN]

-- DCNR: Susquehanna River North Branch Named 2023 Pennsylvania River Of The Year  [PaEN]

-- Bob Donnan’s Blog: DEP Finds Valley Brook Country Club Responsible For Pesticide Runoff Causing 7-Mile Long Fish Kill In Chartiers Creek, Washington County

-- DEP Releases Bid Solicitation To Plug 19 Abandoned Conventional Gas Wells In Forest County All At Taxpayer Expense  [PaEN]

-- DEP Blog: Plugging PA’s Abandoned Conventional Oil And Gas Wells

-- Damascus Citizens For Sustainability Files Lawsuit Challenging The Delaware River Basin Commission Fracking Wastewater Rule Generally And For Allowing Road Dumping Of Conventional Oil & Gas Wastewater Creating Widespread Pollution  [PaEN]

-- Delaware River Basin Commission Feb. 8 Hearing, March 8 Business Meeting  [PaEN]

-- EPA: Pennsylvania One Of 4 States Participating In Accelerated Lead Water Service Pipe Replacement Project In Underserved Communities

-- Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership To Use Growing Greener Grant To Improve Stormwater Management At Congregation Adath Jeshurun In Elkins Park, Montgomery County  [PaEN]

-- Registration Now Open For Lehigh Valley Watershed Conference With Events On March 12, 13, Main Conference March 14 At Lehigh University  [PaEN]

-- DEP Teaching Green: New PA Gateway To Green Education Hub; PA Digital Water Atlas; Grant; Programs; Much More!  [PaEN]

-- Stroud Water Research Center News: Tracking Road Salt In Streams; Scouts From 12 Troops Tackle Merit Badge Program; Much More  [PaEN]

-- Reminder: PA Master Naturalist Spring Training Sign Ups Happening Now  [PaEN]

[Posted: January 27, 2023]

1/30/2023