Illinois man who dedicated life to cleaning Mississippi River will be keynote speaker at C-SC event

CANTON, Mo. — Online registration now is open for Culver-Stockton College’s inaugural collaborative conference at the Great River Research Center in Canton. The river conference, themed “Changing Currents,” will take place April 7-9. It aims to facilitate communication that fosters innovative and collaborative solutions to the various challenges facing the river and the communities it impacts. 

The conference will begin at 5 p.m. April 7 with registration and a social-networking event. Activities will take place throughout the day on Friday, including presentations, roundtable discussions, and informal networking opportunities. Chad Pregracke from the environmental organization “Living Lands & Waters” will be the featured plenary speaker at 5:30 p.m. at the conference banquet. Learning sessions, a panel discussion, and an optional excursion to Hannibal to experience the historic river town are offered April 9.

“River enthusiasts will benefit from the learning sessions and enjoy the networking opportunities, and many guests will look forward to hearing directly from Chad (Pregracke) during the banquet,” conference co-chair Scott Giltner said in a press release.

Honored as CNN’s Hero of the Year in 2013, Pregracke will tell an inspiring story during his keynote address about growing up on the Mississippi River and how his experiences led to his unique vision to clean up the Mississippi River and start an internationally recognized not-for-profit organization, Living Lands & Waters.

The cost to attend the conference is $75. Registration is open to anyone interested in river economy, history, business or general river enthusiasts. To register for the conference or submit a presentation proposal at the Great River Collaborative Conference, visit https://culver.edu/greatriverconference

For more information about the Great River Research Center or the conference, contact Giltner at greatriver@culver.edu.