Author Peter Annin to headline Save The River conference

CLAYTON, NY – Peter Annin, author of The Great Lakes Water Wars, will speak at Save The River’s 30th Winter Environmental Conference on Saturday, February 2 at the 1000 Islands Harbor Hotel, Clayton, New York. Annin will analyze the future of Great Lakes water diversion management, currently controlled by the Great Lakes Compact, a legal document that went into effect in 2008.  Registration for this year’s Conference remains open until Friday, February 1. To secure a place, it is best to call the Save The River office at (315) 686-2010. As a new offering this year, a professional live stream of the Conference will be available for those who are unable to make the trip to Clayton.

Conference attendees will hear from Annin about the long history of political maneuvers and water diversion schemes that have proposed sending Great Lakes water everywhere from Akron to Arizona. The Great Lakes Compact prohibits most diversions of Great Lakes water, with limited exceptions. Learn about several existing, noteworthy Great Lakes diversions including the controversial Foxconn water diversion that has been proposed south of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Following his presentation, Annin will host a book signing.

Annin is the director of the Mary Griggs Burke Center for Freshwater Innovation at Northland College and the author of The Great Lakes Water Wars, the definitive work on the Great Lakes water diversion controversy. Previously Annin served as a reporter at Newsweek, the associate director of the Institute for Journalism and Natural Resources, and the managing director of the University of Notre Dame’s Environmental Change Initiative. He continues to report on the Great Lakes water diversion issue and published a second edition of The Great Lakes Water Wars in the fall of 2018.

In addition to learning more about diversions of Great Lakes water, conference attendees will hear from experts on a wide variety of River related topics:

  • Evie Brahmstedt, Environmental Science & Engineering PhD student at Clarkson University’s Institute for a Sustainable Environment, will discuss her research on mercury in St. Lawrence River wetlands.

  • Dr. John Casselman, adjunct professor in the Biology Department of Queen’s University, will discuss the catastrophic decline of the American eel in the St. Lawrence River system.

  • Chad Lord, Policy Director at Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, will explore the threat of Asian carp and what can be done to keep them out of the Great Lakes.

  • Dr. Sherri “Sam” Mason, Sustainability Coordinator at Penn State Behrend, will discuss the realities of plastic pollution in the Great Lakes region.

  • Elaine Vedette Tack, producer and director, will present the North Country premiere of her short film “It’s Hard to be a Tern” exploring Save The River’s work to restore the population of common terns on the St. Lawrence River.

Additionally, Save The River will take the stage with All In the Same Boat, a new local movement that engages individuals and businesses to make better choices for healthier communities and a healthier planet, to discuss their partnership on local sustainability initiatives including Save The River’s new Replace Single-Use Plastics program.

Following the Conference, All In the Same Boat will host a free community event at the Clayton Opera House from 4:30 – 5:30 pm with the screening of a short film and conversation about their new sustainability movement. Guests are encouraged to bring their own reusable cup.

More information on Save The River’s 30th Winter Environmental Conference can be found at the Save The River website under the “Events” tab: savetheriver.org.

Since 1978 Save The River has been the leading environmental advocacy organization fighting for the ecological integrity of the St. Lawrence River, first against year-round navigation, then expansion of the Seaway to accommodate larger ships, and most recently securing approval of a modern water levels plan (Plan 2014) that will restore critical wetland habitat and threatened species.