The 2015 River Summit kicked off Wednesday in Fort Wayne. The multi-day event aims to educate the public about water quality and recreational opportunities on the rivers.
The summit Wednesday brought together many federal agencies, county officials, NGO’s, and agricultural representatives. Dan Wire is the Director of the Tri-State Watershed Alliance, which organized the summit. He says getting all these stakeholders together is a rare event.
“Administrative wise it’s real easy to stay within a state or a county, but if we’re really going to have an appreciable impact we have to be able to cross geo-political boundaries because the river does," says Wire. "The river doesn’t care if it’s in Indiana or Ohio.”
Wire says the stakeholders will continue to collaborate on watershed plans, including cleaning the Lake Erie basin, after the summit is over.
Wire also hopes the event will help residents fully appreciate the potential value of the rivers, and “to understand that economic development opportunities along the river are a smart thing, and that that’s how we will continue to be a strong regional economy, by this quality of place asset.”
Attendees can hear a full day’s worth of talks at the Grand Wayne Center Thursday. And Saturday features family friendly activities all along the St. Mary’s River.