24th Annual Symposium
Working for a Greener World
Join the Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC) for our 24th Annual Symposium, Working for a Greener World, November 7-8, 2012, in Baltimore, Maryland. The Annual Symposium is a gathering of WHC’s members and partners with activities focusing on Education, Collaboration and Celebration. This year’s theme will explore the continuing challenges our member companies face in protecting biodiversity and engaging communities while competing in a difficult economic climate. Find out how meaningful partnerships and innovative planning help us to keep the noble goals of sustainability and community engagement at the forefront as we work together for a greener world.
Chad Pregracke
Chad Pregracke, Founder & President, Living Lands & Waters, will provide the keynote address. In 1998 at the age of 23, Chad founded Living Lands & Waters (LL&W), a not-for-profit organization based in East Moline, Illinois, dedicated to cleaning up and preserving our nation’s rivers. Today, the organization has grown to include 12 full-time employees and an equipment base of four barges, a floating educational classroom/headquarters, towboat, six workboats, five trucks, a semi, a crane and two skid loaders. With this equipment, the crew is able to travel and work in an average of nine states a year along the Mississippi, Illinois, Ohio, Missouri, and Potomac Rivers, as well as many of their tributaries. Since the project’s inception, Chad, his crew, and more than 60,000 volunteers have collected over six million pounds of debris from our nation’s greatest rivers. Most recently, Chad expanded the mission of the organization to include Big River Educational Outreach, The MillionTrees Project, and the Adopt-a-River Mile programs. Click here to view Chad’s full bio.
This year’s Conservation Education Encounter will feature a Live Bat Encounter with Rob Mies, Director & Founder of the Organization for Bat Conservation. Rob , TV personality, conservation biologist, Co-founder and Executive Director of the Organization for Bat Conservation and author, has appeared on many television shows including The Tonight Show, The Ellen Degeneres Show, The Today Show, Live with Regis and Kelly, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, and Martha Stewart. Rob is the co-author of the book, “Stokes Beginners Guide to Bats.” His research includes work with the endangered Indiana Bat of the United States, endangered Rodrigues Fruit Bat in the Indian Ocean, and the threatened Spectacled Flying Fox Bat in Australia.
Rob speaks about the benefits of bats, why we need to conserve them, and what you can do to help these unique mammals and invites you to step into the mysterious world of bats and explore their benefits, habitats, and nocturnal strategies. You will encounter a Big Brown bat from North America and hear its high-pitched echolocation with a “bat detector,” meet fruit bats from Africa and Asia, and come face-to-face with the largest bat in the world, the Gigantic Flying Fox Bat from Malaysia. This beautiful bat has nearly a 6-foot wingspan!
Please check back for more information. Click here to view the agenda from last year’s Symposium.
