Sangamon Watershed Celebration to feature organizations, speakers and activities all about the Sangamon River from Champaign to Springfield
DECATUR – The 2017 Sangamon Watershed Celebration to be held at Richland Community College in Decatur on Saturday, November 4, will be a full day with family-friendly activities, educational speakers and exhibits, and music. The Agricultural Watershed Institute hosts this annual event to bring rural and urban people together for an occasion that is always both fun and educational. The day’s events will be in the National Sequestration Education Center and the University of Illinois Extension building, located near the wind turbines on the Richland campus.
This annual Celebration spotlights the people, history, and land and water resources of the Sangamon River Watershed from its headwaters upstream of Mahomet to its confluence with the Illinois River near Beardstown. It is an annual occasion for urban and rural people together to celebrate what Abraham Lincoln called ‘this goodly land’ and our shared ‘duty to posterity’. The theme of the event is “One River Unites Us All”
This year the Celebration is also sponsored for the first time by the Sangamon River Alliance, a newly-formed consortium of organizations with a river or watershed focus. SRA member and spokesperson Scott Hays said “The Sangamon River Alliance is very excited to be co-sponsoring this event that will showcase the great work of our member organizations under the theme ‘One River Unites us All’. We are truly united by our love and respect for the entirety of the Sangamon River.”
The day will be divided into morning, afternoon, and evening sessions. Attendees are welcome to come for part or all of the day.
The morning from 9:00 a.m. until 12 noon is free and fun for the whole family. Children and adults will enjoy observing fish of the Sangamon, visiting the rain maker, trying the migration migraine game, making a birdfeeder, matching the mussels and more.
In the afternoon session from noon to 5:30 p.m., speakers will address conservation, recreation, and history topics including the Lincoln Heritage Water Trail, urban landscaping with native plants, Lake Decatur history, and many more. Lunch is included.
The evening will start with a reception beginning at 5:30 p.m. followed by dinner prepared by Richland’s Culinary Arts Institute. After dinner, Mike Wiant of the Illinois State Museum will give the keynote presentation titled “Floating through Time: The Sangamon River”. The evening will conclude with music by Indiana-based singer–songwriter Tim Grimm.
In addition to AWI and SRI, sponsors include the City of Decatur, Decatur Audubon Society, University of Illinois Extension, Community Environmental Council, Upper Sangamon River Conservancy, Midwest Row Crop Collaborative, Prairie Rivers Network, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, and Friends of Lincoln Trail Homestead. Advance registration cost is $20 for the afternoon (lunch included); $25 for the evening (dinner included); or $35 for the full day. Reservations and payment can be made on-line at www.agwatershed.org or by phone to (217) 877-5640. The morning session is free and no reservations are required.
