Emiquon Science Symposium explores "Using the past to plan for our future"

WHAT: The University of Illinois Springfield’s Therkildsen Field Station at Emiquon, in cooperation with The Nature Conservancy, Dickson Mounds Museum, and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, is sponsoring the fifth annual Emiquon Science Symposium.

WHEN: Thursday, March 8, 2012 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

WHERE: Dickson Mounds Museum in Lewistown, Ill. (directions available at www.museum.state.il.us/ismsites/dickson/geninfo.html)

DETAILS: Scientists, students, and managers involved with restoration ecology, scientific investigations, and management at the Emiquon Complex and the LaGrange Reach of the Illinois River System will share their research through oral and poster presentations. The day will conclude with a tour of the Emiquon Preserve, UIS Therkildsen Field Station at Emiquon and a “Behind the Scenes” look at the Dickson Mounds Museum.

The keynote address will be given at 3:30 p.m. by Dr. Ian Billick, president of the Organization of Biological Field Stations and Executive Director of the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory. He will discuss the changing nature of field stations. Field stations are moving from a focus on solving logistical issues (e.g., access to research sites and/or housing in remote areas) to becoming powerful platforms for understanding a complex world.

There is limited seating in the Museum auditorium, so registration is required. A $10 registration fee will cover lunch and refreshments. The fee will be collected at the meeting in the form of cash or check. To register, visit https://illinois.edu/sb/sec/3913717 and enter your information.

For a full schedule of events, visit www.uis.edu/emiquon/. For more information, contact Michael Lemke, director of the UIS Therkildsen Field Station at Emiquon at 217/206-7339 or email lemke.michael@uis.edu.