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Heritage Rivers National Conference More than 150 people representing 14 rivers designated as American Heritage Rivers (AHR) around the country met in Detroit Oct 8-10, 2002 for a National Conference on American Heritage Rivers. Conference speakers highlighted successful waterfront revitalization projects and partnerships on the Detroit River and other AHR rivers around the nation. Following sessions, participants attended a reception in the new General Motors Global Headquarters Wintergarden overlooking the river and enjoyed a boat tour to Fighting Island, the second largest island in the Detroit River. Mark Breederland, Michigan Sea Grant Extension Agent and chair of the Detroit American Heritage River Steering Committee, moderated the Wednesday morning session of the conference. "This conference focused on the need that local communities have to partner with local business and industry along rivers to leverage existing federal technical and agency resources that will assist river and waterfront revitalization," said Breederland. Breederland and Detroit River Navigator John Hartig were among several people recognized as "tireless advocates" of the Detroit River for their outstanding leadership and support. Among the many speakers, Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick emphasized that Detroit's waterfront is a tremendous asset to the city tied to enhancing quality of life for both residents and visitors. In all, more than $13 million has been leveraged for Detroit River projects in the last three years. Conference speakers noted that significant strides have been made in controlling water pollution and reducing phosphorus loading. On land, eighteen greenways projects, including promenades, trail projects and other amenities, are under construction or completed along the Detroit River waterfront. Wildlife, notably bald eagles and lake sturgeon, have returned in dramatic fashion to some areas of the river. In December 2001, the lower Detroit River was designated an International Wildlife Refuge by President Bush. Detroit River accomplishments are summarized in the new report "Reconnecting to the Detroit River," which was released at the conference. It is available on the web at http://www.mac-web.org/ReconnectingToDetroitRiver.pdf (2MB size). For more information about the AHR conference, including a consensus statement prepared by conference participants, visit http://www.tellusnews.com/ahr |
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