Support Save The River and showcase your business by becoming a sponsor of our 22nd annual Winter Conference!

Save The River’s annual winter conference attracts more than 200 attendees including Save The River members, scientists and regional policymakers to discuss current River issues. The Winter Environmental Conference is Save The River’s one of a kind opportunity to provide in-depth information to our members and elected officials that will inspire policy solution to protect and preserve the St. Lawrence River.

In addition to supporting a one of a kind conference, Save The River is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and sponsorship donations are tax deductible. You can feel confident that you are investing in not only a valuable exposure package for your company, but also helping support grassroots advocacy work to protect the St. Lawrence River.

Sponsorship Opportunities

Winter Weekend Lead Sponsor: $1,000

Benefits for Lead Sponsors include:

• 4 complimentary tickets to conference

• Opportunity to put up company display in conference room and to provide literature (i.e., company brochure) as an insert in conference program.

• Logo on event program and sponsor tent cards at each table during the event

• Recognition in press releases, Save The River’s website, and Save The River’s quarterly newsletter River Watch, which reaches more than 2,000 Save The River members and friends.

Winter Weekend Supporter: $500

Benefits for Sponsors include:

• 2 complimentary tickets to weekend events.

• Logo in event program and on sponsor tent cards at table during event.

• Recognition in conference program, on Save The River’s website and in Save The River’s quarterly newsletter River Watch, which reaches more than 2,000 Save The River members.

Winter Weekend Contributor: $250

Benefits for Supporters include:

• 2 complimentary tickets to weekend events

• Name listed in conference program, on tent cards at tables during event, Save The River website, and Save The River’s quarterly newsletter River Watch, which reaches more than 2,000 Save The River members.

Interesting in being a sponsor? Call Jennifer Caddick at (315) 686-2010 or download and mail the sponsorship commitment form.

Thank you for supporting Save The River!

Save The River’s annual conference isn’t the only thing going on in Clayton the weekend of February 5th. While you are here for the conference also check out these other area activities to give you a complete winter weekend away.

The Thousand Islands Arts Center presents The Art of Winter, a winter-inspired art exhibit on display in the Thousand Islands Art galleries. The gallery will be open Friday, February 4th from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Saturday, February 5th from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. For more information, contact the Thousand Islands Arts Center at 315-686-4123.

The Thousand Islands Land Trust will be hosting a Bald Eagle watch at Wellesley Island’s Thousand Islands Park on Sunday, February 6th from 9 -11 a.m. For more information and to register for this free event, call the Thousand Islands Land Trust at 315-686-5345.

For other events and activities happening in the area, check out the Clayton Chamber of Commerce or the Thousand Islands Tourism Council.

Save The River’s annual Winter Weekend will be held on Saturday, February 5th at the Clayton Opera House. For those of you joining us from out of town we have compiled a list of local area accommodations that will be available during that weekend:

Bertrands’s Motel
229 James Street, Clayton, NY
686-3641

Bonnie Castle Resort
Holland Ave.,  Alexandria Bay, NY
482-4511 or 800-955-4511

North Star Motel & Restaurant
Alexandria Bay, NY
482-9332

Angel Rock Cottages
10% Winter Weekend discount!
Cape Vincent, NY
654-2495

Additional lodging  options may be found via the Clayton Chamber of Commerce or Alexandria Bay Chamber of Commerce.

Clayton, NY (January 10, 2011) – Save The River’s 22nd annual Winter Environmental Conference will be held Saturday, February 5th at the Clayton Opera House. This annual event brings together policymakers, scientists and citizens to discuss the most important issues facing the St. Lawrence River environment.

Save The River has changed the schedule for this year’s event. The Winter Environmental Conference has been scheduled for 10 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 5th and will conclude with a cocktail reception from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m., providing an opportunity for attendees to mingle with conference presenters and other participants. However, the evening dinner and silent auction traditionally held the evening of the conference will not be held this year in an effort to expand the conference agenda.

Highlights of this year’s conference agenda include presentations focusing on state and federal ballast clean-up programs, water levels and wetland restoration projects, the Save The River In The Schools program, and much more. The conference agenda is be available on Save The River’s website, www.savetheriver.org, and will be updated as sessions are added.

The Winter Environmental Conference will begin with registration at 10:00 a.m. and presentations beginning at 10:30 a.m. The registration fee for the conference is $30.00, lunch and reception included. Advance reservations by January 28th are recommended. Reservations can be made by calling Save The River at 315-686-2010.

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For more information contact Jennifer Caddick, Save The River Executive Director, at (315) 686-2010.

As winter settles in, we hear from many River Rats that they miss being a part of the River and Save The River. Here are a few additional ways to keep in touch over the winter – or anytime!

Save The River’s Facebook Page – Are you a Facebook user? “Like” the Save The River page for up-to-date news and information about the St. Lawrence River and Save The River events! You can also connect with Save The River via our Facebook Cause page.

Save The River Twitter Feed - Stay up to date with quick messages from Save The River.

Save The River’s Flickr Photostream – We’ve posted tons of great River photos submitted via our annual calendar competition and from Save The River events. A great way to get a dose of sunny River days as you’re battling the winter blues!

Save The River’s YouTube Channel – We’ve posted some great Rock for the River videos and a few excellent student projects! We’ve also linked to a bunch of great videos posted by River friends.

Asian carp, an invasive fish species that could devastate the St. Lawrence River and Great Lakes, are at our back door just miles from Lake Michigan.

These fish are voracious filter feeders. The bighead carp can consume 40 per cent of its body weight each day, while the silver carp’s tendency to jump out of the water when startled makes them a hazard to boaters. They would cause irreversible harm to the Great Lakes by consuming large quantities of algae and zooplankton, muscling out native fish populations. The estimated impact to the recreational and commercial Great Lakes fisheries would reach to over $4.5 billion. (For more information about the Asian Carp, visit the Great Lakes United Asian Carp FAQ.)

Help Stop the Asian Carp!

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are collecting public comments through March 31st on their Great Lakes and Mississippi River Basin Interbasin Feasibility Study (GLMRIS). Despite its bureaucratic name, this study is critical because its focus will determine if we implement permanent solutions to stop the Asian carp!

Top Two Reasons Why You Should Attend a Meeting in Your Area!

1 – The Corps was mandated to study ways to “prevent” invasive species movement between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River. Deplorably, the Corps has decided to spend precious time and resources to also study ways to “reduce the risk,” not just prevent. This was not authorized by Congress nor is it a credible strategy that will protect our Great Lakes. We need you to tell them this is unacceptable and only options that will “prevent” invasive species movement and stop the Asian carp should be studied.

2 – The Corps study takes too long. The Chicago portion of the study is not predicted to be complete until mid-2015, or nearly five years from now. The Corps must acknowledge the urgency of finding a permanent solution, condense the timeline and produce final results for the Chicago portion of GLMRIS within 18 months rather than mid-2015 and we need you to send that message.

Is there a public meeting in your community?

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is hosting public meetings in communities throughout the Great Lakes basin. The list of cities and dates is below. Full details on each meeting, including location, times and how to register to speak are available at: http://glmris.anl.gov/involve/pubschedule/index.cfm

January 11 – Buffalo, NY

January 13 – Cleveland, OH

January 20 – St. Paul, MN

January 25 – Green Bay, WI

January 27 – Traverse City, MI

February 1 – Cincinnati, OH

February 3 – Ann Arbor, MI

February 8 – St. Louis, MO

February 10 – Vicksburg, MS

If you can’t attend a public meeting, you may submit comments via the study website here: http://glmris.anl.gov/involve/comments/index.cfm no later than March 31, 2011.

For More Information

More information on the study may be found on the official GLMRIS website.

Helpful talking points for preparing to speak at hearings or to submit comments can be downloadeded from this helpful fact sheet prepared by Fresh Water Future.

More information on the Asian Carp issue can be found on the Great Lakes United Asian Carp page.

Thank you for speaking out on this critical River issue!