The Environmental Resources Center’s largest event of the year, the Conservation Conversation will be held on Friday, September 18, 2026, in the Walb Union Classic Ballroom at Purdue University Fort Wayne (NOT the International Ballroom as it as been in years past). The theme of this year’s event is Greening the Watershed which will be a conversation about Fort Wayne's future.

The Conservation Conversation is a meeting of members of the public, representatives of a variety of organizations and agencies, and faculty, students and staff of Purdue University Fort Wayne. We seek to educate, inform, and facilitate dialogue among local and regional organizations and other stakeholders about the opportunities and challenges for conservation efforts in our growing community. By coming together to share research, experience, and perspectives, participants foster collaboration to promote the best outcomes for the quality of life in our region.

However, this year's event will be different than years past and will be designed to be more than just a series of presentations and display opportunities. We're creating space and fostering dialogue for conservation practitioners, researchers, planners, educators, students, and community leaders to share ideas build connections, and imagine what's possible when we work together. From neighborhoods and parks, to campuses, businesses, and public spaces, there are countless opportunities to rethink how our communities interact with nature - and how we interact with one another. 

Lunch is included in all ticket purchases with gluten free, vegetarian, and vegan choices being many of the default options available.

We do our best to keep event costs as low as possible for our event attendees, many of which are free. However, we encourage those who might be willing and able to contribute additionally to these efforts to do so by following this link: Donate to the ERC. Private donations go a long way to offset event costs and donations of any amount can help us to support student attendance and engagement with the ERC.

History of Local Rivers - Dr. Phyllis Gernhardt, USF

Finding Common Ground: Creating Meaningful Conservation Partnerships - Dr. Jo Latimore, MSU 

Together we will explore how lasting conservation successes are built on relationships, shared goals, and strong partnerships. Drawing on examples from Michigan, including the Michigan Inland Lakes Partnership and a collaborative effort that united local citizens’ groups, this session will highlight strategies for bringing diverse stakeholders together around a common purpose. Participants will learn practical approaches for building trust, aligning interests, and sustaining momentum across organizations, agencies, and community groups. The session will demonstrate how meaningful partnerships can amplify conservation impact and create lasting stewardship.

Conservation Ethics and Greenspace - Dr. Bruce Kingsbury, PFW

Bruce reflects on the progression of (inter)national perspectives relating to wilderness over the last 200 years and finds that they all still apply to our contemporary thinking about greenspace in and around Fort Wayne. 

One Health - Janetta Kelly 

Municipal Strategies to Expand & Enhance Greenspace - Matt Lake, Merrillville Stormwater Utility 

This presentation will provide how municipal entities can developing local standards and ordinances to incorporate stormwater management, green roadway design, open space conservation, and landscaping strategies that serve as low impact development BMPs.  Will have open discussion on how to work with elected official, consultants, local groups, and other stakeholders to take steps towards expanding greenspaces within urban environments.  

Navigating Habitat and Wildlife Rules on Private Property - Jessica Merkling, Indiana DNR

This presentation will talk about basic rules and regulations for wildlife and private property.  It will also provide information on how to streamline conversations with the Department of Natural Resources and give specific information on how the Division of Fish, Wildlife, and Nature Preserves can support you.

Planning for Conservation - Dr. David C Keuhl, LRWP

This talk will walk the audience through a variety of planning techniques that can be used to protect conservation areas starting with those that have the least teeth and moving towards those that have the most. Specifically: comprehensive planning, performance zoning, overlay districts, and the purchase of development rights. The Little River valley will be used as the primary case study.

Changing the Climate

The 2025 Conservation Conversation, Changing the Climate, was a full-day event focused on climate change in the lives of Hoosiers and brought together experts, community leaders, students, and environmental organizations to examine the impacts of climate change on Hoosiers and our region. 

The full-day program featured speakers like Gabriel Filippelli, Professor and Executive Director of Indiana University’s Environmental Resilience Institute, Indiana House Democratic Leader Phil GiaQuinta, NiSource Director of Environmental Policy and Sustainability Stephen Holcomb, Indiana Wildlife Federation Executive Director Dan Boritt, Fort Wayne City Utilities Program Managers Kerry Korpela and Hannah Allen, and Hoosier Environmental Council Climate and Energy Senior Advisor Rebecca TeKolste. Student presentations, research posters, displays, and an evening reception rounded out a day designed to foster dialogue, collaboration, and action around climate resilience.

The event was made possible through generous support from NIPSCO, Dick and Marni Waterfield, and a generous local couple, whose sponsorship helped make this important community conversation possible.

Wetlands:Our imperiled Treasures

The 2024 Conservation Conversation was a full-day event themed Wetlands: Our Imperiled Treasures. It brought together experts, practitioners, and students to explore the ecological, social, and policy importance of wetlands, highlighting both their challenges and potential. Speakers included Bruce Kingsbury, Jason Kissel, Maria Jose Iturbide-Chang, Sergio Henriques, Nate Simons, Eric Ellingson, Tony Fleming, and a group presentation on wetland career paths. The program featured keynotes, student posters, displays, and community activities, with support from volunteers and sponsors, creating a collaborative and impactful celebration of wetlands and their future.

Pathways to Progress

The Conservation Conversation included a silent auction, interactive displays, and a fundraising dinner with live entertainment from Alicia Pyle. There were also various speakers throughout the day, panels on topics related to the theme, and our keynote speakers, Jesse Kharbanda and Michael Homoya.

Conversation turned virtual

After having to postpone our spring 2020 event, we excitedly preseneted our third and fourth Conservation Conversations as a series of virtual interviews and panels, shared monthly on the Environmental Resources Center website and social media. Each segment focused on a particular topic and highlighted questions submitted by the community. The entire archive of videos can be found on our Kaltura playlist.

Second Annual Meeting: April 6, 2019

In 2019, we kicked off with a welcome from Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry. Throughout the day, more than 25 presentations were given on subjects including climate change, local sustainability efforts, river-water quality, and wildlife research.

Numerous displays featuring area conservation organizations, hands-on activities, and a rain-barrel demonstration encouraged participants to talk with people from various perspectives in conservation.

The afternoon closed with an environmentally centered silent auction, and we finished the day with a reception and a dinner featuring sculptor Sayaka Ganz, who shared the inspirations for her stunning sculptures—spectacular representations of nature using repurposed metal and plastic items.

April 15, 2018

In the opening year, the Conservation Conversation was held in the (then) Steel Dynamics Keith E. Busse Mastodon Alumni Center. The event featured 18 speakers representing the City of Fort Wayne, the Department of Natural Resources, nonprofits like ACRES Land Trust, and a variety of faculty from Purdue Fort Wayne who are affiliated with the Environmental Resources Center.

We had over 100 people in attendance, presenting, displaying, and generally joining in the conversation. It was a wonderful success. However, it became clear that we could grow, and would need a bigger venue. But those are good problems to have.