event
conservation conversation
changing the climate
Conservation Conversation
What a wonderful event. We hope you enjoyed it, but if you were unable to come, see below for what you missed.
Step into a full day of learning, collaboration, and action at:
the ERC's 2025 Conservation Conversation:
Changing the Climate
SCHEDULE of events
Time | Topic | Speaker | Title and OrganIzation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9:00AM | Welcomes & Thank-You's | Bruce Kingsbury | Director of Environmental Resources Center (ERC) - Purdue University Fort Wayne (PFW) |
| 9:30AM | Politics and Change | Phil GiaQuinta | Indiana House Democratic Leader - Indiana House Democratic Caucus |
| 10:00AM | Carbon Dioxide and Global Climate Change | Carl Drummond | Provost - PFW |
| 10:30AM | BREAK: DISPLAYS | ||
| 11:00AM | Reducing Emissions and Driving Sustainability in the Energy Industry | Stephen Holcomb | Director of Environmental Policy and Sustainability - NiSource |
| 11:30AM | Indiana's Wild Climate | Dan Boritt | Executive Director - Indiana Wildlife Federation |
| 12:00PM | Students Working Towards Environmental Change | PFW Students: Deanne Jensen, Dheeraj Kandikattu, AC Chaudhary, & Cincade Drudge | Waterfield Sustainability Interns - ERC |
| 12:30PM-1:30PM | LUNCH: STUDENT POSTER SESSION & ERC INTERNS & DISPLAYS | Student researchers and Waterfield Sustainability Interns are around to chat with attendees | |
| 1:30PM | Climate Advocacy in a Hostile Environment | Betsy Kachmar | Community Activist, Past President - League of Women Voters of Fort Wayne |
| 2:00PM | Sustainability in the Summit City | Kerry Korpela and Hannah Allen | Program Managers - Fort Wayne City Utilities |
| 2:30PM | BREAK: DISPLAYS | ||
| 3:00PM | Harm Reduction as Progress Amid Climate Retreat | Rebecca TeKolste | Climate and Energy Senior Advisor - Hoosier Environmental Council |
| 3:30PM | Forging Climate Resilience One Community at a Time | Gabriel Filippelli | Professor and Executive Director - Indiana University Environmental Resilience Institute |
| 4:00PM-6:00PM | EVENING RECEPTION | Snacks, cash bar, and live music from PFW students | PFW Jazz Combo - PFW School of Music |
Thanks to our sponsors
This event is made possible by the significant financial support from our sponsors NIPSCO, a generous local couple, and Dick and Marni Waterfield.
The Environmental Resources Center’s largest event of the year, the Conservation Conversation was held on Thursday September 25, 2025, in the Walb Union International Ballroom at Purdue University Fort Wayne. The theme of this year’s event was Changing the Climate which focused on climate change in the lives of Hoosiers.
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.
Lunch was 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.
highlights from the past
Conservation Conversations through time
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.