COVINGTON, KY – The Covington Neighborhood Collaborative (CNC) announced its 2017 Covington Neighborhood Summit will be held at Gateway Community College (downtown Covington location), 525 Scott Blvd. on Saturday, October 14, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. Participants are highly encouraged to register prior to the event.
The CNC is an umbrella organization providing a forum for sharing “best practices,” enabling neighborhoods to have a strong voice on issues, and affording residents a chance to gain leadership skills in Covington, Ky.
This year’s 2017 CNC Summit will highlight sessions dedicated to the protection of the Monarch Butterfly and water resources in Northern Kentucky.
Starting at 9:45 a.m., the morning sessions will focus on the associated ecological aspects regarding the development of special habitats for butterflies. The CNC initiated the conversation in Covington and has actively supported these efforts. Morning sessions include:
- Bill Thoeny, PhD, Chairman of the Northern Kentucky Group of the Sierra Club, will address a variety of issues relating to pollinators including butterflies.
- Crystal Courtney, City of Covington Urban Forest Specialist, will describe the City of Covington’s current efforts to increase the habitat for Monarch Butterflies in Devou Park and will describe the City’s plans for this project.
- Dr. Mary Whitson, Associate Professor of Biology at Northern Kentucky University and Director of the John W. Thieret Herbarium, will address how Covington’s urban gardens can benefit wildlife in addition to providing the community with a multitude of natural bounties.
The summit features key note speaker Dr. Christopher N. Lorentz, Director of Thomas More College’s Environmental Science Program and its Ohio River Biology Field Station. Dr. Lorentz will discuss “The Status and Importance of Aquatic Resources and Water Quality in the Licking and Ohio River Watersheds.”
Following the key note speech, summit attendees will have the opportunity to interact with representatives from Northern Kentucky’s many environmental groups and guest speakers from 1:30 p.m. to 2:45 p.m.
The afternoon sessions will focus on water quality issues, featuring a presentation from Ward Wilson, Executive Director of the Kentucky Waterways Alliance. Marc Hult, a hydrologist and former member of the U. S. Geologic Survey will make closing remarks at 3:15 p.m. with a focus upon how much everyone effects, and is affected by, water quality in his presentation “We are all downstream from somewhere.”
While the 2017 CNC Summit is open to the public and free of charge, the CNC asks that all participants register prior to the event at http://cnc-neighborhood-summit.eventbrite.com.
Registration will also be accepted on site beginning at 9 a.m.
A continental breakfast will be available prior to the welcoming remarks and topic sessions and a light lunch will be provided from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
The 2017 Covington Summit is made possible with the assistance and generosity of Roebling Point Books and Coffee, the Friends of Covington, the Wallace Woods Neighborhood Association, The Center for Great Neighborhoods, and the City of Covington.
For more information, contact John Niland, Chair of Summit Committee at jpniland@gmail.com or Shannon Ratterman, Center for Great Neighborhoods, shannon@greatneighborhoods.org.