Learn more about the 2026 Minnesota Water Resources Conference plenary talks and speakers below.
Tuesday Morning Plenary Talk
Mississippi River Futures: Managing a Vital Watershed for the Next 100 Years
In 1926, the Mississippi River was declared effectively dead in the Twin Cities. In 1927, the Great Mississippi River Flood devastated the lower end of the basin. Both events reshaped our relationship with the Mississippi River and triggered a century of change for the communities, economies, ecosystems, and infrastructure connected to the River. This panel will look ahead and ask what the Mississippi River Basin should look like for the next century. Can we manage this multi-use river more dynamically as conditions change? What role can nature-based solutions play across the watershed? How can we strengthen collaboration and learning across sectors to emerge a more resilient approach to managing America’s most consequential river system?
Panel Speakers
Kimberly (Kim) A. Lutz is the Executive Director of America’s Watershed Initiative, where she works with partners across sectors to address challenges facing the Mississippi River and its tributaries. Lutz previously held leadership roles with The Nature Conservancy and the U.S. Department of the Interior, advancing major watershed conservation and restoration efforts. She holds degrees in biology from Wittenberg University and the University of Cincinnati.
Alexandra Campbell-Ferrari is the Executive Director of the Center for Water Security and Cooperation. Campbell-Ferrari is a leading water law and policy expert, specializing in water security and water access law, including water governance and interstate water management. She has worked in private practice and was a 2014-2015 Fulbright Scholar in Spain researching water law and watershed management in Spain and the European Union. Campbell-Ferrari previously served as a member of the National Drinking Water Advisory Council (NDWAC) for two terms. She currently teaches Water Law at the University of Maryland Carey School of Law and American University Washington College of Law and serves as member of the Water & Climate Expert Group for Water Europe and an Advisory Board Member to the Bucknell University Institute for Public Policy (BIPP).
Beaux Jones serves as the President and CEO of The Water Institute of the Gulf, an independent, non-profit, applied research institute based in Louisiana. Jones brings extensive experience in government, non-profit, and private sectors, with a focus on coastal and environmental law. In his role at the Water Institute, Beaux works with a team of scientists, engineers, lawyers, planners and other professionals to deliver the best available science and decision-making support, empowering stakeholders to analyze, manage, and mitigate risks effectively. Prior to becoming the President and CEO, Beaux was the General Counsel and Chief of Staff of the Institute. Before that, he served as the environmental section chief for the Louisiana Department of Justice and a coastal lawyer at Baldwin, Haspel, Burke & Mayer. Jones has a background representing the state, agencies, companies, and organizations in various legal matters.
Wednesday Morning Plenary Talk
History of Minnesota Research into Sulfate Pollution of Low-sulfate Aquatic Systems
Ed Swain, Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of Minnesota
Why is sulfate pollution so difficult to regulate? Edward Swain will recount the history of Minnesota scientists who worked to explain the paradoxes of sulfate biogeochemistry – paradoxes that make it difficult to develop standards to protect wild rice and minimize mercury contamination of fish – which sulfate usually increases. Swain will link history to current puzzles about natural sulfate concentrations, and why high sulfate levels sometimes suppress mercury contamination or allow wild rice to grow.
Edward Swain earned a PhD in aquatic ecology from the University of Minnesota and worked for 31 years as a research scientist for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. He has focused on the biogeochemistry of mercury – how it enters aquatic systems and the food web, affecting the health of fish and wildlife. These are processes impacted by acid rain, sulfate pollution, and climate change. He has led work on the effect of sulfate pollution on the methylation of mercury and on wild rice.
Wednesday Lunch Plenary Talk
Iowa Flood Center: The Foundation for a Healthier and More Resilient Iowa
Larry Weber, Director, Iowa Institute of Hydroscience and Engineering (IIHR)
In his talk, Weber will discuss efforts to expand environmental monitoring and forecast systems throughout Iowa to improve community resiliency and the health of the people who live and work there.
Larry Weber is the Edwin B. Green Chair in Hydraulics and professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Weber serves as the Director of IIHR – Hydroscience and Engineering, the nation’s oldest academic research program focused on hydraulics, hydrology and fluid mechanics. He is the co-founder of the Iowa Flood Center, formed in 2009 a center focused on flood mapping, flood mitigation and flood-related research. Also, in 2013 Weber co-founded the Iowa Nutrient Research Center focused developing scientific understanding for the reduction of non-point source agricultural nutrient pollution. More recently, in 2026 Weber co-founded the Iowa Integrated Network for Science, Information, and Geospatial Health Tracking (INSIGHT) program aimed at linking environmental pollution to human health, an effort to improve the health of all Iowans.