By Steve Weisman

In just a few weeks on Saturday, August 12, the eighth annual Okoboji Blue Water Festival (OBWF) will take place at Preservation Plaza on the shores of West Lake Okoboji. According to co-organizer Greg Drees, “We have finalized the day-long activities and added a truly exciting educational clean water opportunity with a State/Local Clean Water Panel Discussion that will run from 10:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. under the Big Tent.”

Drees continues, “In addition to being a celebration of clean water initiatives, the OBWF is meant to also be an educational day with the goal of raising awareness with water quality issues not only here in the Iowa Great Lakes but across Iowa and beyond. We are going to focus this awareness with a panel discussion featuring four extremely knowledgeable clean water authorities. Moderator for the panel will be Joe McGovern, president of the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation.”

The four panelists include the following clean water experts:

• Thomas Isenhart, professor at Iowa State University in Natural Resource Ecology and Management. Isenhart’s research interests include stream, riparian, and watershed management; design and establishment of conservation buffers to improve the environmental efficiency of agriculture, land use/hydrology and stream bed and bank erosion; watershed assessment; and land use and greenhouse gas emissions.
• Mike Hawkins, Iowa DNR Fisheries Biologist at the Spirit Lake Hatchery. As a key biologist, Hawkins has been at the center of the battle against exotics and invasives entering the Iowa Great Lakes.
• Rosie Roberts, conservation agronomist with the Iowa Soybean Association. Roberts connects farmers to financial cost share for conservation practices, provides technical assistance to producers and serves as in-house conservation expertise to the partnering ag cooperative.
• Jennifer Terry, project manager for the Source Water Research Assessment in Polk County. Terry oversees a water quality improvement project which will produce a science-based report about the quality of the Des Moines and Raccoon Rivers, as well as a roadmap for restoring and protecting area rivers for public health, safe drinking water sources, water trails, and investment and infrastructure in the region.

Panel moderator Joe McGovern says, “I am excited to moderate this panel of experts as we discuss water quality issues for the Lakes region and all of Iowa. During the question-and-answer session, we will discuss the problems we face, but more importantly what we can do to solve them.”

Drees also presented the final update for the day’s activities:

• Chalkstock – 8 a.m.
• Fishing Seminar – 9 a.m. to 10:30 pm.
• Storytime with Milford Library – 10 a.m.
• Exhibitor’s Row – 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Kid’s and family Activities – 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• State/Local Panel Discussion – 10:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
• Okoboji Protective Association annual meeting – 12:30 p.m. to 1:1:30 p.m.
• Keynote Speaker – 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
• Concert – begins at 7:15 p.m.

“With a full day like this, co-chair Julie Peterson and I have worked hard to get

everything to fit. There are a lot of moving parts when you have such an array of outstanding activities, speakers and musicians. I encourage those in attendance to check out all the activities under the Big Tent: Fishing Seminar, Panel Discussion, OPA annual meeting and Jon Bowermaster, our Keynote Speaker. It’s going to be such an awesome day!”

Kate Mendenhall, president of the Okoboji Protective Association, welcomes visitors to come to the OPA annual meeting at 12:30 p.m. “It is open to the public, and we think it is a great way to learn more about the organization’s mission, clean water initiatives and to listen to the special speakers we will have on hand for our meeting.”

To learn more about the OBWF, go to the website at https://okobojibluewaterfestival.com or the OBWF Facebook page.

Dr. Thomas Isenhart, professor of Natural Resource Ecology and Managemen

Mike Hawkins, Iowa DNR Fisheries Biologist

Rosie Roberts, Conservation Agronomist

Jennifer Terry, project manager for the Source Water Research Assessment

Joe McGovern (moderator), President of Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation