18th Annual

CALUMET HERITAGE CONFERENCE

 Nature Reworked: Honoring the Past, Interpreting for the Future

Saturday, October 28, 2017 | 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM

Lebanon Lutheran Church 13100 S. Manistee Ave., Chicago, IL 60633

 

SPACE IS LIMITED! REGISTER NOW TO RESERVE YOUR SEAT ON THE BUS TOUR!

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This year's conference celebrates the work of generations of people to protect and preserve the environment, including those from 20 years ago who aspired to have the National Park Service create an Ecological Park. 

Morning conference panels and presentations are followed by lunch and an afternoon interpretive tour of some of the region's most iconic gems.

Registration extended through October 23! Registration fee includes morning conference activities, lunch, afternoon tour, and membership in the Calumet Heritage Partnership.

 

Preliminary Program

8:30 - Registration, Meet and Greet, Continental Breakfast

9:00 - Welcome

Michael Longan, President, Calumet Heritage Partnership

9:10 - Rediscovering Heritage: Honoring the Past

On the 20th anniversary of community meetings that led to a bi-state vision for a Calumet Ecological Park and ultimately to the current initiative for creation of a Calumet National Heritage Area, we invite Judith Lihota to revisit how our region rediscovered its heritage and started us on the path to where we are today.   

Judith Lihota, Calumet Ecological Park Association

9:25 - Advocating for Heritage: Calumet's Diverse Neighborhoods

For this panel, we invite community leaders to reflect on their past and current work to protect communities, preserve cultural heritage, and restore nature in the Calumet's diverse neighborhoods.

Cheryl Johnson, People for Community Recovery; Kimberly Unger-Rodriguez, Save Marktown; Jessica Renslow, Miller Spotlight; Tiffany Tolbert, Vice-President, Indiana, Calumet Heritage Partnership (Moderator)

10:15 - Break and Discussion

10:30 - Shining a Light on Heritage: Museums, Galleries, and Local History Organizations in the Calumet Region

This panel highlights local heritage organizations' efforts to interpret and preserve the region's stories. Presentations include an overview of the Museums, Galleries, and Local History Network, a newly formed Calumet Heritage Partnership group working to bring more visibility to local heritage sites, and discussion of how current and future programming can strengthen regional identity.

Madeleine Tudor, The Field Museum; Serena Sutliff, Westchester Township History Museum, Jason Berry, Blue Island Historical Society

11:00 - Keynote Address: Giving the Gifts of Interpretation in the Calumet

Ted Cable, Professor of Park Management and Conservation, Kansas State University

11:50 - Lunch

1:00 - Tour: reVisiting Heritage: Interpreting for the Future

Sherry Meyer, Vice-President, Illinois, Calumet Heritage Partnership;Ted Cable, Professor of Park Management and Conservation, Kansas State University

4:30 - Conference Concludes

 

Register Now!

The Calumet Heritage Conference is a program of the

The Calumet Heritage Partnership is a bi-state non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and protecting the unique heritage of the Calumet region. The Field Museum is a partner of the Calumet Heritage Partnership. Together, they lead the feasibility study to designate the region as a Calumet National Heritage Area. The Calumet Heritage Partnership and the Calumet Collaborative serve as the joint coordinating entity  for the proposed Calumet National Heritage Area.

The Field Museum gratefully acknowledges the following partners for their support of programs in the Calumet region: