The
Community Development Society (CDS), the National Rural Development Partnership
(NRDP) and Wisconsin Rural Partners, Inc, (WRP) present a joint international
community and rural development conference for leaders, practitioners, researchers
and policy makers. Discover the Magic
of Community through learning the latest information and data;
sharing best practices and working models; and exchanging ideas that will
improve the research, policy and practice of community development worldwide. |
Conference
Highlights:
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Sunday,
June 17, 2007
Organizational Leadership Meetings:
Welcome Reception and Wisconsin's Top Rural Development Initiatives Awards
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Monday,
June 18, 2007
Keynote Speakers:
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David Dodson, author
and president of MDC, Inc., an organization creating civic change in the
Carolinas, the Deep South, and Appalachia. David has directed major projects
to strengthen public schools and community colleges, address rural economic
decline, create new philanthropic structures, and build multiracial leadership
for civic change. |
Irma
Tyler-Wood, Partner with Ki ThoughtBridge, where she consults nationally
and internationally with public sector clients in resolving complex, high
stakes disputes. She is coauthor of the book Expand the Pie: How to Create
More Value in Any Negotiation. |
On-site learning workshops
Badger Tailgate and Hospitality Event at the Paper Discovery Center in
Appleton
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Tuesday,
June 19, 2007
On-site learning workshops
Mobile Learning Workshops to explore community development in the region (see
below for descriptions)
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Wednesday,
June 20, 2007
Keynote
Speakers:
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Michael
Perry,
humorist and author of Population 485: Meeting
Your Neighbors One Siren at a Time and Truck:
A Love Story. Perry has written for Esquire, The New York Times
Magazine, and his essays have been heard on NPR’s All Things Considered.
Perry lives in rural Wisconsin, where he remains active as a volunteer
firefighter and emergency medical responder.
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Kelly
Hawke Baxter, executive director of The Natural Step
Canada, a
non-profit organization that works to accelerate global sustainability
by guiding companies, communities and governments onto
an ecologically, socially and economically sustainable
path.
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Awards Banquet
and Jazz Dance
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More
Information: |
Conference
Registration:
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Hotel
Info:
- www.radisson.com/appletonwi
Book
your room online!
Go to the Radisson
Paper Valley website, enter the dates you will be staying under
"Check rates and availability." Then, enter "CDS"
in the "Promotional Code" box and the conference rates
will appear. Book now
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Visitor
Info:
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Sponsors,
Exhibitors and Contributors: |
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Mobile
Workshop Summaries: |
Mobile
workshops are scheduled for Tuesday, June 19, from 11:30 a.m. to 6:00
p.m., lunch included. Exceptions to this time frame are noted in the workshop
descriptions. With the exception of the walking tour of Downtown Appleton,
participation in mobile workshops is limited to the number of seats on
the bus (usually 45 persons), and selections are handled on a first-come,
first-served basis. It is important to register early in order to reserve
your spot for your selection.
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The
Changing Landscape of the Menominee Nation (Keshena).
Workshop participants will learn how the Menominee people infuse sustainability
into their institutions, communities, and natural environment. They will
hear and see firsthand, evidence of this commitment through a guided tour
of the Menominee Reservation with interpretive stops at the College of Menominee
Nation, the Menominee Forest and Menominee Tribal Enterprises.
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Farm
Market Kitchen Incubator & Waterfront Workshop
(Algoma). Learn how food and cultural entrepreneurship come alive
on the shores of Lake Michigan. Meet entrepreneurs and history buffs who
combine value-added food processing with heritage events. Experience a heritage
lunch, visit historic fish shanty area, boardwalk, winery, and fish-to-fertilizer
plant. |
Buy
Local, Farm-Direct Local Sustainable Foods (Elkhart Lake).
Participants will learn about local sustainable foods. Visits are planned
to an Appleton grocery focusing on special diets, organic food and local
suppliers; a “Slow Food” restaurant that buys local, in-season
foods; and an organic farm which sells direct to consumers through an on-farm
store. This workshop includes a lunch of local foods.
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Impacts
of the Niagara Escarpment on Development in Calumet County.
The Niagara Escarpment is an international geologic feature stretching from
New York through Canada down into Wisconsin. This geologic formation influences
issues including agriculture, tourism, and regional development in this
fast-growing area of the state. Learn how the Niagara Escarpment is important
to Calumet County development and growth. Visits to High Cliff State Park,
Holsum Dairy farm, and Ledgeview Nature Center (trails and caves).
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The
Changing Face of the City of Menasha.
The City of Menasha, like other communities in the Fox Valley, is evolving.
This tour will highlight a variety of downtown community development initiatives
and discuss results of a community economic preparedness survey that illustrates
the challenges faced in moving some of these initiatives forward. Visits
to Nature’s Way affordable housing site, riverfront development, Menasha
locks and trestle trail, and downtown. |
A River Runs Through It.
Study of how the Fox River impacts Appleton, Neenah and Menasha. Throughout
the history of the Fox Cities, the Fox River has been a focal point of travel,
commerce, industry and most recently downtown revitalization. This workshop
will highlight the Fox River and how 3 communities are revitalizing downtown
riverfronts, connecting to local and regional trail systems, and reconstructing
the historic lock system. |
Facing
and Fixing Environmental Problems in the Fox Valley.
This workshop will provide a close-up view of the dynamic relationship between
community and the environment. Participants will learn about the paper industry
and its role in environmental issues. We will visit one of the largest PCB
contamination and clean-up sites in the world and learn about the community
impacts associated with efforts to restore the natural environment. Other
stops include an ecological preserve. |
The
Horicon Marsh. The 32,000-acre Horicon Marsh is the largest
freshwater cattail marsh in the United States. Tour participants will learn
about the rich natural and human history of the area, take a pontoon boat
trip into the marsh, and hear about the ongoing interplay between environmental
preservation and human development. Participants will learn about a state-local
partnership to build a world-class visitor and education center, learn about
an endeavor to develop a regional recreational trail system and learn about
how regional development is having an impact on the marsh ecosystem.
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Door
County/Sturgeon Bay Revitalization. A case
study in successful rural community and economic redevelopment. This community
of 10,000 lost 3,000 jobs in the late 80’s and early 90’s. Revitalization
capitalized on the area's strong entrepreneurial climate, renowned
work force and strategic waterfront location in one of the Midwest’s
premier tourist destinations. Participants will visit a business incubator,
waterfront redevelopment, shipbuilding cluster expansion project, and experience
a Door County fish boil dinner. Dinner is an additional expense, and the
workshop will return after 7 pm. |
Walking
Tour of Downtown Appleton. 1.5 hour walking
tour, about 2 miles total in the several blocks surrounding the Paper Valley.
Features architecture, streetscape, lighting, banners, economic development
strategies including education, history, youth initiatives and multi-culturalism.
Lunch for this group will be in the hotel courtyard, followed by the tour.
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