University of Illinois Extension will host a statewide teleconference addressing land use and water quality issues at 1:30 p.m. Thursday. Content will encompass rural and urban landscapes.

Dr. Arthur Schmidt, P.E., will act as one of the featured speakers. Schmidt, an assistant professor in the civil and environmental engineering department at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, researches the hydrological impacts of naturalized best management practices for storm water management versus more traditional sewer systems.

Additional speakers include Susan Meeker and John Church, extension educators at University of Illinois.

The teleconference is open to anyone who is interested, and it may be particularly relevant for local government officials, landowners, farmers, conservation groups and other agency staff. The teleconference can earn participants 1.5 hours of certified county officials credit.

The program is offered in collaboration by the University of Illinois Extension's Natural Resources Management educator team and the Local Government Information and Education Network.

For more information or to register, contact the Mercer County Extension office at 309.582.5106 or the Warren County Extension office at 309.734.5161.

Source: Galesburg Register-Mail