MORRISON – The Whiteside Forum continues its 2023-2024 season with guest expert Brian Ritter speaking about “Conservation: Nahant Marsh, the Mississippi River, and Beyond” on Sunday, Oct. 29, in the Community Room of the Odell Public Library.

The free event will begin at 2 p.m. The library is located at 307 S. Madison St.

Ritter is the executive director of Nahant Marsh and the program director for Eastern Iowa Community Colleges’ Conservation program. He teaches EICC courses on site and uses Nahant preserve as an outdoor classroom.

The Nahant Marsh preserve is the largest urban wetland on the Upper Mississippi River in Davenport, Iowa, and a former Superfund site. After the cleanup, wildlife and plant life showed a vast improvement. So much so, that it was decided to make the wetland a nature preserve and Nahant Marsh Education Center was born.

The presentation will focus on the local environment and conservation efforts here and globally. A question-and-answer session will follow.

For more information about the Whiteside Forum, this event or an update about the season, contact Marc Adami at [email protected], text 815-718-5347 or visit Whiteside Forum on Facebook.