Upcoming in St. Charles, Mo.
“Real Resilience – harnessing natural infrastructure to achieve systemic disaster preparedness for the entire Mississippi River Corridor”
Presentation by Colin Wellenkamp, Executive Director of the Mississippi River Cities & Towns Initiative
The mission of the Mississippi River Cities & Towns Initiative is to build the capacity of member mayors, empowering them with the tools and support to undertake effective local initiatives which attract green jobs, move towards sustainable economies and achieve local environmental protection goals.

Floodwaters rise the hill below Gateway Arch National Park in St. Louis, MO.
Presentation by Colin Wellenkamp, Executive Director of the Mississippi River Cities & Towns Initiative
Wednesday, September 11, 2019
6. p.m. Social Hour at Big A’s on the Riverfront
7:00 p.m. Presentation
At Big A’s on the Riverfront (in the back room)
308 N Main St. – St Charles, MO
(directions below)
Presentation is FREE and open to the public!
Hosted by Greenway Network
Colin was the first to graduate from Saint Louis University with a degree in Environmental Studies; the first Creighton Law student to serve as a national officer in the American Bar Association; and the first student to graduate from the George Washington Law School in DC with an LL.M. in sustainable development law. Colin is a Registered Environmental Manager, has worked as an environmental scientist, and represented public entities in Washington, DC for over a decade before returning home to Missouri. While in DC, Colin secured over $50 million in federal grant funds for the local and state governments he represented.
Colin is currently an adjunct professor at Washington University, has served on the board of St. Louis Earth Day, is a recipient of the American Bar Association Silver Key Award.
Directions
To Big A’s on the Riverfront, our host for the Speaker Series.
To get there from I-70
- Take I-70 to exit 229B – the 5th St. Exit
- Merge onto 5th St. headed north toward St. Charles.
- After about 1 mile, turn right on Monroe St.
- Turn left onto N. Main St.
- Big A’s will be on your right (308 N. Main St.) Additional parking is available in the rear.
- View on Google Maps.
Resources & Links
Dig Deeper for more info on this topic –
- Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative website
- MRCTI Mapping Database
- PODCAST – “Elected Officials, Mississippi River Cities & Towns Initiative Rep Talk Flooding, Solutions” – St. Louis On the Air, May 10, 2019
- ARTICLE – “The Mississippi River Is Under Control—For Now” – Time Magazine – Aug. 1, 2019
- ARTICLE – “A New Tool Can Help Mississippi River Cities Plan For Future Floods” – St. Louis Public Radio – Aug. 1, 2019
- ARTICLE – “River Town Mayors Nervously Watch Rising Water, Want More Funding For Flood Prevention” – St. Louis Public Radio – May 4, 2019
- ARTICLE – “Midwestern Floods Pit Communities Against One Another as Levees Rise Ever Higher” – New York Times – May 7, 2019
The Big Muddy Speakers Series in St. Charles
is hosted by these wonderful partners:
All speakers are presenting for free and Big A’s is sharing the space for free! Thank you for sharing your knowledge with all of us!
The Big Muddy Speaker Series also takes place monthly in Rocheport and Kansas City.
A special thank you to Greg Poleski of Greenway Network for making this happen!
The views and opinions expressed by our presenters do not necessarily reflect the view or policies of Greenway Network, the Big Muddy Speaker Series or any of the partners that support this public forum. The Big Muddy Speaker Series believes that hearing diverse perspectives is a crucial building block for an informed public.