Join Partners of Scott County Watersheds on Friday, June 3rd from 8am-12pm for a morning of expert presentations on the practices and considerations of sustainable pond management!
Landowners, HOA members, pond-lovers, and conservation professionals alike are all welcome to join this FREE workshop held at West Lake Park.
Coffee and light snacks will be provided.
Workshop Presentations
Wetland Habitats
Nahant Marsh’s Executive Director, Brian Ritter, will discuss the value of wetlands for water quality and will focus on identifying good (and bad) wetland plants.
Water Quality
Learn about water quality, the impact it has on pond ecosystems, and ways to improve your own pond’s water quality with Steve Gustafson, Environmental Geologist and PSCW Vice-Chair.
Fisheries Management
Tyler Stubbs, Iowa DNR Fisheries Biologist will discuss basic pond management issues related to fisheries, such as pond design/function, fish stocking, and fish habitat.
Register today at bit.ly/PSCWworkshop22
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About the Speakers
Brian Ritter – Wetland Habitats
Brian Ritter serves as the Executive Director of Nahant Marsh and the Coordinator and Faculty for Eastern Iowa Community Colleges’ Conservation program. Brian started his career his career with EICC in 2002 as science faculty, and has been serving as Nahant Marsh since 2007. Brian has a BS in Psychology with a minor in Biology from St. Ambrose University, an MS in Community Health from Western Illinois University with additional advanced coursework and training in biology, wildland firefighting, and wetland ecology.
Brian serves on the Friends of Fairmount Cemetery and Prairie, the Schuetzen Park Gilde, the Partners of Scott County Watersheds Board, the Scott County Integrated Roadside Vegetation Management Advisory Committee, the Our Lady of the Prairie Retreat Center Advisory Committee, and the Louisa Ecological Area Advisory Committee (for Bayer Crop Science and MidAmerican Energy).
Steve Gustafson – Water Quality
Steve Gustafson is an environmental geologist with over 20 years of experience in the private and public sectors. Steve has worked on a wide variety of environmental projects, ranging from Phase I Environmental Site Assessments (ESA’s) to designing remediation systems for contaminated sites. He also has experience with a variety of surface water quality issues, including but not limited to fecal bacteria, sediments, excess nutrients, and chloride. His interest focuses on in-situ remediation methods for nutrients and fecal bacteria, as well as sedimentation in river backwaters as relating to overwintering fish habitat.
Tyler Stubbs- Fisheries Management
Tyler Stubbs has been the statewide Community Fishing Biologist for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources based out of Des Moines since 2016. Prior to being in this position he was a Fisheries Biologist with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks for 5 years. Tyler received his education from Iowa Central Community College (A.A.), South Dakota State University (B.S.), Mississippi State University (M.S.), and recently graduated from the Certified Public Manager program through Drake University.
He has a broad background in fisheries having collaborated on various projects ranging from work on large reservoirs and rivers to small ponds and streams as well as projects with the commercial catfish industry. He has strived to develop quality opportunities for Iowa’s urban anglers by building strong partnerships with Iowa’s communities to provide local fishing access.
In his spare time, Tyler enjoys fishing and exploring the 100+ city park fisheries with his family in the Des Moines metro.